California Books

I love this book. I collect cookbooks and read them for fun. I love her chatty style of describing recipes. She gives you such a good idea of when they are good to use, what equipment you will need. Also, her combinations are quite unique. Over and over I came across unusual ideas that sound fabulous. I recommend this to anyone who loves to cook, it's a great resource.

we are fortunate to be able to visit the restaurant several times a year the favorite of my family for their visits esp the pork chop and the ribs and the amazing lemon lime pie now, they can do these at home was a perfect gift for my sophomore and jr college grandchildren, who love to cook, and do these in their apts at school. mom and dad, too

Love the cookbook and am looking forward to cooking from it right away. Thanks

My mom and I had a chance to eat at the restaurant Oct. 2007. Our experience was positive. I had to try the Mongolian Pork Chops from the reviews I'd read. Every bit as good as people reported. The only thing was that a month after I'd returned home, I was craving it (the whole meal)! I promptly ordered the cookbook. Again, I was impressed. Lots of beautiful pictures. I immediately set about trying the recipe, which not only included the entree, but the side dishes as well. My husband loved it too (he didn't get to experience the meal at the restaurant). I was so pleaseed, also bought the book for my aunt!

I was given this cookbook for Christmas and was a little intimidated by it. It looks more like a coffee table cookbook at first glance -- something fun to look at and read but too challenging to actually use. However, I have fallen in love with this cookbook!! The Jack Daniel's Pecan Chocolate Cake with chocolate sauce is divine AND easy (and for those who don't eat wheat or gluten, totally flourless). The House-Made Ketchup is extremely good and makes a great bbq sauce (recipe also included). Even though the recipes are not hard, this is no canned-mushroom-soup cookbook. If you're the king (or queen) of fresh and don't mind spending a little time in the kitchen now and then, you might just love it. Kudos to Mustard's for sharing their best.

The newest WriteGirl book is a collection of work done by the mentors and young girls that participate in this wonderful non-profit program. The poems especially are truly expressive and creative. The book is a great gift for any young aspiring writer, poet or creative individual. There are also helpful exercises for writing your own short stories and poems, etc.

I love all of my WriteGirl books.

Los Angeles teenage girls and their women writing mentors speak their minds on family, community, and society. Wow--these personal essays, story snippets, and poems ring fiercely true. A great read! Also, this book contains wonderful writing experiments for the reader to try. I tried them and loved them. What a terrific gift! Great to give to young girls, women, or anyone who wants to know what young girls and women are thinking!

Honest, evocative, inspiring pieces from a group of female Los Angeles teens and their mentors. Stories and poems that jump off each page, grab you by the shoulders, and say, "Listen up!" A gift.

This collection of poetry and stories is absolutely a wonderful addition to any coffee table or bookcase, and a wonderful gift for any young woman. Younger writers juxtapose their more experienced counterparts, engaging the reader in a journey of beginnings, ends, learning anew and rediscovering familiar themes and subjects. Anyone interested in the exploration writing provides will absolutely love this collection!!

WriteGirl is a great organization that brings forth incredibly smart, funny, dramatic, original, heartwrenching work from young writers. Their anthologies are a great glimpse into what's on the minds of creative women and girls in Los Angeles and beyond.

This book is great! It makes me yearn for the Reagan years again...The Author,Curtis Patrick did a wonderful job of presenting intimate glimpses of President Reagan, as remembered by himself, and many of his colleagues. It is also full of many never before published photographs that give good incite into Reagan's life. It is factual, and a very enjoyable read.
This is definitely a book that every American should have. It also makes a perfect gift for anyone who admired Ronald Reagan, or for anyone who is interested in History.
I am ordering several as gifts, and I'm already looking forward to Volume II. Thank you, Curtis Patrick for such an interesting and well written book.

Innumerous times confidants and associates related Reagan's bedrock principals from earliest days of testing his candidacy throughout his gubernatorial experience. So many could not be shading the truth. His genuine humilty and obvious humor are rare combinations to posses.

