Bean Books

Finally a dog book that was written by a professional trainers experience, not by authors/trainers that have copycatted the misconception that dog owners need to mimic the wild wolf and be the Alpha Leader of the Pack (that was originated by a United States Veterinarian in 1972)

Like the Author of Jelly Bean Verses Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (C.W Meisterfeld), I am sharing my personal experience.

After one of my dogs bit me and my Veterinarian I was advised by a top New Zealand behaviourist to be the top dog leader of the pack and to use a shake can/throw chain. A veterinarian clinic advised my to grab my dog stare him in the eyes and shake him.

The more I tried to be the Alpha Leader of the Pack the worse their behaviour became, in a few days 2 of my dogs started fighting each other and the other 2 became fearful.

Then I located a University who's facility of Veterinary Science offers a course on canine behaviour it was expensive but I though it would be the highest level (scientific facility) of teaching animal behaviour, so I enrolled

I was shocked. Their teaching of being the Alpha Leader was exactly what all the other experts advised.

Jelly Beans rage was not due to genetics claimed by U.S top Veterinarian/behaviourists it was directly due to the alpha/dominance training.

Then I read the chapter HOW NOT TO BE YOUR DOGS BEST FRIEND that Meisterfeld explains the danger of the alpha training, which is why all four of my papillon's developed serous behavioral problems.

There's coloured (before and after) photos of Jelly Bean, Korean Fighting dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback,and unique discrimination safety period clock.

This book saved my dogs from having to live a life of fear and aggression.

If you are looking for real advice on dealing with an aggressive dog, or sound dog-training advice in general, this is not the place to find it.

Meisterfeld's self-published book is, like the rest of his output, a long advertisement aimed to get people to buy more of his stuff. It's also a straw-man attack on the alleged methods of some very effective authors who DO give sound and clear advice.

Gee-whiz charts -- but they don't mean anything.

I was particularly taken with his use of Nietzschean language to describe dogs. I can just hear the Wagner in the background. I've never tried acid or 'shrooms, but after trying to read this volume, I'm not that curious anymore.

Meisterfeld calls himself a "doctor," but never substantiates -- doctor of WHAT? From what accredited institution of higher learning did he receive a doctorate of what kind?

This book saved my dog's life. we got our dog from the pound as a youngster not a puppy. We quickly found out that she was a biter but had no idea what to do about it. All of the "trainers" we called to help suggested we put her down. I found this book in our library and we transformed her from a shy cowering fear bitter into a wonderful outgoing family pet. Just the concept of eye contact alone was more than worth the price of this book. I am not a natural with dogs, I needed the tools this book provided. This is not a book about what most people might consider basic puppy training, but if you want to understand your dog this is a great book. I am buying a second copy for my grand daughter who just got a puppy for Christmas.

I followed this book right to the letter, mutual respect and all. The Pit bull came to me with aggression problems and I tried to correct it according to the book, and ended up having the pit bull put down because it cost me 36 stitches to my arm and leg. Follow this mans' suggestions and you will have problems as well.

I was disappointed with this book. True, it does have a lot of interesting information and I totally agree with his method of training with respect and trust, not using force or aggression. But I bought the book expecting to find the answer to an aggression problem I'm having with an adopted dog, who IS being trained only with respect and positive methods. Instead, the book is full of examples of dogs with behavioral problems, and if you find one that correlates with a problem you may be experiencing, as you hurriedly turn the pages to find the solution, instead you read "the dog was brought to me and I retrained him...and now he's a happy faithful friend." No where did I find any information about Mr. Meisterfeld's training program. He admonishes dog owners for causing their dog's behavioral problems by catering to the dog and treating it like a human, not giving it territorial and psychological boundaries, not giving it a job, but again no specifics are given. Just what is his definition of these boundaries? Dog stays outside? Dog is restricted to one room in the house? And psychological boundaries - dog's every move and waking moment are dictated by the owner? What constitutes a job? Are daily obedience lessons enough? I am not new to the breed that I have and my previous dog was obedience titled so I'm quite familiar with training. This new dog was put on the "nothing in life is free" program from the day I got him and it has been very effective in establishing me as his master and setting behavioral boundaries for him. However, an aggression problem is new to me. I was hoping to find the answer in this book but instead am no closer to a solution than before.

Saul has a definite talent with storytelling but this specific one was a little too farfetched for me. Any woman that I know who caught their husbands cheating on them AND had neglected their child while performing the adulterous act...they would NOT forgive their husbands. What they would do is sue him for every penny that he was worth and he would be lucky to walk away with his genitals still attached! WHAT THEY WOULD NOT DO is pick up their kid, go home, then get beat up on an everyday basis. That itself was a story line that made it so unbelievable that it made it hard to get into character. As far as the ending goes, Eric is the one who had the strongest power over the animals. So the question would be, why would it kill him or why couldn't Eric have stopped Kiska when the attack first started? How could Cassie come out of a vegetable state with enough brain power to even trigger that attack? So many questions with no answers. It was an orgasm building book without the fulfilling ending. SORRY SAUL, YOU ARE STILL INCREDIBLE!!!

