Wisconsin Books

This is a great book for reminding children of simpler times. Laura and her family celebrate Christmas with the bare minimum available to them, but with such joy, it can make even children wish for that kind of life.

I have to laugh at those reviewers who seem so offended by these books! Have you actually read the originals?! These books simply take small exerpts from the originals and simplify them for a younger audience. I too absolutely loved the original books and still do. But I'm not going to be able to read them to my 3 year old without her losing interest. Therefore, I share these shorter versions with her and she loves them. When she's older (the originals are recommended for 8-12 year olds) I'll give her the originals. In the meantime these are fabulous and I very much doubt Laura Ingalls Wilder would take offense to them. Seriously, calm down!!

My favorite character is Laura. These are all great books. I have read almost all of them. I just need one more. I really REALLY like the books.
--Elora

The whole entire "My First Little House Books" series is a wonderful way to introduce little ones to the Little House series! The pictures are absolute feasts for little and big eyes alike!
This story in particular is a great illustration of how Christmases used to be. It tells and illustrates the simple joys the children would experience at Christmas time - like candy canes, mittens, and for Laura - her own precious rag doll, Charlotte!
Definately a book you will want to add to your little ones collection!

I really love the "official" Little House books. My four year-old likes me to read them a little at a time, but the illustrations are black and white, and she likes seeing the color illustrations. These books are a very good way to introduce little ones to Laura's world, get them interested, and THEN start reading the original Little House books. The people who are fussing over the books need to chill a little - these are meant to be an intro to Laura;s world, not the end-all and be-all. Y'all know that Laura Wilder would be laughing uproariously at all this fussing, btw.

The Heretic was my first novel. If you enjoyed The Heretic, I invite you to also read my 2nd novel, A Good Conviction.

The Heretic is a superbly written debut novel of political intrigue by Lewis Weinstein that adds a definitively human touch to the terrible ills of history and religious persecution. Depicting a family of Jews living in Seville on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century, The Heretic is a thoughtful and thought-provoking historical story of the abuse of power and tests of faith that were anything but. The Heretic clear documents Lewis Weinstein as a master storyteller and will leave the reader looking eagerly toward his next literary effort.

I noticed that most of the reviews thus far were written by people who have not written any other reviews for Amazon. One reviewer has written just two reviews - both for books by this author. A couple reviewers were anonymous. These reviews contain only praise and no critical comments at all. Clearly the vast majority of reviews for The Heretic were composed by friends of the author. I have not read the book myself. It seems like a book I might enjoy but without objective reviews to guide my purchase decision, I won't buy it.

The pages of history turn inexorably toward the Spanish Inquisition, as the "conversos" are tormented by angry mobs of "old Christians", who believe the reformed Jews are secretly practicing the old religion, flaunting the law of the land and the Holy Mother Church. The great Dominican purges of 1391 and 1412 have created a large number of conversos, those who have been willing to relinquish their faith and embrace Christianity rather than be burned at the stake as heretics. After centuries of war with the Moors, Christianity is in its ascendancy, the Church brutal in its treatment of suspects, the finger of suspicion enough to send a man to the inquisitor's torture chambers.

Gabriel Catalan is a successful goldsmith in Seville and a secret follower of the old ways, conspiring with others to print copies of important Hebrew texts by means of Gutenberg's revolutionary printing techniques. Most of the old works have been destroyed, but in collusion with Moorish royalty, Catalan is able to print many copies, which are hidden with the aid of his son Tomas. But daily violence and unprovoked attacks have become endemic in Seville, a family close to the Catalans moving to a small village to escape certain detainment in a growing repression of the conversos. Tomas is instrumental in the family's escape and will eventually marry the daughter, seeking a safer life away from Spain. The principal arm of the Inquisition in Seville, Friar Ricardo Perez, is deeply suspicious of Catalan and his companions, slowly closing a trap that will deliver Gabriel to the stake, along with his devoted wife, Pilar.

The principal characters carry on with their work against time and fate, hoping to leave a historical legacy to those who follow in these dark years of brutality, intolerance and suspicion. The Moors divided, Christian Isabel seizes her opportunity to capture the Spanish throne and marry the man of her choice, Ferdinand of Portugal, their mission to restore the grandeur of Christianity and subdue unbelievers by any means necessary, the black years of the Spanish Inquisition looming. The Catalan family and their friends are helpless in the face of increasing dangers; by the time Perez is joined by the infamous Torguemada, the accused stand convicted, tethered together, surrounded by burning stakes. Unflinching in the face of brutality and inhumanity, Weinstein reveals the ugly face of intolerance, fanatics demanding sacrifice in one of the most brutal periods of history, the Jews scattering before one more attempt at annihilation, one great religion pitted against another in a battle that rages violently today, God watching His children destroyed in His name. Luan Gaines/2006.

Reading "The Heretic" was a truly revealing experience for me. For many years I've grqppled with the problem of why Jews have been singled out for persecution by so many different peoples at different times and at different places throughout history. "The Heretic" explained the roots of anti-Semitism more clearly than anything I have ever read.

