Characters Books

Funny, tough, startling, believable -- the characters and the setting are likeable, the plot is accessible, and Ms. Harrison writes very well. It's much too much fun to discover Jules Clement on your own to tell you more, and the book is well worth reading. This is a mystery to treasure.

I first found this series in the library and I have since bought them all so I could introduce the books to friends.

Literate and funny, the characters are both eccentric and believable. This is the first book of the series and a worthy read. Trouble is, you may be completely consumed with them until you've read them all. The series captures all of the nuances and eccentricities (good and bad) of small town life in general and Montana in particular.

Unfortunately, I think the author has abandoned the characters and series, but I hope she returns to it at some point in the future. Until she does, enjoy them all (I think there are five books in the series).

Jamie Harrison is without peer - more novels about Jules please!

Jamie Harrison writes more into the first 80 pages than most authors put into an entire book. Characters, scenery, emotions, undercurrents and tensions between characters, they are all there. In a world of a lot of ho-hum writing, Harrison really stands out head and shoulders above the rest! I am reading her second book in the series, GOING LOCAL, right now, and it's another excellent book proving that the first was no fluke. For a book like this, I wish the ratings included more stars. It's just that good! Get it, read it, and put it on your keeper shelf. I'll be reading this series more than once!

For those of us whose every day is off-kilter, Jamie Harrison has created the ideal town with the perfect sheriff: Jules Clement, Ph.D., of Blue Deer, Montana. Home after a decade of archeological exploration, Jules finds that the duties of a small-town sheriff are more dangerous than excavating in Tunisia or Turkey, because in Montana he has to cope with sibling rivalry, nouveau riche newcomers, duck killers, naked men peeing in the town park, and memories of his father's murder twenty years earlier. Walking on the wild side has never been better.

Why do I like this so much? Maybe because it is a classic? Hard to say why, just really enjoy how that is done, the cast of hunters, etc. It is the one I have multiple versions of, including a hardback annotated, so that certainly says something. The style, told in letters and journals to large degree just seems to work for some reason, when it can be horrible elsewhere. Highly recommended.

Apart from that, the Essential Dracula has annotations and notes for each page, which are quite interesting. If you just want to concentrate on the novel, you may find this setup distracting, so try a plain version just for that.

Tells how about a Dracula walking tour in London, and other fun things.

Loved the Stoker's two-dozen spectacular line drawings and some interesting background on Bram and the legends of his subject!
 

First of all, let me say that I give DRACULA, the novel, 5 stars. Unlike many "classic" works of literature, it holds up very well today. Stoker spins a web of suspense, romance and drama that has rarely been equalled in popular fiction.

And if you ever wanted to know more about Bram Stoker or his most famous story, The Essential Dracula is certainly everything its name implies. So why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, it mainly has to with the critcial asides that pepper the massive amount of footnotes in the book. As long as the editor sticks to illuminating historical facts about the time in which the story takes place, or offers helpful translations of words or phrases that are not part of our 21st-century lexicon, all is well. But he too often lapses into the role of critic, questioning characters' motivations or the logic of certain actions they take. Now, I'm not saying DRACULA is beyond criticism; it's NOT a perfect book. But I just feel too much time is spent on this, and it actually detracts from my enjoyment of the book.

The inclusion of the orginal first chapter, "Dracula's Guest," is a mixed blessing. For the hardcore fan, it's an interesting find. But it doesn't fit well with the rest of the story. Most jarring is the fact that, although it's told in first-person by Jonathan Harker, it's not done in the form of a journal entry, like the rest of the story. And I didn't learn anything that wasn't already included in Harker's first few journal entries to Mina.

On the plus side, I absolutely love the addition of recipes for the exotic meals on which Jonathan Harker dines. And the simple black & white illustrations are a welcome touch. Concise essays from famous (or supposedly famous...I haven't heard of many of them) fans speak to the novel's universal and seemingly timeless appeal.

If you can stand the absolute overkill of information, this is definitely a must-have. If Leonard Wolf will just "trim the fat," as it were, future editions might just be perfect.

