Publications Books

I have been using Dr. Ted Roberts book Pure Desire every since the first week we started sex addiction ministry. Dr. Roberts through his own experience and expertise wrote a book that explains exactly what is going on in a sex addicts life. I've heard remarks like: "It's like he is reading my mail when I read this book" or "this book has help me understand I'm not crazy or alone in my struggle". We require this book for all of our men who attend our recovery groups and I highly recommend it to everyone who thinks they may have a problem with sex addiction.

Much needed information to help men and women to get out from under the bondage of pornography. A real problem in the family, husband & wife relationship, in the community, and in the individuals own moral, character, and mental health issues. A must read for everyone. For those trapped and for those who can help the trapped. It is written well. Informative, funny, interesting, and easy to read. It's hard to put down. Ted's transparentcy is the center of the success of this book. His openness is healing to those who need it most.

I love it when an author addresses issues that are rarely talked about, especially issued that are rarely talked about in church.

The thought life is the most private and secret area in our entire being. Unless you decide to reveal all that is in your mind, no one is going to know what lies behind the curtain. Yet it is right behind that curtain where most of the pain and damage begins.

Roberts boldly reveals the struggles he has had with sexual immorality, laying the foundation of his connectedness with more than half of the rest world. He does a great job at introducing possible ways of dealing with the skeletons in our closests and help bring them to the light of God for deliverence and healing.

Also recommend: "I'm Bored with Christianity" by Derrick Engoy

This book is more than just about sex. It is very rich for men and women to read. It addresses issues of relationships with family and with God and how that relates to disfunction in sex and other addictions. We have read quite a few books like this and it is by far the best.

Ted's personal experiences both in his struggle with sex addiction and in his career as a pilot provide a compelling unity to this book. He has a passion for helping the many people who struggle with this problem, but who are not receiving the help where they should be receiving it -- from their churches, who have the truth of the Bible, but often don't focus it in this area.

The book has a dual-fold purpose. Foremost, to help the person caught in the bondage of sex addiction. Secondly, to sound a "wake-up call" to churches who are letting these persons slip through the cracks. It is effective on both counts, though I think Roberts sometimes tries to address both simultaneously, and would be better off focusing on the sex addicts as his primary audience, then addressing the churches in dedicated chapters toward the end.

It is an easy read -- he writes in a conversational and "story telling" manner. He uses humor frequently and in good taste to help break the tension of a tough subject. There are also some helpful chapters from his wife offering her perspective on what it's like to heal along with her husband.

I've read many books on the subject, starting with SLAA's big book, the SA white book, and Christian books such as Every Man's Battle (Arterburn and Stoecker), Faithful and Tree (Laaser), Not Even a Hint (Harris), and the Purity Principle (Alcorn). I found something helpful in all of them, but Roberts' is one of the best. It has the "empathy" of the secular 12-step "big book" literature on sex addiction, but goes beyond self-defined bottom lines and "God as I understand him" to a much more Biblically grounded faith and vision.

This book is a pleasure to read, between the artwork and the author's comments. Some of the dishes are more complicated than I care to make, but there are also some simple ones that look delicious. The ingredients and recipes are clear and easy to follow.

I have to buy another copy of this book, as my first copy has fallen apart. That's how often I use this cookbook. I buy many cookbooks, but this one has a permanent spot on my kitchen bookshelf.
Every recipe I've tried has been great. The Cinnamon Cornbread is one of my daughter's favorites, and the Salsa recipes are both good. The pasta salads are all excellent, and my family requests them often.

I have been eating vegetarian for about two years and I could not have done it without this book! The recipes are creative, fairly simple, and best of all, they do not call for unusual or hard to find ingredients. I love that the recipes are divided by the seasons (though I don't always use it this way)and I think the Autumn menus are the best. If you are vegan, you can use the majority of recipes in the book because the author is very good about telling you when you can substitute soy milk or other non-dairy ingredients. This book should be in every cook's collection- vegetarian or not!

This cookbook provides a great variety of foods to try and to explore. Many books tend to be full of recipes which may seem to complicated for the everyday cook, but Ms. Allrich has mastered the ability to share down-to-earth recipes which a cook with any ability can easily create.