Very average book! Frei doesn't go down as one of my favorite sports writers. Loves to sensationlize rather then just tell a great story.

Through exhaustive research and interviews with the remaining Badgers, their families, and combat comrades, Frei tells the story of this team of young men who became real-life heroes by fulfilling a much greater calling. In describing their experiences on the football field and in service to their country, Frei makes it clear why the generation young men and women who came of age during the Second World War have become known simply as the "Greatest"

While some may think that this book is "too narrow," "too old," or "too local," let me say that it is far from that. This is a story of the highest degree, one that will leave the reader at various times laughing, mournful, amazed, and inspired. "Third Down And A War To Go" is much more than just a football story. It is much more than just a war story.

It is a story about us.

Great job. So good that I was brought to tears. So good that I almost need to visit the cemetery in Lancaster, Wis., and say "thanks" to Dave Schreiner and Mark Hoskins. Thanks to you, Terry, for the idea, the research, the writing. I rank your book up there with "Flags of our Fathers." And you were correct in advising your readers to ask questions, and more questions, of their parents. I look forward to Terry's next book and plan to read his previous one.

Randy Jesick
Journalism Department
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

I think Terry Frei did a fantastic recounting events of something that happened 60 years ago. Clearly Mr. Frei did a thorough job researching all the events and the many characters he references. As for the reader, he/she is taken on a journey about teenagers turning into young men during one of the most difficult times in American history. Frei goes into great detail about the Wisconsin Badger roster and characters that make it up. At times, it does get confusing but I honestly don't see how Frei could have singled anyone out -- except for perhaps Dave Schreiner. I will admit I skipped some of the middle of book when the author gives a recap of all the Badger games from 1942. The second half of the book (about the war) is very well done. In fact, the second half of the book is a real page tuner. All in all, it is a good book about some fine people that I would have loved to have met.

Third Down and a War to Go is a page turner which chronicles the 1942 University of Wisconsin all-star football team and its college years, heroic service in World War II, and return to unsung ordinary lives. It was a different era for college football. Players actually wanted an education. The majority were less than six feet tall and weighed less than 200 pounds. What scholarships they received were so meager that even the All-Americans washed dishes and waited table. There was no question about them interrupting college and collegiate football to serve their country. Some selflessly gave their lives but most returned, played some more football, and contributed to America's post-war recovery as lawyers, teachers, real estate agents, and Jerry Frei, the author's father, as a college and pro football coach. Most never discussed their war service and certainly didn't consider themselves the "greatest generation."

Terry Frei tells their story in a moving style. Portions bring one to tears.

This book will engage WWII veterans, their children, those of us who grew up during the war, and readers who are interested in true "All Americans."

From 1986 - 1992 I was employed as an investigator at the Office of Capital Collateral Representative (CCR) in Tallahassee, Florida, where Scharlette Holdman worked as the supervisor of the investigators from October 1985 - March 1988. Scharlette Holdman is cited in approving comments by Mello in at least two of his books.

I have known Scharlette since the mid-1970s death penalty debates at Florida State University, including the debate between Professor Richard L. Rubenstein (author of "After Auschwitz", "My Brother Paul", "The Cunning of History: Mass Death and the American Future", "The Age of Triage", "Religion and Eros", and other books) vs. Baptist Minister and Philosopher Will Campbell (the debate was circa 1977).

Her office, the Clearinghouse on Criminal Justice, was in the same wing of the Petroleum Building as my office at Common Cause in Florida (where I was a full-time volunteer during the day and worked at the Brown Derby Restaurant at night from 1981 - 1986).

The Petroleum Building was next to the State Capital, the Florida Supreme Court and the State Archives and Library. When it was torn down, the space and the space for the first CCR office became the Mary Brogan Art and Science Museum storm water retaining pond. The Petroleum Building was called by those of us who worked or volunteered there the "Forces of Good" (FOG) Building -- as opposed to FOE -- Forces of Evil, such as Associated Industries, the Chamber and other big business interests in Florida. The FOG building also included (not an exhaustive list) the Clean Water Action Project, the ACLU, NOW, Florida Legal Services, Migrant Farmworker's Organization (directed by Cliff Thaell, who has more recently been a Leon County Commissioner for about ten years or more), Mike Vasilinda's television news service.

About every two years at CCR there was a Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist-Maoist purge due to the pressures and dysfunctions of the work and the people. I survived two such purges. With the third, I was the first to go in the spring and summer of 1992.

When Scharlette had essentially declared war upon CCR in 1987 and thereafter, some of us decided to investigate her background given some things that we had heard. Low and behold, Scharlette's claim of a PhD in anthropology from the University of Hawaii and a Master's Degree from Memphis State (now University of Memphis) don't exist. A claimed undergraduate degree from Memphis State: I no longer recall if this was confirmed by the university.

We used Scharlette's Social Security number, her maiden name and her married name -- with all this information, both universities had no record of Scharlette having received any degrees from these institutions.

