Texas Books

A book and story like no other that I have read. The author becomes blind and then learns to paint, as the title indicates, but what the review and title do not reveal is that the author guides the reader through her personal journey toward self actualization. By her frankness in revealing the changes she endured, the emotions she felt and the methods that lead to her acceptance, the reader gets a great insight into their own life and how to handle personal problems. A marvelously insightful book by a mind that is creative, mature and certainly a genius. I could not wait to see what happened next and found myself reading the book late into the night.

This is a well-written story about a woman who, after being suddenly plunged into darkness, struggling with denial and profound depression, ultimately triumphs and goes on to soar into a life she could never have imagined. This is a truly inspirational story which has lessons for all of us.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author and her husband. I thought she was inspiring after a short visit over breakfast. But until reading this book, I had only seen the tip of the iceberg! It is amazing that someone who has endured so much can remain so positive and create great works on canvas as well as create great impacts on the lives of others. There is so much inspiration in this book. This will be great for Christmas gifts!

It took an incredible loss for Lisa Fittipaldi to become a winner. Her inability to see the world from the outside forces her to look within. The author entices you from the beginning by intimately sharing her painful discovery into who she really was, and wasn't. A brilliant career woman channels her intelligence, determination, and resourcefulness into finding an answer, but not knowing to what. As her health continues to deteriorate she explores every dimension imaginable desperately attempting to discover her purpose in life. Miracuously everything seems to flow together and manifests itself in every stroke of her brush. It is difficult to conceive that her images come from an internal memmory bank, eloquently transfering onto canvas. Just as skillfully she takes the reader through this process managing to explain the impossible. After reading all night I finished the book feeling refreshed and inspired. A remarkable woman!

As Lisa Fittipaldi's "art dealer extraordinaire," I was honored to be included in her touching account of how she overcame going blind and went on to produce such moving realism in her paintings. As I read the book, I found myself unable to put it down, despite the fact that I have known the artist for more than five years and thought I knew her whole story. This book shows Lisa's journey to re-enter the sighted world after going blind and how she used art to find that path. The following quotes from the jacket cover indicate how this book inspired Natalie Maines, Heloise, Kinky Freidman, and Rick Riordan.

"This book goes far beyond learning how a blind painter creates her works of art. It is an honest, heartfelt look at a woman who struggles to overcome her own faults and fears to find her authentic self."
- Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks

"A truly inspirational story with highlights, lowlights, and lessons we can all learn from."
- Heloise, international household hints columnist

"Lisa Fittipaldi is a great artist who also happens to be blind. "A Brush with Darkness" is the story of how art imitates life, and how life imitates art, and how both are mirror reflections of the miracle that is the human spirit."
- Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, and author

"By turns poignant, enthralling, and uplifting, "A Brush with Darkness" is a tribute to human perseverance and creativity. Lisa Fittipaldi writes as she paints - with deft strokes and vibrant color."
- Rick Riordan, Edgar Award-winning author

Read the Innocent Man and thought I could never be moved so much by a book-really a life story. Saw the movie The Exonerated and heard about Kerry's life. I started reading the book for about 2 hrs a few nights ago... Last night I actually read from 9 pm to 3 am and then got up snowy day here) and read from 8 am finishing the book. I felt I couldn't put the book down until this whole ordeal was over-like my not finishing it still had held him in a deplorable state on Death Rown. When he is handed his belongings and the 1.28 check from his Trust Fund I bawled like a baby. I never really thought this was a just world but never really considered how injust men could be. Amazing life story of a man overcoming and rising above horrendous acts of injustice!
A Must Read!

A first-hand account of how and why innocent men and women can spend decades on death row in the United States that should be read and discussed by both pro-death penalty proponents as well as abolitionists.
Kerry Max Cook is a modern Dante/ Job. His story is of one who travels to hell and back, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, but who in the end has the strength to emerge as an enlightened, if wounded human being. The tortures he endures after being wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman he only knew casually are simply inconceivable. Not only does he have to contend with the fear of losing his life on a daily basis, (the fear of execution, and the fear of being stabbed) but he also must survive psychologically the tragic deaths of loved ones in the outside world while he is in prison.
The depth of police and prosecutorial misconduct Kerry describes is nothing less than infuriating, shocking. Yet, the presentation of his case is not intended to be an ideological rant against "the system." Merely by stating the facts, Kerry can convince us of the depth of the flaws.
Besides being an eye-opening account into injustice, Kerry's book is also
told in a way that draws us close to him, a human tale that cuts deeply into our hearts. It is a face-paced read that will keep you turning the pages, one that will haunt you and make you want to live each day of your own freedom to the fullest.

Kerry Cook had a few scrapes with law enforcement as a teenager in a small Texas town - joyriding, kicking out the windows of a store that falsely accused him of armed robbery. Thus, police "knew" they had their man when his fingerprints were found at the scene of a grisly murder.

The abuse of justice started immediately, continued for two decades, and nearly ended with Cook's execution. First it was merely physical - police slamming him into a wall, holding his head underwater in a toilet, arranged beatings by fellow prisoners, refusing showers and clothing, and sleep deprivation to force Kerry to confess. More serious abuses then occurred - withholding evidence from Kerry's attorneys, coaching witnesses to slant/fabricate testimony against Kerry, providing scientifically unfounded testimony that "aged" Kerry's prints to the time of murder, solicited false testimony from fellow inmates that Kerry had confessed - culminating to Kerry's arrival on Death Row in 1978. There Kerry was raped three times, and attempted suicide after each. Then his appeal stalled for eight years, and ultimately was denied.