The list of ingredients to keep in one's pantry was very helpful. The separation by Season is very logical. Various produce comes available at different times. As a gardener, I am already planning for meals with ingredients which are not yet harvested.

This is a great cookbook - the one I use again and again. However, it is, unfortunately, out of print.

Here's the good news! This cookbook has been revised and updated as Cooking by the Seasons - Simple Vegetarian Feasts. I've just received my copy and reviewed it at Amazon today. You'll find the cookbook searching for Allrich, Karri or Cooking by the Seasons.

Enjoy! It's a fun cookbook, and the new design (though slightly different) has a good feel to it.

A small book ( only 160 pages ) but what a book !!! I can see why all the reviews have been either 4- or 5-stars. It is particularly suited for the intermediate players who want to tighten their game by a few notches. There aren't many books that can cut to the chase quickly and reveal the kernel of chessic wisdom - Simple Chess does. If one has vague ideas of some chess concepts, by the end of the book, they will not remain vague. But to be even handed, one definitely must have some idea of chess concepts ( however vague !) PRIOR to reading this book.

If you see this in a bookstore look at his analysis of the first game in the introduction (Botvinnik-Szilagyi). If that doesn't sell you then nothing will.

This is the most instructive chess book I own (sadly, I own many). I have all the "standards" - Silman, Chernev etc - but this is simply the best. And the acid test is that it improved my results. I won't dwell on its quality, because other reviewers have covered that. I will say that you will never look at the board the same way again after reading it.

The book does assume some previous reading on positional concepts, but it doesn't assume any competence (trust me). Everyone's read some inappropriate positional tome early in their career, so this shouldn't be a problem for most people.

Another reviewer has said something to the effect that every sentence has some instructive value, and I couldn't agree more. When I first read it I glossed over some things as I was caught up in the prose and the "main point", but on subsequent readings I realized that there is a whole second layer - a kind of indirect, subconscious instruction - in the writing when he sets context or alludes to alternatives. Take a relaxed read first up, by all means, but I urge you to give it a real serious word by word analysis subsequently. The prose is very deliberate. There are no throw away lines. It is a gold mine.

I remember reading that a publishing house was trying to do a new edition of the original (descriptive notation) edition in the late 90s but that Stean was uninterested. I am so glad he changed his mind. It is a pity that such a talent has remained silent for so long. I wish he would write again. Anything.

Study tactics, and read this. Maybe chess is simple after all.

I agree with all the positive observations made by the other reviewers, but would like to extend the list of typos started by Dr. Salawu. Here are the errors I've found, with page numbers as they appear in the 2002 Dover algebraic edition:

p.15, variation following move 22: "(23...Kb3" should be "(23...Kc6"
p.33, 6th para: "conceding the d4 square" should be "conceding the d5 square"
p.47, 2nd para: the omitted 21st Black move in the variation is Ne5
p.52: "7. Bxc3" should be "7. bxc3"
p.96, variation following move 31: the move after 32. Nxf4 should be Rc1+
p.102, 1st para: "Bb7" should be "Bg7"
p.129, 1st para: "all kings" should be "all kinds"
p.129, last para: Black's 12th move in the second variation should be Rh5, not Rh4
p.158: Black's 4th move was Bb7, not Bg7
p.160, 1st line: "28. Bc5!" should be "28. Bc5+!"

Simply the best! Important elements of Chess Strategy explained lucidly. A truly great book that introduces chess strategy to the masses. A must have book for the intermediate player.

I received this book in the mail and thought "another chess book for temporary amusement" -- then, to the shelf it would go to collect dust for years. I'm happy to say I was WAY wrong on that line of thinking!!

This is the most absorbing chess book I have ever read!

That said, it is not for beginners (stated many times before by others), and it is not for players who only enjoy tactics and suicidal attacks. This is the essence of positional chess in one book-- captured and explained in a very impressive manner by Stean.

My opinion is subjective -- I love positonal play and believe that's the reason to play the game! But I've already learned so many things (outposts, minority attack, etc.); my eyes have been opened to these "secrets" like never before. I feel like I have at least a small understanding of what GM's are looking for in their games, from a positional standpoint.

