Kentucky Books

A well writen documentary of an inspirational woman. This book gives life to significant events taking place in the fight for civil rights. In particular, reading about her Freedom Ride on a bus through the American South gave chilling reality to the ordeal. Fannie Lou Hamer is a pivotal figure in American history.

Mills' biography is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature on the civil rights movement. The well-documented work explores the life of Ms. Hamer, an important figure in the '60s Deep-South struggles whose name may be unfamiliar to some.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a poorly educated woman who, like most of her contemporaries growing up in pre-Depression Mississippi and beyond, endured virtual apartheid for a good portion of her life. Voting rights were essentially unknown to African-Americans in the state, which was controlled for decades by opponents of civil rights locally and through the state's federal representatives, most notably James O. Eastland, a senator who consistently stalled civil rights legislation through his control of the Judiciary Committee.

Ms. Hamer was among the first African-Americans to challenge Mississippi's voting registration practices, which were designed to bar blacks from voting. For her troubles, she was arrested, detained in a small-town jail and beaten so severely that she sustained injuries that eventually shortened her life.

Mills paints a vivid picture of Ms. Hamer's indomitable spirit, which was symbolized by her powerful singing voice, frequently employed to boost the courage of her local comrades and of the black and white workers who came to Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964 in an attempt to challenge the white supremacists who ran the state.

Nowhere does her spirit come through more clearly than in Mills' account of the 1964 challenge Hamer and others leveled at the Democratic delegation sent to the presidential convention in Atlantic City. The challengers persuasively claimed that they represented thousands of disenfranchised African-Americans who had been denied their right to participate in the political process. The Democratic presidential candidate, Lyndon Johnson, and his running mate, Hubert Humphrey, Mills recounts, dragged their feet on addressing the challengers' claims, only belatedly offering a weak compromise that Hamer and some others fiercely opposed.

"I question America," Hamer memorably said during hearings on her group's challenge of the white-only delegation. Mills is careful to explore the arguments and motivations of those within Hamer's delegation who argued in favor of accepting the compromise, but it is clear that her heart lies with Hamer's courageous stand.

In the end, the 1964 challenge failed, but in 1968 another challenge succeeded and Hamer was seated, along with others, at that year's presidential convention. The victory, which deserves special mention in American history, was tempered and largely forgotten due to the street violence for which the 1968 convention is now largely remembered.

Mills also does a fine job of relating Ms. Hamer's attention to the plight of the poor and her attempts to build political power for the impoverished. One gets a strong sense of the sacrifice that Hamer made to live a life committed to political struggle.

It is only when Mills attempts to summarize the major events of the civil rights movement that the book's strength flags. I found the first couple of chapters negligible because I'm familiar with the big events of the movement and frankly they've been done better elsewhere.

When she turns her attention to Ms. Hamer, however, Mills delivers a story worth telling in strong prose that reveals her admiration for her subject without sacrificing her critical judgment.

Truman Defeats Dewey makes a persuasive case that the 1948 election was a watershed event in American political history and began the modern political era. An associate professor of history at Xavier University in New Orleans, Gary Donaldson presents a fresh and informative examination of how Harry Truman took the 1948 race and what Thomas Dewey did (and didn't) do that resulted in his losing the election. In summary, Truman did a better and more effective job of connecting with the American public whereas Dewey was fairly inept as both a public speaker and in understanding/presenting the issues that concerned constituent voters. Truman Defeats Dewey is a superbly written and presented treatise that will prove a welcome addition to 20th Century American political science and electorial history reading lists and reference collections.

I grew up listening to my parents talk about Harry Truman and the 1948 election. No one thought Truman had a chance and everyone went to bed believing Tom Dewey would be the next President. Boy, was everyone wrong, from the reporters who covered the campaign, to H.V. Kaltenborn, the famous radio announcer of that era, to the new political pollsters. All were left with egg on their faces when Truman won over 300 electoral votes and swept to victory.