As I understand Scharlette, she needed the "degrees" to confer upon her "credentials" that she really never needed as she is indeed then and now a national expert on capital mitigation, litigation, etc. However Scharlette can be deceptive, as her lack of a PhD and Masters so demonstrates. Even today she claims to have the degrees as when she gives presentations regarding capital cases, she is identified as "Dr." A key word search of her name will bring up some of the presentations that she has made in the past several years with the title "Dr." preceding her name.

If she has received any honorary or other degrees since 1990, that would be new information for me. If anyone can assist in this matter, please contact me at paul_d_harvill@yahoo.com or my mailing address: P.O. Box 38458, Tallahassee, FL 32315-8458. Thank you.

In Michael Mello's excellent book "Dead Wrong: A Death Row Lawyer Speaks Out Against Capital Punishment", Mr. Mello and I have a substantial difference of experience and opinion.

From page 195 of the hardcover version of the book: "On paper, neither Olive nor Holdman ran CCR; that title belonged to Larry Helm Spalding. With the warrants and the infighting on all fronts, it has suddenly become chic to ridicule Spalding.... I believe that Spalding did some good at CCR. But none of the good can ever come close to compensating for Spalding's fatal decision in the late 1980s, to fire Scharlette Holdman, knowing that Mark Olive would be forced to resign in protest."

Having worked as an investigator at CCR during this very time period whereas Mr. Mello was in Vermont teaching at a law school in late 1987 and early 1988, in my considered opinion, Ms. Holdman was out of control, e.g. she was then an abusive alcoholic; at work she threw a typewriter at a door; she refused to come to work as a form of protest ("strikes" or similar actions by state employees in Florida are prohibited by the Florida Constitution); tampered with evidence; and misrepresented her academic record.

Mr. Spalding was willing to even pay her salary since Ms. Holdman is indeed an asset nevertheless and have her work in New York with Dick Burr -- however even Dick Burr with the Legal Defense Fund knew enough about the dark side of Ms. Holdman that he didn't want her working in the same space as himself.

Mr. Spalding had no choice but to terminate Scharlette Holdman. She gave him no other choice. She had committed numerous dismissable offenses over the years at CCR.

Ms. Holdman made her situation a national battle by bringing in all the "big guns" in the anti-death penalty community across the country to pressure Mr. Spalding into either allowing Ms. Holdman to continue as she was conducting herself and to pressure Mr. Spalding to resign or otherwise be forced out of office.

And Mr. Olive, whom I admire as one of the best litigators in America for death sentenced persons, was playing the same hard-ball tactics as Ms. Holdman -- thus his threat to resign should Ms. Holdman be terminated from employment. Mr. Olive chose to resign in an attempt to cripple the agency. However her termination and his resignation did just the opposite.

Mr. Spalding did the right thing given the totality of the circumstances. In fact, the office functioned better with more effective representation. It is highly ironic that Mr. Mello does not mention even one time the name of Mr. Olive's successor as Chief Litigator, Billy Horatio Nolas, who is just as competent and effective as Mr. Olive. In fact, Mr. Nolas and his legal and investigative team had more successes with stays of execution, winning new sentencing hearings, winning new trials, etc.

For a good book from the prespective of death row: "A Checkered Past" by William Van Poyck, on death row in Florida. The book is available via amazon.com.

Bill Cotterell has been a journalist with UPI and more recently for a good number of years at the Tallahassee Democrat covering primarily state government news in Florida. His email address is bcotterell@tallahassee.com for verification of this account and a more accurate recounting.

He has recounted to me several times about the time in one case that Ms. Holdman said something to the effect that the murdered youth would just have to miss her high school prom --- said in a scarcastic and offensive tone -- meaning minimizing the impact that the murder had upon the murdered youth herself.

Michael Mello's "Dead Wrong" quote from page 195 (hardcover version): "There were some days (and nights) when CCR was the best public defender office in the world." I agree -- "some" being the operative word here.

For more insight, Michael Moline, formerly of UPI in Tallahassee, wrote a long article for a California newspaper (the name I don't have with me at this time) about Scharlette Holdman shortly after she arrived in California from Florida by means of South Carolina.

Both David Von Drehle and Michael Mello's books are excellent and very well describe what life is like for those on death row and those representing death sentenced persons, particularly at the old CCR [Office of Capital Collateral Representative]. However there is more:

After Mark E. Olive voluntarily resigned from CCR about March 1988, Billy H. Nolas became the next Chief Litigator. It is extremely odd that neither Mello nor Von Drehle even mention Nolas nor the next Chief Litigator Martin or Marty J. McClain. For important reasons they should have.

Billy H. Nolas is an excellent litigator like Olive. Nolas was the Chief Litigator for the last two years of the Gov. Martinez "regime", which was the most difficult time in CCR history [during my employment there] with Martinez signing death warrants as if he was at a Republican Party event signing autographs.

Nolas resigned at the end of 1990, after Martinez had been defeated by former U.S. Senator Lawton Chiles and former U.S. House of Representatives member Buddy MacKay.