As a reader I enjoyed not only learning more about a great man but the ability to get right back into the book after an interruption.

of all of the books and articles printed over the years, this book more than any other more than fills the void regarding the early years of ronald reagan and his first political efforts. for the most part books cover his days in the mid-west,hollywood,g.e. and the presidency ingreat detail. however, until this book liittle has been said about the interworkings of reagans race to become governor of california.
any student of reagan,american politics,history ,the governorship,political camaigns as they were back in the last third of the last century should look to this book.
strongly urge interested parties to add this volumne to their collection. .

Curtis Patrick with this book has brought to light an easy to read collection of personal observations and insights on the man who many regard as our greatest President, Ronald Reagan from those who knew him closely during his transition from Actor to Political Leader...and beyond.
Most of the information and observations from these various contributors to this fine book will not be found in any other source!

Curtis Patrick did a marvelous job of tracking down many of the people who played a role in the very beginning of Ronald Reagan's political career in California. As a colleague of Curtis during the first campaign for Governor in 1966 and in the Governor's Office thereafter, I was privileged to serve Ronald Reagan and now be a small part in this book.

During this early period of his political career, there clearly was an extended Reagan family that developed in the campaign and then in Sacramento when many of us made the trip to Sacramento for the Administration. Many of us were inexperienced in the affairs of government, like Reagan, but all toiled together for a cause that most of us felt was noble and necessary for the benefit of our country. The interviews Curtis conducted give a rare insight and view of the early Reagan and how we call came together to advance the cause of a man who became one of the giants of the 20th century.

The recent rash of books about Ronald Reagan tell the story of his successful presidency, but few have but a mention of the early, formative years when he learned to hit his political stride. Not only will this book give you insights on how Reagan developed politically, but you will get a picture of a wonderful man who we all loved and were proud to serve.

This is an absolutely oustanding book - Richmond managed to recreate a world which ceased to exist at the onset of the Second World War, the world of Jews from the central Polish town of Konin. The book is touching both in descriptions of Richmond's quest for the missing shtetl which can be found only in the fading memories of Jews who somehow survived the Holocaust and in his recreation of the Jewish town that does not exist any more. An absolute must for all those who think that Holocaust was just another tragedy in the past on some distant continent. A perfect gift to people who have roots in Poland - some of my friends found their relatives described in the book. Maybe you or your friends will share this luck?

I found this book absolutely fascinating. My Grandmother came from Konin so for me it was a look into the world my Grandmother left behind.

Konin, subtitled A Quest, is indeed exactly that. It is Theo Richmond's quest across time, place, culture, and humanity. It is his quest to learn where he came from, to understand the place his older relatives spoke of so often in his youth, but which he started out knowing rather little about.

Konin is the small Polish town from which Richmond's (originally Ryczke) family emigrated well before the Jewish community was all but destroyed. From the start, Richmond seeks to learn all he can of the town's history and people, particularly the Jewish people and their section of the town. Some of the text is the town's history dating back into the nineteenth century, and there is some mention of even earlier times, but mostly it is the stories told in the words of the surviving people.

Though some did not respond to his requests, Richmond found dozens of old Koniners whose memories seem crystal clear. And from this, we the readers build up a crystal clear picture of their lives in the community. Almost everything is told in stories, long or short, happy or sad, of life. True, in some sections Richmond includes his own narrative, but even there the stories of the people are interwoven into the tapestry. We do not learn about Konin so much as experience it, with all its goods and bads and excitements and boredoms. And as Richmond is no detached observer, we follow him as he passes back through time into pre-war Poland. He tells us not only who the people are then and now, but how he comes to meet them and the impressions they make.

As might be expected, many of the surviving Koniners experienced the Holocaust, or Shoah, firsthand. With their life in Konin and since comes their life during that horrid time. This is Richmond's quest into and away from humanity. Although many of these pages only touch on Konin in that they relate to Koniners, they make up some of the most gripping reading between these two covers. They are included, of course, to complete today's picture of the Konin community.