"The Essential Dracula" is the latest edition of "Dracula" to be annotated with copious footnotes by renowned "Dracula" scholar Leonard Wolf. In 1975, Wolf published the first thoroughly annotated edition of the novel, called, appropriately, "The Annotated Dracula". "The Essential Dracula" has retained and augmented the thousands of comments and explanations offered in that book, but lacks "The Annotated Dracula"'s more than 100 illustrations, most notably full-page artwork by the artist Sätty. Instead, the artwork of Christopher Bing introduces each chapter in "The Essential Dracula". There are also small illustrations scattered throughout, but "The Essential Dracula"'s illustrations are more decoration than material. Don't be misled by the blurb from Ingram on the back cover that oddly refers to the 1975 edition's "100 photos, maps, and drawings", not to this edition. Comments on "Dracula" by 19 writers and artists are an interesting addition between the chapters. Leonard Wolf or his publisher have perfectly chosen a handsome, modern, black and red cover to announce this novel's arrival in the 21st century.

Leonard Wolf's copious footnotes provide the reader with an ongoing lesson in social history. He addresses every imaginable allusion in the text, sometimes with short essays. The notes are more elaborate and cover a broader variety of subjects than the footnotes in the Norton Critical Edition of "Dracula". Some intriguing notes include: recipes for the Romanian dishes on which Jonathan Harker dines, population demographics for Transylvania in the late 19th century, translations of old Mr. Swales' dialect, explanations of Victorian figures of speech, and the particulars of Victorian typewriters that Mina employs so frequently. Leonard Wolf's annotations are blessing to "Dracula" fans. My only reservation about them is that the notes in "The Essential Dracula" cannot be easily read. Unlike its predecessor "The Annotated Dracula", which placed its sizable notes in the margins, "The Essential Dracula"'s notes are truly footnotes. They are written in a miniscule font at the bottom of the pages. One cannot simply peruse the notes, as I so enjoy with "The Annotated Dracula". It is too difficult to determine what text is being referenced. So you really do have to read these notes as you read the novel, which I find impractical and not as enjoyable as studying them later.

"The Essential Dracula" offers 3 Appendices. Appendix A is the legendary and entirely superfluous deleted first chapter of "Dracula", entitled "Dracula's Guest". Appendix B provides a selected Dracula filmography and a list of notable theatrical dramatizations. The filmography includes title, alternative title, director, studio, country, and leading performers for 71 Dracula films, 1920-1992, that feature Count Dracula but are not necessarily based on Bram Stoker's novel. Appendix C is a bibliography.

This book is an amazing classic full of romance, suspense, and horror. Everybody from 11 to 111 should read this awesome classic! Take my word for it,after you start this book, you won't be able to put it down(litterally!).

I have enjoyed ALL of Rhys Bowen's murder mysteries. I write this review of the Constable Evans book because Rhys will no longer be writing this series. This is a big disappointment as I enjoyed the innate goodness of Constable Evans and his struggles with humanity in a small slice of earth that struggles with it's own history and growth. I have collected all the paperbacks of this series and I guess I'll just have to keep reading them over and over.

After finishing this thoroughly satisfying cozy, you'll feel as if you had an insider's visit to a charming little village of Llanfair in Wales. The characters actually breathe, the language is just plain FUN, these are people you've sure you have truly met. The writing is clever and inspired and the scenes are wonderfully painted. Constable Evan Evans is the policeman with both a heart and a brain, as well as a coodling landlady and enough love interest to keep tongues wagging. Dueling church billboards are a witty and delightful touch.

This reader is delighted that there is more of Evans and Llanfair waiting. If you have made it through the series and wonder what's next - then M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series of cozies might should be added to your reading list.

That's surprising given I've been to Wales and it was very foggy and damp -- but the Wales described in this book is a wonderful place indeed -- beautiful and filled with kind, caring people (who unfortunately for any outsider speak Welsh!)

