Drivers Books

Enjoyed this book a great deal have been pleased with all Peter Lovesey books I have read.....

SAM

I seem to like Lovesey more the more I read of him. This one's about a Writers' Circle--a support group for aspiring writers--of all types: fantasy, erotic poetry, even comic strips--so it reminds one of Lovesey's Bloodhounds (Soho Crime) about a mystery readers' circle. Foiled again! However, in this one, the protagonist isn't Peter Diamond (as in Bloodhounds) but Hen Mallin. I like her better than Diamond--she's less narcissistic & unnecessarily caustic. The mystery is intricate & engaging. True, the 1st part of the book centers on the Circle (establishing background or context) & the 2nd part on Hen & the solution. There are also some good lines such as on P. 30: "This announcement went down like garlic bread in Transylvania."
This is a fun read--but tough to figure out. Enjoy!

I've been reading Peter Lovesey for some time now, and I thoroughly enjoy his writing. This book picks up with a character that was first brought in with his last Peter Diamond book - "The House Sitter". I'm talking about Hen Mallen who is the DCI placed in charge of a series of arsons in the tiny village of Chichester where this book is set. I must admit that I loved Hen when Lovesey first introduced her and this book is a delight with her in it. She is a great creation! A tough talking, cigar smoking lady DCI that has no problem cutting through all the red herrings, plot twists and devious suspects. Lovesey's humour is as wicked and direct as in any of his previous books, and this book will keep the reader guessing right up until the end. I can hardly wait for another Hen Mallin book!

The police investigate the fiery murder of unpopular publisher Edgar Blacker, who died following a talk he gave to the Chichester Writers' Circle, an unpublished writers' group. The motive seems obvious as Blacker conned the wannabes into investing in a doomed vanity press con making one of the group most likely the arsonist-killer. The prime suspect is the group's chair Maurice McDade as Blacker shammed the true crime author of the unpublished Unsolved into a hefty investment and gave nothing back.

Meanwhile two more fatal fires occur and the newest member Bob Naylor barely survives an attempt to fry him. As the group investigates one another; Inspector Henrietta "Hen" Mallin takes over the official investigation that has been fumbled while a serial arsonists-murderer has escaped identification.

Cigar smoking Hen is a diamond of a cop who turns Peter Lovesey's latest police procedural into a fabulous reading experience. The story line is typical of the grandmaster as the cast seems real especially the wannabe writers turned amateur sleuths and the who-done-it complex yet interesting. As usual the plot contains plenty of red herrings and twists as well as humor as Hen, who played a secondary role in THE HOUSE SITTER, takes the starring role carrying a terrific investigative tale on her pint sized back.

Harriet Klausner

Series: Detective Chief Inspector Henrietta `Hen' Mallin (first book, there is something of a prequel as she appeared in the 2003 "The House Sitter" Peter Diamond book).

Characters:
The Chichester Writer's Circle: Chairman: Maurice McDade (first suspect, had a book titled "Unsolved" about unsolved crimes about to be published by the publisher Edgar Blacker); Founding Ladies: Dagmar Bumstead (the unpublished romantic novelist under the name Desiree Eliot, most recent work: "Passion Fruit") and Thomasine O'Loughlin (erotic poetry); The Married Couple: Naomi (witchcraft book, her stare frightens others, very nosy, writes up the activities on an internet website, calling it an e-book) and Basil Green (gardener, somewhat laid back); Secretary and Treasurer: Amelia Snow (proper older woman writing book about the famous Snows: "The Snows of Yesteryear"; Others: Zach Beale (long-haired fantasy writer, "Madrigor: The Coming of the Warrior"), Sharon ("dumb blonde" who doodles and doesn't talk much at the meetings; a hairdresser), Tudor Thomas (autobiography, name-dropper), Anton (retired civil servant, constantly on the look-out for cliches and the like), Jessie Warmington-Smith (widow of an Archdeacon, technophobe, working on a book about tips from the past for living in 21th century); Newcomer: Bob Naylor (quick witted poems, and the one of three that is investigating the matter).
The Police: Inspector Henrietta Mallin sent in when the local Detective wasn't getting the job done (DI Johnny Cherry).
Minor Characters: Marcus Chalybeate (Lord Chalybeate of Boxgrove, ex-Mark Kiddlewick) - publisher of magazines in previous life, now big in health clubs and a politician. Naylor's 14 year old daughter Sue. Fran, Maurice's above seventy-year-old wife (Maurice is somewhere in his 50s). Fran had been previously married to a notorious criminal.
Special Appearance by: Peter Diamond (very brief).

