Washington Books

I only received this book from Amazon today so I have no review of the book itself. But be careful when you order it because it comes in two volumes and unless you scrowl down you won't know that Volume Two is a separate book which you get only if you order both at the same time or order Volume Two separately. One of the other reviews said that the first volume took you up to the the Battle of Vicksburg, the second volume takes you to the end of the war. Reading this, I assumed I would get both volumes with the order. Not so.

Amazon and its various sub-concerns obviate customer inconvenience- and any reasonable complaints! First-class people of merchandising withal.

Much to my surprise and delight "The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant" are surprisingly readable and full of a dry understated sense of humor. U.S. Grant's memoirs give a very down to earth approach to his personal history starting in Ohio and continuing through his education at West Point and his involvement in the Mexican-American War. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys Antebellum U.S. and Civil War history, or just history in general. Personal memoirs are an excellent medium for getting into the shoes of some of histories greatest figures and seeing the world as they saw it. U.S. Grant's memoirs do all that and more. You will not be disappointed.

To start off, I am usually relectant to read autobiographies, as many should be considered works of fiction. I have read countless book on the Civil War and several on Grant, but I had shamefully neglected reading his Memoirs-my mistake. Several years ago I got a copy on sale and thought I would give it a read-I was a born again Grant fan!
As many know, after leaving the presidency he lent his name and money to a failed business venture in New York and was near bankrupt. He had been approached by many to write his memoirs, but always resisted. The prospect of his beloved Julia not being provided for plagued him and so he consented to write them. He intially had a fairly good contract to write a subscription book, but his friend Mark Twain interviened and got him a deal that was substantially better. For an excellent overview of this, see Mark Perry's, "Grant and Twain".
After reading this, I came away with a completly different view of Grant. The only job he suceeded at was the one he disliked the most-a soldier. He served with distinction in Mexico, but was opposed to the war. All he wanted to do was to teach math at West Point.
The real heart of the memoir is, of course, the Civil War and here a masterpiece was made. He writes in a simply, though not an uneducated style. He is quite defferential and praising to his subordinates and clear describes where he made errors in judgement, not the usual justifications seens by so many. He cannot say enough good about Sherman and tactfully puts down Henry Hallecks meddling. The book ends with the end of the war and his last words were written only a week or so before he died.
In my opinion this is a classic in history and needs to be read by anyone interested in knowing how the North really won the war. The copies of the original maps leave a lot to be desired, but this is trivial. My only regret is I cannot give it a higher rating than 5 stars!

General Grant wrote this book while dying of throat cancer. He had been swindled by a dishonest Wall Street Broker and his trophies and possessions were stripped from him to satisfy the demands of his debtors. Bankrupt, suffering from a terminal illness and never passing a moment without acute pain, he produced this magnificent monument to his greatness. Those who denigrate Grant as a drunkard, butcher, bumbling President need to read this book in order to correct these errant assumptions. It is impossible to read this book and not realize that Grant was an inordinately intelligent man and one hell of a writer.

Grant's Memoirs are a deserved classic in American literature and considered the greatest military Memoirs ever penned, exceeding Caesar's Commentaries. Grant wrote as he lived: with clear, concise statements, unembellished with trivialities or frivolities. The only "criticism" the reader might have is that Grant bent over backwards not to wound the feelings of people in the book. He takes swipes at Joe Hooker and Jeff Davis, but what he left unsaid would have been far more interesting. A compelling and logical reason why Grant was so spare in his comments was because he was involved in a race with death. He didn't know how long he could live and therefore, "cut to the chase."

Grant's assessments of Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan and other military leaders are brilliant and engrossing. His style, like the man himself, was inimitable and couldn't be copied. In everyday life, Grant was a very funny man, who liked to listen to jokes and tell them himself. His sense of the absurd was acute. It's no accident that he loved Mark Twain and the two hitched together very well. Twain and Grant shared a similar sense of humor, and Grant's witicisms in the Memoirs are frequent, unexpected and welcome. There are portions where you will literally laugh out loud.

Though Grant's Memoirs were written 113 years ago, they remain fresh, vibrant and an intensely good read. I have read them in! their entirity 30 times in my life and I never weary of the style and language that Grant employed. He was a military genius to be sure, but he was also a writer of supreme gifts, and these gifts shine through on every page of this testament to his greatness. All Americans should read this book and realize what we owe to Grant: he preserved the union with his decisive brilliance. In his honor, we should be eternally grateful.