This is the second book in the series -- I'm reading them in order -- and I think I liked it better than the first. I thought at first I had everything all figured out, and was disappointed, but as it turned out, I wasn't even close. That's a great mystery. Add to that a wonderful world you enter when you read this book...

The plot involves a summer resident (a retired Colonel living on a pension who comes to this tiny village in Wales every year for a holiday) who is found dead right after he's discovered some ruins. The local constable, Evan Evans, immediately believes he was murdered, but the police higher up the chain of command try to insist it's an accident. Then there is another death -- made to look like a suicide. Is there one killer or two? Evans gets involved in trying to find the connection between these two deaths as the key to discovering what happened.

All in all, a great book to curl up with when you have the time to read uninterrupted -- it creates a wonderful mood.

This series is set in the peaceful Welsh village of Llanfair and features Evan Evans, the local constable. When two recently arrived Londoners are murdered, Evans must sift through the rivalries that the victims were involved in. This is a well-crafted series with likable characters and well-written plots. Each entry in the series is better than the one before. If you like British procedurals, add this to your to-buy list.

Life in Llanfair is about to get another jolt. Colonel Arbuthnot is hit over the head and killed right after discovering an ancient ruin on the nearby mountains. Meanwhile, tensions build in the town when Evans-the-Meat announces a plan to put the village on the map and returning resident Ted Morgan announces plans to turn the old slate mine into an amusement park. Then a second body turns up. Constable Evan Evans finds himself overwhelmed with events and trying to find the pieces to make sense of it all. But if that's not complication enough, there's a new female resident in town, and she also has her eye on the eligible lawman.

I just discovered this series last month, and I've already read two of them. The characters and setting are charming. The author's obvious love of them comes through on every page. The plot is great as well. While I had some things figured out, there were still enough twists to keep me surprised until the end.

Anyone looking for a relaxing cozy mystery would do well to book some time in Llanfair. I'm hooked and look forward to many happy visits with Evan and his neighbors.

The House of Winslow series is one of the best out . The Gentle Rebel is about a young man named Nathan and his fight for freedom. It is also about a young girl named Julie who has more then a few problems of her own. They are brought together by God. In this book they both learn to love and trust him with their hearts. I loved this book and cant wait to read the next one in the series.

Have you read The Gentle Rebel? Well if you haven't you should! In this book the author, Gilbert Morris, continues the House of Winslow series to the American Revolution. The great-great-grandson of Gilbert Winslow, Nathan learns what the real meaning of love is, and that sometimes love can hurt. When Nathan's younger brother Caleb was killed at Concord, he makes a vow to his brother to fight on the American side. The only problem is that Nathan is in love with the beautiful Abigal Howland a spoiled Tory, who is on the British side. Nathan very quickly befriends Laddie Smith, Caleb's friend. Laddie and Nathan bond and together they join the colonists. When Laddie is shot and taken to the home of some Quakers, who learn of 'his' deep, dark secret and of his past the whole book turns around. I liked this book because I love Morris' novels, historical, and romantic, religious books. This is a must read book! If read with the rest of the series, it will make the whole story even better. If you love romantic, historical, and slightly religious books, than this book is for you! Gilbert Morris make you feel like you are there with the characters seeing everything first hand. You must read The Gentle Rebel!

Have you read The Gentle Rebel? Well if you haven't you should! In this book the author, Gilbert Morris, continues the House of Winslow series to the American Revolution. The great-great-grandson of Gilbert Winslow, Nathan learns what the real meaning of love is, and that sometimes love can hurt. When Nathan's younger brother Caleb was killed at Concord, he makes a vow to his brother to fight on the American side. The only problem is that Nathan is in love with the beautiful Abigal Howland a spoiled Tory, who is on the British side. Nathan very quickly befriends Laddie Smith, Caleb's friend. Laddie and Nathan bond and together they join the colonists. When Laddie is shot and taken to the home of some Quakers, who learn of 'his' deep, dark secret and of his past the whole book turns around. I liked this book because I love Morris' novels, historical, and romantic, religious books. This is a must read book! If read with the rest of the series, it will make the whole story even better. If you love romantic, historical, and slightly religious books, than this book is for you! Gilbert Morris make you feel like you are there with the characters seeing everything first hand. You must read The Gentle Rebel!

