Bean Books

There's not just one conflict of interest in this legal drama, but several, as families and colleagues of the prosecuting protagonist sort out their lives while sorting out a complex couple of murders. Families are torn, and healing takes place in unexpected ways. Teens rebel, then rather quickly find their center of maturity. Lawyers on opposite sides of a case find an unlikely romance, and a detective's mysterious background makes him a valuable asset in solving other mysteries. An excellent light read, with enough character development to maintain interest, as well as the requisite pleasant surprises at the ending.

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is one of the recognized big shots in the legal thriller genre, a name that stands right alongside Lisa Scottoline or Perri O'Shaughnessy as top women legal thriller authors. Her debut work Mitigating Circumstances & the subsequent Interest of Justice were marvelous reads, & I was looking somewhat on those lines when I started Conflict of Interest. However, it's not on par with the author's other works.

Joanne Kuhlman, a feisty & dedicated District Attorney is assigned the task of bringing to book three defendants accused of robbery, Tom & Gary Rubinsky & the developmentally disabled, Ian Decker. Decker's attorney Arnold Dreiser, & his mother insist that Ian was a victim of exploitation by the Rubinsky brothers, & that he did not know that he was committing a crime. Kuhlman is sympathetic towards Decker but cannot bring herself to believe that he should be absolved from liability. A couple of days later Decker disappears & it is feared that he might have been done away with by the Rubinsky brothers. A mysterious telephone call that Decker has been killed prompts Kuhlman to investigate more into the matter & what follows is a suspense-filled adventure where the attorney finds the half-truths & the full truths.

Conflict of Interest, like other Rosenberg works is action- & plot-packed. However, readers looking for legal drama or courtroom action concerning the nature of liability that can be fixed upon a developmentally disabled person are bound to be disappointed, as the work does not delve much into this aspect, though the author acknowledges that the issue is of great significance.

On a side-track, there is the story of Kuhlman's troubles with her former husband, there is also a flashback of the life of Eli Connors, a former CIA Agent who keeps a watch on Joanne from any possible attack from her former husband. However these sub plots & stories scantily help in character building or in plot building in the final scheme of things.

Personally, I feel that an ideal ending for the work should have been a courtroom drama where the issue of the developmentally disabled are brought to light, as John Grisham did with The Chamber when he brought to fore the justifiability of the death penalty; or, the rights & privileges of gays & AIDS patients as Ron Nyswaner did with Philadelphia (yes, the Tom Hanks movie!); & the reader be given the opportunity to delve more into the legal issue & form his own opinion.

The author missed a golden opportunity to deal in the same manner to bring to fore legal issues of the nature of liability of developmentally disabled persons.

As an ordinary thriller the book is engrossing, but for the devotees of Rosenberg novels, Conflict of Interest is a disappointment. The blurb promises a lot, but in the end it's just not up to the Rosenberg standard.

This book, like all of the books I have read by Nancy Taylor Rosenburg, is awesome. I couldn't put it down! She has a way of making a leisurely activity into a full-time job. Kudos to the author.

The author doesn't stay true to her characters. The plot may have been a good one but she's telling to many stories in one book and no one stays true to their character. What is anyone's motivation! Only the criminals make sense.

Joanne Kuhlman has been through a lot the last couple of years. Her children were kidnapped by her husband who is now spending time in jail awaiting his trial for those charges plus embezzlement. Since their return, she has had nothing but trouble from her 15-year old daughter, Leah. The child adores her father and believes every word he said about Joanne while he had them hidden away from her.

Now, on top of the ongoing repercussions from that situation, she is faced with prosecuting three young men for armed robbery and car theft. The problem is, one of those men, Ian, is developmentally disabled. Ian's handsome attorney, Arnold Dreiser, is trying to convince Joanne that Ian was forced into the very small part he played in the robbery. Joanne, however, doesn't have the time or the inclination right now to be sympathetic or give Ian a chance.... at first.

When she finally relents to at least look at his school and psychological records, Joanne finds evidence that Arnold may be right. That possibility gets put on the back burner, however, when Ian turns up missing--presumably having gone on the run. His mother is convinced otherwise when she receives an anonymous phone call that her son has been murdered by his "buddies" and gives her an idea of where to search for his body.