Nolas was completely drained from the years he endured and litigated while at CCR, due to the huge case load and the internecine warfare within the agency. McClain and his faction within CCR did their best to cause Nolas to leave -- eventually they were successful -- and THAT is when clients' cases began to suffer.

Martin J. McClain is an excellent litigator, however his strategic decisions in various cases are questionable. When Mello writes on page 245 of the hardcover version of "Dead Wrong" regarding CCR, "Look beneath the surface of CCR's 'success rates', however, and you'll find an artifice typical of hack public defender officers. CCR has in the past farmed out the hardest cases to outside lawyers (by finding that it has a 'conflict of interest')". The period of time that Mello is referring to is when Martin McClain was the Chief Litigator and Michael Minerva was the executive director of CCR.

As the premier example of McClain alleging a "conflict of interest" [and I can only assume with the consent of the director of CCR at the time, Michael Minerva] is the client Jerry Layne Rogers, Sr. -- a wrongfully convicted and innocent man -- Mr. Rogers' case in 1992 consisted of at least 80 boxes of documents, from court files, prosecutor and law enforcement files, trial and evidentiary hearing transcripts, etc. Mr. Rogers' case was the largest and most complicated that CCR has ever represented.

The second largest and most complicated was that of Mr. Gerald Stano, whose lead attorney during most of the development of his case was Mark Olive.

McClain simply didn't want to have such a complicated case as a CCR case, so McClain, in my considered insider opinion as Mr. Roger's only investigator from 1989 until my involuntary departure in 1992, alleged in a misrepresentation to the Florida Supreme Court (FSC) that he had a "conflict of interest" with Mr. Rogers -- while Mr. Rogers's case was pending at the FSC.

As a result, Mr. Rogers had no counsel for an extended period of time until the Washington, D.C. law firm Covington and Burling became his pro bono counsel in 1995. The result was an unanimous FSC 26 page opinion ordering a new trial due primarily to prosecutorial misconduct, in particular Brady v. Maryland violations.

To read the opinion, go to the Florida Supreme Court website, to recent opinions, to the year 2001, scroll down to February 15, 2001.

During the summer of 2002, Mr. Rogers was re-convicted, however the jury recommended and Mr. Rogers received a life sentence. Thus for a second time Mr. Rogers has been wrongfully convicted.

Another wrongfully convicted Florida death row inmate, who is now a free man, Juan Melendez, testified about his neighbor on death row, Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers taught him how to speak, read and write in English as well as assisting him in coping skills while on death row.

In 2004, the Florida 5th District Court of Appeal denied relief. The FSC declined to accept jurisdiction and thus denied the petition for review.

Mr. Rogers' case is pending Federal review.

This a wonderful series, I enjoy it so much. Caroline, her mother and siblings struggle to live in their new home in a clearing in the woods is memorable. I also adore this new guy they introduce who graciously helps their family time and time again, Mr. Holbrook. I'm writing a book, and this man reminds me of the main character in my noval in his quiet, yet kind personality.
I'm glad I got this book for only 3.00 dollars. I got a miracle on that, considering the way the prices for this book range. I hope they republish it soon, its ridiculous how these prices go.

There is an impossible situation that uproots the Quiner family from the roots of where they once resided. It was necessary that a new area was found in order to reside in. The new area to settle was near a small town called Concord. They realized that this wasn't built up, and there were very rustic conditions in which there was no running water, no crops, etc. they had to start from scratch in all of this. They were fortunate that they got assistance from a wealthy man who lived in Concord. To find out what type of assistance this wealthy man provided, and the specifics on the comments about the welfare of the family, read this book, and you won't be disappointed.

I just finished this book, it was great! In this book Caroline and her family move from Brookfield to Concord. I love how each chapter starts telling about something new and exciting!

An enchanting depiction of the Quiner family's move after loosing thier home, through the eyes of a little girl. The story brings all the senses to life and has the reader wanting more. It is best if followed in order of the series starting with Little House in Brookville.

In this book, Mother, Caroline, and Caroline's siblings are forced to move to Concord, Wisconsin. Caroline is now a big girl of eight, and eventually nine, years old. She has opinions and ideas of her own, from arguing with a boy who owns a shanty on the Quiners' property, to coming up with solutions to save the family from a hard winter. Caroline has truly grown from that almost one-dimensional character portrayed in Little House in Brookfield to an animated, idealistic girl. I can't wait for On Top of Concord Hill to come out!

I have read a number of these books about Vietnam. I respect the author's service to his country in this war. However, the book is a series of complaints about pot smokers, RAMF, and so many others. War is certainly not civil. The author served in a front line position for six months and then as a correspondent for another six months. During his six months on the front line, he spent a lot of time nursing illnesses like malaria and an infected leg.

This is certainly not the best read about the Vietnam War. It is at best an average read. In addition, their were many spelling and other errors in this book. It certainly needed a proof read before going to press.
The author certainly developed a very negative reaction to his time spent in this war.