One need not be Jewish or knowledgeable of Jewish history (I am neither) to appreciate Konin. One need only appreciate good writing, which Richmond provides, gripping drama, which life provides, and a willingness to see the fascinating slice-of-life of a largely ordinary community that is Konin.

There is little I can add to the existing reviews save yet another resounding confirmation of this book's brilliance. Konin is a superbly written, award-winning thing translated into Polish, Hebrew, German and Italian.

The book is impeccable stylistically and intellectually, and the thorny issue of Polish-Jewish relations is penetrated with honesty and insight. The people interviewed and depicted in the book are -- well, simply, REAL.

Yes, this is another Holocaust archival work and yes, it is brilliantly researched and written. But Richmond's crowning achievement, I propose, is his ability to create a lengthy work as this, about people many readers could never know, without ever letting it lapse into sentimentality or a wearisome litany of names, faces and facts. And yes, I have tearfully walked the streets of Konin with those Shoah survivors who now live in England, the US, and Israel. Richmond has ensured that the Nazi attempt to relegate Jewish Konin to oblivion has been thwarted. And we are much the better for it. "For the dead and the living we must bear witness." Thank you Mr Richmond. You have witnessed for the murdered of Kazimierz forest and all the other killing fields of Nazi Europe.

Just like in "Deep Politics and the Death of JFK,"
Peter Dale Scott here gives us something so often missed
by focusing exclusively on the surface events:
a stark yet densely detailed map of
the subterranean sewers that are the sources of 9/11.

Scott is that rare thinker-writer whose sustained attention
and audacious inquiry have pursued the ugly truth to its deepest roots:
To read this fearless document is to be denied
the comfort offered by our systemic denial.

So be forewarned:
delusions and simplistic reductionisms die on the very first pages;
for reading the rest of the book, one must at times remind oneself to breath.

One of America's most respected and and cogent sociopolitical scientists, Peter Dale Scott (UC at Berkley) has answered the most important questions about the Neocons and Bush Administration by connecting the hidden, and often times secret, historical facts that culminated with the appointment of George W. Bush as an illegitimate president and his assault on the U.S.Constitution and rush toward America world hegemony - -all in the name of Christianity. For the first time ever in print, Professor Scott has articlulated the events, forces and personalities that came to treasonous birth after WW-II, grew to early childhood shortly after the JFK assassination, enjoyed some control within the Reagan and Bush Senior administrations at adolescence and came to full adulthood within the present Bush administration. In a profusely documented, step by step, easy to read narrative, the author enlightens, astounds and cautions, building a case for his thesis that America is in deep trouble unless the electorate understands the issues and stops the Neocons (radical conservatives) in their tracks in 2008. His method is not conspiratorial, but honest without being apologetic or overly alarmist. If you what to understand what has gone on in this country since WW-II and the forces at battle behind the scenes and beneath the propagandist headlines, this is the book for you - - worth the price of one-hundred books and just as monumentally educational. If not, then go back to sleep and become part of the problem and not the solution. The work is undoubtedly one of the most important books written since 1970, given that it demonstrates how the Neocons do not believe in Democracy, the American voter or sovereign nations entitled to design and implement their own destinies. They do not trust the American people, the world or God - - instead, they are motivated by fear and the lust for greed and power. They have fascism written all over their foreheads - - perhaps the true Mark of the Beast that the religious right believes in and warns about so much. Do not walk, but run to buy this book.

The American author Peter Dale Scott shows how the richest 1% control key covert parts of the US state, including the Pentagon and the CIA. The private power of this military-financial complex has been secretly growing ever since President Truman founded the CIA. The US state serves the class interests of Wall Street's owners, not the national interest.

The US state is becoming more repressive: in 1970, 31% of California's budget went to higher education and 4% to prisons, by 2005, 12% and 20% respectively.