Also, I like the fact that the games are more recent than My System (which is very good)-- you get to see the Siclian and King's Indian and others, not just the Ruy Lopez and QGD of the early 1900's.

It's hard to put into words why this book is so choice, but I wish it was 500 pages-- I could live as a recluse with this book and a board!

To all my future opponents-- please ignore this book and stick with tactics and your kamikaze style play-- that might make our future battles so much easier for me!

Thank you Michael Stean-- a fantasic effort on your part!! Too bad it took me this long to discover it.

This book is so mind catching.... Eyes were glued to the pages! I reccomend this book to anyone who has ever dated a D-Boy or just in the mood to be entertained by the street life.

THIS BOOK WAS VERY GOOD I ENJOY EVERY PAGE OF THIS BOOK KEISHA ERVIN IS A VERY GOOD WRITER ENJOY ALL HER BOOKS

This book let me down a little because it wasn't what I anticipated. It really wasn't about Love or the gangster girl with the gangster guy so if that's what your looking for this is not the book for you... CREAM which was a Triple Crown publication was much better and a lot sexier.

The 1st story is simply an excerpt from TORN by Keisha Ervin which I had just finished so I didn't even read it in Street Love....

The 2nd story by Danielle Santiago's was some what sexy but moved really fast and ended dumb and unrealistic.

Quentin Carter's story the FINK was all about snitching and some lying skank! Lol

T. Styles' story cold as ice in my opinion was the best.. it was very different not what u expect and is suspenseful. It was like a movie! I loved how he wrote it and how in the end ALL of the open ended questions were answered the story will leave U satisfied.

Sullivan's B-More Love was straight it was more so about family tragedy, love, over coming negativity, and opposites attracting. I know its fiction but this story was just a little too FAKE 4 me I mean really nobody would get away with certain things that Jamal was doing without being locked up! But it was an okay read.

I would suggest this book be borrowed not bought! Lol

When you have the right ingredients and mix them well, the end result is a extraordinary product. And in the case of Street Love that's exactly what happened. Street love in a combination of five good authors who bring spark and interest to the literary world. While I have had this book for a minute, it is only of late that I read all of the stories. I found favor in each of the author's stories and wish that all of them were full novels. Each author, is truly worthy of Kudos...so my hats off to Keisha Ervin, Danielle Santiago, T. Styles, Quentin Carter, and Leo Sullivan. If you want five great short reads than this is what you have been looking for!
Great Job!

STREET LOVE, an anthology by Triple Crown Publications contains
five dramatic, explosive short stories.

Keisha Ervin brings the heat with Mo and Quan in After the Storm. Mo
and Quan have been together for eight years. Even though the magic
has left the relationship, neither wants to be the first to say
goodbye. All of their respective secrets are about to be revealed
and this time, their relationship may crumble from the aftershocks.

The Game by Danielle Santiago is the story of Butta. He has fallen
in love with Arnessa, a drug dealer who enters the game to take care
of her younger sister. Arnessa catches unwanted attention from
rival, Suef and is focused on eliminating him. Will The Game catch
up with her when her little sister gets caught up?

Quentin Carter's contribution to STREET LOVE is The Fink, a story
about the trials and tribulations of being a snitch. After spilling
the beans on his best friend and business partner for a reduced
sentence, will Phelix be able to stay alive long enough to enjoy the
fruits of his labor?

Cold as Ice by T. Styles gives readers a glance into the life of
Pepper Thomas. Pepper is a young girl frustrated by the lack of
funds in her household, but a golden opportunity falls into her lap
after her criminal neighbors are robbed. Does Pepper have the heart
to go through with her plans?

Leo Sullivan provides STREET LOVE with B.more Love, the love story of
Ashley and Jamal. Ashley is a straight A student with no desire to
be with a baller and Jamal is a stick up kid. Drawn together by a
series of tragic events, will their newfound love last?

STREET LOVE is a complete anthology of some of urban fiction's
hottest authors. Each story is a love story with a twist on the
timeless themes of love, loyalty and honesty. All of the stories
included are strong enough to stand alone as a novel. Keisha Ervin's
newest release, Torn, is the continuation of After the Storm and is
one of the best books I have read in 2007. Vickie Stringer has done a
superb job of selecting the hottest stories to be included in STREET
LOVE. If you are a lover of urban fiction, you definitely add this to
your to read list.