Nathan is completely determined to win the war for his country and Brother, and then marry Abigail Howland. However, he never expected to find love disguised as a male. Julie is running away from her past and Uncle, who wants to force her to marry him for her small fortune. However, she escapes disguised as a man, and is able to get a job in the army against the British. As well as fall in love with Nathan. When he finds out who she really is, he is shocked as well as outraged, but soon finds himself drawn to her and finally accepts Jesus as his savior. Will he find God's will is for him to marry Abigail or Julie. And does Abigail really love him?

This book was wonderful. It takes you through the adventures of Nathan Winslow and the beginning of the Revolutionary war. I loved the way it made me feel like I was right there experiencing it.

This is the autobiography of John Bunyon and his life. It is about his life before and after Christ and the grace of God upon his life. John wrote this classic while in prison. He went to prison for preaching the gospel.

I've been looking forward to reading this book for years ever since I read Bunyan's classis Pilgrim's Progress, I've wanted to read Grace Abounding to learn more about his incredible man of faith. I also recently read The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper who introduces the reader to three incredible men of God including Bunyan. So actually reading the journey of Bunyan himself in his own words was thrilled...but difficult at the same time. Bunyan struggled greatly with the concept of grace; he wrestled with understanding how God's grace could be sufficient to save a sinner as great as he. Grace Abounding is a peering into the soul of Bunyan as he goes through this deep personal battle wanting to believe that God was able to cleanse him of all unrighteousness, but constantly confronted with the holiness of the divine.

Just over half way through the book, Bunyan surrenders to the will of God in his life. He finally and fully grasp that the grace of God was truly sufficient. Then his heart is set aflame to share this grace with others and he becomes one of the great preachers and writers of all time, even though he goes on to spend a dozen years confined to prison for preaching contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, it was interesting to see the cultural battle Bunyan faced at the time looking back from my vantage 500 years later to see that America is the beneficiary of his great struggles with the prevailing church of the day. As Bunyan sat in prison, he wrote about the great journey from a metal worker to a pastor of the gospel of Christ - in allegory form for the Pilgrim's Progress and in autobiographical form in Grace Abounding.

I can understand why many believe this book is a classic - the thoughts and insights that Bunyan has into the Word of God were profound and significant. It was amazing to read how Scripture flowed through his mind irrigating every thought so that his life bore much fruit. I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger reader, it is a difficult read, but well worth the effort.

Grace Abounding....is an excellent autobiography of John Bunyan and his spiritual struggle to obtain assurance of his salvation in light if his belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin. Recommended to anyone who may be facing the same struggle with this question. Each paragraph of the text is numbered and, thus, it is easy to put the book down at any point and pick it back up later without losing train of thought. Since the book was written over 300 years ago, it is interesting to have insight into the thoughts of a Christian who lived during that time and to compare with current Christian thinking.

A lot of us are familiar with John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, whose influence in Christendom is second to the Bible. Bunyan was a preacher, a prolific writer and a shining saint for God. However when we read this book we find out that he was an atheist and infidel in his youth, enjoying sin and rebellious towards God. Inwardly he suffered from tormented nightmares of demons and judgment, but outwardly he went on pretty much as any other sinner, taking delight in sin and being the ringleader of mischief. Several times he nearly lost his life, and even though there were several close calls, still he did not turn to God. After his marriage, he participated in religious activities, went through the motions of attending church and generally lived as he pleased, each time successfully shrugging off pangs of guilt. One day, after church, while playing a sport, a voice seemed to call out to him from heaven to his soul, which said, "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" Bunyan was convinced it was the Lord Jesus looking down on him in displeasure. What follows details his sinking into despair, his desparate attempts at working his way into God's good graces, and his struggles with temptation and doubt. In a strange sort of way, it is comforting to read about Bunyan's struggles and identify with them because you can see how he turned out so greatly used by God. He rationalized, made excuses and tried every way to justify himself. Bunyan did not try to gloss over his motivations but gave an honest account of his struggles from avowed sinner, to religious hypocrite before he was finally converted. He describes in great detail his doubts and despair, his yearning to be converted to Jesus Christ, and then being assured of his salvation by reading the Bible and praying. Reading this book will help you realize how God's grace can abound and save even the most wretched of sinners and gives us abounding hope.