If you are a John Saul reader, you don't need a review. You already know how good he is. If you are not a reader already, then get this book and get started. You will be hooked like the rest of us already are.

Seems John Saul just takes his old books and recycles and throws this junk out. If you read Unloved, save yourself the money and invest In Patricia Cromwell.

This is the third John Saul book I've read and while parts of it were enjoyable, more and more I'm becoming convinced that Saul is quite a limited author. Thus far, every one of his books that I have read has involved a family with teenage children moving to a new community. Once there, one or more of the children begin behaving strangely and eventually people start dying one by one until the book just stops without any real resolution. While this formula might make for an interesting read once (or twice), it ultimately means that unless you are a die-hard fan, you don't really need to read many of the author's books. And if you are going to read one John Saul book, I don't think this should be it. I enjoyed "Creatures" more than this one, but than again, that was the first time I was exposed to the Saul formula.

Cassie Winslow is a poor, misunderstood teenager who has just recently lost her mother. Thus, she is forced to go across the country to live with her absentee father and his new family in a small town called False Harbor. Immediately following her arrival, strange things start happening in town. Meanwhile, next door, a drunkard is beating his fearful wife and son....and the son immediately feels some sort of deep, unexplainable connection to Cassie Winslow.

I really wanted to like this book, but it has many flaws. For one thing, Saul isn't particularly good at creating three-dimensional characters. Cassie is probably the only multi-faceted character in the book, the rest of them being assigned some sort of role (ie, Rosemary is concerned something is wrong with Cassie, Ed gets drunk and beats his son) and they act out that role time and time again until the reader feels as though they've been beaten over the head with it. And Saul feels the need to remind you of important plot points multiple times. Because of this, the book takes an unnecessarily long time to take off. It took me quite awhile to finish this book because for a long time I just couldn't get myself to sit down and read it.

Eventually, there IS an interesting plot twist that makes you want to read on to the end. Unfortunately, it's too little too late and however great that twist is, Saul never delivers on it's promise. He just goes back to the same old formula he's been using in all of his other books.

If you've read and enjoyed Saul in the past, you've probably already read this or will be inclined to read it no matter what an amazon reviewer has to say. But if anyone is actually just looking for a good horror/supernatural thriller, I'd recommend trying Dean Koontz or Stephen King instead. Being popular doesn't always make something better, but in this case, there IS a reason that Koontz and King have been more successful. While none of them are above criticism, King and Koontz both feel like they have more than one story to tell.

I own all of John Saul's books and have read them since high school. Unwanted is probably the most boring and I couldn't wait to just finish it. Poor, pitiful Cassie with no friends, a neglectful mother, and an absentee father who suddenly wants to shower his love after 16 years of absence and a new family. The phony, stiff stepmother and bratty whiny half-sister. Actually, the most interesting parts were the interactions between Eric's violent alcoholic father and the members of his family and his neighbors. Not enough about Miranda (should have gone into her history more). He should have written this book about Miranda and her mother and grandmother, three generations of outcast women who had daughters while never marrying...that would have made for an interesting read. If you are new to John Saul, save this one for last, and don't read "Perfect Nightmare" too soon either, because it is entirely out of character for him to write such a book. Read "Punish the Sinners" and you will be hooked!

This is an excellent book for understanding and using the Litugy of Hours.
I bought several instruction books because I read in the reviews that there was a learning curve to reading the Hours. Had I bought this first I wouldn't have needed any other book. You can't get a better book than this. You definitely need instruction is reading the Liturgy of the Hours. Without this book I probably would have given up on reading the HOurs.

Well written from the standpoint that it gradually builds in more complexity. Given that there's a good bit going on in praying the LOTH, this method really helps. I see some are really put off by the campy humor. I bought the book to learn the LOTH, so I just blow past that stuff. Water off a duck's back. No impedance to learning. I'm not sure how I was going to learn the LOTH without this book. A few things could have been helped with more coverage on them, such as memorials, but I got additional help from the Catholic Answers forum on liturgy. I highly recommend this book.

This book IS wonderful and a great purchase! And I had no problem obtaining it from Amazon. I do NOT understand the FEW Negative Nancies who did not like this book! Two reviewers seemed to have big-time problems with the ribbons...Look, if you have difficulties with putting ribbons in books, you might have bigger concerns than learning the Divine Office! Some reviewers also seemed to have an issue with Nugent's tone and/or humor. I found her delightfully refreshing, and tastefully sweet and appropriate- especially when one considers the context. She makes learning a very serious subject like the Divine Office more light-hearted and fun. I mean really, what did these guys want or expect? The author to be a combination of Bill Cosby and Aristotle? An author like that would detract from the subject matter- lighten up!