"The Temple of the Twelve" bills itself as a spiritual fairy tale, and this is an excellent way to describe it. The central character, Caroline, presents herself at the Temple of the Twelve (Colors) to begin her life as a novice priestess. Each new moon, a different one of the twelve Colors (they are gods and goddesses) comes to visit her and gives her a new task to complete to prepare for becoming a priestess. As you read, you follow Caroline on her journey, and learn with her about the nature of the Divine, about love, about compassion, about what it means to have a calling. The imagery is deep and beautiful; the characters are rich and warmly drawn; and the writing is gentle, yet powerful.

One of the reviews on the back notes that "In using colours as Deities of Initiation, the Author transcends all differences between various paths of Pagan spirituality and unifies them all." I'm hardly an expert on paganism, so I can't tell you whether that's the case, but I *can* tell you that this book is worth reading no matter what your faith is. The themes in it are universal, as is Caroline's struggle to find and fulfill her vocation. As a Catholic, I have found it to be a remarkable aid in my prayer life, and it will take its place in the "frequently used" collection of spiritual books I keep on my desk. It has deeply touched and inspired me, and it has help me grown closer to God.

Let me give some examples. The tasks Caroline complete include discovering who she really is, and coming face to face with that truth; identifying her emotional wounds; finding her strengths; discerning her vocation; coming to terms with the fact that she is a child of God; and trusting in the Divine. Who among us, in a life of faith, can avoid these questions, these tasks? They are a part of every (or almost every) spiritual path, and rarely are they treated more beautifully than they are in The Temple of the Twelve.

In sum, I highly recommend this book to everyone who is seeking to grow in their spirituality. Reading it has been a great blessing to me, and I'm sure it will be to you as well.

I love this book! I just finished reading it. When I first started the book I wasnt so sure, it seemed kind of corny but I continued reading it thinking It would be a cute read for my young daughters. By the second chapter I fell in love with it. I had to resist marking it up with my highlighter and notes because I want my girls to read this without my influence. I truly believe this book is important and entertaining.I will probably re-read this book after my girls and then write my notes so that I can go back to it when I need. Better yet I think I will purchase this book for each my daughters so that they can mark it up with their own thoughts and feelings.

I am so honored to know dear ELF (Esmeralda Little Flame) and be friends with her. It was because of that friendship, I was even aware of this book. I would not have missed the experience for the world and I look forward to the other two books of the trilogy.

This book has colors personified as deities. You can feel like you are really interacting with the colors and that they speak to you. You feel like you are Caroline "Little Bird", so engrossed you will be in her experiences.

The colors already have meaning in my life as an artist. How much more so as I have seen them through the eyes of "Little Bird". This not only tells of her experiences as a novice in the Temple, but reaches deep into the past of many lifetimes.

One thing, whether colors are as real and personal to you as deities, you can not deny they are always present. An ever constant in our life. The representations are dead on with how I feel about them. It's like something that most creative people know deep within.

I was profoundly touched by this book. Something that soulful and deep can't merely be called entertainment, rather it goes deeper and gives the reader a challenge. I intend to notice colors more now. I thought I noticed them before, but there is always room to delve deeper.

This book was wonderful - not only the story itself, but the journey on which it takes the reader. It lead me to quite a bit of self-examination, and allowed me to embark on my own spiritual journey. I absolutely love this book, and look forward to more from Ms. ELF.

This book touched me deeply, in ways that opened my heart up to the magick within myself. Regardless of what spiritual path you follow, this book is a must-read. It teaches you how to work through many aspects of yourself, in a beautiful, fairy-tale kind of way.

A wonderful collection of the historical and the traditional songs. This is one of the best hymnbooks of any kind to be published in recent years. It took me back.

this is a wonderful book. It is full of new and old songs.