Plot: A man (Maurice) that runs a writer's circle is happy to finally get his book published, and invites the publisher (Blacker) to come give a talk to the circle (and make comments on some of the member's work). Blacker says some nice things but is mostly dismissive of their work. Later Blacker tries to get Maurice to pay for the publication of Maurice's book. Blacker, it turns out, is an undisclosed vanity publisher (vanity publisher = publishing house that publishes an author's work with the author paying for the publication; undisclosed = Blacker hides the fact that he will require the author to pay for the publication until the last moment, right before publication). The book opens with Blacker's death. Maurice is picked up by the police and various members of the circle attempt to investigate the matter. Dagmar, Bob Nalyor and Thomasine work together to try to prove Maurice's innocence (with Bob the one mostly at the forefront, and Dagmar mostly in the shadows). Naomi and Zach attempt to investigate the matter themselves, while using the crisis as an opportunity to come up with an e-book (Naomi is gung-ho, Zach doesn't particularly like the idea). Eventually the police step to the forefront in the guise of DCI Hen Mallin.

Review: This book is similar to two previous Lovesey books, "Bloodhounds" and "The Last Detective" (both in the Peter Diamond series). Like "Bloodhounds," this book deals with a local social club. In the "Bloodhounds," it was a club for readers, in "The Circle" it is a club of writers. The structure of "The Circle" is similar to the structure in "The Last Detective." Both books follow the structure of having amateurs moving through some crisis in the first half of the book, while the second half of the book is taken over by the police. In "The Circle," the main character in the first half of the book is Bob Naylor, a newcomer to the Chichester Writer's Circle, who is somewhat pressured to try to prove the innocence of Maurice for the murder of Blacker. The second half of the book follows DCI Hen Mallin's investigation of the murders (more than one murder). Neither Naylor nor Mallin are the sole points of view in their sections, and Naylor's point of view continues, somewhat at a lesser level, in the second half of the book.

The first half of the book is very good and riveting. When the book adds in DCI Hen Mallin, the book begins to become a little disappointing. When I read "The Last Detective," I had a similar feeling, though there I liked the Peter Diamond character better than the Hen Mallin character. The characterization of the main characters is outstanding, and even something of the personality of the first murder victim is revealed along the way. All of the writer's circle members are given a satisfactory characterization, though the main characters have a deeper personality. The setting is well-laid out. The mystery is well-thought-out and interesting. Overall, I would give the book 4.35 stars.

This manual is a whole lot better than not having a manual. However, some of the text is a little difficult to understand because of the differences in terminology. "Boot" instead of "trunk" and "bonnet" instead of "hood" is only the beginning. Also found that some things, like a wiring diagram for my '74 MGB, were missing. Disassembly of some key areas is missing too, like the dashboard or "fascia". Still, if you are going to make a choice between this and the Haynes manual, buy this one. As for me, I'm still looking for something better.

This is the Bible for the MGB owner! And yes, you need to think British to read this manual! But you get the owner's manual, repair info, and the special tuning manual! What is truly amazing is that this book is still available 20+ years after the last MGB was produced! God bless the MGB owner!!!

This book reads like a technical manual.... hey, this IS a technical manual. This manual is a must if you are going to work on your MG by yourself; even if you already have the haynes manual. The only bad part is all of the references to really cool tools that are not longer available. That said, this is not a good book if you are hoping for a nice plot twist at the end.

However, this book was much more useful than the standard auto repair book I had. You'll need a translator if you don't speak British. Also an interesting bit of history. The book contains all the text of 3 official publications, the owners manual, the factory repair manual, and the "special tuning" manual.

MGB Automotive Repair Manual: All Models of the MGB Roadster and GT Coupe With 1798 CC (110 cu in Engine) (Haynes Manuals) by John Haynes is still the world-class best.