I read this book several times when I was young. It brings together 2 people who society has forgotten. They both turn out to be great human beings. This book has adventure suspense and a great ending.

One of Astrid Lindgren's best books, deserves to be better known and more widely circulated. The characters are realistic, and the story carries them through difficult times into an ending that is satisfying as it is surprising. Bravo!

Rasmus is a likeable boy stuck in an orphanage because the prospective parents that come always pick the curly haired girls. He runs away and meets a vagabond named Oscar, and then the adventures begin. This book has it all - warmth, humour, danger, excitement, wonderful characters, and an ending that is deeply satisfying. I loved this book as a child and have bought several since as presents for other children. A hardcover edition holds a place of honor on my bookshelf. If you have a heart, you will love this book.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Its like a kid running off and joining the circus. Like going to the animal shelter and always seeeing the puppys or kittens getting to go home. This will take you back to simpler times, that I miss. I felt this is a great book for any kid to read. I read this at least 20-30 times and still am reading it! A+ A+ A+

I must have read this book 100 times as a kid. I remember checking it out from my school library so many times that the librarian told me I should go out and buy a copy to have forever. I wish I would have taken her advice as it is now out of print. I recently found a copy at our public library and had the pleasure to read it aloud to my 7 and 9 year old boys. It was great to see them enjoy this tale as much as I had. I would read two chapters a night and every night it was the same old thing... "Just one more chapter Dad???" Reading about Rasmus and Oscar again after all of these years was like meeting up with old, long-lost friends.

This book is very educational on the Gay Homeless Underground Society. It was fascinating to me & I finished the book voraciously.

Warm, intelligent, humorous, sensitive, are words I use to describe Mr. Washington's first published offering. I'm sure it won't be his last. He shows a world most of us will never see, and usually try to forget. Yet, does it with warmth and charm rarely associated with the subject. He could teach us all the value of love without question. For me, I see a larger message "life is a "learning process" sometimes good, sometimes bad, but you have to experience the pain and joy to learn and grow. We never know how we will be effected till journeys end.
I think we are all very lucky there was a chapter two, and more. Can't wait for the next edition.

totally groovy...realistic portrayal of homelessness...story draws you in...

They are with us every day. We try to avoid seeing them at the street corners and traffic lights of any large city. They are "street people". They are part of what is termed the "Civilized World". This world, however, wishes to ignore them by pretending they are invisible. They disturb our idea of "civilization", but they are real.

Archie Washington describes their daily struggle to survive in detailed and even colourful pictures. Depicting their quest for warmth, friendship, love and recognition in dry humour he shows that they are fellow human beings just like you and I, regardless of the way which led them into their current situation and of their chances to escape from it.

This narrative, which remains timeless, takes place in a past not long ago. It is an important document creating empathy and making us think about the war the homeless people wage on the system every day - in America and in most countries of the Western world.

then you should have no problem picking up this book, reading it and being able to go right to sleep after with a clear concience. Mr Bouvier takes the reader right to the heart of what is going on around me & YOU in our everyday lives. The events that he experienced took place some 10+ years ago, but don't let that discourage you for one moment, it may be 10 years old, but is actually more current then this morning's news on CNN. It gives you a frightening taste of what is really going on around us as we drive our late model cars and sip on our designer coffee everyday. It all takes place at a time when the name in the White House is "Bush" and we are about to embark on another WAR for Oil in IRAQ. Seems we are wasting more precious time and energy for over 10 years that has only achieved yet another WAR, meanwhile back at home, our own people are dropping like flies, suffering needlessly by our own ignorance. We have some nerve trying to tell other countries how they should run thiers when we can't seem to even run our own. I've never been a reader, but was instantly captivated by some of Mr. Bouvier's opening comments at the beginning of his travels. It is a very short book that will have your attention and keep you in suspense with something that surrounds us everday...... REALITY.

Winner of the 2004 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry, The Sleep Accusations is an eclectic, intimate, and highly recommended collection of the greatest poetry from the intriguing and intuitive works by Randall Watson. A Dog's Life: I love the morning rain./I am like a dog in the street/with my ears up./It's as if I've been out all night/and I am hungry./I can hear the one who feeds me/calling me home.