Before I found out about "The Divine Office for D.O.D.O.S," I had purchased another guide to praying the Divine Office that Amazon also sells, entitled "Lord, Open My Lips." It is more concise than "The Divine Office for D.O.D.O.S," but NOT necessarily more clear. I thought the author to "Lord, Open My Lips" was competent, but had the personality of a plate. Consequently, I quickly grew bored with "Lord, Open My Lips," and as a result, did not learn to pray the Divine Office. With "The Divine Office for D.O.D.O.S," I learned to pray the Divine Office. Objective achieved. I agree with all the compliments and positive comments about this book which is given in the editorial review and customer reviews. Enjoy, and God Bless!

This guide is the easiest and most thorough method of learning by book how to pray The Divine Office (The Liturgy of the Hours). Since I notice that some used copies of the 2004 edition are priced outrageously high, please know that the 2008 Edition is now available. This newest edition contains even more information than the 2004 edition did; several sections are updated and augmented, and the book is very reasonably priced. The 2008 edition of The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step by Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, was released in July, 2008.

Presently Amazon is re-ordering the book, but one can "pre-order" this backordered 2008 edition, or simply check back on Amazon until more copies become available. Look on this Amazon page for the small box near the top which reads "Also Available in." Clicking on "Paperback" there will take one to the Amazon page for the 2008 edition. Madeline Pecora Nugent's guide is clearly the best one for learning how to pray The Liturgy of the Hours, which is the universal prayer of the Catholic Church, and the most important prayer of the Church after the Mass itself.

Incidentally, I have no connection at all to Amazon, or to the author or the publisher of The Divine Office for Dodos. I am merely a once-desperate learner of the mechanisms of The Divine Office. I write partly because I dislike seeing unscrupulous pricing by those (albeit Very Rare) used-book vendors who appear to want to exploit readers longing to pray The Divine Office. I sign this review with sincere apologies to the many, many book vendors who do indeed deserve to be trusted, and who provide a much needed service to all of us who love books.

The third edition of this book should be available in May 2008 and will contain additional information according to the author's website. I have read positive reviews on other websites. If you want to find the author's website (as we cannot put links in our reveiws) and sign up to be put on the waiting list, to read a sample, review the table of contents, and read testimonials just go to the author's website by typing in divineofficefordodos(dot)com

I am really enjoying the Madeline Bean series, and I absolutely love the characters. They are real and likeable. The mysteries are not easy to figure out in this series, and this book is no exception. Maddie is trying to help a very famous marriage counsellor arrange a wedding for a happy young couple. When the marriage counsellor turns up dead at the reception, Maddie knows she's got to find out what happened. She becomes involved with two new men, and the old one also shows up. Maddie has more than she can handle. These books are wonderful, unpredictable and light and breezy. I definitely recommend this series.

I think this catches me up on all the prior Madeline Bean novels by Jerrilyn Farmer... Killer Wedding, the 3rd in the series. Once again, a fun read but rather hard to follow towards the end...

In this installment, Bean's new event business is on hold due to a lawsuit over a non-competing clause from the company that bought their old enterprise. While she's marking time waiting for that to clear, a legendary wedding planner in the city decides that she wants Bean to buy her out and take over. Only problem is, Bean doesn't want to do that. She gets roped into "helping out" on one wedding for the planner, and as usual a dead body shows up at the exclusive wedding... that of the wedding planner. To top it off, the groom has completely disappeared and no one knows where he's at. There's a number of people who could easily be suspects, as the planner wasn't well liked. Bean decides to help figure out who dun it, just so she can close this chapter of her life and make sure she doesn't end up with the planning business (or get killed over it).

Like the rest of her books, Farmer writes a great story. I really enjoy the characters and dialogue, as well as the pacing of the action. This one was a little more difficult to follow towards the end, as there were some character interactions that weren't obvious at the start and didn't seem to fit together very well at the end. Still well worth reading, however... a great deal of fun.

Madeline Bean is in a holding pattern. Her new event planning company should be swamped with business after the triumphant papal breakfast in "Immaculate Reception", but instead is in legal limbo. It seems the buy-out of her old catering business at the end of the first book (Sympathy for the Devil) included a non-compete clause; the fact that Madeline and her partners haven't been cooking is immaterial to the new owners. But Madeline isn't getting much time to stew over the injustice of the situation. Vivian Duncan, THE wedding planner in LA, has decided that Madeline should buy her business. That Madeline isn't interested is inconceivable the domineering Ms. Duncan. Madeline is initially railroaded into helping with a nervous couple, and then invited to the wedding, where the unthinkable happens. A murder certianly isn't in any bride's plan for their wedding day. Madeline is soon trying to pick up the pieces, and to solve the mystery herself.