This book is bigger, heavier, more white space, larger print, better diagrams and illustrations, and for all those reasons, it adds to the library.

The "Driver's Handbook" is 22 pages of really basic stuff, while the special tuning manual appears to be more or less a restatement of the calibration data for the car.

If I could only afford to buy one book, I would not buy this, and would go instead with the Haynes Manual. If money is not an issue, I would buy this book fourth in line, after Haynes, "The MGB Restoration Manual" by Porter which dramatically enhances Haynes on points of restoration, and "Original MGB C-V8 Compl: The Complete Guide to All Roadster and GT Models (Original Series)" by Anders Ditlev Clausager which is a dramatic color photo compilation of what perfect looks like.

Darrell Waltrip; successfully driver; annoying FOX-TV commentator tells his story in "A Lifetime Going Around in Circles".

I find that the information is provided in a haphazard manner; and occasionally appears out-of-chronological order. The end-of-chapter segments, "Oh...by the way" seem misplaced; and serve only as placeholders.

Overall; "Jaws" does a successful job of illustrating his racing career.

An interesting book but the book doesn't finish as well as Darrell Waltrip did on the racetrack. I'm a recent NASCAR enthusiast/fan and I thought this would be a good read in getting some background and learning about the sport from someone with a great deal of experience. On the positive side the book is an easy read and Waltrip and accomplished storyteller. The main problem I had with the book is that we go through life with Waltrip but neither the reader nor writer seems to "learn" from that life. The point of life experience is to learn. Through different experiences(crashes, sponsor politicking, family) Waltrip says he has changed but you never get the feeling that he really has. The book excesses with self-confidence and bravado which makes sense considering Mr. Waltrips profession. But almost to the point that he comes off as not being self-aware. He rarely owns up to mistakes and when things do go wrong someone else is to blame. If that?s the worst part of the book then its a minor complaint. I only wish I could have learned more about and from Darrell Waltrip. The book is entertaining and gives a great overview of the growth of NASCAR from dirt to Daytona all in the span of one entertaining mans lifetime.

THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENT FROM START TO FINISH. I AM A DARRELL WALTRIP FAN AND HAVE BEEN SINCE 1989 WHEN I STARTED WATCHING RACING. I DID NOT GET TO SEE HIM WIN THREE CHAMPIONSHIPS. READING THIS BOOK IS THE NEXT BEST THING. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THOSE YEARS AND SOME THINGS ABOUT THE TIME FROM 1989 ON THAT I DIDN'T KNOW!
EVEN IF DW IS NOT YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER YOU WILL ENJOY THIS BOOK. IT IS VERY ENTERTAINING. DW HAS SOME GREAT STORIES TO TELL IN THIS BOOK!

I have a couple of moments in NASCAR history that stand out to me, as a fan, more than any others...I guess #1 would be that infamous day when Bobby and Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough got into it, then there was Davey Allison's tragic death...well actually I have a lot of memories, but right up at THE TOP with all of them is DW doing the icky shuffle after winning the Daytona 500. These things solidified my love of the sport and Darrell Waltrip. A lot of this is in the book , with some witty outlooks on life and the pursuit of dreams. DW tells about his beginnings, his hometown life, and of course his love of racing. The book is great, and provides a lot of insight into the man, as well as the world of NASCAR. A GREAT book, i rate it right up there with Junior Johnson's bio. If you are a racing fan, more importantly, a NASCAR fan this is required reading, if you just have a passing interest...read this, it may change you.

Darrell Waltrip is known today as the "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" guy on Fox Sports who opens every race with those famous three words. However, back in the 70's and 80's, he was an aggressive driver on the NASCAR circuit who was feared by drivers and hated by fans. Over time, he won over the hearts of many and is now one of the most recognizeable faces in the NASCAR family. This book gives the reader an inside look into his career and life which has been anything but boring. This is a wonderful and exciting book that brings the reader into the great races of old and shows the reader why "DW" is one of NASCAR's most colorful and likeable personalities. A great read for any racing fan.

Despite some glaring omissions, such as the lack of any detail about Amon's first marriage, this is a very interesting biography, especially for a New Zealand reader who is old enough to remember Amon's racing years. The book is good but noticeably shorter than Young's biographies of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme.