Winner of the 2004 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry, The Sleep Accusations is an eclectic, intimate, and highly recommended collection of the greatest poetry from the intriguing and intuitive works by Randall Watson. A Dog's Life: I love the morning rain./I am like a dog in the street/with my ears up./It's as if I've been out all night/and I am hungry./I can hear the one who feeds me/calling me home.

Winner of the 2004 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry, The Sleep Accusations is an eclectic, intimate, and highly recommended collection of the greatest poetry from the intriguing and intuitive works by Randall Watson. A Dog's Life: I love the morning rain./I am like a dog in the street/with my ears up./It's as if I've been out all night/and I am hungry./I can hear the one who feeds me/calling me home.

Winner of the 2004 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry, The Sleep Accusations is an eclectic, intimate, and highly recommended collection of the greatest poetry from the intriguing and intuitive works by Randall Watson. A Dog's Life: I love the morning rain./I am like a dog in the street/with my ears up./It's as if I've been out all night/and I am hungry./I can hear the one who feeds me/calling me home.

Winner of the 2004 Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry, The Sleep Accusations is an eclectic, intimate, and highly recommended collection of the greatest poetry from the intriguing and intuitive works by Randall Watson. A Dog's Life: I love the morning rain./I am like a dog in the street/with my ears up./It's as if I've been out all night/and I am hungry./I can hear the one who feeds me/calling me home.

After reading Before Women had Wings, I hungered for more from Connie May Fowler. I found Sugar Cage to be a deeply satisfying follow-up. The novel, told in many different voices, takes us on the unforgettable journeys of a diverse cast of characters, all of whom reel the reader into an intricate tapestry woven by Fowler. Startling descriptions of Hatian voodoo rituals were among the most vivid scenes from the book, whose magical conclusion leaves the reader spellbound. A mesmerizing novel, Sugar Cage, like Fowler's other work, has left me hungry for more!

SUGAR CAGE weaves the story of such disparate people as Inez Temple, black maid to rich folks, Patrick Lackley, finicky mortician, and Charlie Loonie, front-man schmoozer for a local band. The women in this book will steal your heart -- especially the dear-hearted Inez, Charlie's loyal wife, Rose, and the magical Soleil Marie Beauvoir. The story is often dark and sad, but the mystical ending will inspire and uplift you.

For a first novel, I found the writing astonishing. Anyone who can make you care about so many contrasting characters (and make it easy to follow the thread) is a born writer. I adore a novel that pulls you in from the very first sentence . . . SUGAR CAGE does that.

This was the type of book that you can never put down. I read it all in one night. The best part about the book is the way the author displayed each character individually. It then ended up showing how each of the characters were uniquely linked togeather. It's a book that I will always love to read again and again. I would most definitly reccomend it.

Inez Temple is working as a maid in a cheap tourist hotel on the South Florida coast when she meets Rose Looney. A Haitian woman with an ability to "see' the outlines of peoples lives, Inez sees in the sugar crystals in the bottom of a glass Rose has drunk from the outlines of a cage and knows early on that Rose and her new husband, Charlie, and their friends Junior and Eudora, and their children, are destined to be trapped in many ways in the years to come.

15 years later, Rose knows this as well. How she struggles to find her way through her broken marriage and try to save her only son from the same fate in the midst of all the "bars of the cages" society and life confine her within--poverty, racism, sexism, cultural snobbery and so on, is at the core of this unusual tale of life in the melting pot that is South Florida.

The mysticism gets a bit out of hand at times-and stretches credulity it the process, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent novel.

Connie May Fowler creates intimacy for the reader and all of the books characters. By bringing first person to all the characters we get to know more about how people choose the decisions they made and what motivates each one towards the life they choose. I really enjoyed the way she was able to keep the story progressing thorugh time but also using other's perspective on what occured or is occuring at the moment. Also the influences of Haitian voo-doo help add new depth to Florida southern culture. And gives new information to the reader about pagean religion and the intellegence and beauty it brings to the characters of this book. I felt her pride or her willingness to explore and place in a positive light Haitian voo-doo. I think the main essence of the book for me was that everyone needed to listen to thier own voice. And once they steered away from that is when thier lives turned towards unhappiness. The realness of coming to terms with our demons and releasing ourselves into our own strengths was what I felt Fowler was trying to get across. The beauty of how she used everyones perspective instead of one main character and narrator is what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed being able to be sypathetic to everyone's life and the way they had/have chosen to live it.