Once again, Ms. Farmer delivers an engaging tale. Madeline is a bit more introspective in this book, which helps to explain some of her actions. The plot moves along briskly, the style is clean and conversational, and the book retains the humor that characterized the first installments of the series. The book felt less "dated" than the previous books, owing I think to fewer cameo appearances from known celebreties, although this book very much retains a strong sense of Hollywood. The mystery was engaging, and while the setting for the climax was a bit cliched, I have the sense that this was an intentional nod on Ms. Farmer's part to tradition. Despite the familiarity, the scene was well handled and even funny. While it was possible to solve the mystery before the end of the book, I think a reader would have to be quite alert, or at least quite suspicious, to do so. Food and cooking continues to be almost another character in this book, and the descriptions made my mouth water.

So why only 4 stars? I'd give it 4 and 1/2 if that were an option; I subtracted 1/2 star because I concur with previous reviewers that the end of the book was a bit too tangled compared to the rest of the book.

This is the fourth mystery in the Madeline Bean Catering Mystery series, and if you enjoyed the previous installments, you will not be disappointed here. Madeline is in the middle of professional litigation, love troubles and boredom brought on by her enforced unemployment. She is invited to a posh wedding and plans to use the occasion to let wedding planner Vivian Duncan know that she really does not intend to take over Duncan's business -- until the planner turns up dead on the skeleton of a triceratops. Enmeshed in the wedding and worried the police are after the wrong suspect, Madeline becomes active in her own investigation.

The mystery is fun and is resolved satisfactorily. Maddie is an intelligent heroine and her charming colleagues, Wesley and Holly, are here also. We witness many interesting and delectable dishes being prepared, and we get a bit of Hollywood gossip thrown in.

This is a fun mystery with likeable characters.

Many people have approached Madeline Bean since she became rich, all of who want her to buy their catering or party planning business. None are as persistent as Vivian Duncan, who is ready to retire from her wedding planning business. When Vivian invites Maddie and her friends to an extravagant wedding held at the Nature Museum, they attend. But before Maddie can convince Vivian that she seriously doesn't want the business, Vivian is found murdered and hanging from the triceratops skeleton. Now Maddie is being pressured by Vivian's daughter to solve the crime and help keep the business going. Can she find the killer and not become Vivian's successor, both in wedding planning and death? Throw in a lawsuit over the sale of her first business and complications in her love life, and you've got a great read.

This book continues the fun Madeline Bean catering series. All the great characters from the first two books are back and just as strong as ever. The plot moved quickly, deftly balancing twists, sub-plots, and development of the new characters. The climatic scene is a little cliché, but still a fun conclusion to a great entry in this series.

If you're already a fan of Maddie and co., be sure to read this great book. If you've never met them, you're in for a real treat. Grab the first book (SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL) and hang on for the wild, and incredibly fun, ride.

I truly enjoy this series with wonderful, madcap Madeline Bean and her pals. The writing is very good, and the mysteries are always fun. They are also totally unpredictable, and each book never ceases to surprise me. Most of all I enjoy Madeline's sense of humour and her vulnerability. She appears tough-as-nails on the outside, but inside she harbours a lot of angst, especially about her feelings towards men. In this book Madeline finds herself in the middle of some unexplainable thefts, and someone who works for her is found shot dead in Madeline's bed. Madeline is trying to solve all these things as well as trying to set her mind at ease about the two men who are in her life. Ms. Farmer tells a good story with lifelike, believable characters. I heartily recommend this series, but it should be read from the beginning and in order.

a caterer who solves murders. what could be more fun?? and jerrilyn packs a whole hoot into her novels -- cool characters, cool places, cool foodstuffs -- and it makes you want MORE.

I've read and loved every book in this series. But if I had to choose my favorite, PERFECT SAX would be it.

Who stole the silver sax that was auctioned off during the Jazz Ball--a swanky fundraising event catered by Mad Bean and her crew? How did one of the waitresses wind up dead in Madeline's bed? And who's that red-headed woman who keeps following Mad around town? In addition to exploring these intriguing mysteries, PERFECT SAX digs deeper into Mad's rocky relationship with the hunky Lt. Honnett.

The fast pace, tight plotting, and expertly drawn characters make this book a real treat.

Madeline Bean owns and runs Mad Bean Catering. They are catering an event to raise funds for the Woodburn School of Music. A rare saxophone is auctioned off for one hundred thousand dollars at the Jazz Ball. Unfortunately when the couple prepares to leave with their new saxophone, it is discovered the case is empty. Someone has stolen the saxophone at the auction.