Scott shows how the US state built up fundamentalist Islam. From the 1950s, the CIA, allied with MI6, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, used the mullahs and the Muslim Brotherhood against secular nationalism across the Middle East. Later the CIA outsourced its operations to MI6, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the Saudis, the Shah, the French intelligence service, Egypt and Morocco. In Latin America, the US state backed the fascist Operation Condor run by the military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay, funded by South Korea, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

Scott describes how the US and British states have fomented wars across Asia. From 1986, the CIA, MI6 and Pakistan's intelligence service launched guerrilla attacks from Afghanistan into Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 1988 the US and Pakistani states promised to end military aid to the mujehadin when Soviet forces left Afghanistan; Thatcher and Bush ensured that they broke that promise.

Scott shows how the drive for oil determines much of US foreign policy. For example, in 1997, the Wall Street Journal stated, "The Taliban are the players most capable of achieving peace. Moreover, they are crucial to secure the country as a prime trans-shipment route for the export of Central Asia's vast oil, gas and other natural resources."

In sum, Scott shows how the US state is not a force for peace and progress, as Gordon Brown fondly believes, but backs war and reaction. Its ruling class wants to continue their disastrous attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan: it believes what Kissinger said in 2005, "Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy."

Not a conspiracy book at all, but more a historical analysis of what's happened to US power over the past 50 years: how the "deep state" has swallowed what remained of the Public State. When people wonder why there seems to be a total de-link between what the American people desire and vote for, and what they actually get -- here is the answer. In November 2006, the US voted for the end of the Iraq War, the readjustment of the Bush Vampire tax burden, and for greater accountability(investigations, public hearings, supoenas issued, etc). What they got was the exact opposite. Why? This book is a good place to start to find the answer.

When Professor Scott gets to 9/11/01, he goes into very minute detail over the very strange discrepencies involving Dick Cheney's whereabouts from 9:25 to 9:55 the morning of the attacks. Cheney has just flat out lied about where he was and what he was doing. He tells the 9/11 Commission that he did not enter the security bunker/command post just off the EOB until 9:50. Yet several witnesses swore that he was inside the bunker(including Leon Panetta) as early as 9:25, repeatedly going off to make phone calls in the tunnel which leads from the bunker to the EOB, on secured, untraceable phones. Why lie about this? Who was he talking to and about what?

Even stranger is the testimony of an Air Force Lieutenant who kept asking Cheney the same question over and over: "Do the orders still stand? Do the orders still stand?" Eventually, Cheney got angry and responded: "Have you heard anything different?!"

What were the orders? The assumption is that they were orders to shoot down incoming planes. Yet, this query had already been asked at least once before the plane plowed into the Pentagon. And if they were the logical shoot-down orders, why would the Lt. keep asking for confirmation? Scott theorizes that the orders in fact were STAND DOWN orders.

A magnificent, chilling work by our greatest political historian.

This book is something of a curiosity. Published by the University of California Press, it is likely to have the most prestigious imprint of any book willing to entertain the possibility that Bush administration figures (above all, Cheney) may have in some way been complicit in 9-11. As it happens, Scott's case for this insinuation isn't all that strong. Cheney gave somewhat contradictory explanations of his whereabouts for about a half hour on 9-11. A plausible case can be made that there was a space of about ten minutes during which Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush may have had a private phone call on that day. And Cheney earlier approved a change in procedure around hijacked planes that may have slowed response to the 9-11 crisis, although it seems equally possible that this rule change was simply an unwise bureaucratic revision (as most people who've ever worked in an organization are aware, those kinds of things happen all the time, without any dark motives). Scott uses this evidence to suggest (although he is definitely circumspect and cautious in his claims) that Cheney facilitated 9-11 in order to create an opportunity to put into action continuity of government (COG) plans that had been evolving since the Reagan administration to exploit a crisis to deepen authoritarian tendencies of the US state. Ultimately the evidence falls short of that necessary to convince a critical reader, although the idea that the COG plans were around and used after 9-11 to initiate programs like warrantless wiretaps and the partial suspension of habeus corpus isn't particularly unreasonable.