I enjoyed this book and almost gave it four stars because I found the author likeable and found his story to be quite a bit different from many other Vietnam experience books I've read. But, I had to mark it down because of the editing. From a form standpoint, I'm not sure when I've read a book with more misspelled/misused words. From a substance standpoint, I had a big question which the author didn't answer well for me and I think his editor should have pressed him to address it better than he did: Why was he so widely disliked and trampled on by the other soldiers? Was it because he was a virgin who didn't smoke dope? Because he wouldn't stand up for himself? Because the other guys thought he was goldbricking his medical time out of the field? Because the other guys were just total losers? I could reasonably draw any or all those inferences from what was written, but I think good editing or good writing would have forced him to address the issue directly.

It's a short book and an easy read and I don't regret reading it at all. But, I think if you're looking for a really good Vietnam book, there are lots of better choices. I'm very surprised to see all the 5 star ratings here. Maybe I'm all wet or maybe they are. Read the book and see what you think.

A short book that tells a long story. A recommended reading for people of all ages; young people to learn about the way men
and women fought to help protect the freedoms we enjoy and adults to remind them of the sacrifices men and women made to serve their country because as the more time that passes, the more we forget. All ages can learn about happenings of the war in the easy to read, colorful, and descriptive style used by author Reich. His story reminds us of the unpleasantness of a soldier's life and should be read by those who benefited and by those who need to be reminded of the sacrifices made by the combat soldier.
Discover the real story of the Vietnam War from a man who fought in it and made the best of the situation. I am appreciative and thankful for people like the author who served their country and to the author for sharing his not-so-pleasant experiences by writing about them in a day by day account that helps the reader learn the real story.

Dale Reich grew up 40 miles west of me, attended the same college I did, and was enough years older than me that he went to Vietnam and I only had to worry that I might in a few years. It was with these thoughts that I began reading Rockets Like Rain.

The book is not long, and I read it in a few sittings. I found myself staying up one night because I had to find out what happened on the author's first patrol. The book describes Vietnam and the experiences the author had there in a way that made me feel like I was on patrol, or just passing time with him, but it also tells what went on inside the author's head as he made it through his tour and how he was changed by it.

In the preface, the author says that the book was written so others could "...better understand what Vietnam was like for a typical draftee..." The preface continues, "Its an honest and accurate account that many people will find surprising and many others will find disturbing." If these were Dale Reich's goals when he wrote the book, then he succeeded! After reading Rockets like Rain, I WAS surprised and disturbed by what I missed in Vietnam.

This is a bookfor all ages, students and historians alike. Especially for people interested in learning more about the "Vietnam Experence".
This book is a combination of ahort stories and poetry, guarenteed to hold your interest and pick your couriousity.
" Rockets Like Rain" is like being on the inside looking out instead of the usual book outside looking in.
I highly recommend this book.

If you're thinking about purchasing this book go for it, it will be money well spent. Reading the book is time well spent.

Olena Kalytiak Davis
"And Her Soul Out Of Nothing"

The first thought that struck me about Davis was that if I had never known her name or seen her picture on the back of the book, I would still have known her for a woman. Her voice is very feminine, by which I mean that her observations strike me as observations that only a woman would make. I'm a big believer that while men and women are certainly equal, we are certainly very different (thank God!). This is never more manifest than in our thought patterns and use of language. Davis thinks like a woman, writes like a woman, but she does so casually, without needing to make a big splashy "I am woman! RAWR!" statement. For example, in "Another Underwater Conversation", she reflects on the way girlfriends will replay, analyze and break down every conversation between their friend and her lover. "...You turn / your good ear. Sometimes you don't want to hear / the way he f***ed her before calling / the whole thing off, oh, the replay, the revival..." (11). In "Thirty Years Rising", she references her own past relationship analysis, and how those experiences have shaped her. "...each man / with a car and a wife, the ones I slept with / and arranged, neatly, like a newly laid / subdivision" (35). Though men may, from time to time, engage in such types of thoughts and analysis, women are notorious for it. I like that Davis reflects these things in her work, it makes her more approachable.

There are a few motifs that surface again and again throughout the entire book. These reoccurring images and metaphors aid in tying the separate poems together into an organic whole. Birds are a big one, as are sleep, dreams and cold. She often uses these motifs as metaphors to illustrate loneliness or frustration, but also freedom, as in, the freedom to move ahead and find new experiences. In "Should One Prefer Purity To Intensity Of Soul", Davis writes: "I once heard a woman speak of her loneliness / as if it were a small bird. Imagine: her sorrow / had a wingspan!" (80).

In a way, this is a book about spirit--the spirit of one woman, or many women. It is not a travelogue for "finding onself"...in fact, I'd say it's as much about losing oneself as anything else. I feel like Davis is telling us that the spirit, the soul, exists where we lose ourselves to the world around us. "The situation is grave: / the way we lean over each other, the way years / later we emerge: hunchbacked, hooded / with full grown tender things called souls" (76). The devil, as they say, is in the details.