Joanne is filled with guilt and finds herself facing more than one conflict of interest.... helping the mother of the boy she was prosecuting and falling in love with his attorney who has become her investigative partner. And while all of these things are happening, the unexpected is taking place right beneath their noses.

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Nancy Taylor Rosenberg almost joins the ranks of Brad Meltzer and John Grisham with this latest novel full of legal suspense. The one thing that holds her back is the plot that temporarily resembles Swiss cheese with all its holes. As the story unfolds, tidbits of intriguing information are laid out here and there that make the reader wonder if this is a sequel. Thankfully, a sprinkling of explanations is given for each unanswered question as the book progresses. The manner in which this is done, however, causes it to appear as though some of the information was put in as afterthoughts.

Approximately, 75 percent into the book, all the previous grievances will be forgotten as the reader is suddenly drawn into shocking situations. Events have twisted to reveal a secret that no one could have expected. And, although the ending tends to be a bit "too good to be true", the story evens out to be quite a pleasurable read indeed.

My interest in poisons and their facinating link to mankind is longstanding.It stretches back to my youth when I saw an old Charles Bronson movie called The Mechanic.There was a scene toward the end where Jon Michael Vincent poisons his mentor and utters the word "Brusine" and then goes on to explain its action,effect and knows full well the outcome,rapid death.That planted the seed in my brain as to the secret world of poisons and has since stimulated my interest.The knowledge of this unique subject matter as it pertains to the public health as well as my family's and my own, especially in these dangerous times we live in only help to enforce in me a need to understand not only the cause and mechanism of injury but the antidotes and cures.Unless one is a trained toxicologist there really is no reason to review such information aside from casual entertainment or in my case practical application and cure.This book does touch upon many aspects of historical poisoning and offers some interesting tidbits of poison throughout the world's evolution.However it does not have a good flow and most often superficially touches upon the subject matter.It does offer food for thought and can be used as a starting point for deeper research but on the whole it does not satisfy.As other reviewers have indicated there are curious grey boxes noted throughout the book akin to the kind you see in textbooks.My question is why are they there? The information could have easily been incorporated into the body of the text. The thought process and overall presentation of ideas are fragmented,jumbled and frequently caused a sense of irritation while reading.Some poisons are broken down to the bio-chemical and cellular level, something someone with a PH.D or medical background could understand yet some are scantily touched upon for perhaps someone at the high school level to grasp.This uneveness is what I'm talking about.I must admit it did take an effort to stay with it and finish it to the end.If one is looking for a more comprehensive text on the subject of poison keep looking, trust me, they are out there but I'll let you discover them on your own.This tome is for the casual reader of this subject but not for the serious student of toxicology.I really hate to knock a book but 2 stars is all I can give here. Save your money.

Macinnis takes a difficult subject -- the history of toxins complete with chemistry lessons -- and makes it witty and entertaining without loosing any of the fascinating details. Whether a historian curious about poison, a writer in need of a dangerous muse, or simply the man off the street unsure what might be looking in his next drink, this book will satisfy.

Macinnis wavers from one topic to the next, with no clear thesis or story, and definitely no structure or method to any particular topic. Even the anecdotal tales--which comprise the vast majority of the half of this book i suffered--are merely a jumbled rant. This appears to be a desperate man's attempt at a quick dollar. He's taken a historically, biologically, socially, criminally, and chemically interesting topic and put less thought into it than a 4th grader writing a tired book report on a forced assignment.

I rarely feel compelled to write book reviews, but this book was so unusual that I felt I had to. "Poisons" has its interesting moments, but as several other reviewers have mentioned the author has an annoying habit of rambling and failing to follow through with topics that have been brought up. The analogy desribed in one of the reviews of throwing a stack of index cards with notes into the air and then randomly arranging them into a book is particularly apt. I almost didn't continue after reading the first chapter, which seemed almost like reading a pure stream of consciousness. The gray sidebars continue to confuse me, as there seems to be no rhyme nor reason why these passages were set apart from the main text. Granted the topic is broad in both its scientific and historical scope, and much of the information is good, but the lack of solid editing has made this book a chore to read.