Even if you find the evidence of Cheney's intentionality weak, you might still find The Road to 9-11 an intriguing read. Scott's vision of the world is that extremely powerful people (by virtue of considerable wealth and connections) operate through and often around the US government to achieve their goals. This is the 'deep state/overworld' that only momentarilly becomes visible during crises like the Iran-Contra scandal. Other scandals, like Watergate, may be the result of deep state activities and conflicts without being widely understood as such. Figures in US intelligence agencies have developed ties with their counterparts in Saudi, Pakistani, Israeli agencies and can operate without the explicit consent of their respective executive branches. Although it's not entirely unfamiliar territory, Scott's narrative of the US role in creating jihadists to torment the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and further afield is vividly wrought. Without being too explicit about this, Scott suggests that Democratic presidents like Carter tend to be the victims of these plots, while Republicans like Reagan and Bush empower the deep government figures. Although most conspiratorial thinkers are ultimately pessimists who believe that history is engineered by a handful of all powerful figures, Scott leavens this view with claims that the 'prevailing will' of a country cannot be easily denied (some examples of prevailing will--the desire of Iran to be rid of the Shah, the desire of the Vietnamese to be unified without foreign occupiers, the civil rights movement in the South). In his political assessments, Scott is a judicious left-liberal with some surprising insights. He argues, for example, that the much maligned Helsinki accords may have weakened the Soviet Empire by signaling to Eastern Europe that Western Europe no longer had expansionist designs. He argues for a movement in the US somewhere in between Move-On (which gets so close to the Democratic leadership as to compromise itself) and 'black-flag' anarchists, not bad advice. In describing the needed movement as a 'truth movement', however, I wish he had made more of an effort to distance himself from writers and activists who use that term to advocate blatantly crackpot theories about missiles hitting the pentagon, 'controlled demolition', robot planes, etc.

I loved the author's imagery and descriptive use of language. While reading Ruby Rest, I felt as though I was seeing the world through the eyes of the author. Discovering the secrets of the cottage and the wonders of this quaint coastal town was candy for my mind.
I was carried on a journey that is mysterious and suspenseful, but sweet and beautiful all at once!

A very captivating story told with colorful imagery...vividly describing California's coastal beauty along the seaside of Carmel.
Ruby Rest is a compelling story of fine art, great food and mystery, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

As I read Ruby Rest I was taken away to another time and place, a place that was romantic and mysterious, a time that was contempary yet historical. I wanted to devour the whole book without stopping the read. Tyler Oaks is a gifted writer and should continue on writing these type of novels for women who like to be taken away to another time and place, to excape the world around them if even for only a few hours.

Ruby Rest reminded me so much of my recent trip to Carmel. The cottage, the town, the scenary in Oaks' description was absolutely descript. As a traveler I picked up this book at a Border's in San Francisco because I needed a good read for my trip to NY. After landing in JFK I was on the last chapter and prayed that there would be a delay so I could discover all the pieces of the puzzle. I highly recommend this book and can't wait until her next...

Within sentences of beginning this novel I felt that I was taken to Edda's world. Her concerns, fears, and dreams were not just her own. By the well-penned narrative her "struggles" were mine as well. The whimsical but reasoned way the author portrays the various events and places of this mystery made me feel I was tasting Edda's cherry yogurt and slipping my feet into her kitten heels. I felt as though I were watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie with Oaks' fascinating, quirky, and extreme characters. Moments of humor for repose were enfolded in a timeless beauty. I loved the book from beginning to end! After reading it you may want to visit Carmel to see if Edda and Trace are indeed there or at least browse through the galleries to see if you may spot any Venetian artwork!
Can't wait to see where the author will take me next!

If you're an artist, you need this book. Even if you don't like Irwin's work (or never heard of him.) Remarkably, this biography of the most minimal of minimal artists contains no abstruse language, no mysteriously self-important pronouncements, nor even a single reference to any French esthetic theorist. Not only is this written in clean, straightforward prose; you can hardly put it down. It also raises critical, fascinating questions about the nature of art, and of the way we see. I've recommended this book to several people. It's never what they expect. They've always thanked me.

if you want to understand the mind of a modern conceptual artist and his life...read this....profound,interesting,illuminating,inspiring...read this

*

I am fascinated by the creative process. I am fascinated by physical manifestations born from the spark of an idea. I am fascinated by the complex psychology, rigorous philosophy and simple backbone evinced by those devotees of method. And I am blown-away by Robert Irwin.