This book demonstrate the importance of the farm vote switching mightily to Truman as the campaign wore on, and how Dewey was impossibly arrogant and stopped active campaigning on mid-October, thinking he had the election sewn up! Most of all, this is a tribute to the plucky Harry Trumam, who never conceded, never doubted he would win, and throughout his famous whistle-stop tour, gave 'em hell. A stirring account of the agreat campaign.

A very good diary of the occupation of Lexington KY by both CS and US troops during the Civil War. Since the city was home to both Unionist and Secceshionist Civilians, it shows how each acted depending on who occupied the city at the time. It is a good illustration of Home Front activity.

It's not too often that you get a Civilian view of the Civil War. This book shows how Seccesh and Unionists acted towards each other in a border state, depending upon who's troops were occupying the town of Lexington (Home of John Hunt Morgan). The diary was written by a homebound girl (she had epilepsy) with Union leanings. The area that she saw from her window still exists today, including her home and others mentioned and also show up on a hand-drawn map that is in the book. A very good book for those seeking something besides the same old worn out War stories.

Being an enthusiastic amateur treasure hunter myself, in years past, I diligently read each and every volume of Mr. Terry's exhaustively researched works. Although I found some the information erroneous or far from exact - for instance many locations cited as "ghost towns" are FAR from being one - there are so many intriguing stories of legends, factual evidence & stories of past recoveries that any true TH'r will be enthralled. Treasure hunting is supposedly America's fastest growing hobby: it's uniquely enjoyable for the adventure, historical aspects & healthy outdoor recreation. And when you really find something decent...Boy Howdy!! Not as easy as it sounds, though. To be a professional TH'r, one has to have patience, applying oneself with the perseverance of a detective: because that's what it takes to be successful. Exhaustive research is the key: going where people gathered long ago (old picnic grounds & abandoned schoolyards, for instance) will be beneficial for coin shooters who are after more than modern coins....for me, finding modern coins was a complete waste of time & energy. Going for the gold? Go where it is KNOWN to be & be creative: the better your equipment - i.e. a decent detector which finds gold & common sense makes this a most fascinating hobby. For some, it's a life's career. Good luck!!

Found this to be a very interesting paperback book for anyone dreaming of treasure hunting/finds. But, I wish it was updated. I'm sure there are more interesting things about Florida. Not all of Fla. treasure finds are in the sea as this book notes. Worth reading.Open anywhere and begin reading.

Step back in time to national Virginia, formerly one of a union of nations, forced to side with those bent on dissolution and compelled to mount a defense against imminent invasion.

The scholarship for which Davis and Robertson are noted is joined by that of other established authorities, in particular John Coski [The Confederate Battle Flag] and Ervin Jordan [Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia]. Coski's essay on the Virginia Navy is unique and information rich. Jordan's essay on black perspectives is essential to understanding period society.

This native Virginian, whose fifth grade class in Richmond still stood to sing Dixie before a portrait of General Lee in 1960, now appreciates the Commonwealth's pro-Union sentiments and leadership evident in Robertson's essay on secession.

The edited selection from the diary of Judith Brockenbrough McGuire compliments the work.

The idea for the series is brilliant. I look forward to the remaining volumes.

This book of essays is the first of five planned books discussing Virginia during each of the years of the Civil War. The essays are written by well-known historians and cover an interesting range of topics. Particularly intriguing was the essay about the decision to relocate the Confederate capital from Montgomery to Richmond. The motion just barely passed. The location of the two capitals had considerable effect on the strategy of the war and one wonders what things would have been like if the capital had remained in Alabama. The essays are brief and well-written. This is a volume for serious students of the subject but is an interesting concept for a series.

I have read this book three times and bought it as gifts for many of my friends. If you are looking for something fast-paced, adventurous, warm and funny- look no more. This book has it all. You'll find yourself having trouble putting it down!