Everyone should read this highly original, honest and unabashedly real first collection of poems. These poems pack a lot of punch. I would recommend this to anyone passionate about poetry without hesitation. Let her slay you with her words.

This book is amazing, hands down. Take the discursiveness and lyricism of Dean Young and add some Borges and throw in the passion of Blake, and you might get an idea of the poetry Davis offers us in this collection. This book offers up ocilliations to the reader, moving from narrative to lyrical, and constantly walking the line between a tangent and the logical next step. Davis creates a poetry which redfines the rules. A poetry that creates the reader it is written for. A poetry with multiple narrators, but a single voice. My favorite female poet. A poet of such passions she can end a poem with, "this poem has no vanishing point" and not have it be a lie. How many poets nowadays can make that claim? How many are craft and no subtance, art and no politics? With davis we are given the land and the ocean, we are handed flashlights and directed into the cave of our future actions and our past reflections. The grandmother and granddaughter of something huge. Buy this book. Buy it now. She'll change your ideas on whatever you think poetry is. And in the end isn't that the goal?

I am always amazed at the synchronicity of the universe and the grace of God. I got this book of poems in the mail yesterday and it was like a package of sunshine, a paper bag of silvery moonlight, ten dozen exotic orchids, a box of girlfriends with heads nodding up and down saying, "I know what you're going through, girl."

A poem can save a life and soothe a weary, heavy soul. Words ARE things: concrete, healing, calming, comforting and consoling. I've just barely survived one of the hardest weeks of my life and this book of brilliant poems was a lifesaver, a literal lifeline. The poems spoke straight to my heart and were a salve to my hurting soul. Thanks, Ms. Davis, for sharing your heart with the world....and God Bless You!

This is the fourth book in the Loon Lake Fishing Mystery series and I've become rather fond of this little town and its residents as I've been reading through the series. They are very likeable and easy going people that are fully developed and which really hold one's attention...at least that's the way I feel about them. This particular mystery centers on a biker convention that has drawn a large number of bikers (naturally) AND a fishing tournament, both of which have drawn crowds to the small town. Most of them are nice...but a few are not and that's where Doc. Osborn, Chief Ferris, and Ray find themselves knee deep in a murder mystery when they'd rather be knee deep in a river fishing.

I have to admit, for a sleepy little town, Loon Lake sure seems to have a lot going on! Aside from the somewhat silly idea that SO much happens here that warrants the deputizing of both a retired dentist and the local color (in the form of Pradt - a one time trouble maker turned expert guide) and solving at least one BIG murder/smuggling ring every couple of months, I really do like the characters and feel of this series. Its nice light reading that still manages to be both interesting and keep me mostly on the edge of my seat. I still love the age of the characters, it's nice to see people over 40 being the hero, instead of the young, hot 25 year old...don't get me wrong, those are fun too...but you don't get middle aged all the way up to retired people in the murder-mystery/thriller genre too often anymore. Nice change of pace. Dead Frenzy has good pacing, interesting details and is just plain fun to read, I give it an A-, it'd make a nice read for several afternoons curled up on the porch.

In the 4th book in the Loon Lake Fishing mystery series, the small town of Loon Lake, Wisconsin, is soon to be flooded with crowds of people. Hosting both a million dollar bass tournament and a motorcycle rally, the chief of police, Lewellyn "Lew" Ferris, has resigned herself to working long hours with little time for fly-fishing.

On one of their last fishing trips before the crowds converge on Loon Lake, Lew and her close friend, Doc Osborne, find a woman in her car suffering from a drug overdose. Lew knows that there is a DEA investigation underway in the area, and quickly becomes part of the investigating team. She deputizes Doc again to help in the case, and he goes undercover as a newbie Harley owner. During this investigation, Lew and Doc stumble over a tournament contestant with cheating in his plans, and they being to wonder how far someone would go to get the million dollar prize money. If this wasn't enough to keep them busy, an old murder/suicide case resurfaces, and working along with their good friend, Ray Pradt, the dynamic duo puts away the crime-ring intent on bringing evil into their peaceful hometown.

This is a great series! I originally picked up the first installment when my son returned from a visit with relatives in Wisconsin, and was very pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the series right away. Lew, Doc, and Ray are vivid, vibrant characters that seem to live right among the pages in these cleverly written books. I love the way that they work together, and I love the suspense regarding the growing relationship between Lew and Doc. The plots in each of the books slowly unfold, and will leave you guessing to the very end. This is a great addition to the cozy genre!

The first book in the series is called "Dead Water". Enjoy!

Excellent reading couldn't put the book down. Now a series of books by Victoria Houston. A very likable cast of charactors. A edge of your seat type book. I recommend all of the books by the author, in this series.

I have read all of Victoria Houstons books and believe this is the best yet. There are a lot of suprises and twists to this book. You had best pay attention or you will miss something. I really enjoy all of her books with their intrigue. Her books keep your attention and I have difficulties puting them down. I would certainly recommend this book or any of her others. You do not have to be a person who loves fishing, but some interest in it adds to the pleasure.