Before coming to the Ball, Madeline found trash strewn around her yard. It turns out to the papers belong to a nearby neighbor. When she sees this neighbor at the Ball, she tries to set up a time to return the papers to him. He misunderstands and thinks she's trying to blackmail them.

Can this night get any stranger? Oh, yes. When Madeline Bean is involved, nothing is simple and uncomplicated.

When she finally gets home, and I'll let you read the story to find out about her adventure in getting home, she finds a woman has been murdered in her bed. The police thought it was her. When her friends hear the report, they think it's her. Even Chuck Honnett, her ex-boyfriend the police detective, thought it was her.

She goes to stay with Wes until things can be sorted out and her house cleaned up. Soon it is discovered that she is in danger. Who is after her and why? Who can she trust besides Wes?

Then there is another murder and Madeline decides she'd better look into things before she becomes the next victim.

This is a fabulous series. I always enjoy reading about Madeline Bean's adventures. It is always a fast-paced, easy cozy to read. I can't wait for the next one!

The characters are wonderful. I always enjoy mysteries with food in them. And the writing is superb. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Perhapse due to the larger number of pages (when compared with the rest of the series) perfect Sax manages to bring together not only a very effective two pronged mystery but a lot of the loose ends of Miss Bean's romantic life.
One of the best in the series.

"Sharpe's Devil" is - so far - the final book in Bernard Cornwell's epic Richard Sharpe series in chronological terms. Cornwell has famously written many of these books out of historical sequence, but for the most part the novels formed a long, slow build to a magnificent climax with "Waterloo," when Sharpe finally faces Napoleon on the battlefield. "Waterloo" worked on many levels, but primarily as the perfect final act of Sharpe's long military career.

But Cornwell is a prolific writer, so say the least, and he must have felt that Sharpe and Patrick Harper deserved an entertaining epilogue of sorts, so here we have "Sharpe's Devil." The novel kicks off in 1820, and Sharpe has settled down in Normandy, content to live a farmer's life with Lucille and their two children. But a woman from Sharpe's past comes with a small errand - can Sharpe go to Chile to track down Don Blas Vivar, her husband? Don Blas had fought with Sharpe in Spain and they were friends of sorts. Lucille reminds Sharpe that they need money for the farm, and with this somewhat unconvincing prologue, Sharpe sets off for the New World with Harper - now obese after years of sampling his own wares at his pub in Ireland.

On the way to Chile, Sharpe and Harper meet Napoleon, who charms them and gives Sharpe a token to present to an "admirer" in Chile. This of course is false, and puts Sharpe at the mercy of the corrupt Spanish authorities in Chile because the token is actually a coded message from Napoleon to a local rebel.

The point of Cornwell's story is to have Sharpe fight alongside one of the era's true mavericks, Lord Cochrane. Cochrane is a famous sailor who has hired out his services to the Chilean rebels fighting against their Spanish overlords - he is the titular devil. Cochrane may have served as Patrick O'Brian's inspiration for Lucky Jack Aubrey, as the two characters are both audacious and lucky in battle as well as being completely useless in politics. But who could resist having Cochrane, the ultimate sailor, meet Sharpe, the ultimate soldier?

Unfortunately, while the novel has several promising elements - there is no such thing as a bad Bernard Cornwell novel - it does not hit the heights of the rest of the series. Perhaps most annoyingly, the Spanish foes Cochrane and Sharpe face have a disturbing tendency to run away. At several key moments, Sharpe and Cochrane would be dead if the local soldiers could mount a decent volley and bayonet charge, but instead they run away. Indeed, some forts are abandoned seemingly before they are even fired upon.

Ultimately, the enemies Sharpe, Harper and Cochrane face in "Devil" just aren't up to snuff. While the novel raises the intriguing notion of Napoleon heading to Chile to start another campaign, this obviously did not occur. Fans of Cornwell will probably read "Devil" anyway, but the book in no way constitutes an essential part of the Sharpe legend. Feel free to stop with "Waterloo" and check out Cornwell's other series if you haven't read them already.

This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.

I've read nearly all the full-length Sharpe books, and this is definitely the weakest. The plot is desultory and predictable, the characters thinly drawn, and worst of all, Harper is reduced to comic relief. I still read it - it's still Sharpe - but it's a disappointment. If you haven't read the other books in the series, I urge you to put this off until you can't stand waiting for Cornwell to come out with his next book. Chronologically, that should be easy, since this book takes place after Sharpe's been retired for a good long time.

Excellend adventure reading. I liked all Sharp stories.