I can't say that I have read this book...yet, but what I can say is that anyone who endeavours to read any work of Dr. Haykin is in for a real treat. He was my prof. for Church History, and a man whom I am thoroughly impressed with. He is a humble, diplomatic, professional person with a strong heart for God and His glory.
His knowledge on Church History is incredible, especially his understanding of the Reformation, the Puritans, and the Particular Baptist movements. But he cannot be limited there even. I could literally listen to him speak for hours.
I strongly recommend anything by Dr. Haykin as you will become well informed on the topic that he writes about, whether it's Cromwell, Bunyon, Edwards or anyone else.

God bless and enjoy.

Character IS destiny! That mysterious internal mechanism which makes us saint or sinner is the essence of every story. Without a character thinking, planning, estimating and struggling towards her goal, there is no story. You are what you love, what you eat, what you see and what you choose. Red hair is not a coincidence.

Plot, schmot! Character rules and this book will focus your attention on it.

A good story without good characters is an impossibility. Characters are the people that the audience relates to, that the audience connects with to get themselves involved in the story. "Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction" is a guide for writers to develop these characters to be the best they can be, by evaluating the character piece by piece. To make them truly great, author and freelance writer says, a character needs to be consistent, believable, and admirable. "Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up: A Thorough Primer for Writers of Fiction and Nonfiction" is highly recommended for any aspiring writer to be and for community library writing/publishing shelves.

Martha Engber's book is insightful and inspiring. Ms. Engber instructs with practical exercises and examples, as well as humor. She suggests creating a Think Log to jot down thoughts prompted by your character's development; what a fun way to emote about the daily challenges or triumphs when in the process of creating a character! There are many important lessons in this book. My favorite is how and why to introduce a character via his or her defining detail because "everyone has a reason for being who they are." Which reminds me why I write: to know myself.

The most intimidating (and essential) part of writing a story is making your characters, however minor, consistent and believable. Setting the groundwork for each character's role in a story is a daunting enough task to make even the most seasoned writer freeze up. Thankfully, Martha Engber has created an easy to follow step-by-step guide on how to painlessly develop characters. She gives organization strategies that help a writer to brainstorm, encouraging us to experiment in order to flesh out the people who will occupy our story. She offers up things like the "one-sentence test" along with other invaluable exercises, tools, and examples of how to create the best possible character for your particular story.

"Growing Great Characters From the Grown Up" is written as if by a close friend offering up some pointers. Its easy style and readability is a huge plus as one will be inclined to refer to it over and over again.

Martha Engber advises the writer: Get to know your characters. How else can you write convincing dialog? How else can you make their responses fit situations in your story? Learn to make readers love or hate your characters. If you know your character, so will your reader, and he'll keep on reading. Martha shows you how.

I really enjoyed this book, as the final installment to the series.

IN this valume, we see Camelot falling apart as the Grail Quest consumes the companions. Lancelot and Guinevere finally consummate their relationship.

The relationship between Arthur ans Mordred, his son by Morgause, comes to a head, and the story ends as it usually does. But, this story makes it all fresh. Its morew realistic them MZBs story, without all the magic interfering. Don't get me wrong, MZBs book was, and still is,one of my favorites. But its nice to see a book(or trilogy) where for once, religion isnt such a large part. Its the people more at center stage. This book is more historical fiction then fantasy.