GIA, the publisher of this hymnal, is a Catholic publisher. This book is not a Catholic hymnal unlike "Lead Me, Guide Me", GIA's "turnkey solution" to gospel-style music for Catholic services. Also, the lyrics have a lot more "I", "Me", "My" and "Mine" in the lyrics than would be appropriate for Catholic litugies. This is not a quibble; just a bit of information for potential Catholic purchasers. Those matters aside, this is a fine product, packed with impressive new material and old favorites that will add much to spirited worship.

This hymnal has all my favorites in it. Even the responsive readings are biblically solid. I love it. My pastor does too. The pianist at our church loves to play these hymns.

This song book has wonderful spiritual, God-loving songs. It is a great source for getting your congregation in the spirit of 'singing praises to our King'. Introduce it to your choir or congregation and you will be forever greatful for the joy it will bring.

Dr. Prabhu has composed a real page turner. Complex issues are well explained and put in terms that a child can understand. In fact, some key characters in the book are children. Excellent characterization and a tight rein on the story telling makes this book both entertaining and thought provoking. Highly recommended! For those with interest in science or religion this is a must read.

Precocious Anita's queries on science and God mark the tempo of Gurpur M. Prabhu's Anita's Legacy: An inquiry into First Cause. The author attempts to unravel the enigma of the universe through Anita's initially childlike and gradually more mature inquiries. Her ex-army officer neighbour, Major Kay, and she relish their discussions on everything from Newton's laws to 'a blue god on a mountain'. Anita dies in her sleep 'two weeks short of her 16th birthday', and while no one had ever seen Major Kay cry, on this day his 'tears could not be contained'.

The book is aimed at helping the reader 'find the Truth' or "find out what this [your cosmic legacy] is before you die". It is modelled along the lines of Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World in making a child the protagonist, perhaps to keep complex answers simple without sounding simplistic. But Prabhu's book juxtaposes both eastern and western philosophies and theology in its search for truth. What is perhaps most fascinating about Anita's Legacy is that it turns established 'truths' on its head, whether it is in the theories of Einstein or Heisenberg or in questioning the completeness of the Bible.

Prabhu is a professor of computer science at Iowa State University. He grew up learning Hinduism and spirituality from his granduncle Swami Vireshwarananda, a translator of the Bhagavad Gita into English. "I have not provided answers in the book," he says. "It is about the struggles for answers and questions that bother you sometimes."

The book tries to strike a balance between science and spirituality, and, in suggesting loopholes to any theory, proposes that there is always another way to look at things.

-- Anna Mathews, in the June 3, 2001 issue of The Week, India's No. 1 Weekly News Magazine

I have been struggling with many of the issues you have described, and have gone into a fair amount reading in this literature, but must confess that it has been largely limited to Western thought and Christian theology. My recent encounters with Eastern thought have begun to open up new vistas and have enabled me to begin to become familiar with alternative paradigms to Western thought which offers a different perspective on religion and spirituality. Your book has spurred additional thought on my part. You have performed a great service to a much wider audience of interested readers who are struggling with these issues. --Professor John Wong

In Prof. Prabhu's book there is something more than just a story about an ancient martyr. Restoring to us the times in which the discrepancy between science and mysticism was unknown, he encourages us to direct our efforts to both these objectives simultaneously and to derive therefrom the paradigm for scientists who today are confused about the mystery of God. And although I resent some of Prabhu's remarks about Christianity, I find the purpose of his novel admirable. -- Professor Maria Dzielska, Poland

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Was the 'Big Bang' theory just a big hoax or did the world come about after a violent explosion?

Questions, questions, questions.

And few satisfying answers. "Why is there something instead of nothing?" ponders Gurpur M Prabhu, the author of Anita's Legacy - An inquiry into first cause and goes on to provide new insights into matters using physics, metaphysics, philosophy and spirituality.

And the result is a novel that marks a clean departure from a whole genre of fiction. For those who have had their fill of romantic capers and adventure sagas, Anita's Legacy... offers a welcome break.

At the centre of the story is Anita, an inquisitive teenager with a probing mind that questions the established tenets of religion and physics and seeks answers. Her mentor who endeavours to come up with answers to her queries is a retired Major Norman Kay, an agnostic at heart. Then there are the girl's parents Alan, a research scholar, and Meg, and Anita's romantic interest Chris.