Six years after the end of the Napoleonic wars, ex-Rifleman Richard Sharpe toils on his French wife's farm in Normandy. Times are a little tough, so when the fabulously wealthy wife of a former Spanish comrade asks him to travel to Chile to find her missing husband, he can't refuse the gold that comes with the request. Naturally, Sharpe rounds up the now-rotund and prosperous tavern-keeper Patrick Harper before setting sail for South America. Their vessel is a Spanish one, ferrying a number of patronizing and foppish Spanish officers who are off to fight the Chilean rebels (who are led by the intriguing half-Spanish, half-Irish gentleman Bernardo O'Higgins). These Spaniards decide to take a minor detour to St. Helena to gawk at the imprisoned Napoleon, and of course Sharpe and Harper can't resist the chance to pay their own respects. The ex-emperor is by now rotting away in his dank mansion, with peeling wallpaper, a poor wine-cellar, and a large British garrison to keep him company. Treated like a curiosity in a zoo, he is disdainful of the Spaniards, but is intrigued by Sharpe and Harper, who are clearly fellow warriors. Cornwell has a lot of fun with this section, as the two old soldiers talk shop, honor each other, and Sharpe, with his customary naivite is unwittingly drawn into intrigue.

Eventually, the ship arrives in Chile, where Sharpe is told the man he is seeking, Captain-General Vivar, is actually dead. Of course, Sharpe is suspicious when a body can't be produced, and soon he and Harper have run afoul of the thoroughly evil Spanish Governor-General Bautista. Events entertainingly run their course, and soon the dynamic duo find themselves on the side of the rebels seeking to eject the Spaniards from Chile. They come under the wings of Admiral Cochrane, a Scottish Lord turned rebel seaman, and all around adventurer. Cochrane is a wildly daring and bold leader, a real life figure of such improbability that many readers will want to rush out and read one of the biographies about his exploits (The Audacious Admiral Cochrane by and The Sea Wolf by being two). Once in Cochrane's company, the action ratchets up until the climactic battle at Valdivia, where the ragtag rebel navy crushed the entrenched and more numerous Spanish defenders in an audacious action, heralding an end to Spanish rule. The rout also allows Sharpe to unravel the mystery of what befell Captain-General Vivar, and of course, exact retribution on the nasty Bautista.

This is indubitably a change of pace and setting from the regular Sharpe books, but a welcome one. As always, the military action is well described, there are evil villains, interesting supporting characters, and a heavy dose of vivid personages from history on hand. It's hard to imagine anyone making the nominally drab topic of Chilean independence come alive more vividly than Cornwell does here. There's a lot packed into this one, and Cornwell even manages to raise the specter of one of history's more interesting "what ifs" via an audacious plot. All in all, great fun.

PS. Anyone interested in St. Helena is advised to read Harry Ritchie's excellent travel book, The Last Pink Bits, which has a good section on how the island fares in modern times.

This was a book that deserves to be read and reread. The protagonist is a complicated woman who has been on a spiritual journey across years and continents. I learned a lot about the Orthodox Jewish community in London.

I don't usually read novels like this (I'm not sure what genre to assign it) but I loved it.

I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. It discusses lesbianism and Orthodox judaism. How can one be true to oneself and to ones faith? Is it possible to do both? How can we live with our choices? What about parents with different beliefs? How can an Orthodox father relate to a non-Orthodox lesbian child?

It is an interesting book about the choices we make and religious faith. I was once a very devout catholic and I find books and novels about fervent believers interesting, especially when they consider GLBT issues. Speaking as a non-jew I believe this book is fairly respectful of Orthodox judaism.

I think even those less interested in GLBT issues will find this interesting as a novel whose main subject is the relationship between a father and child. They will also learn more about Orthodox jews and their beliefs and day to day life.

I'm making this sound like a dry textbook or treatise but it isn't. It is an interesting, well-written novel whose subjects are those I've mentioned above.

Although the writing is old fashioned by current American standards, I could not put this book down. I was driven to read it to the end, and then felt a loss when it was over. The ending perhaps is a little syrupy, and they lived happily ever after, each one making a compromise. It doesn't feel totally real, but it did touch me quite deeply.

Such a complex novel full of twists and turns! Just when I though I had things figured out plot-wise, something completely unexpected comes along! The fact that this book was written by an author who understands Jewish culture, having grown up in an Orthodox community in Great Britain no less, makes the reading all the more interesting. I see a kalaidescope of elements in this fictional work that I see among the community of people I know in real life.

Reading this book, I observed compassion carefully woven into the story on many fronts, from Ronit's father who comes to understand that Ronit is not happy growing up in an Ultra-Orthodox setting and makes a special allowance for her...to Ronit's understanding of the impact her actions can have on the lives of other people...to friend Dovid, who loves Esti as she was made--and Esti, who can love Dovid and Ronit both with such sincerity.

