Virginia Books

SEA WITCH hooked me in from the first sentence until the absolute last word. Virginia Kantra did a masterful job at world building the paranormal elements until I totally believed the Children of the Sea could be living here in my own seaside town. Caleb was mega yummy and Maggie completely enchanting - what a hot couple! I love, love, loved this book! Can't wait to get my hands on SEA FEVER. For a sure fire page turning beach read, submerge yourself in this sexy, mystical adventure!

I am not a big fan of the paranormal romance novel. I think there are so many of them that calling them cliche is too mild a term. What is worse is that so many of them seem like it is the same story written over and over again.

But Sea Witch (Children of the Sea, Book 1) gives the subgenre a nice boost in the right direction.

Caleb Hunter is a former soldier and big city policeman. Understandably, he has returned home to an island off the coast of Maine called World's End. He's come back because he wants a simpler life.

Margred is a child of the sea. Literally. She's a selkie who is 700 years old and she comes to shore in search of sex and she chooses Caleb as her target.

The story opens as simple as that. She wants him, she lets him know, he backs off but can't quite forget her. He searches her out again and they have their tryst. After that, it is she who can't quite forget him.

And that's where the main narrative begins and Ms Kantra does a wonderful job of keeping the balance between explaining the mythical (and making it seem plausible), a believable romance, and a small town murder mystery with distinctive characters.

The story is well paced and never overdone. Events that unfold are described in such a fashion that it never feels rushed or convoluted. Secondary characters are given enough distinction that they don't feel like props to the main characters.

And the main characters are likable without being too perfect. Caleb is no rich man. He lives in a one bedroom apartment. He has issues with his father. He has a limp he acquired from his stint in the Iraq war. He has a few nightmares too. Margred is a selkie who is forced to be a human for an indeterminate amount of time. She's fairly sure she doesn't want to stay that way. She has moments of cowardice and indecision.

But these quirks of theirs never overpower or overtake Caleb and Margred's innate goodness. The quirks just make them accessible and relatable and easy to spend time with.

So easy that I read this novel in one evening. The story flow was simply that smooth and enjoyable.

And already I'm looking forward to more from Ms Kantra and the good news for me is that her next Children of the Sea novel, Sea Fever (Children of the Sea, Book 2), is coming out in August 2008. Based on the quality of Sea Witch (Children of the Sea, Book 1), I can't wait!

I live in Culpeper County, Virginia and am extremely familiar with local history. I live a half mile from Amissville and 1 mile from Waterloo, two communities that are mentioned in the book.

This book is well documented and right on the money in virtually all aspects; historical content, accuracy and sequencing. This book is highly recommended for those wishing to get an unvarnished perspective of the impact of the Civil War on a typical community caught in the crossfire of the Lost Cause.

Excellent reading.

This book is a great find for anyone desiring to get the southern civilian's perspective on the Civil War. Professor Sutherland deserves praise for his efforts in finding an incredible depth of resources to tell the story of a Confederate community, which, by virtue of its strategic location, found itself in the heart of this enormous conflict. The perspective Professor Sutherland brings to his subject gives this book a "readability" that easily separates it from many other civil war histories. The book really shines in its depiction of the affect the war had on the civilian population. In addition, this book details the beginnings of the concept of "total war" as created and put in force by the Union General, Pope (a new book is due soon from Sutherland on just this subject). This book shares the side of the conflict that is not normally exposed. Tales of unionists, free blacks and slaves in the area during the war are depicted along side the narrative of a proud Southern community as it anticipates victory only to see the inevitable conclusion. Located close to many battlefields, as well as being home to significant battles at Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station, Professor Sutherland points out that Culpeper was, perhaps, the community most affected by the war. A great book - easy to read and informative. When you are finished, you will have learned a bit more about this nation and the forces that have made us what we are today.

A family in South India notices something is wrong with the ocean and runs to higher ground. A young boy becomes frightened and instead runs into his house. His dog perseveres in getting the boy to leave the house and run up to higher ground. A nice introduction to the Tsunami of 2003 which many children were too young to remember or not born yet.

Written by award-winning author Virginia Kroll and illustrated by Xiaojun Ji, Selvakumar Knew Better is the true story of a boy who survived a devastating tsunami with the aid of his faithful dog, Selvakumar. Seven-year-old Dinakaran didn't understand the tsunami alarm, and sought shelter too close to the shoreline - but Selvakumar would not let him hide, barking and insisting that he flee toward the hill where his mother and father fled. Selvakumar's insight saved the family's oldest son, in this miraculous tale brought powerfully to life with earth-toned art. A portion of the proceeds from Selvakumar Knew Better will be donated by the publisher to the Tsunami Recovery Fund.

It's hard to imagine how much work went into the research of this book. To find the details and documentation is mind consuming. The story puts flesh and blood onto a part of history that was forgotten and lived only in bits and pieces. Truly the work of a dedicated individual.