~This book is at times strange, confusing and increadably infuriating and at times sweet and even joyful. This certainly wouldn't be a story I would give to my parents to make them understand better about me being a lesbian, and it does contain some sex so I wouldn't recommend it to kids, either. The language is at times really confusing but I found it better towards the end (I'm not exactly sure whether I myself got used to it, or it's just that the first chapters were written with a lot less~~ experience than the latter ones). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book since even beyond all her cynicism the heroine still had the sort of excuse I guess for her darkened vision of this world and she showed times and times again that she can be quite tender and loving.~

Janice got down, dirty, and honest with this book in her tough journey to fame. However, she is an amazing woman who has survived much in life, while doing her best to thrive.

Kudos Janice! Thank you for sharing a part of you with us all!

A MUST read for everyone!

Merna Throne

Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!

This book was AMAZING!!! SOOO good i thought it was fiction. A fantastic read.

This memoir delivers! Laugh out loud funny, and full of juicy show biz gossip. Janice rats out everyone in here. I like that her voice comes through 100%--it's like you are sitting with her listening to her stories over drinks, one on one. There is more to Janice's story--a darker side with a totally messed up childhood that shaped who she became. Think what you will of her, but she is never boring. A great read.

I must say that I truly enjoyed reading this book. There is one thing about the author that I like best and it is the fact that she is real; she tells it like it is. She has guts! This by itself makes the book worth it! I honestly believe that she shares honest and truthful tales about the modeling bussiness and her personal life. I give this book a 10.

So, I am a fan of crazy-gorgeous-extreme model types, because they are so much the opposite of me.

Take Janice Dickinson, for instance. Janice walks in a room, and everyone knows it. Maybe they smell her heady melange of booze, perfume, and cigarettes. It could be the obnoxiously loud string of foulness that always enters before she does. And perhaps it's because she's gorgeous and has those crazy -- as in substantially unstable -- eyes that demand attention in a Charlie Manson kind of way. I don't know. Whatever it is, I want it, as do millions of young ladies.

So I really wanted to like this book and experience a lot of "Oh no she di'int" admiration, but mostly, I was stumbling over the lackluster, disconnected writing. Does anyone believe celebrities of her caliber -- low, that is -- really write their own material? I suppose her "writing partner" is partially to blame for the poor quality, but having seen Dickinson in action (critiquing ANTM contestants and manipulating her way through the D-list dumpster that is The Surreal Life), I don't doubt for a second that she'd have creative control and final say on the content and style.

Janice does deliver some juicy bits. For example, way back when Sly Stallone was her man, Janice was regularly given mystery "vitamins" by the Rocky that, in light of recent events, may've been an early iteration of HGH. Hm. Plus there's tons of drugs and boyfriends (and girlfriends), although I could've done without the explicit descriptions of sex ham-fistedly sandwiched into random spots. (It's like she forgot she wasn't writing a Harlequin for a couple of pages.)

As in other memoirs by people who shouldn't necessarily be writing any, there's the usual childhood drama blown out of proportion. Being abused is drama enough -- why add the Lifetime Movie of the Week fanfare? It feels a little... exploitative.

But I suppose that's the point. Dickinson made her career out of exploitation -- of her body, the camera, other people's bodies... you name it. I appreciate the candor she shows, and no-holds-barred "outing" of celeb secrets is balanced by kind words for others (for instance, Christie Brinkley is -- or at least was -- a saint). This could've been an excellent book if only she'd taken an intensive in English composition and pulled out a thesaurus. (At least it wasn't as bad as Iceberg Slim!)

A Murder Room is certainly not P.D. James' best effort, nor is it Adam Dagleish's. Set in contemporary London, the book nonetheless has a particularly old fashioned feel to it as the murder takes place in a museum dedicated to the era between the two World Wars.

While I understand the need to set the scene, and for the most part am not an impatient reader, I did think going 100 pages before a body even turns up was asking a little much of the reader. Especially when it is fairly obvious who has to die for the book to move forward.