With these characters Prabhu has woven a tale that takes the reader on a quest for first cause and it is to his credit that he has been able to sustain interest right through, making optimal use of science and religion, the Bible, the Gita and the works of Omar Khayyam, to elucidate his theories and substantiate his arguments.

A mixture of fact and fiction blended with care, the book ends with the death of Anita and Major Kay, both dying with many of their questions unanswered and their theories un-corroborated. And perhaps for the first time a book has a surfeit of blurbs, credits from lay readers and established writers that sing praises and highlight the book's intrinsic values.

The author's simple, lucid style carries appeal, scientific jargon notwithstanding. A certain degree of poignancy and a tinge of sadness also enhance the book's value considerably.

-- C. V. Aravind, Deccan Herald Newspaper, Bangalore, India, Sunday, May 27, 2001

Most books that claim to be "easy readers" require a first-second grade reading level. Bob Books start out at a much lower level. To read book 1 the child must know only "m" "a" "t" and "s." I have seen no other readers that start at such a basic level.

My children love the characters and feel so good about their reading ability. Only Bob Books afford them the feeling of accomplishment that comes from finishing a whole book. When I first purchased them I was a bit surprised at how "homemade" they seemed, but now I see how perfect they really are for new readers.

I bought lots of phonics books for my pre-schooler, and these were the WINNERS! I recommend them to all my friends with young children and agree with the other reviewers who say these books are "IT!" You will be glad you bought them!

The Bob books should be available to all young children. They are age appropriate through about age 7. Children love their size, charming line drawings, and simple stories. I teach first grade in a public school and feel that this type of book is invaluable for beginning readers. All the children I have ever taught have gravitated to the Bob books. They will literally "toss" aside the high quality literature books that are deemed most appropriate for children by leading educators today. The reason is because the Bob books are truly appropriate for young children. Get Bob! Get Reading! Get Success!

I LOVE these books. I looked everywhere for books to jump start my 5 year old into reading. These are perfect. Almost all the words can be sounded out using the "short" vowel sounds. Untill now every book I found was either too long, or too dificult, or epxected the child to know too many "sight" words and my daughter didn't even want to start. But with the BOB books, she can read a whole book by herself. After working with two of these sets I can truly say she is reading! No need to memorize dozens of sight words before getting started. No understanding complicated "rules". I would recommend these books to all begining readers. They are well worth the money, I wish I found them earlier!

My daughters used Bob Books in 1980 to learn to read. They loved the stories and took great pride in reading to their pre-school class. It is no wonder that I return to buy a set for my Granddaughter . . . I know she will love Sam, Max and all the others as much as her mom and aunties did! Your child's esteem will soar as they progress through the books. This is a 5 star buy for your child.

#2 in the Bodyguard series is even funnier than the first. Natasha is on her own this time, hired to guard a show dog named Chumley, who is so obnoxious he's cute, while trying to figure out who is threatening the dog's life. In her usual overzealous way, Natasha manages to get herself into some wacky situations. The chapter with the massage parlor involving Natasha, Pit and Bigun was so funny, I had to put the book down I was laughing so hard.

There's plenty of romance between Natasha and Striker, with the usual cast of quirky characters surrounding Natasha. Roger and Stevie aren't given much space in this book, and I hope to see more of them in future books.

A really fun, well-written series. I look forward to the next one.

I READ ALOT MORE OF THIS BOOK THAN I WANTED TO, DUE TO THE GLOWING REVIEWS...BUT IT NEVER GOT ANY BETTER. THERE'S NO DEPTH TO THE CHARACTERS AND A WASTE OF 3+ HOURS SPENT READING.

[...]

The Bodyguard and the Show Dog is Christy Tillery French's second installment in her Bodyguard series. By some bizarre cosmic twist, I am reading this series in reverse order. Fortunately, Ms. French's stories each stand on their own, and I am able to thoroughly enjoy this book on its own merits. Hang on for a wild ride!

This book is a fast and fun continuation (in either direction!) of the zany, madcap, e-ticket adventures of protection specialist Natasha Chamberlain, a diminutive, clumsy, danger-prone, feisty, gun-toting, southern girl from Tennessee. This time, Natasha has been hired to protect Chumley, a spoiled, stinky, sex-crazed champion show dog. The scene is impeccably set for the wacky situations that Natasha is (in)famous for, and Ms. French delivers on every page.