Naomi Alderman has also bridged an important gap. I noted that while many things she wrote could have come right out of Rev Krushka's bestseller and helped make me simply feel at home (observe the different fonts), they also served to introduce the uninitiated to important aspects of the Jewish cultural viewpoint vital to grasping the plot and its fascinating conclusion. Compassion and depth are two of these, briefly...if you are in the market for something unique and different imbued with the spice of life, please don't hesitate to pick this book!

Have tried a few recipes so far and they are nice. Only complaint is that "serves 4" really could be "serves 8", and some of the recipes would really only make enough food for two people to have dinner. Just pay attention to how much it calls for and then multiply or divide according to how much food you actually want to eat.

The recipes are very easy but I think maybe to simplistic. If you are not into cooking or not a good cook this is the book for you.

There was a variety of recipes and the ones I have made so far have been very good!

A simple little book, no frills or pictures, but surprisingly useful. Divided into four main categories--soups, salads, entrees, and sides--each recipe features beans, peas, and/or lentils. Many of the recipes are vegetarian/vegan, as well as some good recipes incorporating meat. The recipes aren't fancy or gourmet, but they're easy to prepare, healthy, and above all, quite tasty. If the book had pictures and a few exciting/unusual recipes for balance, I would give it five stars. Recommended for:
--beginning cooks
--busy/time-pressed cooks
--anyone wanting or needing to incorporate more legumes into their diet

If you like chili powder & green bell peppers you will like the main courses in this book. If you do not, I would find another cookbook.

I love this series, but was disappointed in this installment. It was a good mystery, and of course I enjoy the recurring characters, but the writing was really laden down with drawn out descriptions of Hawaii culture, traditions, history, etc. Seriously, you could have taken all of that out and had an entirely separate book. I found myself skimming across a lot of that to get back to the main plot. This definitely took away from my enjoyment of this book.

Event planner Madeline Bean and her partner Wes are planning a very special desitantion bachlorette party for their friend and co-worker Holly. This book is set in Hawaii where the party is to be held. As much as Madeline wants to just relax and enjoy her weekend, murder and mayhem seem to have a way of following her even to the beautiful island. Ms. Farmer's descriptions of the beautiful Hawaii are right on too. The book is told in its usually breezy style, and Madeline and her friends are like a breath of fresh air. This is a wonderful, light series (not lightweight though), but as suggested by others is best read in order. I for one can hardly wait for the next installment in Ms. Farmer's zany series.

Jerrilyn Farmer continues to develop the complexity and depth of Madeline Bean and her cohorts in this book. She demonstrates extensive knowledge of every aspect of her characters - over-the-top party planning, catering (great recipe!) and the intricacies of murder mystery. Well-developed plot with great twists and turns. I can't wait for the next book.

Sometimes a book just works, and this is one of them. I can't put my finger on a particular element that dazzled me, but it was simply well-crafted. The characters clearly served narrative purposes, but not annoyingly so. The subject of the mystery wasn't of great interest to me, but Farmer still made it work. And the ending, where all of the characters were gathered in one place and they all went off into the sunset with their own happy endings? Well, yes, that was a bit contrived, but it actually worked for me and gave me that satisfied feeling as I closed the book. My only question, and perhaps it will be answered more explicity as I read the others in the series, (this is my first Jerrilyn Farmer book, but I plan to read more) is when is Wes going to find a nice guy and pair off?

I really enjoy this series, but this installment wasn't as good as usual.

First off, there were way too many characters, which made things get confusing -- especially in the case of Holly's sisters. None of them added anything to the story, but the author seemed determined to not let them just fade into the background by giving them a line here or a word there. It would've been better to just not even have had them in the book. Then you add in all the Hawaiian characters and it was hard to keep track of so many people.

One of the things I enjoy most about this series is the entire cast -- Maddie, Wes and Holly. So it was disappointing to see Maddie go off on her own to solve this case that involved Holly without any assistance at all from her and Wes.

I also hate the "round up everyone mentioned in the book and stick 'em in the same place" kind of endings. Not only was everyone in the book at the final location, but suddenly you have all these characters back home who'd been mentioned showing up too. It was overkill. And it was an especially annoying way to end the book since we don't know how the current story ended. Does Holly get back together with Marvin? Does she stay in Hawaii or return to LA? I would've been more interested in finding that out and dealing with everyone else back in LA in the next installment.

Parts of the book read like a history lesson on Hawaii, but nevertheless, if you're a Maddie Bean fan, you'll enjoy spending a few hours with the gang.

With details of troop deployments and excerpts from speeches kings deliver to their men before battle, it becomes obvious it is unlikely that the details are historically accurate. Little time is spent discussing personal relationships; most of the stories revolve around battle. The book is easy reading for the most part. Some of the details offered before any given battle are hard to understand, but they rarely have a significant impact on the course of the plot. The price is more than fair, considering the volume of the book itself and the multitude of fantastic stories. Despite the fact that the work cannot be considered a true source of history, there is still a great deal of educational value.