If you are a fan of James, and her lead detectice Adam Dagleish, you will probably enjoy this, as I did. But if you are spoiled by her earlier work and expect this one to measure up, you will be disappointed.

The Murder Room, P.D. James' twelfth of thirteen mysteries featuring Scotland Yard's Commander Adam Dalgliesh, is a satisfying addition to that character-driven series. For me, the main attraction to a P.D. James mystery has always been the way her excellent understanding of human psychology allows her to populate each of her novels with so many believable characters. That talent usually complicates her mysteries and keeps readers turning pages all the way to the end and, despite the fact that I listened to this one instead of reading it, The Murder Room was no exception.

In London, a city filled with world-class museums, a tiny museum like the Dupayne can easily slip through the crack and, in fact, this one has. Devoted exclusively to the "interwar years" of England, the lull between world wars with which she was blessed from 1919 to 1939, the Dupayne specializes in rare first editions and artwork of the period. But over time its main attraction has come to be a room everyone calls the "Murder Room," a space devoted exclusively to the sensational murders of those particular days. The room is filled with exhibits detailing the murders, including pictures of victims and murderers alike, and the few visitors who find their way to the Dupayne seem to spend most of their time there.

But these are tough times for the Dupayne and the three Dupayne siblings to whom it belongs. It is time for them to decide whether or not to keep the museum open, a decision requiring the unanimous consent of the two brothers and their sister, and one that is starting to seem more and more unlikely to be reached because Dr. Neville Dupayne hates the very thought of the museum's existence and cannot wait to see it closed forever.

When Neville Dupayne is found murdered in a manner similar to one of the more spectacular murders featured in the museum's "Murder Room," Dalgliesh and his team are assigned to investigate. They learn soon enough of the animosity between Neville and his brother and sister, who seem desperate to keep the museum open, but those are only two of several people they interview who might have wanted to see Neville Dupayne dead. By refusing to continue the Dupayne Museum, Neville Dupayne was in the process of throwing people out of jobs, and even out of living quarters, so it was obvious that this cold natured man had enough enemies to complicate any investigation into his death.

And things do get complicated when a second murder, which appears to be another copycat murder based on information found in the "Murder Room," is discovered at the museum. The Murder Room is likely keep most readers guessing right up to the point the murderer is revealed - and beyond, because of the romance with which James closes this chapter of Dalgliesh's story.

The audio version of The Murder Room is read by Charles Keating who is a master of British accents. His use of multiple accents and voice inflections makes the characters easy to distinguish from one another and was, I think, particularly effective in creating one of my favorite P.D. James characters of all-time, Tally, the lonely caretaker who lives in a small cottage behind the museum. Readers who have the time, and who enjoy audio books, would do themselves a favor to listen to this one rather than reading it. This was fun.

The Murder Room is a bit better than her previous effort, but it's still not very good. The usual detail on room decoration, depressed characters and dysfunctional families, without an inspired or original plot to support them. The crimes themselves, despite some attractive trappings, turn out to be flat and dull, while also implausible--a problem in a "realistic" crime novel. The characters mostly are the same stuffy, wealthy, well-spoken elitists we've seen before, too many times now, with the usual wrangle taking place over the attempted closing of some august and architecturally distinguished building. Dalgleish fans I guess are happy to see him romancing Emma, the only problem here is we don't see much in the way of romance. Their romance lacks any of the charm and appeal of the classic romances in James' much admired Crime Queen trio of Sayers, Allingham and Marsh. It's a shame, because one can tell from her personal appearances and interviews that James is a charming, amusing woman. Too bad she snuffs out these qualities in her books.

This is my first book by the famous author P.D. James. I am certain that she has much better novels.