My hiking, camping, backpacking, Nature-loving, outdoorsman hubby bought this book for me - and I began it reluctantly. Boy, was this gal surprized and pleased. A beautifully written narrative with fascinating characters, settings, dialogue, and points of view. I loved it! And now plan on reading more of Harrison. SUNDOG would make a great film! And I would love to write the script.

This powerful novel by the author of LEGENDS OF THE FALL and Farmer concerns the life and loves of a foreman named Robert Corvus Strang. Strang worked on giant dam projects in the U.S., South America, and Africa, until he was crippled in a fall down a three-hundred-foot dam. Now as he tries to regain use of his legs, he has a chance to reassess his life, and a bored journalist who has heard of Strang's reputation in the field arrives to draw him out about his various incarnations. Strang recounts his life, including his childhood in the Midwest, his several marriages and children, dozens of lovers, and his work on projects around the world. Strang has the violently heightened sensibilities of a man who has gone to the limits and back, a man who is passionately and unequivocally committed to life. Harrison captures the foreman's tale with head-on frankness and clarity that needs no elaboration, no embellishment. This is a story as true and gripping as real life, and ultimately as victorious.

About the Author -- Jim Harrison has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts (1968-69) and the Guggenheim Fellowship (1969-70). He is the author of WOLF: A FALSE MEMOIR, A GOOD DAY TO DIE, FARMER, LEGENDS OF THE FALL, WARLOCK, and SELECTED AND NEW POEMS. The author has lived in Michigan, Arizona, and Montana.

I am from Brasil and I live in da UP! I drank from the Tocantins and took many a swim in Superior. This book rocks my world!

The best there is! ...and if you read it and like it, you should try the short story "Brown Dog." ...or maybe it's "Browndog." Either way, it's from "The Woman Lit by Fireflies."

Jim Harrison rules!

In Corvus Strang, Harrison has created a character as significant in American Literature as any of those created by Melville, Twain, or Kerouac. This novel is truly a classic.

When I read for pleasure, the most important thing to me is the quality of the fictional dream. If it pulls me in and captures my imagination, I'm happy and satisfied. I really don't pay much attention to whatever messages the author might be trying to send to the readers, or what deeper meanings might be concealed in the prose. I just want to be carried off in a fictional dream which provokes thought and perhaps changes my outlook, if only for a short time. SUNDOG is such a book. The fictional dream it creates is wonderful and seductive. I've reread this book time and again and it just keeps getting better and better. You should read it; I bet you'll like it, and enjoy it. Harrison's talent is really something rare and great, and this book is one of my all-time favorites.

I would recommend "A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine", by John K. Nelson, to anyone with an interest in Shinto and Japanese Culture. The book provides a detailed look at Shinto rituals at Suwa Jinja in Nagasaki, Japan. My favorite chapters were about the purification of a plot of land for a construction company, the great purification ceremony, and ringing in the New Year. The chapters about women at the shrine and how younger Japanese relate to the shrine were also really interesting from a cultural perspective.

"A Year in the Life" contains a wealth of knowledge of interest to the scholar. The book is however, easy to read - as if you were listening to a friend telling a story. A glossary of Japanese terms, end notes, maps of the shrine, and pictures broaden the reader's context and add depth to the narrative.

I really appreciated how the book was arranged in five sections. The first section gives the reader an introduction to the history of the shrine, the kami that the shrine is dedicated to, and the people who make the shrine work. The following four sections, one per season, tell the story of the major rituals at the shrine over the course of year.

Each chapter usually begins with a description of the shrine on the day of the ceremony, which allows the reader to understand how they might have felt had they arrived at the shrine for the ritual. This reminded me of my own experiences visiting a shrine in Japan. The description also set the mood for the author's descriptions of the rituals that follow.

For someone interested in the "human" side of Shinto religion, Nelson's book is a fascinating study of a religion little understood by most westerners. Its best to skip the introductory chapters, which are a bit pedantic and dry, and start with the actual description of shrine activities. Nelson is most interesting when talking about the priests and their relationship with Shinto, their "parishioners" and each other. Ultimately, it is this sort of writing that convinces the reader that Shinto is not a bunch of exotic rituals, but has a very real meaning and value in its followers lives. Written in 1996, Nelson poses a number of questions about Shinto's future throughout the book. It would be interesting if a second edition of the book was published updating the reader on the present activities of the shrine and its priests.