My first contact with Robert Irwin's work came in graduate school when a few friends and I drove from Philadelphia to Manhattan to visit the Dia Center for the Arts. There on an upper floor I encountered a truly shocking, yet subduing, experience. Irwin had taken over the entire level and divided into rooms demarcated with translucent scrim. I walked slowly, from space to space, enclosed but not, silent in presence yet bursting with internal applause, and in awe. I marveled at the solidity of light that slid through the Dia's industrial steel windows, tracing its way across two layers of the thin white fabric and gently landing on the concrete floor. My eyes were tickled by the subtlety of color emanating from the vertical fluorescent lights wrapped in gels. There must have been thirty others there at the same time, meandering like ghosts whitened by one, two, three layers of scrim, yet the space was absolutely quiet. This was the first time that I truly understood the word ?perception.? It came in a space filled with exacted simplicity.

Since then I have tried to follow Irwin's work, both past and present, only to find that it is rarely photographed, as the medium cannot do the work justice. However, Lawrence Weschler's biography on the artist is a tremendous piece of writing that will give you much more appreciation for Irwin than any catalog ever could. Weschler spent years interviewing the artist, tracking down collaborators and researching the works. He exhibits an amazing understanding of Irwin's intentions and adds much needed commentary to keep the story straight while tracing the complex and highly personal evolution of the man and his art. From descriptions of Irwin's self-imposed eight month exile in Ibiza, to his two year long rigorous exercise (and again, exile) to create what amounted to twenty lines, Weschler gives us an in depth look at the zen-like disposition of the artist in his search for the perceptual (and hence, not conceptual). Irwin's diligence and rigor will stupefy even those most devoted to their process, and discussion of his material experimentation will act to spur imaginations. Robert Irwin supplies the majority of storytelling, however, and lets the reader in on often humorous tales of the art world from the point of view of a very personable and highly influential artist.

In short, I highly recommend that anyone devoted to design, be it fine art or architecture, read this book. I also recommend that you travel to San Diego to see the first major exhibition of Irwin?s work since 1993, "Robert Irwin: Primaries and Secondaries" at the MCASD through February 23rd.

Note: The installation at the Dia Center was reviewed thoroughly, with an included history of the artist?s work, in an article entitled "Robert Irwin?s Doors of Perception" by Carol Diehl in Art in America magazine, December, 1999, findarticles.com

This is simply the best book about art I have ever read. Like other reviewers, I can say that this book permanently altered the way I see the world (and art). Irwin did it and he still does it.

I picked up this book in 1984 because it was on a reading list for an Art History class I was taking at Oberlin College. I stayed up all night in the library that night. I couldn't put it down. My mind has never been the same.

I still often think of it,tell stories from it and give it as a gift. I always say "skip the first chapter-it gets much better." If I remember right, the book begins with a description of Irwin's perfectionism when cleaning the engine of his car. I figure that will bore my friends.

I tell my students about Irwin's many years attempt to make the perfect line, to his wife's chagrin and his painting the back side of his paintings because it matters to him. They like the story of the riots that occured in South America due to the disorientation of his discs-concave and convex-the viewers couldn't tell where the wall started and the disc stopped. I have given the book as a graduation present.

I thought about this book at the mechanic the other day. My engine is very, very dirty.

I will never forget,forgetting. Great book.

In Book One of this trilogy, Drew Silver has created a cast of characters that you won't forget, and because you care about what happens to them you won't want to leave them alone. These folks are in some serious trouble, scary stuff is going on and there's nowhere to hide. Drew definitely knows when to break the tension with some laughter and some love. I can't wait for the next book so I can learn more about my new friends (and hopefully that bad guy will get what coming to him).