The opening 95 page introduction is a bit disturbing, and many readers will be tempted to stop reading and throw the novel away before page 100. She uses a Jane Austen approach to introduce the characters before any action. The difference with Austen is that Austen can do it in 50 pages, stop, and then begin an interesting story. James tends to write on and on. But, it is similar to Austen. Prepare yourself for a slow read until you are in the rythm of her prose. Some of her technical descriptions seems slightly out of date or wrong, but that is okay.

From there, the book improves and we have a murder somewhere about page 120 to 150 and then the police enter the picture. The next 100 pages or so the tempo increases and we have an excellent novel. Commander Dalgliesh and his team enter and conference around page 220, after a very brief appearance near the beginning of the book, and it is quite interesting to see the famous detective at work.

But then we have a second murder and 7 or 8 new characters after page 300. Each new character comes with a lengthy introduction until we have perhaps 20 primary characters, and then the whole novel seems to spin out of control. This gets worse beyond page 400, and by page 500 the reader is left shaking their head, even laughing at the book. The original crime is solved by a highly improbable event. Is this possible? Can such a famous author write this mess?

Adding insult to injurt, James writes on with her complex prose for another 40 pages after the murder is solved and the book is over.

This is a basically an excellent 300 page book captured in 550 pages of dense prose. It needs an extensive edit to remove dozens of filler pages and to take marginal characters that just clutter up the story. Then it will be a good novel. Most characters are interesting and the story is good, but there are too many characters. The structure and the number of characters is wrong. Also as a reader, I found the brief comment at the beginning of each section very annoying, since it reveals the plot direction of the section to come.

Overall, this is a literary train wreck, hence just 3 or 4 stars for this book.

After finishing The Murder Room by P.D. James, I have one question: Who's been putting Xanax in the Baroness's coffee?


Much of The Murder Room reads as though James is just too tired to flesh out the plot, the interviews, and the characters. Too much is told in summary, rather than scene. Even the obligatory horror story embedded in the middle is given short shrift, and I still haven't figured out the relevance or the details of the betrayal in the anti-Nazi underground group.

But it's more than just the weary, phoned-in quality that bothers me. It's the drawing back from the painful consequences of murder. PD James has never been afraid of hurting (or killing off) sympathetic characters. Indeed, much of her appeal for me has always lain in her ability to show the humanity in all her characters, even the killers, while she nevertheless treats them with the ruthlessness the book demands.

The Murder Room is different. The murder does not cause not nearly so much collateral damage as one might expect. Nor does Dalgliesh suffer personal loss during the book.

The Baroness's characters may be happier now, but this reader is not.

This is an older book but still lively for modern readers. Great book on a great teacher.

I really did want to like this book more than I did. I'd actually give it 2 1/2 stars if that was allowed. There were some great stories about Stuart's teaching career, but I couldn't help thinking that in the hands of a more gifted writer this book would have been fantastic. I also thought that some of the conflicts that Mr Stuart describes here were a little too easily, and conveniently solved - to his own advantage, and that left me to wonder if things really happened that way, or if his memory sanitized his own image somewhat. He's not always the hero of his own stories, but he frequently was. He also lost my interest a few times when he went into more detail than was necessary about the running of the school system. I'd definitely recommend it to all those people who have a continued nostalgia for the good old days. In Mr Stuart's world violence seems to be tolerated a lot more than it is today, and sometimes even initiated by adults - the very people in charge of the system. I'm glad I read it, and I would recommend it to others but I would also have to qualify my recommendation.

When I was in Junior High I found Jesse Stuart's book "Hie to the Hunters" in the school library. It remains one of the best books I have ever read. Stuart was at the same time a tough man's man and a sensitive poet. His love of the natural beauty of Kentucky and his people shines through in all his writing, as does his toughness, hard work and perseverance. He was born in the hill country of Kentucky to a father who was not literate and a mother who had only completed a few years of grade school, yet he and his brothers and sisters learned the value of education and became school teachers. "The Thread That Runs So True" is the story of his career in education, beginning when he was a 17-year-old teaching a rural one-room school in the 1920s, through stints as a principal and superintendent of schools, and finally as a farmer, author, and lecturer. "The Thread That Runs So True", written in 1949, remains probably his best-known book, but parts of it are almost too painful to read. Stuart's first year of teaching was at a country school where his older sister had been badly beaten up and driven from the school by a tough male student. Stuart wrote poignantly of the beautiful and the ugly in this book, and it is very worthwhile reading.