Finally, things started to go Kerry's way. The prisoner who initially testified Kerry confessed, decided to come clean. An FBI expert provided an affidavit stating that scientific fingerprint "aging" was not possible, information was uncovered that a pathologist had told police that the victim's librarian prior boyfriend had ordered a book describing how she had been mutilated (police ignored, and did not provide to Kerry's defense), the major Dallas newspaper printed a major expose of how Kerry had been railroaded, a foundation funded Kerry's successful re-appeal.

The judge in the retrial, however, prohibited introducing most of this new evidence, the foundation funding Kerry's defense ran out of money (his attorney worked pro bono, but could not afford expert witnesses), and after a mistrial (deadlocked jury) and third trial it was back to Death Row for Kerry.

Fortunately, this conviction was reversed again, and Kerry was offered a "No Contest" plea in exchange for time served. His initial decision was to refuse and go back to trial - however, Kerry accepted the deal after learning that the potential jurors generally thought he had gotten out on a technicality and that they were there to "make it right." Finally, after being freed, results of a DNA test came back, exonerating Kerry and pinning the crime on the librarian originally identified by an eyewitness who had been coerced by prosecutors to change her testimony. Yet, prosecutors continued to contest his exoneration when interviewed.

Kerry, however, is not blameless in this miscarriage. Throughout the trials he lied about how his fingerprints got on the victim's door, instead of simply admitting she had invited him up there. (Kerry claims his father told him not to admit this; however, such an action makes no sense whatsoever.) Finally, while Kerry also should be commended for writing the book himself, continually referring to his parents as "momma" and "daddy" was both infantile and aggravating.

Bottom Line: This book seriously questions the wisdom of the death penalty in America.

I have read the book twice. This is a first hand account of one of the worst cases of injustice in American History. Kerry Max Cook has brilliantly written his own book about life before and after death row and the scars that he still carries with him from the experience. I highly recommend this book to all. I have already bought copies for all my friends.

Kerry Max Cook met young Linda Edwards in 1977 and was invited back to her apartment for a drink, where he left his fingerprints on the sliding glass door. Four days later, Ms. Edwards was found brutally murdered, and Cook was immediately arrested for the crime. In one of the worst examples of police and prosecutorial misconduct in American history, Kerry Max was put to trial with coached prosecutorial witnesses, bunk expert testimony about the "age" (six to twelve hours) of the fingerprint, and suppressed evidence that would have favored the defense. The state declared that Kerry Max was a repressed homosexual (at a time when homosexuality was a mental illness, and in rural Texas, no less) who raped and butchered a female out of repressed rage - a theory, incredibly, they stuck to even during re-trials two decades later, in the 1990's!

Chasing Justice is the story of the framing of Kerry Max by the Texas justice system. The narrative was written in Kerry's own hand (1,200 pages at first draft) and condensed into a powerfully personal 350-page account of life on death row - desperation, abandonment, rape and sodomy, stabbings, and attempted suicide. The prose isn't depressing; rather, Kerry Max just fights on, always waiting for the next turn, building his cadre of supporters. Texas death row has been ruled in federal court to constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Kerry Max fought for a full two decades for his freedom, through three outrageous trials, with not a penny to his name. While the major Dallas newspaper was decrying the railroading of an innocent man, he was convicted again and again and again. To date, he is still not eligible for reparations from the state of Texas because he has not been officially pardoned, which would require the unanimous concurrence several bureaucratic offices unwilling to admit their culpability in the grave trespass of justice against Kerry Max Cook. (By the way, the state spent $5 - $7 million over two decades in their effort to execute Kerry Max).

The reader will question - why Kerry Max? In his book, the author does not devote his energies to answering why, rather, he uses his energy to fight. From some brief research on the case, I have determined that the real culprit hired a very expensive, well-connected good ol' boy lawyer, requiring the police to find another suspect to satisfy the anger of the community. I can only begin to wonder how the Texas justice system conspired for 20 years to keep an innocent man behind bars. During each of his three trials, judges continually approved motions by the prosecutor and denied those of the defense, even to the point at which the court had contradicted itself on which evidence should be suppressed or allowed and for what reason!

Kerry Max's remarkable story is a damning indictment of the death penalty and the Texas justice system. Right before the publication of his memoir, national crime show Body of Evidence: From the Case Files of Dayle Hinman featured forensic experts "solving" the Edwards murder based on false evidence from the prosecution. Even 10 years have Kerry Max's exoneration in the national eye, misinformation is still being spread by those in power. Kerry Max Cook's experiences should serve as clear warning not to blindly accept the word of authority.

EVACUATION PLAN brought me to tears at several moments throughout the book. It's dark beauty and poetic interpretation of our struggle to embrace and accept death is heart wrenching in its honesty. A true work of art and a novel that O'Connell should be tremendously proud of!

"Evacuation Plan: a novel from the Hospice" is a wonderful blend of lives ordinary but with sometimes extraordinary elements. We all share these stories of life in some way, despite moments of harshness or unforgiving pain. There is always a common thread of "humanity" and ultimately forgiveness to be found, even if it's in the last moment of life. Elaine Williams

Aspiring script writer Matt visits a hospice in order to gather inspiration for his great play. Spending the days getting to know the people staying there, Matt realized the hospice is full of stories, for anybody who cares enough to sit down and listen. From the lady whose sister ran off with a circus artist (or wanted to, anyway) to the old man who was just hoping to be reconciled with his children before he left this earth, Matt talks to them all, asking them what was their best experience in life, and hearing the stories they just have to get off their chest-before it's too late.