All you can say after finishing this book is "WHOA!". The Vampire Within is a wicked book from cover to cover. I loved it and I can't wait to pick up the next in the trilogy! There are small stories that play throughout that are all a part of the BIG picture.I liked the wicked humor here and there and the characters really pull you into the hell they are about to be apart of. This book is not that gruesome but,Drew Silver writes in a way that make the reader use their own imagination to complete the whole picture. That can be the scariest part of all! You will not be disappointed in this vampire story. It is well written and flows nicely...kinda like the blood through your veins! One of my favorite ways to describe these characters is in the book itself: Emily say that the group was like a twisted version of the Justice League. How great is that? After reading this book, you will set a new standard for vampire books! I know I am hooked! This book will definitely be a keeper. Great story Drew!

I was stuck after 4 paragraphs, I LOVE this book. Looking forward to the ending Can't wait to see how it all turns out, I mean, you feel bad for the main characters knowing that their entire lives have changed. I was a little upset when Eric asked his brother to take the injection knowing what it would make him become and that the good Dr. might have some ulterior motives. I think the good in all of them will prevail. I can't wait for the next book. It is like watching a movie and having to pause it for months. Great Awesome read

This is the best vampire story I have read in a long time! The characters are cool, sexy, and evil and perfectly described by Drew! The story line is great and really "sucks" you in! I can't wait to read the next book in the series! I highly recommend this to all those vampire story lovers out there!

Genre: Fiction
Title: The Vampire Within: The Beginning
Author: Drew Silver
The trilogy begins.......
It is normal for us to wish to improve our health, our appearance or our intelligence. As humans, we strive to improve ourselves to meet expectations, set rightly or wrongly, by forces within our society. There are no easy fixes but every now and then, a simple fix may tempt us to try something that seems too good to be true. This is exactly what happened to a group of college students facing the peer pressure placed upon them by school and particularly, the game of football.
Dr. Cohn, a professional researcher, supported by the local college, has developed a wonder drug to improve almost any imperfection the human body may have. Students are joining his ranks, taking the injections and being paid to be subjects in the human trials. The results are both incredible and terrifying.
Author, Drew Silver begins the novel with a series of unusual events experienced by his characters. Through these events, the reader meets and gets to know the young people who are central to the story. These are intelligent students who attend an informational meeting and get caught up in a plan that spans the world and may, ultimately destroy it. Drew Silver's excellent writing style keeps the reader on the edge of his seat and wanting more. This novel is an excellent beginning of what is sure to be a very popular trilogy.
Author, Drew Silver resides in San Diego. Her experience with law enforcement, martial arts and her love of vampire stories provide a wealth of experience sure to enhance this trilogy. Watch for the 2nd and 3rd books in 2007 and 2008.
Highly Recommended Reviewer: Elaine Fuhr, Allbooks Reviews

This is a fabulous book, like everything Erik Davis writes. The photography just takes it to a new level. This book will be a standard reference for us in future journeys on the North American west coast. We intend to visit all the sites, or as many as we can, documented in the book.

But it is much more than a travel book. Davis brings his masterful knowledge of American gnosticism and materializes it in his historical, rich narrative about the numerous temples, religions, and cults of California. I strongly recommend "Techgnosis" for a much deeper treatment of the same topic. Let's hope he keeps bringing his skill as a writer to craft more beautiful essays about the rich and fragmented American life, and the strange worlds emerging as the American imperial reign draws to a close.

Davis is probably the most talented of the current psychedelic authors, and has a talent at keeping an open and critical eye on both the dark and light aspects of emerging subcultures.

I love his wordcraft and eclectic reach. Every time I read one of his books, I come back with at least twenty new words and a few new concepts.

It's thick and lucius and keeps rewarding me every time i sit down with it. Having grown up in California, I've heard bits and pieces about many of these places and it's great to learn more about them.

Coffee table books are usually visually beautiful (such as Southwestern landscapes, the National Parks, cuisines of the world, ancient civilizations) while shallow in terms of information. Not so with "Visionary State",a stunning book that is as visually delightful as it is educational.