This book and story takes the reader into the world of education at the grass roots rural level. From the one room school house with 20 year old students still mired in the first grade to brilliant students from impoverished backgrounds. A terrific review and account of cultural conditions in the 1930's, from the depression to WWII. A must read for educators/teachers. Many of the methods and means used by the author will shock and surprise today's readers, but this is Kentucky in the 1930's. Imagery depicted is fantastic.

Twenty-two years ago (in 1986) I was a freshman in high school. My English teacher assigned The Thread That Runs So True as part of our summer reading. I am now a college professor & I thought that it would be fun to reread the book now that I have classes to teach.

Stuart's book is powerful. He explains the limited circumstances of his Kentucky pupils in a way that makes you think about the lack of opportunities many Americans face. Stuart will also force you to take off your rose-colored glasses about how wonderful things used to be. He recounts stories of students beating up teachers, indifferent administrators, and students literally walking barefoot in the snow to get to school. The good-old days weren't so great.

One of the best aspects of the Thread That Runs So True is that Stuart has tremendous faith in humanity - and in education's ability to improve each of us and our society. He recounts many instances in which students from the most-impoverished families dramatically improved their lives by going to school. Even a cynic will find it difficult not to feel a little inspired by reading this book.

In my opinion, the book is not perfect. Stuart's argument that education funding is the panacea to cure society's ills is dated; we now know that money for education is very important, but that money alone does not always promote student achievement. Also, I don't want to give anything away, but I thought that the ending of the book was very unsatisfying.

While The Thread That Runs So True has a few drawbacks, it is an inspiring story that will teach you a lot about education early in the 20th Century U.S.

I've learned not to go by all the 5 star reviews a book has received. I read the reviews of the three star and below and then choose a 5 star that is really good. Too often on Amazon, a book will receive tons of 5 stars when it really isn't a great book.

I agree with the other reviewer who said the most interesting characters are killed off in the beginning of the book (they come back as ghosts so don't worry)...

The dialogue was incredibly weak in this book. So, if that is important to you, pass on this one...

One thing that was ridiculous was in the beginning of the book, the male lead character is describing the lead female character's body (34 double d's, etc...). It is done is such a juvenile way that you can't help but see it as very immature. Described differently, you would still feel the desire towards the female, yet it wouldn't be so empty and ridiculous.

I am so frustrated, I'm probably not reading any other books from this author..

Everyone who likes or doesn't like a book, needs to leave their reviews...time to counter all those 5 stars that books are getting on Amazon. No need to be negative about the authors now, just tell what you like or don't like about the book...

Speak up, readers :)

Okay now just in case you missed the fact that the title of this book is Riding the Thunder (even though it is of course on the front and back cover of the book), no worries! You'll see that phrase about a billion times throughout the book. So even when you want to forget it, there's no possible way you could! I know you must be as relieved as I was...

It made me wonder if the title of the book was decided first and then an experiment of whether the characters could say/think those words a thousand times was conducted. Or if those words were used so often, there's no way the book could have been called anything else.

The book begins with a good prologue. It's the best part of the book. We are introduced to Tommy and Laura, who are quickly killed off because they are actually interesting. So obviously they must die so the cookie cutter romance Hero and Heroine can shine in the spotlight without fear of being upstaged by the secondary characters.

Yeah sucks to be Tommy and Laura. But before you start feeling really bad for them, they still end up being the most fleshed out characters of the book. And for ghosts that only get a handful of pages dedicated to them, that isn't too bad in my opinion!

