Anderson Books

I wouldn't be as good a teacher of writing without this book. No kidding. It provides the daily nitty-gritty practical solutions to common writing workshop problems, and has great ideas for conferring, unit planning, troubleshooting, and more. This is for the every day teacher and college folk alike.

Some of the blacklines from this book are ESSENTIAL to my organization of workshop. I can't imagine trying to do it without his advice and guidance. His book was the "Miracle Grow" to my Calkins kit experience. The piece I needed to REALLY pull it off and feel good about it. Heworked in the project with Ms. Calkins, so his ideas line right up with the ideas I already have in motion. I don't work for anybody, but I heartfully encourage you to help yourself by getting this one (and I love his How's It Going? too...)

Dr. Anderson provides his readers with a very readable and helpful book - one that you wish to read more than once at different stages of your work with younger people and your own development. He gives his readers helpful insights and is intellectually stimulating. His ideas on how to work with young writers as well as ways to explore the issues that they are encountering is very helpful. He provides you with suggestions and makes you want to delve deeper into working to help younger writers write and he shows how the conference method is a very successful vehicle. Carl Anderson stimulates you to want to explore the theoretical bases for his apporaches that are provided as references. His second book is a brilliant follow-up to this one and truly helpful to both educators and those committed to supporting the learning process.

Valenti and his partner O'Brian, are working undercover at a gay resort
hoping to bust a drug supplier named Vincent Conrad. They have been
partners and best friends for a long time. Valenti is attracted to
O'Brian and he has no idea what to do about it. These feelings he has
for his partner are new, but undeniable. Hiding his desire is getting
more and more difficult, especially because part of posing as a gay
couple means they have to touch each other.

O'Brian is willing to act his part wholeheartedly and Valenti accepts
it because he wants his partner so much he's willing to take whatever
he can get. But when touching turns to passionate kisses and more
intimate touches, Valenti finds his heart breaking because his partner
seems to be just acting while he is expressing his true feelings.

When their cover is blown and the partners are forced to act out
Conrad's wishes, Valenti fears that his relationship with O'Brian will
finally be over. But when the dust settles Valenti discovers that he
might be wrong about how O'Brian feels about him. He might have a
future with the man he loves.

The Assignment is a story with many heartfelt and deeply passionate
moments. The angst and longing that Valenti feels is heartbreaking at
times and the acceptance that O'Brian shows him is sincere and tender.
Valenti and O'Brian's passion is scorching! I was craving them by
the end. The Assignment is sexy and emotional, leaving me panting for
more!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Detectives Sean O'Brien and Nicholas Valenti have been partners and best friends for six years. They are total opposites in demeanour and looks - Valenti who is from a wealthy Italian family is tall, dark and repressed and O'Brien who is small statured, blond and good looking is very much the product of his outgoing, affectionate large Irish family. They have supported and depended on each other through Valenti's divorce and other disasters while on or off duty and each knows that the other would take a bullet for him in a heartbeat.

Their latest assignment is to go undercover at the RamJack, a gay resort, posing as two gay men to catch a drug kingpin who is flooding the gay bars in the city with poison cocaine. While at the resort Valenti would be the `sugar daddy' and O'Brien his `boy' a designation that Detective O'Brien abhors, and he complains bitterly that he is being type cast. Nick has his own reasons for not wanting the assignment. Lately he has been seeing his best friend in a totally different light and he is becoming strangely attracted to him in a sexual way and when Sean suffered a near-fatal injury in the line of duty several months ago he realized he was in love with him. Nick knows it will be extremely difficult to hide his feelings from Sean while they are undercover, sleeping in the same bedroom and pretending to everyone that they are a couple.

The assignment proves to be even more difficult than Nick anticipated as Sean proceeds to make his life miserable by touching him whenever possible in public and even in private under the guise of practising their role so that they would appear to be a genuine couple when they meet their 'host'. In the middle of the danger all around them Sean seems to take a great deal of pleasure in tormenting Nick and upping the ante to get a rise out of him.

Their undercover assignment brings out feelings in Nick and Sean that they have kept buried and they can no longer hide their love for each other. Since they are both straight, this is a quandary that neither has any idea how to resolve and there is the added dimension of their job where being gay detectives is not something that is acceptable. The tension and the drama of the final take-down plays out very publicly and Nick and Sean are left to deal with the outcome and emotions they never anticipated having for each other.