The idea behind Evacuation Plan is brilliant. Joe O'Connell works from the theory that "everybody has a story to tell," and you are left with the knowledge that this is without a doubt true. The book changes focus constantly with the chapters alternatingly being told from Matt's point of view, and then from the view of one of the people at the hospice.

The main thread running through all the stories is death and how to cope with it, but this is not a strong enough connection to get the stories linked together properly, and Evacuation Plan ends up feeling more like a book of short stories with a common theme, than like a full novel. This doesn't make the book any less worth reading, but it is always an advantage for the reader to know what to expect, in order not to be disappointed by the number of loose threads left hanging.

Though dealing with a sober subject, Joe O'Connell manages to be neither too somber nor engage in too much gallows humor. Death is faced unapologetically and straightforward-a very refreshing change from books that tend to either shy away from the subject, or wallow in it.

Armchair Interviews says: This is more a collection of well-written short stories than a novel, with the thread that connects are the stories at the hospice.

Hospice-----a place to die. The End. Joe O'Connell's Evacuation Plan is a beautiful contradiction to those very general concepts of human finality. For those who believe there is life after death and for those who don't, O'Connell has shown that there is life BEFORE death with each glimpse into the souls, hearts and memories of us all. Evacuation Plan reminded me of the woven potholders that my older brother and I made during our childhood-------over, under, around and through, and a final stretch to completion. Life experiences- fascinating, painful, endearing, complex, ugly, but a part of each of us, make this book a worthwhile read. Joe O'Connell's writing opens our eyes wide to see human beings rather than Hospice patients and those who are brave enough to go as far with them as mortals are allowed to go.---Eleanor Bosl, Joe's mother-in-law and very proudly, his friend.

You are in a hospice, and Rod Serling walks in and asks you to tell him a story. If you had to pick one event out of your life to tell him about, what would it be? Evacuation Plan, by Texas writer Joe M. O'Connell, is a collection of stories told to the novel's protagonist, Matt, who is a screenwriter working in a hospice so he can collect material. The occupants of the hospice -- dying residents, their family members, and the hospice staff -- are like the tattoos of Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man, each one offering a tale that stands out in their lives. Like the loser who stares at himself in childhood pictures until the pictures come to life. Or the guy who gambled his wife in a game of Monopoly at his murderer father's Christian home for the deranged. Or how fate undid the fate of a young unwed father-to-be. These are stories of reflection, of the best day in one's life, the worst day, the turning points, and the close calls, some joyous, some sad, some bizarre. Not the stuff one would discuss on a first date or a job interview. The surreal atmosphere of the hospice, where angels might be eavesdropping, drops the guard of the storytellers, and sincerity prevails. Evacuation Plan is both entertaining and thought provoking, and it is a wonderful book.

I am a speech therapist and have used this book with Spanish speaking parents and siblings. Everyone loves this book. I am going to buy the other book in this series. I also recommend Atravesando las Puertas de Autismo by Temple Grandin.

It's great to see a story about a sibling wanting to play with his brother, especially when his brother has a special need. This is such a good lesson in understanding autism and special needs, and on how to create theraputic fun. What a great way to teach families ways they can interact with children in situations like this. The writing is fantastic and the illustrations are beautiful and very friendly. Well done!

Author Marvie Ellis, pediatric speech-language pathologist, founded Speech Kids Texas Press in 2005 for to publish children's storybooks on communication needs. Tacos Anyone? is the second book in her series of bilingual storybooks in which English and Spanish text appear simultaneously on the same page. This technique reinforces to children and adults alike the multicultural nature of the modern world we live in, and seeing other languages on the same page may encourage children to explore secondary languages. I think this technique is superior to the alternative of publishing two separate translations. Children's brains easily learn multiple languages, so why not give them as much exposure as possible?

The plot in this well-illustrated children's book focuses on Thomas's difficulties playing with his younger brother Michael, who has autism. 4-year-old Michael is prone to fits and doesn't relate in the ways his brother expects him to. A therapist teaches Thomas to looks for clues in Michael's response to activities and to adapt his playing style (Michael dislikes wet paint on his hands, for example, but he likes playing with puzzles). In the end, Thomas learns to play with Michael using his favorite tactile sensations, and the faces of the brothers radiate off the pages of the book.

Every library should invest in a copy of this book, and every child should read it at least once, because you don't have to have an autistic sibling to know that you should look for clues and adapt to the play styles of your friends.

There are many difficulties with having an autistic child (and many joys, by the way). Perhaps one of the difficulties that is sometimes overlooked by those without firsthand experience is the effect of an autistic child on siblings.

Marvie Ellis's "Tacos Anyone?" is a children's book that subtlety addresses this problem. It is delightfully written by Ellis and charmingly illustrated by Jenny Loehr, as though by a child in crayon. In coming up with the "taco" motif and illustration, perhaps Ellis took a cue from Temple Grandin who was the autistic subject of Oliver Sacks' An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales (1995).