This fourth in the series proves that practice improves an already good series! As a past visitor to Rhinelander, WI and the Northwoods, Houston's stories are always interesting and accurately portray the little bergs in my state.
As an avid mystery/suspense reader AND a registered dental hygienist in Green Bay, I appreciate Houston's knowledge of dentistry and enjoy her references to it in her books. The fly fishing quotes at the beginning of each chapter are great, as are her descriptions of fly fishing. I have lessons in my list of goals to accomplish just from reading her descriptions!

She has managed to put contaminated streams from mining operations, Indian Gaming Casinos, etc., all issues in the local news, in her previous books in accurate detail. I loved the Fishing Tournament in this book, but hope she uses the Harley Rally again so she can develop that story line!

I was one of six people privliged to have dinner with the author as the result of winning a contest in the Green Bay Press Gazette a couple of years ago. What a fun evening! Houston is even more interesting than her characters! I can't wait for the next one in the series to be published so I can tell all my patients about it, too!

The point of any great story is not just entertainment, but the hope that it will invoke, on some level, a curiosity, an interest, in those things that make up the world in which we live. That interest may be in human affairs, society, one's own situation, and the like. If nothing else, Paul Weidner's MEMOIRS OF A DWARF: AT THE SUN KING'S COURT definitely accomplishes this.

Hugues, an uneducated, orphaned dwarf who begins his impoverished days in a squalid Versailles, is the story's narrator and protagonist. Throughout the book he recounts the tale of his rise in the court of Louis XIV. As a servant, his penchant for curiosity embroils him in some precarious situations. Appearances are everything as members of society's upper echelon are just as shady as those they look down on. Yet, the one fault of the book may indeed be that which propels it forward--the narrator's voice: How could an individual with no formal education learn to speak and write so ostentatiously? Still, as the tale unfolds, the reader can't help but be held captive by the seamless tapestry of events that blur fiction from historical events.

Upon finishing the book you're left wondering if such a character as Hugues ever existed, and/or if the Royalty's practice of having so many little people around was to hide (shelter) an actual family member born a dwarf.

Such is the curiosity and interest this story Weidner has created. It has been a year since I have read the book, and yet there are those with whom I shared the book who never cease from keeping an eye out for information connecting the fictitious events with the reality of the time.

Say what you will about the book, but should a book be spoken of so long after it has been read is the highest compliment an author can receive. It is, then, an example of a great story.

As I read Weidner's novel of late eighteenth century debauchery, betrayal and revenge, I couldn't help but think of Dangerous Liaisons, the movie. The author, quite the wordsmith, has skillfully depicted the voice of the times as seen from the eyes of a dwarf in the court of King Louis XIV.
However, the reader had best be prepared for some unsettling events. Right away, we witness the shocking sacrifice of a deformed human child in a dark ritual performed by a priest who recites his Latin mass backward while pouring the desanguinated baby's blood onto the belly of a naked female. To top it off, the priest then drinks the remains. The reader can't help but empathize with Hugues, our dwarf protagonist who--having previously gotten into the court's good graces by preventing a fire--is pressed into service as an "altar boy" simply because his ill-shaped proportions are perceived as being attuned to the forces of darkness.
Hugues goes on to become a court favorite and serves as a source of sick amusement while he tends chamber pots, fights small dogs, removes ash from fireplaces, and provides sexual favors beneath the gaming tables. From a waist-high viewpoint, the author creates an eye-opening tapestry of Versailles and the ridiculous entertainment pursued by the rich and depraved. The crux of the story comes when Hugues decides to use (in the author's words) "rumors swarmed and fed and fattened like flies on a soft and vaporous pile of dung" to extort a petition for his own legitimacy and gain an acknowledged position as a human being. When our dwarf's initial attempts fail, revenge becomes part of the equation and a surprising connection between King Louis XIV and Hugues sweetens the pot.
Paul Weidner used to be artistic producer of the Hartford Stage Company and a director in New York University's graduate theater program so he's vested in the arts. Obviously, he tackled a mountain of research, became completely familiar with 18th Century France, and he's done a wonderful job of describing it, setting the scene. In my opinion, he has captured the voice of the times with literary precision. But the real magic of his narrative is the way he sprinkles in dry humor to keep the reader from sinking into the quagmire of moral muck that passes as entertainment for the upper classes. That said, I eventually found the narrative a bit too heavy to be sustained for a whole novel. Entertaining at first, the wordiness of it became tedious, bogging me down, and I found myself speed-reading or skipping long-winded passages in order to get to the point.
Overall, though, I'd say Memoirs of a Dwarf is definitely a good read. --Reviewer: Jan Evan Whitford, Allbooks Reviews

I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't drop it once I started it.
I love Weidner's style, he's a great author and I hope he will publish more books.
This is the type of book that you just can't get enough of!
On a trip, in the plane, late at night, whenever you read, this is not the book you buy to help you fall asleep, it will keep you wanting to know more and will keep you interested until the last page. Or at least it kept me interested until the last page!
I am just sad there are only 5 stars ratings, I would give it more than that otherwise!