I've seen Chris Amon race a few times in the sixties. In formula 2 in Zolder (where I was born) and in formula 1 in Franchorchamps. He was a nice chap (he still is, I suppose)and readily spent a couple of minutes with a 15-year old who spoke lousy English. Posing for a few pictures was no problem either. 40-odd years later, I still have the (black&white) snapshots.
I always considered him to be one of the best drivers ever. Victories and/or world titles never tell the complete story. Michael Schumacher is a mediocre, because very unsportsmanlike, driver with an impressive roll of honour. Amon was a great driver and, most of all, a real human being, not a walking advertising column.

Back in the olden days-well, the seventies-when there was no such thing as F1 racing on teevee, one had to rely on periodicals to stay current! Really, magazines! One quickly discovered the good magazines were:"Autosport","Motorsport" and "Competition Press" and that guys like Denis Jenkinson, Pete Lyons and Eoin Young were the guys you wanted to read. Sure there were others but these were my big three. Anyway, imagine my delight on finding a biography of the eternally unlucky Kiwi written by the eternally entertaining one! I only saw Amon in action twice, both times near the end of his career (Long Beach and Anderstorp 1976) but had known of him for years longer and like I said: Eoin Young's prose is of the best! The book is wonderfully evocative of a better time in the world of autoracing, or so it would seem; the drivers, anyway, were personalities and not corporate paper dolls, the circuits varied and challenging and the cars needful of drivers, real drivers!
If for nothing more than chapter three, "High times: the Ditton Road Flyers and 'Big Ed'"this book is well worth the money and the time it takes to read. I was laughing so hard it was a wonder the nice men with the butterfly nets didn't come and take me to the laughing academy.
The rest of the book is likewise engaging, informative and sometimes the incidents described are tragic, so that it's a relief to find that our hero hadn't gone home to Bulls, New Zealand to become a bitter recluse forever damning the (bad) old days.
I will certainly be keeping an eye open for future offerings from Mister Young, as long as he keeps writing 'em, I'll keep reading 'em.

A big fan of Chris Amon, I tried to follow his career and watched some of the Formula One races where he was comfortably leading (Jarama 1968, Montjuich 1969) and must have won. The way I felt witnessing his car breaking down those times, I cannot even imagine how he must have felt! I also watched some other of his rides during those years in Spain, France and Britain. And I unfortunately missed his masterful driving pieces at Monza, Spa and, very especially, Clermont-Ferrand. After all, not much F1 on TV then, and no time and money to get to every Grand Prix there was.

And here I found, a few months ago, his biography written by no less than Eoin Young. Besides attending a race live, the other best way of knowing what was going on, and getting fine entertainment out of the reading, was to get a copy of Autocar, (not easy to find here in Spain) and read one of Eoin's articles. Of course, I couldn't miss this book!

I really felt transported to the "good old times", and enjoyed enormously the reading. It was much better than attending the missing races, and knowing first-hand about Chris personality, ups and downs, were both gratifying and touching. I especially savoured the italian anecdotes of his Ferrari times: His lunches in the company of the great Enzo Ferrari, were really something, not to mention the return trips with the Old Man at the wheel of the 2+2 Berlinetta. And the situation during the '67 Le Mans 24-hour, in the middle of the night, trying to replace a punctured wheel of his P4, can make you laugh to tears.

I believe this book is a must for anyone interested in the history of motorsport. Thanks to Eoin for such great reading moments.

"Forza Amon" is the first full length biography of this legendary unlucky driver, and is a ripping good yarn. Previous writings about Amon were usually hindered by the fact that Amon was considered to be part of a trio - Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme were other New Zealand drivers participating in Formula One at more or less the same time as Chris, and there are a number of "Trio at the top" titles which deal with all three New Zealanders. "Forza Amon" is written by a fellow New Zealander, Eoin Young, who used to work for the McLaren Racing Team in the 1960's, and later on as a motorsport journalist. Young and Amon both knew each other back in the early McLaren days when Chris was an up and comer in the game.