THE ASSIGNMENT continues to be one of my favourite all time stories. It has everything - two great looking charismatic characters, heightened emotions which added to the suspense, danger, a terrific story with excellent dialogue, wonderful pacing and a plot that held my interest until the very end. The first time I read this book eighteen months ago I loved the story and fell in love with the characters who were genuine and three dimensional. The two protagonists blew my mind; not only were they very much in love with each other, they genuinely liked and were sensitive to each other's needs even before they had sex which was so hot it seared the pages. Sean and Nick did not start out as gay characters in the book but as long-time partners who were friends and this history made the love and sex between them seem even more authentic and believable. The sex scenes were tender, funny and affectionate and I thought that Sean O'Brien was so well drawn he could walk off the pages of the book and into real life; Nick Valenti was no slouch either.

I have no hesitation giving this book 5 stars and two thumbs up.

In I'LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS, the LooseID stocking stuffer included in the book, it's been year after the RamJack where they first confessed their feelings for each other and Detectives Valenti and O'Brian have been sharing an exclusive and white-hot relationship, when Valenti suddenly pulls away.

Sean is understandably upset because it has been more than a month since he and Nick have seen any action under the sheets or anywhere else for that matter and he is determined to find out why he is getting the cold shoulder especially just before Christmas! Since Nick's involvement in a recent shooting incident he has been placed on administrative leave until cleared by Internal Affairs and he has changed, but not for the better. He can't wait for Nick to be back on duty and his partner once more, in the ways that really matter. The last straw for Sean is Nick being assigned to a charity event by the Commissioner on the anniversary of their RamJack bust.

Sean comes up with a seemingly brilliant plan that would ensure he has Nick's undivided attention. His plan involves handcuffs and Nick's body at his disposal and he is determined to make him disclose what's bugging him this time so that they can get on with the business of loving each other.

I'LL BE HOT FOR CHRISTMAS is a great follow up to THE ASSIGNMENT and the story demonstrates why fans are so hot for Sean and Nick who seem to get into situations where misunderstandings blow everything out of proportion and affect their relationship in a negative way. But Sean is not one to let anything screw up what he and Nick have together.

This story is yet another great piece of writing by Evangeline Anderson and will be of interest to new readers and fans alike.

THE GREATEST WRITING SINCE NOSTRADUMUS, AND THE FULFILLMENT OF ALLAH'S MISSION. ASTROLOGY IS THE FIRST PROPHECY, FIRST MAN-MADE TRUTH AND RELIGION. I, SUFI SUN STAR ALI, SUFI ASTROLOGER AM CONVINCED YOU CANNOT KNOW 'ALLAH' THE GOD-ELOHIM WITHOUT THE STUDY OF THYSELF AND THE PROPHETS
COMMISSIONED OF YE TO RECIEVE. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND MOHAMMAD TO UNDERSTAND THE CHRIST. THE ESSENCE AND PATH IS SUFISM & ISLAM, FOR ALL AVATAR'S AND DEVOTEES TO WALK. A PROPER DEEN MUST SUBMIT TO Tazkiyah Taqwah Fatawa
WHICH IS THE Deens Of Such Woman's Dreams, [...]. LOVE -- TO LEAD ONE TO THE KAA'BA
AND THE SOUL TRAVEL OF ECKANKAR IS THE PURPOSE OF ASCENSION, ASTROLOGY, & VISION FOR A REVISIT TO ALLAH. OR THUS THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE IS THE SOUL OF THE PERISHABLE AND DEAD.

One of the best books I have read to blend metaphysics with religious writings. Simply a tremendous find!

Auxiliary Sail Vessel Operations For The Aspiring Professional Sailor by G. Andy Chase is a no-nonsense, technically comprehensive and detailed "how-to" instructional and reference manual that covers sail vessel operations in extensive depth and detail. Individual chapters instruct the reader in trim and balance, basic sail maneuvers, keeping the ship stable, rules and regulations, and much more. A core addition to any Nautical Studies reference collection, Auxiliary Sail Vessel Operations For The Aspiring Professional Sailor is especially recommended for anyone with a serious interest in sailing and seeking to improve their nautical skills and abilities.

Capt. Chase has used all his well founded resources to pull together and create a book inwhich any person who is involved in the Tall Ship industry should get their hands on! This book is well researched and laid out so the young sailor, hardened seasoned professional or the educator can use this book on a daily basis. I highly recommend this Book!

James Dodson has an amazing ability to make any aspect of his life that he cares to share with us interesting, readable and enjoyable. I have read all of his books. He has collaborated with Arnold Palmer on his autobiography.