I recently finished reading this book in preparation for a trip I'm taking to Japan in the fall, I will be studying at University for year. I had read a couple of other books about Shinto and found them useful but what I really wanted to read was a book on Shinto practice so when I visit a Shinto Shrine I will have a more complex understanding of what is going on. In a way, this book goes beyond just understanding a Shinto practice it also covers details on things like how to finance a Shrine and how to sit so your legs fall asleep less often etc. I should clarify that this book isn't a travel guide but a well written ethnography, one that primarily focuses on one medium-large Shinto Shrine. In general the book doesn't get to detailed or too hard to read. The author spends some time with theory's and interpretations but mostly focuses on observation. Some of my favorite parts of the book are the interviews with the Guji, he had an interesting life story and some good comparative religion thoughts. Some of the younger priests also have some interesting input, some times complaints. The chapter about a woman Shinto Priest was another highlight. I believe this book would be great for undergraduates, I'm an undergrad in Religious Studies and Philosophy, or for anyone interested in Shinto practice.

It has been years, but I still remember Doc Nelson quite well, as one of the best professors I have ever had. He was capable of educating you without feeling like you were being schooled, if you know what I mean. In his book, it is much the same as in his classes. He provides such powerful imagery to invoke the spirit of the Suwa Shrine that it feels like you are there. And given that I lived in Nagasaki and have been there on several occasions, it feels to me that I have returned. You can experience through his first-person narrative the depth of ritual and see as well how it permeates into the life of the average Japanese person, who may not even realize it.

"A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine" is the best book on Shinto that I have ever read, and that is really saying something as I have read a lot of books on Shinto. It is the first book I have seen that puts things in layman's terms while not dumbing down a fairly complicated system of beliefs and cultural practices.

Instead of attempting to interpret the mysteries and cosmology of the inscrutable religion, author John Nelson puts you in the shoes of Shinto practitioners, from the highest ranking priest to the novices, to the casual visitors who drop by. He takes you behind the scenes, showing you what the day-to-day life is of a Shinto priest, what they believe and what they do. The shrine he introduces, Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki, is a fairly major one, with a full calendar of events and rituals.

On top of all this Nelson frames Shinto in its cultural context. It is not simply a religion, something to be believed in and practiced, but it is a sort of societal glue for Japan, something that connects the present to the past and provides a contextual framework that all Japanese people can recognize. It is difficult to understand this element of Shinto, because the very concept of religion is different.

One of the most fascinating sections of this book is the chapter called "I shouldn't be telling you this but..." where he allows several Shinto priests to express their private opinions under the protection of anonymity. It is exactly this kind of human touch that has been missing from all previous books. Shinto is a religion of human beings, and without this necessary voice it loses all context.

Your Chariot Awaits is a brilliant match between mystery and humor. The protagonist's viewpoint, as one who has just turned 60, is a refreshing change from the many books on the market featuring twenty-and-thirty-somethings. The appealing characters had me rooting for them all the way through. Lorena McCourtney has spun a tight yarn, and kept me chuckling while she did it. I recommend this story highly, and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Andi McConnell's life is falling about. Just before her sixtieth birthday, her job is downsized and her boyfriend breaks up with her. In the midst of all this, she gets the surprise of her life. A long forgotten uncle has left her his limo. She really doesn't intend to keep it, but it is so much fun driving it around town.

The fun disappears a couple days later when Andi thinks she hears a noise outside. Going to investigate, she is knocked unconscious. When she comes to, she finds a body in the trunk of her limo. A body that wasn't there that afternoon. With the police zeroing in on her as a suspect, Andi decides to investigate and try to find some other suspects for the police. Can she clear her name?

This debut mixes murder with plenty of fun. No, it's never absurd or over the top, but I often had a grin on my face reading about Andi's antics. Really helping things along is her new friend Fritz, a former TV star who helps out. The plot was rather poorly paced, sometimes stopping for character stuff that really doesn't advance the story. The ending was plenty exciting, on the other hand. And the Christian sub-plot was interesting as well.

I have several of author Lorena McCourtney's books I haven't read yet, so I'll have to change that. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to Andi's next adventure.

Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton

Andi McConnell is celebrating her sixtieth birthday--but turning sixty is not for the weak of heart. She is fired from her job, breaks up with her boyfriend, and receives an unexpected inheritance from an eccentric uncle--a sleek black stretch limo.

Andi isn't quite sure what she's going to do with the limo, but it sure isn't what happens. Less than twelve hours after getting the vehicle, her ex-boyfriend's body is found in the trunk. As the prime suspect, Andi wants to prove her innocence, so she joins forces with a nosy but charming former TV private eye in a hilarious attempt to find the killer.

I fell in love with Lorena McCourtney's books with her previous series (which ended long before I was ready!) so I was totally thrilled to get to review her newest book, the first in the Andi McConnell Mystery series, Your Chariot Awaits.

Andi is a wonderful heroine, old enough to be my mother, but lively and full of life. I fell in love with her and with her nosy TV private eye, Fitz. The secondary characters are all well developed.

There are plenty of red herrings in the book to keep the reader guessing, but I correctly guessed the murder before the end of the book. Still, it was well written enough that I had to keep reading to see what happened next. I love this new series and am anxiously awaiting the next book in it.

Armchair Interviews says: You'll love this series.

Lorena McCourtney's latest character Andi McConnell bursts onto the fiction scene in Your Chariot Awaits. As the book opens, Andi turns sixty, loses her job at the local insurance company due to a merger, and breaks up with her boyfriend. Oh, and if that isn't enough to make any woman seek her bed with a box of bonbons and a chick flick, Andi inherits a shiny limousine from her uncle and before she can decide what to do with it, a dead body is found in the truck. Not just any body, but that of her recently estranged boyfriend, Jerry who she threatened with a shovel in front of her neighbors.

Andi soon becomes a prime suspect in the murder and has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. She teams up with her new acquaintance and potential future love interest, Fitz. Though Fitz's more than willing to help Andi solve the murder, his only qualification for the job is the role of a detective that he played on an old television show. What follows is a bumbling search for the killer, leaving you laughing and smiling all the way through.


Though Andi is older than many protagonists in today's fiction market, McCourtney writes Andi in a way that all generations of readers can relate to her. She's spunky, vulnerable, and shares the same fears we all deal with everyday. Even I, an avowed computer nerd, embraced the woman who doesn't own even one computer. Really. Not one.


In addition to the fun read and enjoyable characters, McCourtney weaves in a strong spiritual message. She exposes the non-believer Andi to Christianity through a warm, pregnant twenty-something neighbor who encourages but never preaches. And, the unlikely friendship between the two women is believably written and natural despite the years difference in age.


So if you're looking for a well written cozy mystery, one that makes you laugh and smile, pick up McCourtney's Your Chariot Awaits. You won't be disappointed.

Lorena McCourtney is back with a new series that proves that just because you're over 50 doesn't mean you still can't have fun. Andi McConnell has just been laid off from her job. Things are still ok though because she's just inherited a limo from a crazy uncle she barely knows. But before she can enjoy her sweet new ride, she's knocked unconscious and wakes up to find a dead body in her trunk. Now Andi has to be on her guard as her house is ransacked and she's being watched to see if she knew the killer's secrets. With her pregnant tenant and an ex TV detective to back her up, will she be able to find the killer before he gets to her?

This was a wonderfully fun book to read. I love all the characters in this book. Andi, Fitz, and Joella seem like an unlikely threesome that end up gelling well together. Andi is a wonderful character. I love especially that she was dating a guy younger than her in the beginning of the story. She's very feisty and doesn't consider an age to be a problem to her at all. She doesn't act her age basically. Other than the occasional references to her turning 60, I wouldn't have thought of her as being that old at all. I do hope that in the next book Joella is able to play another role because I like her character very much. I think a series on her would be fun to read as well. Fitz reminds me of an aging Magnum PI, not really old but a TV actor who's past his prime. He has good chemistry with Andi and I'm hoping something will come out of it. The action in the book is fast paced especially the last few chapters. The mystery is very good and I had no clue who the killer really was until the very end. I really admire Andi for still wanting to own that limo even after knowing there was a dead body in it. I would have gotten that car destroyed! While there isn't as much humor as there was in the Ivy Malone stories, I still laughed a lot while reading this book. How Andi gets the car from her eccentric uncle and his way of distribution made me giggle a lot. Especially funny is the scene when Joella thinks she's in labor but it's really due to bad indigestion. The part when the pair realize how bad their breath really is was a hoot. I really can't wait until the next book comes out in the series. It's given me the urge to go find a limo and ride around now!