In this very entertaining and authoritative book, the author discusses various types of poisons, their effects and their uses throughout the ages. Some of these discussions are rather technical, but readers who are less interested in these details and, as a result, fly over them will not lose track of the book's main story lines. Since it appears that various poisons can be found in so many different places in nature, it's a wonder that the human race has managed to survive. Although this is a serious book about a serious subject, the author's choice of words renders the prose at times tongue-in-cheek and at times downright humorous. Complete with a glossary of poisons as well as a bibliography, this book should be enjoyed by anyone.

Listen to Your Heart by Fern Michaels is a delightful, joyous, uplifting story. It has a gentle plot and a feeling of sunshine throughout. The reader can almost smell the flowers and the Southern cuisine. If you are a pet lover, you will delight in the antics and personalities of the animal characters. Don't be put off by the sourpusses who want gritty plots. This is one happy book and not to be missed. I highly recommend it!

I have been a long-time fan of Fern Michaels, but occasionally you run into one of her novels that does not sound as if she wrote it. Late Bloomer, No Place Like Home, and Cinders to Satin were wonderful reads. Her book The Future Scrolls was disappointing and defintiely not of the same caliber. Unfortunately Listen to Your Heart is another example of one of her poorer writing efforts.

While reading Listen to Your Heart I couldn't help but wonder if this was written by a member of a stable of writers that call themselves Fern Michaels, a very junior member.

The story line was contrived and predictable. The characters were shallow, and the conversations unbelievable. There was no plot development, save for the detailed explanations given during conversations between the characters. One example is the first time that one of the principle characters, Josie, meets a new business client. The client compliments her on her place of business. Jose responds by saying,

"My sister and I have only been here three years. Our parents operated the catering service until their death. There was a gas-line explosion that killed them. This has all been redone and landscaped. We added more flowers, some shrubbery, and we repainted the ladybugs and the cottage. I apologize for the condition of the carpet, but we had a bit of an accident this morning. I had to take the screen door to the hardware store for repairs and didn't get to the floor. Step carefully."

Please, enough! Information overload! Poor writing. Skip this one.

This book has the potential for a wonderful love story, but I felt it was written in a rush. First of all, there were mistakes that weren't even caught, using the wrong names for characters, Paul when it should have been Jack, etc.

I really felt I was reading an "abridged" version of the book, there was no time to get to know the characters, no development of their relationships, no detail into their past. I felt more like I was watching a movie. My first Fern Michaels novel, and a bit of a disappointment.

Josie runs a catering business with her twin sister Kitty after her parents' death. Josie's only relationship is with her dog when suddenly Paul and his giant Boxer smash into her life.

This was the most pathetically contrived book I've read in a long time. I really have little respect for a romance that goes from "I'm not sure I like him" to "Let's get married" with little or no development. This book did that and had little else to redeem itself. Even the lush setting of New Orleans was barely explored. The dialogue was pure torture, rambling sentences and interruptions. Sure, the dog thing is cute, but it will only get you so far in a romance.

This is my first Fern Michaels book.

This was a pleasant story about a "work alcholic" twin and the love she finally meets. The story tells a lot of details about life in the "richer" part of the south and paints a real good picture in your mind so it is easy to see the setting. The story centers around a maltese and a boxer (dog) and their owners. It is love at first sight for the dogs and this leads to some rather humorous situations.

I did think that the book was VERY predictable as to what would happen next which I found to be a bit dissapointing. Which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

I did find all of the references to the "dead mother" giving signs a bit far fetched and I thought it actually took away from the story.

This refers to the unabridged audio version.

The Cornstalk Man is a novel that disturbs the reader in all the right ways. Crocker's writing is unique and poignant, carrying the reader through a variety of emotions till the very end. This is definitely a novel for a reader who wants to be affected by the story; you will continue to think about the vivid characters and intricate plot months after you've read it.

Rebecca Thompson "Sis" is eight years old. She lives in a small town in Missouri with "Mamma", her older brother who is just hitting puberty, Will, and Cynthia who is the eldest at twenty. Sis is the narrator of the story and is basically left in the dark during the entire story. She has no idea why Mamma goes into dark funks and rages. She has no idea that all the vengeful schemes Mamma does and involves her children in is abnormal. However, the whole town knows that Mamma has a mental disorder but never does anything about it to help the kids. The year is 1970 for the tale, which explains things a bit since little was known about Mamma's illness, Bipolar Disorder back then.