He has written eloquently about his relationship with his father in a moving book entitled Final Rounds. He has written several books that talk about his relationshiip with his children and family. He has written about The Dewsweepers, a group of men who share a love of golf and true friendship. His personal books are about relationships, spiritualty and life and they are all very moving and very entertaining.

He has written what I consider the definitive biography of Ben Hogan which was a total departure from his previous efforts. A real tour de force.

In this book, golfers and golfing are hardly mentioned. This book is about gardeners and gardening. Is it ever.

A transplanted son of the "mid-south", Dobson and his family live now in Maine. A place where gardening does not come easy. Much of one's time, if they live in Maine and garden is planning for those few months where the climate is hospitable to plant life. The rest of the time, Mother Nature does her best to make life miserable for growing things and the people who care for them.

I did not buy this book. My wife did. However, before she was ready to read it, I spotted it, noted the name of the author, wondered if there were two James Dodson's, determined that the one I was familiar with was one and the same with this author and started to read.

It is perfectly logical that my wife would buy the book. She is a gardener, both flower and vegetable. She has lovely gardens and I enjoy admiring them, photographing them and keeping the lawns that surround them looking neat and trimmed. However, as I told her many years ago, "I don't weed." So, for me to start reading a book about the subject was unlikely. And I can assure you that if Dodson was not the author I would not have.

I was not long into the book before he had me hooked as he laid out his passion for gardening and related it to so many aspects of the gardening world and it's people. He even reintroduced me to an old friend I have not seen in a very long time - a lady by the name of Polly Logan. What a special treat THAT was.

As I closed the covers on the book, I was not invigorated to start turing over the earth and setting out a garden of my own. I did have a new appreciation of those who do and I enjoyed the travels that Dodson took the reader on to many of the pantheons of gardening around the world.

It truly is a beautiful madness and we are all enriched because of it.

From the knowledgeable plant growers to the every day gardeners, the encounters Dodson writes about are most interesting and informative. I especially enjoyed the behind the scenes of the Philadelphia Flower Show and his return visit there the next year. His expedition to Africa opened my eyes to the flowers growing there, the trees, animals and customs of the county. A must read for all who enjoy gardening where ever you live. I did not want it to end.

John Marion has written a very readable account of how to buy affordable antiques at Sotheby's Auction House in new York. He takes you through the process of registering and bidding in a common sense way that takes the mystery out of the process. In addition, he makes a compelling argument that many of the objects you buy at a department store might better be purchased at a reputable auction house as investments which you can enjoy for years to come. The Best of Everything is a tresure in itself.

John Marion has written a very readable account of how to buy affordable antiques at Sotheby's Auction House in New York. He takes you through the process of registering and bidding in a common sense way that takes the mystery out of the process. In addition, he makes a compelling argument that many of the objects you buy at a department store might better be purchased at a reputable auction house as investments which you can enjoy for years to come. The Best of Everything is a tresure in itself.

this cookbook is a great way to show-off your culinary expertise when it's somewhat limited when you're a man trying to cook for that special woman. it has a wide variety of different tastes in food.the book has easy to follow instructions and gives the reader a name brand to look for when buying the ingredients needed for that tasty dish. this book is a good addition to any man's arsenal of ways to impress that special lady in your life.the great thing is you can plan the next meal together after you've let her in on your "secret recipes". happy cooking...

This book has the type of recipes that you find on the back of the products on their packaging or in women's magazines. It has recipes that I wish I'd cut out from those places but never did. It also has the history of how many of our household products came into being. It's a cool book!

Each lesson provides several ways to enforce the main idea, even the snack is incorporated, and I appreciate the hands-on approach it takes! After reading the lesson, I felt fully prepared because of the great details provided. I was thankful for the explanation of movements and the pictures of the children working on an activity were helpful. I really liked having options to choose from, whether it was two crafts or two games provided."

This book includes 8 Old Testament and 5 New Testament lessons for preschool children. There are 7 sections to each lesson. You can use all of them or pick and choose what fits best with your students and time allotment. The 7 sections are....Welcome, Bible Blast, Discovery Stations, Snacks, Games, Prayers and Songs. A CD is included that has sound effects and songs to bring the Bible stories to life!! The Whirl-n-Worship CD Whirl-N-Worship: Groove-Along Songs for Preschoolers and Parents and/or DVD also by Group Publishing are perfect companions to this user friendly preschool resource!