Author Erik Davis is insightful about California's syncretistic, Gnostic spirituality. He shows how Goddess spirituality, Western Buddhism, yoga, and queer spirituality have deep roots in Californian soil-from the Self Realization Fellowship's temple in Encinitas (not far from where I used to live) to the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco (surprisingly, Davis doesn't mention St.Gregory of Nyssa,famous for its icon of dancing saints,and its dance-centered liturgy)

Davis shows the selective "openness" of Californian spirituality. He explores Zen, Tantra, and Wicca, while dismissing the growth of non-denominational and evangelical churches. It's no wonder he doesn't choose the beautiful white clapboard St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Oakville or the Institute for Creation Research in El Cajon (but he does show El Cajon's Unarius Academy,devoted to UFO and the Space Brothers)

It is pleasant to see places I've been--such as the sylvan sojourn of Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, the Egyptian temples of the Isis Oasis in Geyserville,the Stanford Memorial Chapel in Palo Alto, the San Diego Mission,and the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in Encinitas. It also inspired me to go to the spectacular City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah-famous for being the largest Buddhist center in the US and its vegetarian restaurant.

"Visionary State" is a look at the kaleidoscope of Californian spirituality. In these pages, you'll learn that Sam Brannan,founder of Calistoga,wanted California to be the capital of the Mormon Church (Brigham Young disagreed),and that the round barn in Santa Rosa was part of the Fountaingrove commune in the 19th century. You'll learn about Lonnie Frisbee, the co-founder of the Calvary Chapel movement whose name has been erased from official histories because he died from AIDS,as well as the Gnosticism of Philip K.Dick,the author of "Blade Runner." "Visionary State" not only looks great,but makes a great read too!

I bought for the photography but I read cover to cover with great interest. Fascinating historical detail. Beautiful photography.

The photography and commentary captures the awe of California's spiritual past. There has been plenty of coffee table books on Yosemite, Big Sur and the California coast but never has there been a book describing the vast inner landscape of Californian's themselves. This book is a fine addition to the Cali history enthusiast.

I found myself laughing out loud on almost every page. Mary Beth Crain seems to embody the essence (and the quirks) of living through the process of being a caregiver,grieving her loss and moving across bereavement with her companion Truman. Her humor shines through, giving a light hearted overview of a serious subject. We need more books on Care Giving and the Bereavement Process that uplift our spirits and giving us a good "Belly Laugh" along the way. KUDOS !!For the Laughter!
Katherine Rosengren R.N. M.A.

Aside from being more-than-a-little horrified that she went away for the weekend knowing her cat was ouside with its lower jaw ripped off....this was a wonderful book.

It's a lovely story of how animals help heal our hearts.

But, I still have trouble resolving the woman who wrote this book as the same woman who left her maimed cat alone for the weekend. Temporary insanity is the only explanation. She really should have left that part out.

An entertaining narrative of Chihuahua personality and charateristics per se, as well as an astute insight into the complexities of emotions and perceptions while restructring life after the loss of a spouse. An excellent account of canine capers and especially personal renewal, spiced with humor and tears, says it all so well!

I really related to this story as I too, lost my husband two years ago with cancer. Also my chihuahuas and cats and birds have been my salvation. I really understand where this lady is coming from. She did an excellant job of relating the real feelings one experiences with a death of a loved one. My hat is off to Mary Beth as a really great writer and may she find the happiness she deserves. I too, believe there is a connection with dog and God.Carole

I found this book while searching for manuals on how to raise my new chihuahua "baby." He came into my life not because I had lost someone to cancer like the author, but as a last-chance effort to get over a broken heart. In the end the cause of the loss didn't matter; I could totally relate to the author, her grief and the healing power of 6 pounds of atomic puppy.

My thanks to the author for a book that was an integral part of my recovery and for validating all the feelings I thought were mine alone.

This book is not for the literary snob, or high-brow reader; however, it's pure delight for anyone who thinks they'll never love again after a loss.