** Be warned that you, as the reader, may be offended at some of the sexual content. Sis is involved in a bit with Cynthia at one point. Had I known about it, I would not have read the book. So consider yourself forewarned! Be aware that there is A LOT of cursing. (Much more so than I, as a bipolar, and the bipolars I know of ever do.) The author gave me the impression that this is a poor, trashy family.

The writing is flawless, but the way Sis describes things confused me at points. However, I was able to eventually figure out what was meant. It just took a few scenes for the images to solidify in my mind. All in all, this is tale is too complicated, leaving me confused and often thinking about just quitting. If you are just looking for symptoms of bipolars, this book will definitely show them to you. But if you are looking for just an entertaining read, pass on this one. **

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I wasn't about to review this book because I don't like giving bad reviews. And also because I enjoy Crocker's poems and short stories not to mention the other products put out by GBP, a good small press. I write this because the other reviewers seem either to have an axe to grind or are bed buddies with the author. This novel (though slim is definitely not comparable to Hearts of Darkness, Old Man And The Sea as far as quality versus length). Cornstalk Man is a misfire. A valley in a career which I'm sure will be stellar. Crocker was just out of his depth with this book and it shows. Even at 133 pages the plot creaks and groans. After twenty pages I was ready for it to end. The characters are caricatures. Though he has a daughter, he seems to be clueless as to how to write from the point of view of a young girl. The dialogue is very weak. Implausible. Only bad words come to mind during the two and a half hours I read this book. I was very very disappointed. Crocker is capable of so much more as his excellent short stories have shown. It's foolish to call this novel "poop" or "masterful". It's just a trunk novel that should have stayed there. Here's hoping Crocker's next book lives up to his potential

THE CORNSTALK MAN by Daniel Crocker: I've always been interested in
reading Crocker's work, particularly his short fiction, although it's
often hit-or-miss. I'm either stunned by the originality and intensity
of his work, or find it utterly forgettable. Could Crocker hold out
for nearly 140 pages? Could he weave story elements throughout a vast
canvass, rather than in short, intense bursts? Well, there are loads
of short, intense bursts - particularly from the protaganist's sweetly

deranged mother - yet this novel, like all good pieces of fiction, is
well thought-out, intricately plotted, and altogether a dark,
delicious read. The plot left behind a succulantly sour taste in my
mind, sort of like week-old spiral-cut ham, so tasty while devoured in
a mad hunger, but the lingering specks and orts between the teeth ooze
filth onto your tongue long after the indulgence. Food for thought...
this is a good thing. The dangerous mental shadow of the Cornstalk Man
hovers as subtext for so many other demons the Thompson family faces,
as secret after secret unravels in a wild several months of Mamma's
treacherous rebellion against the town that despises her. She
fearlessly betrays her children, while using them as pawns in her
sabotage. Yet, in her mind she is just, and there is a loving mother
beneath the vicious freak with, by far, the foulest mouth I've
encountered in print in quite some time. This one is worth the $12,
plus the full-color cover is a work of art in and of itself.

Christopher M, Editor of First Class, a literary journal

This is crap. You can't just sit down and poop out your little, and I mean "little", novel and think that people should want to read it. I'm so sick of MFA programs that produce people that think they can write because they have a degree. They'll work to have their poo poo published anywhere, and there are crappy little presses like Green Bean Press that will publish their work. Then they run around saying, "I have a novel" when all they really have is a bad case of gas. This isn't good writing. It's poop. Pure poop.

Short fiction doesn't get any better than what Green Bean Press has been putting out in the last few years. Nathan Graziano's work is compelling, hilarious, and well worth the cover price. I used two of the stories in my Creative Writing class and my students loved them.

I love short story collections because you don't have to read them all at once, they're perfect for something complete when you just have a small amount of time, like a bus ride. However, I couldn't put Frostbite down once I started it. There are some recurring characters and everything takes place in the same area, but all the stories stand strong on their own. The author is really good at dialogue and grounding you in this new england landscape where everything is cold and everyone is a little trapped. The stories are sharply funny and sometimes sad. I definitely think this book is worth reading and Nathan Graziano is someone to look for in the future.