This is an incredible little book, thoughfully and carefully written and beautifully illustrated. As a military family, the metaphor of the separated family who still have faith in each other and hope to be reunited was very real to us, but I think the story has universal appeal. It's a good story by itself, but the scriptures at the beginning and end point to its real meaning, an explanation of faith. It's simple enough for a child to understand and complex enough to have adults thinking deeply about what faith means. The questions and answers at the back are very helpful, as are the suggestesd activities. My six-year-old liked this book (though "love" is his favorite of the set), and my husband, who is a chaplain, used it in a sermon yesterday! (originally posted on CBD 9/18/06)

I got one of the books from this series (Tell me About Eternity) and it was so amazing, I just had to get the other 2 books.

This one (Tell Me About Faith) really does an excellent job explainging what it means to believe in Someone you can't see. The story is especially timely, since it deals with a little girl waiting for her daddy (a soldier) to come home from the war. The question and answer section in the back of the book is especially helpful to any adult who wants to have a deep discussion with a child about faith in God.

For those of you who have read Belinda Anderson's first book, The Well Ain't Dry Yet, her second collection of short stories, The Bingo Cheaters, may seem like a family reunion. Many of the characters introduced in the first collection have carried over into the second. Two in particular--life-worn busy-body, Wanda Talcott and quilt-maker, Twilight Dawn--actually picked up and relocated to Anderson's new fictional setting of Hope County, WV. If you're new to Belinda's world and its population, however, don't let that scare you off, because The Bingo Cheaters stands on its own.

Anderson is a student of human nature, particularly Appalachian human nature. The 20 character-based stories of this collection showcase her ability to get at the heart of what makes our people tick. It's not always pretty, either, as in the case of "Second Sight" in which a manipulative blind girl fancies herself a con-artist, but soon finds that she's not the only one practicing a con. Or the story "Match," in which a little boy named Ricky learns that his hobby of playing with fire has consequences. More often, though, Anderson's characters explore situations that resonate as common to us all. There's the sweets-deprived husband from "Onion Blossoms," who attempts to sample the forbidden fruit of a State Fair cinnamon roll before his wife can catch him. Or the woman in "Did You Hear the one about the Mailman," who learns some unsettling truths while helping her mother sort jewelry. Or "Solace," one of Anderson's most touching stories, in which we meet a kid named Breen who has a very personal stake in our nation's tragedy of 9-11.

The residents of Hope County are often not strangers to one another. Though each of these stories is a self-contained piece, there is something of a narrative arc for some of the characters. They pop in and out of each other's tales, like neighbors dropping over for a visit. Readers are advised to pay close attention, because background characters in one story can become the main characters of another and vice versa. Anderson often uses this to a surprising effect.

One of Anderson's major strengths is that her storytelling can turn on a dime. While reading the final pages of a story, your eyes may scan ahead to note that only a few short paragraphs remain and you become convinced the story could not possibly end well given that little space. Each time, though, Anderson brings her stories to a satisfying and natural close, using only a handful of carefully chosen words to neatly tie them up.

The true diamonds of the collection, such as "Solace," "Twilight Dawn," and the title story "The Bingo Cheaters," leave both their characters and their eavesdropping readers changed through the experience. This is not to say that there aren't lesser gems to be found among the diamonds of this book. The sci-fi underpinnings of "Alien Grace" ring a little off to me. And "Second Sight," while quite humorous, contains elements that seem conveniently arranged. However, while not diamonds, these two stories remain gems all the same due to their depth of character and the observations within.

Hope County proves itself to be a colorful place full of vibrant characters and, indeed, hope. I recommend picking up a copy of The Bingo Cheaters and having a visit there yourself.

Consider: Experts on the public's reading habits indicate that reading is a declining activity in this country. Reasons vary--the internet, lowering, lack of education in and promotion for reading, to name a few, but folks who respond to my occasional ponderings as to why they don't read cite lack of time.
Consider: Publishers think the public won't buy short stories because everyone prefers novels, so the trade publishers are traditionally hard to convince they should publish short story collections.
I think there's an obvious answer here to ease the negatives of both considerations: no time to read long novels? Then read short stories. Do you have books tucked around the house partly read? What was the first part about anyway, you might ask when you stumble across a partially read book months after you began it? And how discouraging is that?
Short stories are perfect for today's harried, word over-loaded society. What's more satisfying than to begin and end an entertaining--and complete--short story between laundry loads, or for a few minutes to help you wind down after putting the kids to bed?
The finely crafted stories in The Bingo Cheaters, in a fortuitous event, carry another bonus: the stories share characters. It's like wandering through a novel. Through each story, characters romp in the background, star as the main attraction, or hover in the middle ground. It's like catching up with family members; you know who they are--you just don't know what they've been up to lately.
Traditionally, short stories are between 5,000 and 8,000 words--another reason to pick up Anderson's collection. One short story that shares the title of the book, "The Bingo Cheaters," is a beautifully compact 1,384 words. Brevity is Anderson's strength. Her crafting of succinct, but satisfyingly complete stories is so superb that none leaves you scratching your head at the conclusion. Yet, no resolution is handled gratuitously.
Perhaps it's a reflection of Anderson's journalism training that her style is informed by conciseness of language and crisp character development. Words do double, even triple duty; however, there is no feeling that anything needs to be "unpacked." All her words are evocative, touching into many worlds of thoughts, ideas, beliefs. Take, for example, this final paragraph from "Twilight Dawn." The character, Twilight Dawn, has passed on and finds herself in a garden. A little girl appears who turns out to be her mother, who died when Twilight was born.