Although The Bodyguard and the Show Dog is humorous, breezy, summer fun, Ms. French's characters also deal some difficult topics, including animal abuse, with fitting vigilantly justice satisfyingly meted out in true Natasha fashion. Natasha has a strong, well defined moral character, and she always stands up for anyone who cannot stand up for themselves. She delivers apt punishments and has her own special way of dealing with the worst offenders.

This book is truly a wild ride, well written, fasted paced, and very, very funny. The characters are endearing, the situations are hilarious, and the love making is hot. What more could you want? I can't think of a thing.

Hands up everyone who ever fell for a smelly little dog ... or for a hectic, independent heroine with poor impulse control ... or for a handsome hunk of a man not afraid of anything but being too much in love. Anyone left out there? How about a bunch of crazy friends and relatives and an adventure with the energy of a skyrocket?

Oh yes, there's something for everyone in The Bodyguard and the Show Dog (Bodyguard). This is the second book in author Christy Tillery French's BODYGUARD series and it's a wonderful rollicking ride. Natasha Chamberlain is determined to pursue her chosen career -- protection specialist -- in spite of her boyfriend Jonce's objections. When Myrtle Galbreath hires Nattie to protect her prize pug, Chumley, it ought to be simple, right? Then why does Nattie wind up in the Emergency Department so often? Why are people shooting at her? What, for that matter, is Nattie doing hanging around biker bars and massage parlors, and driving around with bags of horse manure? And the big question: how does she get anything done at all with her interfering mother and grandmother on her heels and Jonce's heavyweight employees trying to protect her?

For all the laugh-out-loud action and dialogue, there are some serious elements to the story. Nattie's a thoroughly modern young woman and she wrestles with her need for independence. When Nattie and Jonce are together the sparks fly, and she worries about being drawn into his orbit and losing herself. Jonce, on the other hand, struggles with his urge to protect her from her own decisions. These problems play out in an entertaining "show, don't tell" fashion thanks to the effective character portrayal.

Christy Tillery French is strongly committed to the humane treatment of animals, and this theme is also played out poignantly in Show Dog. Don't be fooled by the fact that Chumley's got his papers -- there are plenty of animals that need rescuing and Nattie does her best for them all.

Just by chance I'm working my way backward through this series of three BODYGUARD books. I just hope that by the time I finish the first installment, there will be a new set of Nattie's adventures for my enjoyment. Don't miss out! Get your hands on these books and enjoy the fun.

Linda Bulger, 2008

"The Bodyguard and the Show Dog" by Christy French is a book that will entertain the reader for hours on end. The characters are easy to relate to and the plot (like most of Ms. French's stories) will leave the reader eager to read the next book in the series.

I am a huge fan and truly enjoy all of Ms. French's books. If you have not had a chance to sample any of her stories then this is the perfect book to begin with. You will quickly become a fan too!

I meant to post a review of this book when it first came out but I have been on location in France and haven't had the chance to get it done until now. For this Ms. French, I'm sorry. Better late than never, I suppose.

I enjoyed your new book very much! Keep them coming.

John Savoy
International Film Maker
California

Constellations covered in volume 1:
Andromeda
Antlia
Apus
Aquarius
Aquila
Ara
Aries
Auriga
Bootes
Caelum
Camelopardalis
Cancer
Canes Venatici
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Capricornus
Carina
Cassiopeia
Centaurus
Cepheus
Cetus

... AND probably one of the best intros to astronomy in any book I've seen. The other two volumes are also organized alphabetically.

Yes, the coordinates are badly outdated. But anybody can get updated coordinates for any of the many thousands of astronomical objects described in this encyclopedia of observing. What's totally irreplaceable are the descriptions and star lore associated with all the objects.

What Burnham has compiled here is nothing short of miraculous. I know of no serious amateur astronomers who doesn't hold these three volumes dear to their heart. If you are a serious amateur and you don't own them, you are missing out. If you are a beginner, the introduction to Volume 1 is alone worth the purchase.