To explain: Temple Grandin is famous for being a professor of animal studies at Colorado State University who has completely integrated herself into mainstream society yet remains autistic. One of the things she has tried to do is to show that autistic people may like things that seem to others a bit strange. For example Grandin reported that she loved to be snugly enclosed in some enveloping substance, a bit like we neurotypicals might like to snuggle inside a sleeping bag. So the "taco" in the title of Ellis's children's story is Michael becoming a play taco as he is delightfully nestled in the middle of some sofa pillows, provided by his older brother Thomas.

The point of Ellis's didactic tale is to help the non-autistic brother understand and appreciate his brother's differences and to help parents explain why the autistic child has different needs, and why the child seems to get special attention (which may make the neurotypical child jealous), and why the autistic child sometimes screams or strikes out in frustration at the world.

The text is in both English and Spanish and the book is the recipient of the Barbara Jordan Media Award.

By the way, Ellis has another award-winning children's book called "Keisha's Doors" that looks at this type of family situation from the point of view of two sisters.

Maybe you're looking at this book and wondering what tacos could possibly have to do with autism. A taco's a taco, right? And what do you do with a taco? You eat it. It couldn't be simpler. You don't even have to think about it. It turns out, however, that you've got it all wrong; no one can eat the kind of tacos referred to in this book. I haven't even gotten to the story yet, but this little exercise alone does a great job of showing you what this book is all about. Tacos Anyone? is all about describing some of the characteristics of the autistic child and helping his/her loved ones (especially young siblings) relate to his/her special needs. And to understand the autistic child, you have to step back and change your way of thinking (just like your conception of tacos will change as you get into this story), and it takes a conscious effort to do that each and every time.

Young Thomas already knows that his little brother Michael has autism. He doesn't know what that means exactly, but he does know that he isn't very successful when he tries to get Michael to play with him. He's also bothered by some of the things Michael does for no apparent reason. That's when Michael's therapist comes into the story. First, we see some of the exercises and activities she does with Michael, but then we see her bring Thomas in as well and show him how to better communicate with his little brother. This kind of family involvement is vital in the life of the autistic child, and author Marvie Ellis really succeeds at showing how therapy is for the family as well as the autistic child. An autistic child can have the greatest therapist in the world, but he/she will never reach his/her true potential without the love, support, and assistance of loved ones.

Just like Keisha's Doors, this second book in the Autism Story Book series communicates a wonderful, heart-warming message and would surely benefit anyone who deals directly or indirectly with an autistic child. It is especially good at helping the brothers and sisters of autistic children understand and better relate to their special siblings. The book's dual language format (English and Spanish), along with the wonderfully expressive illustrations of Jenny Loehr, give it a broad, intercultural appeal. Tacos Anyone? truly conveys a most inspirational message and spirit.

Harlan's text is light and fun to read, yet very useful, concise and to the point. Differently than other poker books that scare you away by starting off with a lot of math and statistics and pot odds, Harlan goes through many other important and interesting poker stuff such as optimal starting hands, betting strategy for each round and table position, reading your opponents, different sorts of game - home, online, casino - before spaeking abouth the math (which, byt he way, he does in a very agreeable way, keeping it simple and straightforward - maybe because he knows his stuff - he is an applied math degree). the book also has easy to follow examples and real life anecdotes, keeping all that poker theory closer to what the average player will encounter at next Saturday's $10 poker night over his friends. It's definitely the first book on Texas Holdem you should buy, and you'll learn an awful lot from it.

As a reference that covers all aspects of the game, this book cannot be beat. It is easy to read, yet packed with information, and everything is here, including pre-flop, flop, turn, and river play, the importance of position, pot odds, raising, check-raising, bluffing, semi-bluffing, starting hand values, analyzing and playing to your opponents, the different types of players (tight vs. loose, passive vs. aggressive), bankroll management, internet vs. casino play, and more.

There are other books that cover some of these aspects of play, but I have found no other book that describes them in a manner that is this easy to understand while having plenty of detail at the same time.

This is definitely one of the first poker books that you should read, and I am certain that you will find this to be a useful reference. I can see this as being a resource that I will refer to often as I continue to learn the game and build my experience.

A great boof for beginners! I have just started plating poker and this book has really helped me understand the game!

Also, provides some neat strategies.

This book was a nice read and I really enjoyed some of the information that was presented in this one. Some information was new that other books, including ones that claim to teach you the secrets of the pros, decided to leave out. My only complaint is, that it being a For Dummies books makes a lot of references to "We'll cover this later" or "Head back to Chapter 7 for a review on this "

Prefacing these remarks with the fact that I know very little about any type of card game (except Crazy Eights, Old Maid and Gin Rummy) I found this book both informative and entertaining. Mr. Harlan has a way with words that educates us Dummies in a manner that is not condescending in the least. His stated assumptions that we understand the basis of a normal deck of playing cards, plus simple but detailed descriptions of how play advances at the table, make this volume an enjoyable read. The sidebar stories and trivia tidbits are classic Harlan; in fact, the reader could ignore the main text and just read the anecdotal information to learn a LOT about the game. I received the book as a gift; it is a welcome addition to my library.

Sad to think this book is already out of print. This one is the third installment of the Hap/Leonard series and picks up where Mucho Mojo left off. The pair rush off to the aid of a friend, but pay the price for their outsize egos as they find themselves in a part of the South where the calendars seem to be set 30 years behind schedule. There are no quick, easy resolutions to be found and the Hap and Leonard at the end of the book are markedly different from the two at the beginning. As always, Mr. Lansdale's keen ability to understand and describe human nature is evident. Highly recommended!