Graziano's collection of stories gives the reader a glimpse into the lives of young adults attempting to define their place among chaos. These characters, though riddled with personal imperfections, leave you sympathetic to their quest for self-fulfillment and meaningful relationships. Witty and unpretentious; it is a must read for those who have ever experienced confusion, disillusion or disappointment.

A _Dubliners_ for the Gen X sect, Graziano's work of short stories skillfully encapsulates the frustration and monotony of living lean in a small town with little hope for escape. Although the characters' lives are often intertwined, they're for the most part frozen in their own isolation and regret. The final story, "Nor'easter", offers a glimpse of real connection and, maybe, transcendence. Beneath the deadpan journalistic style, there's a great deal of pathos and humor. Especially amusing was "The Big Gig," told from the perspective of a convenience store drone-cum-would-be punk rock star who struggles to hold onto his convictions in the face of certain failure, and the opener "Padlocked," about a college student whose obsession with his diminutive, enigmatic roommate's secret habits yields disaster. An excellent first effort, I look forward to reading more.

Graziano's debut fiction (he has written some supposedly-good poetry) is inspiring. Inspiring, that is, to other writers who wonder if they could ever be published. While his crude humor sometimes conned a chuckle out of me, all in all his overuse of profanity and self-pleasuring references gives this book a decidedly puerile tone. If you have never drank and scratched your way through college and feel you missed out, then this collection of short stories is for you. Otherwise spend your $19 and two hours elsewhere.

This is the third book on The Adept series and it is finally one that can be read without yawning. I wouldn't call it a late-night-turn-the-pager as advertised but is more interesting then the previous books. A major disapointment, starting in book two, is the fact that the developing relation between Adam/Ximena and Pergegrin/Julia is reduced to a few sentences where the reader is informed that something is going on. Especially with Adam where we are told in an entire! paragraph about a relation that is supposedly going on for over a year. In Peregrins case we are suprised with the fact that they are marrying. I would have expected more interaction between the characters prior to engagement. Especially as the plots dragged on and there would have been ample room for that. At least this book has an interesting prologue and Peregrin gets a bit more involved than only being the servant of Adam. Even if it is only at the beginning, but it is a start.

Although the book bore no resemblance to the synopsis whatsoever, I found it to be a most enjoyable addition to the series thus far. Readers of the previous novels in this series will find themselves able to jump right in where they left off, with little or no refreshing of their memories.
I have only two issues that I feel are worth mentioning. One, there is a point in the book where DCI McLeod is waiting for a phone call from a fellow Detective. A misprint will confuse the reader, as Noel says that he will ask "Scanlan" a question that needs asking. Unfortunately, "Scanlan" is not the name of the detective Noel is waiting to hear back from. It is the name of the victim in the case they are working on. If the reader is not sharp, this error will cause a bit of confusion for a moment or two.
Secondly, I feel that the story line involving Sir Adam's hit and run patient was left glaringly unfinished. Perhaps we will see this story line brought to some sort of conclusion in the next installation of the series.

All-in-all though, minor quibbles aside, I would have to say that Kurtz and Turner-Harris have supplied another wonderful addition to the series. I polished it off in a matter of hours and found myself re-involved in the lives of characters that I hadn't visited in months. It was enjoyable, fast-paced and intriguing. Well done!

PLEASE PLEASE .............
MORE OF THE ADEPT. ALL OF THE BOOKS ARE GREAT READING..
COULD SPEND HOURS RAVING ABLUT THIS SERICES.
PLEASE MORE THAN JUST 5.

I loved "Dagger Magic" and the other Adept novels. I would not recomend it for serious reading, but it is fun and imaginative, and had interesting devolopments of the Adept World View. Some readers may be put off by it's glimpse in the life of Adam Sinclair Style, and the fact that the supposed main focus of the book is stuck in the last quarter of it. I still found my emotions aroused, and my imagination put to the test. Perhaps it should not go down in literary history, but it has inspired me to read the other Adept books, I have already read the first one.