Shadrach who?? This book provides amazing insight into the experiences of an unlikely hero whose story should be taught in grade school. A terrific amount of information condensed into a readable, enjoyable package--I can not imagine how difficult it must have been for the author to gather such little-known information. I only regret that I hadn't known the book or its main character years ago.

Lloyd Douglas' daughters offer an enlightening biography of their loved and esteemed father. These devoted daughters narrate the story of a Christian man who journeyed from Congregational minister to renowned author of The Robe and 17 other books or stories. Virginia and Betty Douglas travel to towns where Rev. Douglas ministered and lived and interview friends and former acquaintances. They avail themselves of letters to and from Rev. Douglas that reveal his personal triumphs and struggles in ministry, writing and family life. This is a revelatory account of how God used a man to bring the gospel to life to a generation. Rev. Douglas had such a tangible respect for the gospel of Jesus that it pervades all of his work and is the theme through this book.

I also enjoyed being transported in time to the early 20th Century through the stories shared in the book. I feel eager to read all of Rev. Douglas' works now that I know the man behind the books.

Lloyd C. Douglas truly made history when he wrote The Robe, a book to which he devoted years of his life. Bible sales in America went up because of Lloyd C. Douglas, and I enjoyed this gentle portrait of him by his daughter. He became something of a mentor to me as I read about his spiritual development and his growing commitment to his Christian writing. A comforting book about a fine man of incredible courage and dedication.

Mary Ingles was courageous! I read it in one night and I'm going to read it again. I'd read about Mary Ingles in the book Follow the River, but I didn't know she lived in Lancaster or that her parents were Scotch Irish. This book tells about her whole life including escape from the Indians. That's the most exciting part though when she hikes 800 miles through rivers and mountains to get home and see her family. I think this is a very good book so I gave it five stars!

This book and the book Follow the River are both excellent depictions of the life of my ancestor. She was a heroic woman who shall be remembered and honored by me and all my family members. We are proud of her and are happy to have such excellent books to share.

Once again the author has put together a fantastic tour book that contains all of the highlights of the area in one easy to follow guide. I own several of this series and have not been disapointed in any of them. Very well written, accurate and complete. I have been studying the Shenandoah Valley history for about 18 months. This books is a detailed summary of all that I have been able to find in that time. I wish it would have been available when I started my research, it would have saved me much time!

We just returned from a driving trip through the Shenandoah Valley. Picked up this guidebook in New York City before we left. It was perfect. All the recommendations for things to see and restaurants were just as described. Driving directions were also good. Based on the author's recommendation, we decided to stay at the Long Hill Bed and Breakfast in Winchester, VA and it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. A very worthwhile travel guide.

Moore says that his "Mountain Days" at Shenandoah, in every season, "have brought me the park's blessings and enriched my spirit forever." His special eye, facile art and heartfelt words in this precious book evidence his love of the park and bring Mountain Days to us all, spurring us to make our own visit in our own time.

Hullihen Moore shares his co-passions for nature and box photography in a compelling journey through Shenandoah Park. Moore's patience for "just the right moment" is obvious.Incredible detail invites the viewer to touch a droplet of water or listen for the crunch of fallen autumn leaves.Other photographs present an ethereal quality which offers amoment of hallowed beauty. Do not skim the pages of this book---savor each delicious creation

While living in the Bay Area of California we were lucky enough to have a radio station that rebroadcast Canada's CBC radio station. "The Shepherd" read by Alan Maitland was a special on Christmas Eve for a number of years and we made sure to tune in each year. Living now in an area we cannot receive the broadcast we have bought the disk and now have our own tradition playing it for ourselves and friends on Christmas Eve. Makes a wonderful gift and stocking stuffer. Recommended highly.

In Canada people start calling the CBC in early December to ask when they will broadcast the story, "The Shepherd" read on the radio by the late Alan Maitland. I suspect that much of Canada was quiet the last half hour when they just played it on Radio One.
It is a tense & beautiful spirit/ghost story about a young RAF pilot lost over the North Sea on Xmas Eve.
I highly recommend it for its expert narration, as an event for the whole family to listen to, ages 10 & up, & as just a darn good story.

The rest of the stories, each w/a bit of irony or a bittersweet taste, are well done, too.

This is a great book on Black folklore and stories that we have all heard down through the years. I would recommend every African American read it if they haven't already. This is a great book!

Devotees of the study of dirty jokes and poems as literature may be familiar with my other reviews of texts by Gershon Legman, Roger Abrahams, Vance Randolph and the performances of the legendary Rudy Ray Moore in Amazon's resources. This book is one of the limited number of other fine resources in the area. Dance not only lists a large number of jokes, stories and songs, but also recites different variants of the same general themes, demonstrating the mutational effects of time and distance. Like Randolph's Pissing in the Snow, this one seems to be written with the expense-conscious general market in mind and is very fairly priced for the excellent material collected. I recommend it unqualifiedly. It would be a fine Kwanza gift.