Then we meet Jago. (Pronounced Jaygo or so we are told - and it's a form of the name James. Oh I'm sorry... you don't care? Too bad! I had to listen to the endless explanation so therefore you have to hear my condensed version *insert evil laugh here*) So Jago sees Asha and immediately starts comparing her body to his Harley. 'Cause nothing says ROMANCE like a MOTORCYCLE. Asha is of course stacked (Hello 34Ds!) and beautiful, and owns most of the town. Jago is of course on a mission to avenge his father's suicide which was caused by Asha's grandfather, who is also dead. So her family must pay.

Never mind the fact that Jago's father entered into a risky business deal, and didn't research his "partner" (a.k.a. Asha's grandfather) to discover the old man was a bit shady and didn't have anything set up as collateral should the business deal fall flat. Like it did. And never mind the fact Jago's father could have, you know, decided to stick around long enough to find a job to help support his sick wife and their three kids instead of offing himself. Logic? Bah we have no place for you! This is a revenge sub-plot!

Then we get to enter into the labyrinth that is Asha's mind. She wigs out because she is automatically hot for Jago's irresistible body, but distrusts him because once upon a time she was cheated on by a good looking man. So therefore in her mind, pretty = evil. Never mind the fact she is drop dead gorgeous or the fact her brother who she dearly loves is also drop dead gorgeous and neither one of them would ever consider cheating on a loved one. Again, logic? Bah we have no place for you! This is an old relationship hang-up conflict!

Asha freaks out when Jago asks for a beer... because he may be a warlock (aren't all handsome men?) and handing them something with salt in it is apparently a big no no. But as I was soon to find out, Asha has a memory with a strong resemblance to a gold fish's. Short term doesn't even begin to describe it. Only a few hours later he invites her to have dinner with him, and she completely forgets that she was wigged out by him earlier and brings him a pie... which I'm pretty sure has salt in it.

I think there were so many things standing in between these two, they had trouble keeping up. Asha finds out Jago is with the company trying to buy her brother's horse farm. That leads to hate! For like a minute then she forgets and we're back with lust... oh I'm sorry not lust but love! Because they fall in love at first sight and actually acknowledge that on like day 3.

At one point Jago thinks about how he feels obsessed and fascinated with Asha and can't think of any word to describe it except for love. (This happens on page 129.)

Seems Jago needs to invest in a dictionary. I can think of several: "Lust" "Desire" "Crazy Stalker Feelings"

But if you wait for them to actually say the word love OUT LOUD to each other, you shouldn't hold your breath. Really. Unless someone is nearby to revive you.

Both of them are constantly mumbling to themselves. They prefer to save their "thinking time" for being emo so they say important thoughts out loud all the time. Annoying? Yes.

Page 173:
"I won't have to," he said under his breath. "He'll be mine, too, when I marry you."

Jago decides this is very important to tell himself when Asha jokingly says he can't buy her horse like he just bought her brother's.

Page 343:
"Sometimes, the white knight does come in time," she whispered the reassurance to herself. "even if his armor is a little tarnished."

This was said in the middle of Asha fighting for her life at the end of the book.

Oh and before I forget, for those readers that have a hard time knowing when to emphasize a word and when not to while they are reading, the author has found a handy solution. Italicized words! And they are everywhere!

Asha begins having weird visions of things that went on in Laura's life around the town. Now we learn in the prologue Laura and Tommy died tragically in a car accident in the 60's, when they were run off the road by a man in a black pick-up truck. Gee I wonder who it could be... and yes it was painfully obvious to everyone but the characters in the book.

Now did Laura send Asha those visions to save her from the unknown killer? Nope. Asha comes to the conclusion Laura wanted Asha to love the town as much as she and Tommy had so that she doesn't sell it to Jago's company...