This is one of Robert Carmeron's last books and it is one of his best. Seattle really lends itself well to this kind of photography, the city is so naturally blessed. The photography in this book is classic Cameron and the photos are so vivid. I recommend this book to anyone with an interst in this beautiful city or just an interest in great photography in general, you won't be disappointed.

Seattle is set in a very diverse geographical region. This diversity provides for ample breathtakingly beautiful and lush photographs of the metropolitan area. Lakes, mountains, trees, islands, bays, rivers - this area has it all and is cleverly photographed in this Robert Cameron book.
The book is fairly up to date although citizens or connosieurs of Seattle may notice the dated-ness of the book by the conspicuous absense of some new construction in the downtown area and the changing condition of other areas of the city. If you like pictorials, this is a great one to own and probably one of the best of the Seattle Metropolitan Area. I highly recommend it.

THIS BOOK IS A KNOCKOUT, IT'S 12 X 14, THE PICTURES INSIDE, MOST OF THEM ARE THE SAME SIZE AND ARE SO CLEAR IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE THERE, YOU LOOK AT SEATTLE FROM ALL ANGLES AND TACOMA, YOU CAN MAKE OUT PEOPLE IN THE BUILDINGS, THERE ARE OLD PICTURES FROM THE 1920's RIGHT NEXT TO TODAYS PICTURES, THE BOOK TELLS YOU WHERE AND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT, YOU CAN READ SIGNS IN THESES PICTURES, IT SHOWS HOW CLEAN THE SEATTLE AND THE PUGET SOUND IS, IF YOU LIVE THERE THIS BOOK IS A MUST, FOR IT WILL SHOW YOU AREAS YOU MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN, FOR THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE, AND TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, THIS BOOK THIS IS THE PERFECT TRAVEL GUIDE FOR THE NORTHWEST, IT'S A 160 PAGES OF THE CITY, WATER, NAVEL SHIPS, FERRYS,AIR PORTS, AND MOUNTAINS, THERE IS JUST NO WAY TO PUT THESE GREAT PICTURES IN TO WORDS! "THANKS" ROBERT CAMERON

Stunning quality; if you've been there, you will easily be able to pick out your favorite spots, despite the distance. The captions are a little dry, but the pictures make this aesthetic book one of value.

Everybody who has any relation to Seattle should have this book! To people who live there it shows their city from a different point of view. To people who like to get a detailed impression of the city and its close environment I really recommend it ! But this book (in my eyes) is not made for people who look for a "tourist guide".

I don't remember how this made it into my shopping cart, but am I glad it did. This was one of the best debut novels I have read in a while. It kept my interest from the very first page. It was beautifully written - with some well developed characters and realistic dialogue. You could tell that the author used her personal experiences to shape the story.

This book was selected for One Region, One Book in Southeastern Connecticut, where I used to live. That is how I became interested.
The novel has a cross-generational appeal and speaks to issues of our day. It effectively combines family history with the controversial subject of immigration reform. It is full of poignant drama, class and racial tensions and a heartwarming story of hope amidst despair. I would recommend it without reservation, both as a good read and an appeal to practice the golden rule!!

I first had the pleasure of hearing Reyna read a snippet of this book at a local fair. Her prose was elegant and enchanting. It immediately caught my attention as did the subject matter of her book -- those left behind during the quest to reach the United States. When my parents fled Cuba my sister and I were left behind and it took nearly two years for us to be reunited so I could most definitely identify with this story. After reading the entire book, I was not disappointed by Reyna's larger than life storytelling. This is a great book by an author who has already made her mark on Latina literature with this debut. Not to be missed.

"Reyna Grande's debut novel about immigration's human side is not only timely and necessary, it's beautiful." -- CATALINA magazine

This was an excellent book, full of unsparing detail and sharp images. The two stories coincide and cross in a surprisingly possible way, with haunting twists and turns. After just reading Enrique's Journey, the crossing to El Otro Lado in this book reiterated the inhumanity of the border situation for me. A riveting book. Highly recommended.