No, they are not pretty, and the typesetting is straight out of the Jurassic, but once one realizes just how much information is here, one realizes that there are no substitutes.

One word review: "Essential"

Robert Burnham, Jr., spent twenty years at Lowell Observatory participating in a proper motion survey. During his tenure, he wrote this mammoth 3-volume work covering nearly every object visible in 2- to 12-inch telescopes. Each chapter, covering one constellation (both northern and southern hemispheres), begins with a detailed list of all stellar objects (double stars, variable stars, and deep sky objects). Then, he delves, sometimes rather deeply, into the more significant objects of that constellation, bringing together history, philosophy, and science to describe each one. His chapter on Sagittarius, for example, includes a 25-page section on the dense portion of the Milky Way blending current 1970s science with wonderful passages from Greek and Eastern philosophies, Native American legends, and the history of science. His prose for each chapter reflects the content he covers: lyrical prose when describing the "personal" aspects of observing objects, and readable, accessible language to delineate the science behind what we know about objects in the heavens. Moreover, each chapter has photographs of many of the stars and nebulae with telescopes and cameras ranging from a 5-inch astrograph to the 200-inch Hale telescope of Palomar Observatory.

Yes, the book is thirty years old and a little out-of-date. And, the typewritten font looks homely. But that's part of its charm. Burnham initially self-published this very personal book from his kitchen table. Literally. (Astronomy magazine published a very interesting "self-interview" by Burnham in March, 1982 which provides some background on his struggles to get it published.) From a small-press run of looseleaf copies in binders, it became somewhat of a cult classic among amateurs because nothing as detailed like this had been published before. (True, T.W. Webb's "Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes" was available, but it was last published in 1917.)

I know of no other book that combines personal, reflective commentary on "mundane" objects like the Big Dipper (officially, the Ursa Major Moving Cluster), and clear, concise descriptions of variable stars, Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams, and finder charts for objects like 3C273, the brightest quasar visible to amateur-sized scopes. (Trust me: spend the 30-minutes or so tracking this last one down at a star party and you'll have a line of folks waiting to look at a faint star-like object, the light of which left 3C273 long before the earth was even formed.)

One side note: if you're interested in the rather tragic life of Burnham, search for "Sky Writer", an article by Tony Ortega, published in the Phoenix, AZ "New Times" newspaper for September 25-October 1, 1997. All readers of Celestial Handbook owe Ortega a nod for the herculean task of piecing together Burnham's life.

There isn't too much this book has left out when it comes to information about stars, galaxies, clusters, nebula etc... These 3 volumes are more like an enclyclopedia set. Any star or other celestial object you want to know more about will probably be here. In fact it would take you more than a lifetime to study and find all of the different wonders of the galaxy and universe that are listed in these volumes. I never realized just how many galaxies had been documented along with variables, eclipsing binaries, star clusters, double stars etc... If you see a star in the heavens that has a certain luster or location or interests you in some way just look it up in this guide and you will find out all kinds of things about it that other books don't delve into.

Robert Burnham (NOT the former Editor of Sky and Telescope, BTW) from the 50's to the late 60's spent many years working for an observatory on the tedious project of "blink comparing" countless photographic plates. In his spare time, he made and recorded observations of thousands of the most interesting objects in the deep sky. In addition he compiled a library of observations from other great observers, as well as star lore, scientific data, and personal refleciton. The result is a hodge-podge, somewhat out of date, collection that nonethless facinates.

Thousands of objects are cataloged by constellation, and hundreds are described in detail. When arriving at an object that seems to be the most familliar of its class (M13 for globular clusters, Sirius B for white dwarfs etc,.) Burham provides an essay on that class of objects (state of the art for its time, usually the 1970s)- often including very useful cross-references to other objects in that class.

Most useful to the observer are the countless orbital charts of double stars.

These books are an addictive way to pass the time. Most of the essays on featured objects are a few pages long, and can be read in the short "in between" moments that life is filled with. For two years I had one or more volumes of this series of three books in my bathroom, so as to pass the time a bit more productively learning about the sky. Needless to say, some of my bathroom trips grew a bit lengthy as I found myself plowing through Burnham's collection of personal observations, scientific data, and historical tales.