The tale begins with a young Kiwi on a farm in Bulls, New Zealand, the same young Kiwi who would taste the ultimate success at Le Mans in 1966, and who would go on to lead the famous and illustrious Ferrari team in their F1 efforts. During a Formula One career spanning 13 seasons from 1963 to 1976, Amon would famously lead 183 laps in Formula One Championship races, failing to finish first even once (he did win a couple of non-championship F1 events, including the 1971 Argentine F1 race).

Yound writes of Amon's early motorsport endeavours in small town NZ in the 50's, before debutting with Reg Parnell's outfit in 1963, having made the trip to Europe. The glory days with Ferrari, March, and Matra are covered. The distasterous Amon F1 car is discussed, as is the shambolic 1973 effort with Tecno, before Amon stepped into the 3rd Tyrell for the penultimate race of the season. Chris's F1 career winds down with Ensign, the little outfit for which Chris finished 5th in one race.

The book benefits from what appears to considerable input from Chris himself - it is obvious that Young spent a lot of time down on the family farm in Bulls, coaxing these stories out of Chris over a beer (or dozen). Young also draws upon contempory writings particularly those of Motorsport and Denis Jenkinson. There are a number of photographs, colour and black & white in 4 inserts throughout the book. "Forza Amon!" is fast, easy, and enjoyable reading especially for those who dislike the sanitized Formula One of today.

I thought I was relatively well versed in the history of the Sierra Nevada, but my knowledge had a substantial hole. In the winter of 1928-29, Orland Bartholomew took one of the most ambitious winter mountain treks in history. He skied/climbed from Lone Pine to Yosemite Valley in Winter- ALONE. If someone like John Muir or Normal Clyde had done this, it would be common knowledge. I think this event was largely lost in history because Orland did not do it for, nor did he seek, fame or glory. He did not live for first ascents (though he did make the first recorded winter ascent of Mount Whiteny), nor proving anything. He did this because he loved the Sierras and being out in them. The book is a well written enjoyable read. My only complaint is that it was too light (short), but that's likely a result of the book not being written by the hero.

High Odyssey is a magnificent tale of the human spirit. Gene Rose, one of the foremost historians of Sierra lore and skiing, captures the essence of Orland Bartholomew's pioneering 1929 ski adventure through the unexplored winter terrain of the Sierra. A must read for the aspiring backcountry skier. Rose's tale of Bartholomews four month long journey is as insightful as it is remarkable. "High Odyssey" is Highly entertaining.

Anyone who loves mountains, and especially the Sierra Nevada, will find this a great addition to the library. It documents the little known winter solo ski trip over the entire John Muir trail, from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite, by Orland Bartholemew in 1928-29. The author expertly crafts the story from old notes and a diary, and has included amazing photographs that were taken by Bartholomew using an old Kodak. This is not a big expensive book, and would make a fine gift, particularly suitable for young adults. But you will want a copy for yourself.
The book is a mountaineering High Sierra classic!

I appreciate the existence of this book very much, as it is the only full source of information (other than a few news articles) about Orland Bartholomoew's nearly unknown feat of touring the entire Sierra Crest by ski, alone, 40 years before the gear to do it comfortably was available.

Bartholomew told almost no one what he did, as he considered it an unusual undertaking most pleasiing to himself but incongruous to other people, and he was right. He hardly wasted any breath on mentioning it even to his family members. But newspaper Gene Rose was able to dig up a lot more of information about Bartholomew's adventure, including diary entries, enough to make it into a publishable story suitable as a short book.

People contemplating a similar trip of their own with modern equipment, or just armchair adventure junkies, will likely appreciate this book as much as I did. In spite of this, I have to say that it is not very well written. It is the work of a newspaper writer rather than someone with a good feel for book-length storytelling. In addition, despite the commendable amount of research he undertook, the author is just not familiar with mountaineering terminology, or else he was trying to write down to the level of people who knew nothing about it. A good idea if that was the case, but perhaps overdone. There are many clunky passages where all he can say is that our hero didn't know what to do, the storm was cold, the night was dark, the equipment inadequate.

So this book fails to be an exciting story that can lift you out of yourself to imagine what undertaking a similar solo ski trip would be like. But as a document of an astonishingly difficult solo journey it is more than adequate.