Books like these are what everyone should be reading. It's damn near a crime that they aren't, but I guess it makes those of us who ARE fans a special little group.

Lansdale is completely unafraid to do what he has to do to further his stories. That means people you like will die, or turn out to be bad folks. It means you can't get too comfortable and think you know what's going to happen when you settle down with one of Lansdale's masterpieces.

"Two-Bear Mambo" continues the Hap & Leonard friendship: a white heterosexual Democrat and a black homosexual Republican, respectively. The story begins on Christmas Eve, where Leonard is burning down the crackhouse next door for the third time. The two friends are approached by their police buddies and sent on a mission to track down their friend: Florida Grange - Hap's old flame and Leonard's lawyer. Grange was last seen in Grovetown, a real, live throwback to the heavily segregated racist '60's.

Of course, they leave right away, and once again start stirring up trouble and townfolk in the flooded little town. As previously mentioned, no one is ever who you think they are, and things are never what they seem.

Bravo, Lansdale.

Lansdale delivers another fine novel featuring Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, one of the oddest (and toughest) couples in mystery fiction. Hap, straight and white, and Leonard, gay and black, travel to Grovetown, Texas, a city that makes Johannesburg look like a bastion of racial unity. They are searching for Hap's ex-girlfriend Florida Grange, last seen there. Wisecracking all the way (even when they're getting the s**t kicked out of `em), the boys stir up a hornet's nest, and in the process learn some hard lessons about themselves and the nature of their friendship.

Two Bear evoked memories of the best of Robert B. Parker and John D. MacDonald. Parker, because of the dialogue, and MacDonald because of the characterization. Lansdale's characters are real people who can get hurt, even killed-- he really puts them through the wringer. Their adversaries aren't cardboard villains, twirling handlebar mustaches. Menacing and memorable, driven by hate, greed, prejudice, lust and ignorance, these folks are scary because you might meet them in real life.

In short, The Two Bear Mambo is classic Lansdale--a good, tough thoroughly enjoyable book that you will remember long after finishing.

THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO by Joe R. Lansdale continues the saga of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine where MUCHO MOJO left off. It starts out with Hap arriving at Leonard's house on Christmas Eve night. Blasting out of his friend's home is the music to "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" and Leonard is next door, kicking righteous butt and burning down the neighborhood crack house once again. The police pull Hap and Leonard in, but Lieutenant Marvin Hanson gets them off the hook, provided they do him a small favor. It seems that Hap's old girlfriend, Florida Grange (the one who left him for Hanson) took off to Grovetown, Texas to do an article on a black musician who supposedly hung himself while in the custody of the local police. Florida has suddenly vanished, and Hanson wants Hap and Leonard to pay a visit to Grovetown to see if they can find out anything. The only problem is that this particular Texas town is right out of the fifties and sixties. It's a viper's nest filled with Klansmen, led by Jackson Brown, who enjoy murdering the black folks and seem to be getting away with it. Both Hap and Leonard know that they're going to have their hands full just trying to stay alive as they attempt to investigate Florida's disappearance. Even together, as tough as they are, both men are going to find out that they've bitten off more than they can chew when they take on the populace of Grovetown. They'll find themselves in the middle of free-for-all that would put Billy Jack to shame and come very close to getting beaten to death. Both men will discover true fear for the first time in their lives and have to find a way of dealing with it as their injuries heal, if they want to be able to face each other again, as well as solve the mystery of what happened to Florida when they eventually return to Grovetown to face the evil of its people. THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO will give you a slightly different perspective of our two heroes this time around, making them more flawed and human. As tough as Hap and Leonard are, they're not invincible, and both of them come very close to death as they seek to right a wrong. They will find out things about themselves that will at first be difficult to face; yet, in the long run will make them stronger. Though a part of me knows that these two characters are fictional, the writing is so good that another part of me almost believes that they're real. These are guys that I'd simply love to hang out with, and it's a tribute to the talent of Joe R. Lansdale that he's created such believable characters...characters who are funny, skilled martial artists, almost always unemployed, who have the same kinds of problems with relationships that real people do, and who have a strong sense of honor and justice that gets them into trouble more often than not. Mr. Lansdale is able to do this because he has a unique skill in writing that comes off as being natural and down to earth, but is actually a master craftsman at work. He knows how to make each and every character in the novel come alive in ways I wish other authors could emulate. I never know how each book is going to end; and, quite often, I find myself stunned by who gets killed off. As you can probably tell, the "Hap Collins/Leonard Pine" series has swept me off of my feet in a way that few other books have, and it's one I can highly recommend to any reader who loves novels filled with action, humor, self-reflection, and characters that make you truly believe. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do after I read SAVAGE SEASON and then CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS. I wish I could sit down with Hap and Leonard, have a beer, and talk about this particular problem. Of course, I wouldn't get any sympathy from them. In fact, I'd probably have to spend an hour or more listening to their problems!!

Hap and Leonard just can't seem to keep themselves out of trouble. At the beginning of The Two-Bear Mambo, Leonard is yet again setting fire to the drug dealers' house next door. Their friend Lt. Hanson has to take them in just because, but when Hap's ex-girlfriend -- and Hanson's current squeeze -- Florida Grange goes missing, Hanson agrees to drop the charges if Hap and Leonard will go look for her in Grovetown, a burg in East Texas known for its violent Klan members, and where Florida was last seen.