I picked up her doll, the old-fashioned porcelain kind. The face was colored like mine, the bronze of gingerbread. . . . I felt those little arms wrap shyly around my neck and her warm cheek press against mine. "I been waiting so long to tell you I love you," she whispered.
The Book of Revelations may say all tears shall be wiped away and there shall be no more crying, but something wet as rain was falling from my face. "I love you," she whispered again, giving me what I'd wanted all my life, but had never known until she spoke.
And then she picked up her doll with one hand and took my hand by the other. "Let's go to the fair."
I stood and let her lead me from the garden. "I reckon I'm finally ready," I said.

We have to be in heaven: tears wiped away from deep grief; going to the fair, a place of fun, delights, and a gathering of people we know and love. Yes, it must be heaven. Twilight is ready, leaving us to believe that though we might stand in the garden there is yet a chance to find the answers to life mysteries.
Compassion radiates through the stories. In the "The Bingo Cheaters," the Flat Brush Women's Club is gathering for the monthly bingo game. Irene is vexed by what she thinks is the other women's penchant for cheating. In this smartly written story, we see all the players through Irene's eyes and sense her frustration but eventual understanding that the cheating might not be what it seems. The other women's compassion for Irene's foibles reminds us that none of us are perfect.
Humor is a hallmark of Anderson's writing; her wit comes through with simple, seemingly off-hand remarks said about or by her characters. Again, in "The Bingo Cheaters":
". . . A West Virginia University extension agent after World War II . . . had attempted to present homemaking as both a science and an art, but the members were suspicious of foreign spices such as ginger." Throughout the story, typical of all in her collection, Anderson's descriptions of characters delight: "The Basham sisters, the club elders . . . thin and hunched by osteoporosis . . . reminded Irene of the pair of ragged old crows." Later, the women, "crow through their loose dentures" and later still one Basham sister declares, "I have to check the obituaries every morning to see if I'm listed."
The Bingo Cheaters is Anderson's second short story collection. This collection, as the first collection, The Well Ain't Dry Yet, was published by the small, independent Mountain State Press in Charleston, WV. Anderson currently has a third collection she's polishing. Again, as in The Well and The Bingo Cheaters, the characters in this new collection, Buckle Up, Buttercup wander in and out of each other's stories.
As a native of Appalachia, as I am as well, these characters are familiar, yet it won't matter one whit where the reader is from when it comes to reading and enjoying these stories: the nature of these characters is everyone we know and some we have wanted to know. Not all stories, of course, are light in tone, nor should they be. Some, like "Solace," is about young boys sent to a camp after trauma shatters their young lives. Likewise, the little boy in "Match" (who shows up at Camp Solace) is a worry because of his fascination with fire. Though they live in the County of Hope not everything is golden, just as in real life.
And how human and natural is the vanity in us all? Might you recognize yourself in the character of Margaret who, in "Foul the Guesser," worries about aging? She compounds her problem by making a carnival worker guess her age. His guess is off by ten years--on the plus side. We can bemoan the fact, like the character Margaret, that our vanities sometimes make us gluttons for punishment. We can't leave well enough alone.
Folks of all ages, women, men, and children, all live and breathe in Anderson's stories. Their problems, foibles, and triumphs are ours, and we're in fine company. Perhaps the stories can help us be more forgiving--to ourselves and to others. Each time you pick up The Bingo Cheaters--to read one story or many at a sitting--Anderson's universe is one we'll be glad we visited. You'll come away thinking that maybe life is nothing to cheat ourselves out of, but like Anderson's characters, we should sashay right into it, embracing all its troubles and joys, and, if we're lucky, discover that a little hope will get us through.