The avid ski mountaineer in me was hungry for more details, about gear, routes taken, weather pattern details (not just "a big storm came and dumped X amount of snow"), etc. But I very much appreciate the author for even bringing this account to light in the first place.

With garden rake handles for ski poles, a tarp tent, a down robe to sleep in, and cooking over open fires, this man skied solo from Cottonwood Pass to Yosemite Valley in the winter of 1928-29. Along the way he made the first solo winter ascent of Mt. Whitney, at that time the highest mountain in the United States! This book will make the reader appreciate all the latest high tech. gear available today! Gortex, bivy bags, thermarest matresses, light weight down sleeping bags, and stoves were not available in 1928! Anyone interested in ski mountaineering will find inspiration in this book!

This is a young adult book, a coming of age story, but it's great for adults too. It is a fast paced action, adventure, suspense story with strong fleshed out characters. It is set in exotic Guatemala in the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. It includes realistic paranormal elements as the author draws from ancient Mayan Myths and Maya beliefs. It also includes reincarnation memories. I highly recommend this fast, fun read.

This demi-mystery plays out the psychological quest of teens in a more theatrical form: a seventeen-year-old is sent into unfamiliar surroundings, misunderstood by adults, confused by his peers and The Opposite Sex, yet by sticking to the principles no one knows he has, comes out ahead. Set in the lush jungles of central America, the story hinges around Mayan mythology and our modern incompatibility with it, inspiring the kind of dreams every growing teenager needs. Clear, simple language and recognizable, true-to-life characters flesh out its pages. Its only real downside is that it falls into the kind of guilty resentment of our own American culture that gives teens an ugly message: distrust what you are. Although this is a common response for those who discover admirable traits in other cultures, it encourages feelings of powerlessness and crippling guilt, and really mars this book as it gropes toward an otherwise palpable truth in the experience of discovering this vital ancient culture.

This is a great read for older teens AND adults. When 17 yr old Zack is sent to Guatemala to visit his uncle, he doesn't realize he's starting an amazing adventure. And it IS amazing. Driver knows her stuff, but the knowing never gets in the way of the story. I just really enjoyed this book!

Mystery, intrigue and Mayan history await the reader of this exciting book. As I read, I was enveloped not only with Zack's problems but also with the Guatemalan jungle, which wrapped about me and drenched me in sweat, heat and history. In fact, Diana Driver's descriptive writing pulled me into the story so well that in reading the last few chapters I was caught up both in the mad dash of Zack and my own need to see how it ended. I literally was reading on the edge of the couch, I was so excited by the story. Diana Driver obviously knows about the Mayan civilization and that area of the world. She also knows how to spin a great yarn. I can't wait to read her next book! Mucho bueno!

I was lucky enough to get an advance look at this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's got action, adventure, mystery and lots of excitement as Driver takes you into the world of the Maya. And the ending knocked my socks off.

If you like action/archeaology books, this is for you. And if you like to read across the genres, this is also for you. :-)

I discovered this treasure at my local library.
I knew I had to buy it. Each essay
is full of valuable information and
inspiration. Whether you are a professional
writer or hope to be someday, this book will motivate
and challenge you to Just Do It!!
Thanks and kudos to Mr. Mettee and
all the contributing authors!

As a full-time freelance writer, former editor, and former publisher, I haven't gotten this excited about a new writing book in a long time. This isn't just another tired overview of the same articles on the same topics; this book is packed with in-depth information on every aspect of the writing business. It paid for itself immdiately in providing me with valuable references and information that helped me with a current project; it should be on every writer's bookshelf

I looked through this book and sent it back. Nothing new, just the usual info so while it might help if you're just starting out, there are lots of similar books out there - the title's a little misleading, it doesn't really take the place of attending a writer's conference.

The Portable Writers' Conference is an unusual book. An anthology on writing, it is like going to a writers' conference-without leaving home. And it is a great conference because each of the contributed pieces is by one of the best in the business. Fascinating, educational and fun. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com, author of Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books.