The Two-Bear Mambo is so far the most unflinching in its portrayal of Southern racism. Grovetown is even worse than I could have imagined and Lansdale does not look away for a moment. Leonard is the obvious target, but Hap's association with him brings him into the fray of violence as well. And as for Florida: well, no one as yet has admitted to even seeing her...

My white Southern guilt was intensified while reading The Two-Bear Mambo; the characters, their ideas, and their violence are all-too familiar from my upbringing. So much so that I could barely even bring myself to read it in public, afraid of what the people around me -- seeing the N-word on nearly every page -- would think I was reading (as if the barely euphemistic title weren't embarrassing enough).

But the trademark Lansdale humor abounds in sarcastic remarks and in the first-person narration of Hap -- whose difference from the author himself seems to be getting less and less. Lansdale has said that he is very comfortable with the voice of Hap and the easy-going prose makes that obvious. Despite my emotional reaction to the book, I look forward to continuing the adventures of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. I'm glad they can't keep away from trouble; if they did, I'd be reading some other book that isn't nearly as fun.

The life - project of Pessoa in his making of multiple poetic alter egos, reminds of the life - project of Kierkegaard who explored various aspects of the religious life through use of alter egos often representing different faculties, approaches and moods of life. But if Kierkegaard's aim is to bring the reader to realization of what it might be to be in true connection with God, Pessoa's seems to be more to dissipate the notion of unique identity completely out of existence. Thus the fragments he shores around his own ruin and attributes to alter ego , heteronym Bernard Soares have within them a strong nihilistic self- and - world denying element.
Yet and here is the contradiction and the deeper truth they also reveal a kind of beauty both in perception and in the varied motion of the mental life itself. Lonely solitary lost fragmented Pessoa knows no human sacrifice like that of Kierkegaard with Regina, knows no dedication to his father's task of doing God's duty in the most ultimate way. He instead seems to reveal hidden realities as he conceals that beyond them all may well lie an eternal nothing. Kierkegaard is the many- selved servant of God, and Pessoa the many - selved servant of nothing more holy than human poetry.

"If i think, it all seems absurd to me; if i feel, it all seems strange; if i desire, he who desires is something inside of me."
Sums up the book perfectly. Pessoa explores one of his many personalities. "The Book of Disquiet" explains, in complete depth and faith, the beauty of a lonely, existential, moment by moment life. He explains the beauty that people forget. He explains the world, his perception, as if every moment were the last.
"The book of disquiet" is one of the most insightful books a person can read, but only if one has imagination and an ability to let go. Bernardo Soars, Pessoa's personality who wrote the book, is extreme and eccentric. It isn't easy reading, and it won't affect you if you can't overlook the fact that life doesn't go on like Soars'; that there is more in thinking, dreaming, and desiring than Soars admits. What makes the book so special is how Soars can forget everything but the thought and the moment, and how he can analyze and critique and put into words something that most of us forget to remember. "The book of disquiet" reminds me, at least, of how to appreciate my own mind. It is the only philosophy-like book that i enjoy (as yet) because it is the real thing and encompasses a forgotten part of real life.

Fernando Pesoa's genius lies within who Pesoa was as nil and not. He wasn't anyone. Only somene who continually writes in "disquiet" his persona's variable exegesis. The writing is in the book but the author who wrote it, Fernando Pesoa does not "feel himself" as actually being who he is. So, maybe he's actually a different author, with a different name who begins to write a different book. There's all of the writing there, its genius evident in the mystery of the writing itself. All the writing invested with absolute revelation of numinous absence. The absence is that of the author's presence. Magic? Truly. The author is not there. But he must be "there" because he has no choice but to write. What's the answer for the author who is finds himself as absent? He must undertake the creation of the abent author's presence. How? By literally creating a utterly unique form of literature. A literature whose grammar is of being literal by making it possible to write of the absence of an author to himself into a presence to be known as the once absent identity. Writing through a textual hermeticism capable of transmutation through written words of the emanation of an author as "logos," or the Word. "In the beginning there was the Word." Through the Word as logos, all identity is created in the appearance, ex nilho, of the writer mediated solely through himself in this the new logos of writing itself. Pesoa is not himself. He's a man who achieves glimpses of a unmanifest self-referential identity only through his books. In the work of writing these books, this identity is made manifest as the author's anamnesis. Seemingly he finds out (remembers) he is, and always was, a certain author he now "remembers" as himself as a manifested presence. An absolute genius manifested as the author himself being (repeatedly) annihilated through radical self-doubt. Only later remembering who he was as absolute presence never to be lost again. Until this is accomplished all of the laborious, literal negotiations must of necessity begin anew, and are written as literature whose search arises from absence's discontent becomes the new discourse as the art and improvisation of real identity forged in the alchemy of narrative. This peculiar narative reaveals itself as a lived experience of self-discovery. One man of many parts dismembered in his own identity become self-inflicted and religious. Pesoa's own holy inquisition seeking and finding the indentity he is spurious, a phantasm of derealized personality perpetually guilty of having a persona found lacking, Wriiten out in texts as being found guilty of the "heresy" of having an identity. Never before Pesoa has an identity crisis of infinite magnitude been witnessed in Pesoa absence made real presence in some of the 2OTH century's finest writing and poetry. of the 20TH century in The writing of a man named Fernando Pesoa. A man lost to himself, in search of the "person" underneath the name. Personality and identity as reality grounded in a mystery only to be known by itself: self found through words that are the artifacts of the self discovered. A genius lost to himself and calling his absent identity into gradual existence by a person's absence fading into a personality that's presented in multiple, shifting Heteronyms, or cases of terminal identity lost and regained.