I'm not sure why another reviewer asserts that "this is not a translation of the Latin HRB." Thorpe is translating the Latin Historia Regum Britanniae from the Cambridge MS. 1706 (see p. 34 of Thorpe's intro).

Geoffrey composed the History of the Kings of Britain ca. 1136-38. It is a medieval chronicle, and it adheres to the standards of historiography of the time. While it does not provide the kind of coherent reading experience one might expect from a modern novel, it does offer early versions of what will become familiar tales. Most Arthurian courses (including mine) begin with excerpts from this book--which places the figure of Arthur and his prototypes somewhere in the twilight between Late Antique history and medieval romantic legend. Later vernacular versions of the HRB will be Layamon's Brut (in early Middle English) and Wace's Roman de Brut (in Anglo-Norman French).

Geoffrey was probably Welsh, and some believe that he writes the HRB to please the Norman ascendancy as they have defeated the Anglo-Saxons (the old enemy of the Welsh) a few generations earlier.

In The History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey of Monmouth presents a detailed history of the Britons, beginning with Brutus in the twelfth century B.C. and ending with Saxon invasion in the seventh century A.D. Through the main characters of his book, Brutus, Belinus and Arthur, Geoffrey illustrates Britain's glorious past, recalling the events in chronological sequence and providing detailed descriptions of every event, especially those strategic to the building of Britain.
While Geoffrey's source has yet to be proved, in his own introduction, Geoffrey claims to follow a reliable and ancient source given to him by a friend. The lack of evidence to support this claim, coupled with the supernatural elements incorporated into The History of the Kings of Britain, makes it difficult for the modern reader to place complete trust in the text as a historical account of Britain's history. The text is, however, rich in historical value as from his writing, one can deduce much about the political structure of Britain in that time frame, as well as the sociological makeup of the nation. The emphasis on politics, war and international relations, form a rough picture of Britain's power system, and the lengthy stories revolving around his characters give the reader insight on the lives of the British nobility.
The History of the Kings of Britain deserves as much credit (if not more) for its literary value as its historical one. While Geoffrey considers himself a historian, his artistic talents, fluency and extensive use of vocabulary bring his accounts to life, turning the text into an enjoyable literary piece. Especially in key passages (in particular those concerning Arthur), Geoffrey makes very fine and detailed points, often narrating livelily.
Lastly, Geoffrey writes "to be read by the solitary reader, not to be declaimed aloud...recital." While unable to resist the temptation to exalt certain characters he favor, Geoffrey is sensitive to leave much room for the reader's imagination. The experience of reading Geoffrey includes filling in the gaps in his stories with speculations of your own, giving every reader a personal "version" of the book.
The History of the Kings of Britain is both an acclaimed literary piece and a famous historical account. The richness of its text lies in the careful description of the events, and the accessible style of writing. A marvelous attempt at introducing Britain's early history, the History of the Kings of Britain also provides one of the greatest accounts of the Arthurian legend.

Geoffrey's "The History of the Kings of Britain" is an engaging book about the King's who ruled over Britain and the great deeds they accomplished. I will concentrate particularly on the tales concerning Uther Pendragon and Arthur, since these are the characters that, in one way or another, helped form the image of Arthur we relate to in today's society.
The book is, for the most part, event driven. Geoffrey describes one battle after the next after the next. It is almost certain that he will name each and every important character just as he will explain what happens to them at one point or another. He takes great care in describing how the battles take place. You can be sure he will never miss a name. Although these and other little details about battles and events are interseting, they do not make up for the lack of insight into the characters lives, especially Arthur's.
Throughout the novel it is possible to get a feeling that Geoffrey continues to try and convince us that Arthur is the noblest and most generous of men. Arthur's actions, however, don't always seem to be so. Was his generosity true at heart, or was it a form of subtle bribery to keep his people's and allies favor? Why was Arthur so eager to enter battle, one after another, despite losing so many of his mens lives? Geoffrey does a good job of "telling" us of Arthur's greatness, but does a poor job of "showing" it.
Despite these minor flaws, The History of the Kings of Britain is, if not historically acurate, at least entertaining. The constant battles, change of events and the casual appearance of supernatural powers gives the book that old, medieval feel. As for the text, it is not difficult to understand. Some effort is required to completly comprehend the events taking place, but it's nothing too time consuming. Personally, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about conquest, battles and anything relating to King Arthur.

I had to read some parts of this book for class and there were times when I was so confused by the writing that I had to reread parts three or four times. At other times I had no problem understanding what was going on. Overall, it is an enjoyable read if you are interested in how biographies were written in the middle ages and if you don't take every word seriously since the author wasn't very faithful to history.