Thanks Laura but a heads up about the psychopath would have probably been a bit more helpful, don't you think? Then you could have moved on to the "save the town" plan. Just a suggestion.

Okay I'm going to sum up everything that didn't work for me because this review is getting monstrously long.

Asha and Jago barely have any interaction before finding themselves in "love" and then Asha plays the doormat to Jago's dirty shoes. Jago chooses to continue the Revenge Plan even after falling for Asha, which didn't really convince me that he had any sort of feeling for her, other than the feeling he had in his pants of course. At one point he ditches Asha, lies about where he's going for no good reason, calls her twice in one month and then when he decides to show back up she forgives him in two seconds. THEN when she finally discovers the Revenge Plot that has been staring her in the face the entire book, again automatic forgiveness instead of kicking him out of town like she should have. And nobody picks up a phone during most of the novel, because then things might actually get resolved in four pages instead of three hundred and fifty four.

Train wreck? Why yes it was.

Gah and the way Jago talks!!

Page 209-210:
"I needed to be with you last night, lass. You're under my skin, in my blood. Desire is too mild a word for what you evoke, provoke, conjure within me-and it crawled under my flesh until I couldn't think. I was nothing but a caged tiger prowling my room, a beast wanting its mate."


Who talks like that!?!?!?

This book doesn't even deserve a rating but since I have to I'm giving it 1-Star. I suggest you stay far, far, far away from this one. I know I won't be reading anything else written by this author. Self-inflicted torture just isn't my thing.

I wrote a review for this book I read. It has mysteriously disappeard. So, from memory..... I read this book and the gist of it is.. the the book just couldn't keep my interset. It is just a silly book that is not worth anyone's time or money. The author might need a class in writing.
A humble reviewer.P.S. Leeanne Grant, I do not appreciate you watching my every move. I kindly ask you to remove me from your interesting people list. I do not consider myself your friend. Not even close. I see now that is how you watch my every move, you have been spying on me. People who review books should not have to feel like they are being watched. That is how and why the abuse button gets pushed so often and so quick.
Thank you so much.

I bought this book and its predecessor based on the reviews here, and feel very misled. I was expecting them to WOW me, but I found both to be below average. Weak characters, lame dialogue and distracting subplots made them difficult to finish. I will be sticking to better known authors from now on.

RIDING THE THUNDER
DEBORAH MACGILLIVRAY

Rating: 3 Enchantments

Jago Mershan is on a mission to right a wrong done to his family when he was a child. When he meets his target he is shocked by the desire he feels for her. Asha Montgomerie is the granddaughter of the man responsible for ruining Jago's father. Her first reaction is to distrust him, even though she is desiring him and his Sexy Lips.

Soon they are tangled in a mystery including a haunted jukebox, two teenage ghosts, a cat with no name, and a possible madman on the loose. Can they overcome their differences long enough to solve the mystery and fall in love?

This was just a ho-hum kind of read for me. I really had a hard time getting into it and finishing it. Though it did pick up about ¾ of a way through. As the granddaughter of Jago's family's most hated enemy, I felt no hate nor anger that is usually projected toward ones enemy, projected at Asha. Actually I didn't really get any emotion from him except lust. I did feel the distrust she felt for Jago, but that was short lived. Also, I was really put off with Asha and Jago being "in love" after barely knowing each other for 4 days; sometimes I can buy it, but there was no real build-up to it. They had hardly spent any time together, I didn't feel that there relationship was allowed to grow. Then I found myself continuously rolling my eyes at the sex scenes...I was annoyed by the comparisons she used in her descriptions of sex and I was distracted by the over use of adjectives, they just didn't work for me.

On a brighter note, it was amusing how Jago wanted to buy everything, I liked the haunted setting of The Windmill, the cat What's His Name, Asha's brother Liam, and Netta's secondary romance, and the storyline of Tommy and Laura's ghosts. I was pleased with the discovery of who played a major role in their death.


Aemelia
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
April 2008