Poetry often speaks to us; we see something in it, something recognizable, and it's like we are shown a piece of ourselves that had been hidden for a lifetime before. Finding Pessoa's *Book of Disquiet* was like finding a piece of myself. In the pages of this poetic novel you will find honesty, often self-disparaging, and you will find beauty in the smallest observation. However, be forewarned, this is not a book that should be picked up with the idea of light reading in mind. In fact, you may find that you have to put it down, repeatedly, to get away from it, to think, but you will always, always come back to it. Keep it close to hand.

there are few poets able to assume so many diferent personalites as Fernando Pessoa. But Bernardo Soares is not a diferent personality, is just the other side of his personnal mirror, an escape to his tortured soul. Probably that is why The Book of Disquiet is so universal, a portait of the human fears, an example of a lonely man,travelling across his own mind, looking at the world through the most ironic eyes. Fernando Pessoa was able to understand dissapointment and regreat in a intemporal way, as a natural part of human nature. So, this book has the ability to make you look inside yourself, guide by one of the best poets of all times!

In this romantic inspirational western, Grace Calhoun comes to Mosqueros, Texas in the hopes of being a wonderful school teacher, but her only problem is "The Five Horsemen of the Apocalypse," what she calls Daniel Reeves' five boys-twins and triplets. Ms. Calhoun cannot control her schoolroom when these five are up to no good, and usually this is every day. On this particular Friday, "The Five Horseman of the Apocalypse" show up late for school and Grace hardly has the patience to deal with them, especially on an empty stomach. Before the school day can get started, the boys disrupt her class by putting a tack in her chair. As she calls all five boys, Abraham, Isaac, Mark, Luke, and John, up to the desk to be punished, she pulls a ruler out of her drawer and a snake strikes out at her. She screams out loud in front of the children and trips backwards over her chair, ripping her skirt completely off.

Daniel Reeves is a father who is trying to make life better for his five sons in Mosqueros. He does not understand why the schoolteacher Ms. Calhoun, has it in for his boys. All boys can be rowdy but it was her idea to have them in school. When he witnesses her almost in action of punishing them with a ruler, he threatens to bring her to the school board--and does so that same day.

With the satisfaction of keeping his boys out of school and the firing of Ms. Calhoun, Daniel proceeds with his duties and drives home. Little does he know the package he is about to receive in his wagon will make him a husband again. When Grace returns to her room, she is attacked by a man named Parrish. A citywide search is in place for Grace. Grace escapes the man by jumping into a wagon and hiding under the tarp. Little does she know that she has jumped into Daniel Reeves' wagon. When Daniel gets to his home he discovers Grace nearly frozen to death and passed out. He keeps her there to try to warm her and wake her up. The next morning the preacher shows up with his wife in search of Grace Calhoun. When he finds that she has slept overnight at Daniel's, the preacher proceeds to marry them without Grace fully understanding what is going on.

Mary Connealy writes a fast-paced western with much comedy as well as romance. Daniel and Grace are thrown together in matrimony each one must learn what life and love is really about. With the help of Daniel's five boys, Grace really understand her strengths and weaknesses. Daniel on the other hand must put his faith in God to learn to love again and know that not all wives die in childbirth.

Armchair Interviews says: This is the second book of a series for Ms. Connealy but can be enjoyed without reading the first or the third.

Grace Calhoun has not had a good day. In addition to a heart-pounding encounter with a snake, she has sat on a tack and publicly lost her skirt--twice! She can attribute all of her woes to five rambunctious, motherless students and their hard-headed father, Daniel Reeves, who manages before the awful day is finished to get her fired from a teaching job she needs worse than anyone knows.

Just when she's convinced things can't go any further downhill, 17-year-old Grace's past shows up in the form of her adoptive father--the last person she wants to see. On the run from this cruel, sadistic man, Grace finds herself stowed away in Daniel's wagon and carried off to his home on the mountain...and his five little terrors.

Circumstances converge to force Grace and Daniel into a marriage neither of them want. To their surprise, they soon find themselves drawn to one another, and Grace even falls in love with Daniel's undisciplined rapscallions. But her husband seems determined to keep her at arm's length for her own safety. What can she do to convince him she's not made of china?

When Grace's nemesis eventually finds her in her new home, Daniel and the boys discover just how much they've come to love the prudish schoolteacher, who has shown them a wonderful, warm, loving "other" side to her personality. With the Reeves clan willing to go to any lengths to protect their new "Ma," her cruel father discovers it won't be an easy task to deal out his special brand of punishment to this wayward child.

The author weaves a mesmerizing tale with a good number of laugh-out-loud moments--and just as many that twist the heart and turn on the tears. A generous spattering of godly wisdom and divine inspiration is expertly woven into the storyline. Their purpose is well served without once becoming preachy or pious.

A good book with a gripping storyline. Calico Canyon is a cozy cave full of family fun!