This trilogy by Persia Woolley, which includes Child of the Northern Spring, Queen of the Summer Stars, and The Legend in Autumn, is well worth reading. Among the plethora of feminine centric Arthur retellings, I thought this trilogy was second only to The Mists of Avalon, which is the best Arthurian novel I've read, period. Neither a simpering bauble like Marion Zimmer Bradley's queen, nor a bitter shrew, as she is depicted in Rosalind Miles' trilogy, the High Queen in this series is a strong woman, bold, intelligent, compassionate, and well worth the love of two legendary heros. My only complaint with the character is this: Woolley saw fit to make her Guenevere homely, not the great beauty of legend, and Guenevere is supposed to be the fairest of the fair. Otherwise, this trilogy gets my highest recommendation. It is much better than the other Guenevere trilogies out there (by Miles and Newman). If you like this one, you might also enjoy Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie.

I love reading the Arthurian Legends from a "woman's point of view." I loved Mists of Avalon because of that feature, and I adored these books about Guinevere. I knew there had to be more to her than traditional Camelot portrayals! I am surprised the 3 books in this series are out of print. I was lucky enough to find the first 2 (Child of the Northern Spring one year and Queen of the Summer Stars the next year) in hardcover on a clearance book cart at 2 different locations! What a treat! I had to order this final one in paperback. Each time I got the next book I went back and re-read the previous one, until finally, when I bought Legend in Autumn I re-read all 3 one after the other. I was sorry to see it end. I am not sure if Persia Woolley will write anymore, but if she does I am certainly a fan. Thanks for a great series!

This book was FANTASTIC!!! I am an avide reader, and can honestly say that the three books in this series were the best I have read in many years. I laughed and cried and sat up till the wee hours of the morning not wanting to put down these books. The storie put such an increadable spin on the King Arthur tails, and made me want to read everything I can find on the ancient Celts.
The only negative thing I could say about the series is that it is probably more of a "Chic" book than something a guy would get into.

This is a good book--even though it perpetuates the flaws seen in Woolley's previous Guinevere books, _Child of the Northern Spring_ and _Queen of the Summer Stars_. Woolley's Guinevere still has a habit of distancing herself from the story, briskly rattling off the legendary happenings like an anchorwoman for the Camelot Nightly News. Woolley's desire to tell the Arthurian legend without the use of "magic" or "fantasy" still results in cumbersome and byzantine plot devices as the author attempts to explain magical events without the magic. Her characters still borrow heavily from other authors--Cai is straight out of Phyllis Ann Karr, and Morgan is a twisted reflection of Bradley's Morgaine. But all of this aside, this is still a good book.

In _The Legend in Autumn_, the dream of Camelot begins to fall apart. There are quarrels--Guinevere and Lancelot fight bitterly over Elaine of Carbonek, whom Lancelot accidentally slept with. And Mordred, whose best friend is a Saxon captive, comes to believe the Saxons are basically OK, and wants to include them in the Round Table--but Arthur, veteran of countless Saxon wars, holds his old prejudices dear, and refuses his son's request. And into this tumultuous court comes the young bard Taliesin, singing of the Grail, and the Round Table warriors begin to scatter to the four winds in search of the mysterious object.

Woolley deftly describes the tale told by each returning knight; she does a great job of showing how the Grail means different things to different people, and what sort of meaning each man finds. (And woman, too, for Guinevere will find her own personal Grail by the end of the story.)

Also wonderfully done was the treatment of Guinevere's punishment for adultery. The usual retelling shows Arthur standing by heartlessly as his Queen is sentenced to the stake, and Lancelot ruthlessly killing his friends to save her. Woolley has a more complicated but more believable theory about what reall happened behind the scenes, one that rings true to the characters of the brave Queen, the idealistic King, and the deadly but good-hearted knight. I won't give it away, but it's good.

After Lancelot makes away with Guinevere, they flee to Joyous Gard, where they live simply and happily--until the threat of war looms. Guinevere is supported by the counsel of Isolde of Cornwall, who has grown wiser since her star-crossed love affair with Tristan, and together they see what must be done. Far from being the downfall of Camelot, Guinevere will now give her all to save it.