This hefty volume chock full of gold! There are tons of articles written by accomplished/published writers -- these are not so much articles of their own experiences, as they are sort of "how to" type articles that are very helpful to the reader. Topping all that off there is a section called "Writer's Resources" which includes questions to ask literary agents, standard manuscript format, proofreader's marks, royalties and advances, average book print runs, sample magazine writer's guidelines, sample book publisher's writer's guidelines, magazines and newsletters of interest to writers, and the list goes on and on. Having recently attended a writer's conference, I can see that this book would indeed be helpful to people who have never been to one as well as people who have. This book is a font of helpful information & insightful articles -- truly a pot of gold! Buy one, you'll be glad you did!

My son, going into third grade, thought it was easy to read (not chapters), but he really liked it a lot. Maybe better for a first grader. Good illustrations, and humor. My son thought the story was a good lesson about not listening to the opinions of others, but rather making up your own mind.

Did you ever think your school bus driver was an animal? In this book, the boy's friends have wild imaginations and compares the driver to a T Rex. This book is great for my almost 3 year old because it combines dinosaurs with his love of vehicles.

My students are reluctant readers, but they love "The Black Lagoon Series"! I am grateful for the amusing yet simply written stories that the kids read again and again.

The book is cool. The bus driver is crazy. Its a fun book and a great series.

I really liked the part about "no inhaling and exhaling on the bus." I think that it's the most make believe book that you have ever written.

Dear Jack Smith,

I want to oder your book right away before I go into court but I'm afraid to give my credit card number over the Internet, can you help me?

about the accidents i "m want to tah english day pleas

I found the book incomplete for my purpose. I had bought several books about this. There was not as much information on property damage or what to do when you have an accident. I had more valuable information from the Car Accident Secrets book. I was able to settle my claim easily by following the steps right out of that book. It was also less expensive !! The website for Caraccidentsecrets.com is (http://www.caraccidentsecrets.com) It had a lot more valuable information which helped me a lot more. I used the book on that site to help me settle my claim without an lawyer. It also teaches you more do's and don'ts and also has real examples of claim settlements. I would recommend that one instead plus its a lot cheaper.

Wonderful guide for families on how to measure the impact of your accident and get your family through the natural reactions quickly

Hey I read this book for a class I was doing. I just happened to be doing research on this subject. This is a nice add on to a show I saw. My First Time in NYC. Together they complement each other very nicely. Enjoy!

What happens to sexual drive after the age of 50? There may be changes, but it doesn't dry up, so read Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer's Dr. Ruth's Sex After 50: Revving Up The Romance, Passion & Excitement! to find out what physical and psychological changes actually lend to sex after 50. Sex therapist Westheimer discusses romance and passion as well as these changes, providing a focus on how passion can be retained through the years.

Suddenly single in my 50's.....I went back to reading Cosmopoliton magazine thinking older men were like younger men in the sex department. Wrong.....this book help set things straight and understand the changes with sex as we grow older.

I generally enjoyed the read. I thought that it would be better as a "Guide to Better Sex after 60," because today's 50-year-old is yesterday's 40-year-old. Dr. Ruth may be a little out of touch with the baby boomer generation--sexually. It's a little bit geriatric. Even the font was larger, which made it easier to read, was very perceptive, but who me?
Consider using it as an encyclopedia of information, everything included, but clearly not everything is pertinent to everyone. It has an amazing table of contents. Read it once and highlight sections and issues that you think are important to you. Give it to your spouse, partner or significant other to read and have them do the same, but highlight issues with different color highlighters, compare notes and see how your relationship has evolved. If you end up with a rainbow of colors, then you should go to counseling fast!
Dr. Ruth's honesty, sense of humor and folksy personality come through clearly with this easy to read and understand "therapy guide." Exercising naked with your mate and leaving the bathroom door open when you're using it? Women would not find that terribly mood enhancing--in my book. As the "caverject" caught my eye as something no man would find too appealing--even if only to be used if Viagra fails to do the trick. So, trust that we had some differences of opinions. Zero in on the honesty and being truthful, authentic, and most everything else should be fun! If you have not brought your lover to the promise land in 20, 30 or 40 years this may help, but there are no guarantees!

Barbara Kennedy, M.P.H., M.S.W.
Relationship Counseling & Mediation
Scottsdale, AZ