Who would think rowdy boys could be so much fun. Mary Connealy writes with such charm and wit. Her characters are fun and yet alive with emotions and feelings. Calico Canyon is a wonderful, can't put it down read. There is action, romance and lots of laughs. I loved Mary's other book, Petticoat Ranch and can hardly wait for Gingham Mountain to come out. Mary is an upcoming author to watch out for.

This book is a rollicking good time, one hilarious, suspenseful page after another. Don't miss this romantic comedy by the author of Petticoat Ranch.

Grace Calhoun is the prim and proper school teacher whose life is made a living torture by Daniel Reeves' five boys--ten-year-old twins and five-year-old triplets whose mother died giving birth to the triplets. Daniel is right proud of his boys and doesn't take to the new school teacher complaining about them and trying to nag him into making girls out of them. In fact, he ends up getting Grace fired. But it doesn't matter, because the day Grace gets fired is the day her past catches up with her. Someone is after her and he's ready for the ultimate revenge.

I felt for poor Grace, getting trapped in the Canyon with Daniel and his unruly boys all winter. But she ended up holding her own. It was Daniel who was in for a miserable time! This book was so good, I'm keeping it to read again later. So funny and realistic at the same time. I highly recommend it.

I did not enjoy the first book of this series. For me, it was the concept of twin brothers...but, maybe, I am wrong. However, i enjoyed this book every much and loved all the "small" romances and side stories. I am lloking forward to Gingham Mountain!!!

A great 1st book by the author filled with suspense & humor. The story keeps you glued to the pages wanting to know what happens next. Can't wait for the next book from Kiki Curry!

There is never a dull moment in this fast-paced thriller. Mysteries are
my favorite genre, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Curry kept my
attention with several humorous subplots going on, woven into the death
of a girl in Marble Falls, Texas.
I don't believe in coincidences, like the story suggests and to follow
your intuition. Today, after reading Crows Calling, I found and bought
a piece of art named, "Yellow Bird Ascending." It has the Kachina gods
representing the animal totems. The bird representing the soul.
In this book, the story told of the Indian lore of the crow medicine
being the avenger of truth. It was interesting how the plot captured
the Native American ways of seeing nature as a way Spirit speaks to us
if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear in a very believable
way.
Crows Calling would make an excellent movie because of the nonstop
action, and humor. I loved the characters and would like to see them
continued in her Curry's future books. By the way, if it is ever made
into a movie, I see David Leach as a character, or maybe Billy Bob
Thornton as one of the thugs.
I can't wait for her next novel to come out. I read her bio on her
website and noticed she was a standup comic. This really was apparent
reading this entertaining book!

As a screenwriter living in Texas, I found this book to be very interesting. Set in the Texas hill country, it is rich with local color. Kiki Curry gives us a new age spiritual woman's point of view of events concerning the death of a young woman in Marble Falls, Texas. The book contains lots of humor and suspense. Curry's narration is very visual and filled with Texan idioms and cultural references. In addition to a fun supspense story, it is an interesting cultural study.

Fun story that as a new Texan, I was able to recognize many landmarks! (Like Stephen King always made me feel about New England). The characters in the story were memorable and endearing. Quite a few sounded like people that would be fun to meet (if they exsisted of course!)
I would recommend this as a entertaining, easy read and I hope to see more from Kiki in the future!

I could not put this book down once I started to read it. Not only does Kiki keep you guessing she keep you thinking. The book was original, engrossing, and endlessly inventive; my only problem with the book was that it ended way too soon. To the Author - Please write a follow-up book very soon.

I couldn't put this down. A very tragic, but compelling story. It will make you want to go hug your daughters.

This is such a sad, horrific story. Kathryn Casey gives a well researched timeline of the crime and it's aftermath. Casey draws you into the suffering of the victem's family and friends hitting home just how much damage a murder can do. An excellent read for all, especially true crime fans.

I'm not a huge fan of the true crime genre...much of it is too gruesome and sensational for me, but Kathryn Casey is one of two true crime writers whose books I always wait for impatiently to be published (the other is Ann Rule). Casey is a master at taking out the sensationalism of a brutal story and putting in the humanity. She draws out the true essence of each of the characters and makes it easy for the reader to see them as real human beings. In a way, Kathryn Casey is a hero to me for telling the story with such clarity and accuracy and compassion.
In this story, Sharon Cave and Jim Sedwick are heroes too......Sharon (the mother of the victim)because, despite experiencing the most intense and painful grief, knowing that her daughter was not only murdered but mutilated as well, is still able to feel the pain of others...still able to feel a great compassion and concern for the jury members and others who were exposed to the details of the crime. Jim, because of his resolute strength, after seeing the horrific damage inflicted on Jennifer by Colton and Laura. For being a the support system for Jennifer's family....putting them ahead of himself.

I couldn't sleep for a few nights after reading this story..It was so difficult to image that this can really happen...that there are people that really commit this kind of terrible act. I felt the pain of Jennifer's family. I cried for Jennifer and her gamily. Thank God that Kathryn Casey wrote this story instead of a less gifted author......I could not have read this one if it had been reduced to another brutal, sensational crime story.

IF YOU CAN'T READ THIS BOOK IN A DAY OR SO, THEN WAIT UNTIL YOU CAN. I ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. MOVE OVER, ANN RULE!!

As excellent as her previous books, Kathryn Casey has taken a horrific, heartbreaking story and written it with great sensitivity and insight. With "A Descent", she continues to emerge as one of America's leading true crime authors. A definite must read for TC buffs.