This book ought to be remembered, above all, for its sensitive portrayal of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot love triangle. Gwen and Lance truly have a love for the ages, but Gwen also shares a special bond with Arthur, which holds Camelot together more than they realize. Guinevere is the human touch that balances Arthur's ideals.

Michele Serros successfully encapsulates the inner conflicts and frienship demands of adolescents with a dash of conflict and a Latinidad twist. Clever Spanish slang weaved in between teenage "hip" lingo makes for a fun read about how one girl, Evie, struggles with the pressures of high school. Her socio-economic status, surburan family lifestyle, and beachside residence illustrates a different Mexican-American youth than we are used to reading. It's refreshing! And necessary. The emphasis on Mexican culture underlying the message in this book clearly demonstrates Serros' ability to unite experiences. You will find many similarities to the characters in this book, regardless of where you're from or how long ago you were in high school. Satisfy your curiosity and buy this innovative and thoughtful novel. Read the book then buy it for your daughter, your niece and all of the Latina youth you know. They will thank you.

"Honey Blond Chica" is a very thoughtful and insightful book that succeeds in offering an honest portrayal of teen-age life, and doesn't talk down to the reader. The pressures of sex are discussed openly in a chapter that articulates the fears and anxieties, but also the potent cocktail of emotions, which make up teen-aged life. Young readers will enjoy this book whether they even know what a "chica" is or not, as the teen-age experience if fairly universal. However, young second and third generation Latino readers will find bits of life with which to relate that are sorely lacking in the literary field (especially young adult novels!). Michele Serros is an excellent writer and young readers will quickly consume this novel as they anticipate the second in the series which will soon be on shelves. Kudos to Serros for writing a novel for the young Latino audiences in America. Usually books are only written that shoot for extremely young audiences or older audiences, completely missing the untapped teen-aged Latin audience. Here's to hoping that this novel is the start of a trend of young adult Latino novels!

Ahhh, to be a teenager again; the friendships that can turn on a moment's notice, the puppy love, the parties, the self discovery... all universal themes but written about with a twist in Honey Blonde Chica. It's very refreshing to read a young adult novel where the main characters are Latino, yet the focus isn't on discrimination or financial hardships, but rather just being a teenager. Like another reviewer said, those books certainly are important and have their place, but Honey Blonde Chica is a nice change.

Michele Serros has always been my favorite writer, since I read her book How to be a Chicana Role Model. So it was natural for me to read her new book Honey Blonde Chica in less than a week just like I did with the other two. I love this story because anyone can relate to Evie(The main character) because I think that everyone has gone through that stage in your life where you want to be cool and fit in and sometimes you let peer pressure affect you. I love this book because it shows another perspective of Latinos, a different culture, a little bit mixed with living in the U.S. but staying true to yourself and your culture. The humor that Michele Serros uses is so cute because she speaks from a teenager point of view. I also wish I had this book when I was 16 to read and be guided by. I strongly recommend this book to everyone because it's a great book and you will have fun reading it.

Being that I'm a older hispanic girl, I really enjoyed this book! I would have liked to have this book as a teen.

The girls were true to form. About how they talk and treat friends. I thought this was just a good read. And am looking forward to the next book.

This a great book. I purchased it because I met Burton Barr in person and wanted to hear his story. The seller of this book sent it very fast and at a cheap price. I would buy from him again.

In this no holds barred narrative Burton Barr bares his soul in hopes that the reader will be spared some of the heart ache he experienced and caused others. He writes in an intimate conversational style that draws the reader into his life as he shares his testimony. For over twenty years Burton struggled with the results of his bad choices.

Like the prodigal son of the scriptures Burton remembered his (heavenly) father's love and the call of God on his life. He again responded to that call. His life has turned around. Instead of pursuing a life of drug abuse and drug dealing he is now heading up a ministry to prisoners.

Hoodlum preacher is the story of Burton Barr's full circle from the call to preach as a child, a period of rebellion, restitution, and reunion. This is a book for the person in the street or in the pew. It warns of the danger of Satan's snares in contrast with the message of God's love, His grace, sufficiency, and peace.