Like the diminutive heroes of some of my favorite books, Cadence Roth in Maupin's MAYBE THE MOON and John Irving's Owen Meany, Paul Weidner's Hughes from his terrific MEMOIRS OF A DWARF invites us into his world made awful and ridiculous and compelling by the cold fact of scale. It is Hughes' size that decides his fate. However, it is his character that defines his life. In Hughes, Weidner has given us a hapless protagonist who, in the intrigue-riddled world of Louis XIV, stumbles upon his dignity through the most undignified of circumstances. And by peppering his narrative with bursts of unexpected bawdy humor and sobering cruelty, Weidner deftly manages to avoid the traps of sentimentality to give us a mystery that satisfies in its details and in its rendering of a complex and winning hero of contemporary fiction.

I purchased this book because of its rave reviews and because of my predilection for period dramas; I was horribly disappointed.

Contrary to what the other reviewers said, the language was not eloquent and beautiful--it was just pretentious and rambling. There were so many meaningless digressions that, if anything, the author's attempt to create something beautiful detracted from the only sometimes intriguing plot, and instead of enhancing meaning and a sense of the era, only tempted the reader to skip paragraphs. Bad editing.

The plot itself was fine, neither extraordinary nor bland. The basic idea is that there is a dwarf whose life begins and ends in misery, but whose journey takes him from a filthy orphanage to the catacombs of the Notre Dame Cathedral performing satanic rituals, to the court of Louis XIV. Along the way, he is molested, serves the sexual needs of women in the court, helps the aristocracy cheat at cards, and participates in the world of intrigue and gossip to achieve legitimacy and some degree of stature in society. PLOT SPOILER AHEAD. In the end, he does not formally receive this recognition in any way, but does find out he is the actual heir to the throne...to no avail of course because of his appearance, and also because he has his tongue cut out by the same priest with whom he had performed these rituals; worse yet, in the very end he learns to read and produces this very book. That is, more or less, the story.

Because the story had its moments, I am generously giving the book three stars. Maybe you will like it as much as these other reviewers did, and if you end up spending good money on it, I hope you do. I, however, regret having payed for this verbose, self-important, repetitive little drama.

Overall, I didn't enjoy the cookie-cutter characters... All three women are so cut and dry. There is the slutty, outrageous, vixen. The snobby, type-A, miss perfect. Then the shy, low-self-esteem, battered woman. I felt like they were so set in their "type" that they were unrealistic. The basis of the book is these unlikely women end up coming together and realizing they need to be more like the other to heal and grow. The writer seem to try and really add juicyness to this chicklit but it felt forced or unseasoned. The sex and swears lacked a certain skill. Overall I breezed through this chicklit, it was a little subpar to me.

Accused of murder, Lorelei Taylor goes home to Wisconsin and tries to shed her past and become Vivian again. Unfortunately, the town's not excited at the thought of having her home. Vivian begins to find her place...any place but Mike's arms. Can find a way beyond her defenses?

At times, the story made me laugh...at times it really hit my heart. Wonderfully realistic characters, and a fantastic story made for a great read by an amazing author!

I loved living in this world of women who are young, old and in between and who are not all unrealistically rich and/or ultra skinny and model-beautiful....these woman are very real and very fun. I enjoyed Sharpe's witty, observant, and genuine style. I especially liked the little surprises along the way...a character action or comment or situation I hadn't expected. A previous reviewer made a recommendation I'll second: Get this book for you, but also get copies for your friends. It's a great girlfriend book. Looking forward to Sharpe's next book coming up soon!

One of the best books I've read in a long time. It's definitely a keeper. Set in Kettle, Wisconsin, this is the story of three women's struggles and their strenghts. Written with laugh-out-loud dialogue and clever introspection, these women became so real that I wanted to visit Kettle. Well done, Ms. Sharpe. I'm looking forward to your next book.

Accused of electrocuting her abusive and philandering lover, Lorelei Taylor manages to escape prosecution nearly penniless. In need of some down time, she drops her sex kitten former stripper persona and reverts back to her given name, Vivian Harcourt, to relocate to the small Wisconsin town of her deceased grandmother. She has happy memories of Kettle, Wisconsin, unfortunately, the townspeople aren't excited to have someone who they think got away with murder in their midst.

Vivian unwittingly has quite an effect on the town, from Mike the widower she wants to seduce, to the frigid wives like Sarah, who seemingly has the perfect life, but it's a mask of unfulfilled promise. Former childhood playmate, Erin has been a punching bag for her abusive husband, something a fellow victim is able to detect. As she navigates the small mindedness of her adopted small town, Vivian tries valiantly to live up to her image and maintain control her heart, while Mike slowly chips away at her armor.

Sharpe's novel of female empowerment is at times funny, bittersweet, and cathartic, and a lesson in not believing first impressions or gossip. Unfortunately, an abrupt ending and an all too brief epilogue cheats readers of the action surrounding the outcomes of each woman's life.