This book was awesome and inspiring. It is 100% real and through it all your just like whoa how many times can one person get locked up!! A wonderful story of how God has to break up down to build us up in his image!

For fellow readers who love a little bit of action and intrigue combined with a spiritual uplifting at the end, this book is for you.
Full of pain and anguish, The Hoodlum Preacher, is a story of a journey of a young man who was able to change his life, his way of thinking, and eventually, his salvation. Rev. Burton essentially became a real-life "Prodigal Son".
I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with anything and who wants to find a better way of life. This book is also good for anyone who just wants to read a good book. :)

Burton Barr, Jr. felt he had been called to preach at the tender age of nine. He preached to a captive audience, his little brother, Ralph. His mother told him he'd have to wait for God's calling but he continued to practice his sermons. As a teenager, he joined the church and actually begins to preach. Then things took a strange turn and he began to drink, smoke marijuana and cigarettes. Not too much later, he began trying cocaine, heroin, PCP, crack and whatever else he could get his hands on. He stole from his employers, wrote bad checks and conned his relatives which resulted in numerous arrests. In an attempt to turn his life around, he joined the Marines but continued his behavior of stealing, conning and drugging. The Marines sent him to the brig and eventually to Leavenworth. On many occasions, he attempted to get clean, get his marriage back on tract and keep a good job but each time he met with failure. At last, on one of his stints in prison, he met a preacher who had that certain "something" that he couldn't put his finger on and as a result Burton Barr, Jr. began to see the light.

THE HOODLUM PREACHER is the amazing story of one man's descent into the hell of the drug world and his ultimate redemption at the hands of God. The lessons he learned are good for all of us. Even if we aren't guilty of Burton's vices, we have all done something that is not right. Barr lets us know God can see good in us and we can be saved from ourselves. Barr does all this without being preachy or overbearing. It is a very good book and so very uplifting. I enjoyed every word, even as I cringed when Barr sank back into his abyss. It is well worth picking up.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The shipping was really fast. I bought this book as a gift and they liked it!

This book is so good it's scary it teaches stuff from poses to move ment step by step so you can get it really easyly. At first I was terrible at drawing movement so every piture I drew was a charater standing but then I got this book at the libray. And now I know how to draw people jumping running and much more. Very helpful and useful it should have ten stars. Cool as it gets the person who made this book worked for Studio Ghibli!
~*~Purin~*~

I must say, I really enjoyed this book. I love how the book displays the body in different views and in different positions. This is especially useful when you can't draw a character from a certain sitting position. For those who are a little concerned about nudity, don't worry. There is some nudity, but it's mostly the guys. I really wouldn't call it nudity though, since they do not draw the nipples on the females at all. It's merely a silhouette of the naked form. Other than that, this book is a must have. It really shows daily activities (like the book suggests)it also has some activities like karaoke. I wouldn't call that a daily activity, but that pose can come in handy if one wishes to draw a karaoke scene in their manga.

The third book in the series picks up right after the last with perspective. The first chapter is dedicated to it, and provides many great tips. It then moves on to basic character movements such as walking, running, sitting, sleeping, and much more. From there it even goes into greater detail by showing you variations of the previously mentioned movements, and a lot of them. After all, no two people are made the same. This is a great book for any artist period who wants to learn the different poses of the body.

Ozawa does a wonderful job again! He inititally starts the book on drawing your character using perspective giving a numerous amount of pointers and examples. Then giving basic action poses (walking, running, sitting, standing, laying down, etc) and going into variations of those actions by using multiple examples of characters. A typical example page consists of a stick figure in a particular pose, a block figure, and the actual finished character in the same pose. Front and back, or other view of the pose is common and he even gives pointers and tips of details to look out for.

Besides teaching you how to draw real believable characters, this book is an excellent edition that you may later use as a reference book for poses. Like his earlier books, Ozawa covers nudity tastefully and this book can be used by young artists without fear. A book well worth the money, imo.