At first blush DAGGER MAGIC seems to have all the elements that make up a really well told thriller. The fourth book in THE ADEPT series concerns the discovery of sacred oriental black magic texts on board a derelict Nazi submarine, and an evil Tibetan monk who turns out to be an Ubermensch hiding incognito.

Ludlum, Follett and Forsyth could do no better in creating mesmerizing plot elements. Added to this, DAGGER MAGIC has a wonderful subplot about a character's past life incarnation that is impinging disastrously on the present day. Kurtz and Turner Harris' writing is detailed and gives the reader a fine sense of place.

So why only two stars?

Essentially because although DAGGER MAGIC is a quality work it's becoming very evident that THE ADEPT is getting tired. After taking a hiatus from the Lodge of the Lynx in THE TEMPLAR TREASURE, Kurtz and Turner Harris have yoked this novel to the further adventures of Lynx-Master Francis Raeburn. Somehow, you know you've read it before. It's obvious from the outset that Raeburn is going to manage to elude Sir Adam Sinclair's Hunting Lodge yet again, leading us into Book Five.

Frankly, Raeburn isn't that interesting or that evil. Kurtz and Turner Harris haven't given the character any depth or complexity. He may be the Master of a Black Lodge but he's far too au courant to make you cheer for his downfall. Raeburn is a caricature of a nasty politician or a bad boss, not a picture of a man dedicated to all forms of wickedness. He seems to have no particular vices other than a yen for personal power, and so what? In short, Aleister Crowley he ain't.

What the esteemed Lynx-Master should be doing is seducing schoolgirls, smoking opium, and funding assassination squads, not examining ancient grimoires with a magnifying glass. What a dangerous pastime for a man to cultivate. The worst thing I can say about Raeburn is that he's rude and treats the servants like coolies. Hardly a fit heir for all the evils of the world.

By making their primary bad guy such a milquetoast, Kurtz and Turner Harris have practically guaranteed that the epic battle between good and evil that is the backbone of this series degenerates into a proxy fight between the impeccably tailored Sir Adam and the equally impeccably tailored Raeburn.

I'd like to like this book. The earlier volumes all have a quirky charm which is not missing here, but this book probably would be much better if the authors had put less effort into moving their continuing plotline along and more into good plain storytelling. As it is, despite it's strengths, DAGGER MAGIC doesn't stick with you.

I'll admit some of the other reviewers were right: there's no real plot and the characters' actions dun make sense. But its really a great beach read.
:) But I'm biased cuz I'm a sucker for jealous lovers.

This amazing book by Matt Christopher is awsome.It's about a boy named Koby who plays for the Cardinals and is the teams best pitcher but to to go along with the pitcher you have ta have a catcher witch his name is Tug.When a T.V. crew comes along and wants to learn about Middle school life but they want to follow around one person witch is koby.Can koby take the heat from being followed around by a camra crew are will he lose his friends?If you want to find out what happens read THE PRIME TIME PITCHER.

Assured she will be granted a network position, Andrea Malone is determined to get the coveted interview with a retired General. Her only problem is that she has to get by his son, Lyon Ratiff first.

Andrea and Lyon irritate and annoy each other from first sight, but are undeniably drawn to each other.

I can tell this is an early work for SB. The characters are not as well developed, and a lot of attention to detail is missed.

PRIME TIME was originally published under the pseudonym of Rachel Ryan.

This is a story about a TV reporter, Andrea Malone who wants a network job. She's sure an interview with a retired US General in Texas will get that job for her if she can reveal his reason for the self-imposed seclusion. The only thing she has trouble with is his son, Lyon Ratiff. The anger, suspicion and uneasiness leads to love. Wow, does anything not lead to love with Sandra Brown?

PRIME TIME has a good story line, but nothing surprising in the plot line. The characters are strong but not as developed as they could be. If more depth were given to the characters, it may have led to a few twists and turns that were unexpected and would keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat!. Don't change your schedule to fit this book in, just use it to stop gaps in your schedule and you'll be happy!

I'm wondering how Brown has the ability to write great novels such as WHITE HOT or SUNNY CHANDLER'S RETURN and then waste her time and efforts on PRIME TIME which was so lame. Not one aspect of Prime Time was developed. The characters lacked depth, the plot itself was thin and boring, and the dialogue was cliche and predictable.

I wouldn't even recommend this book to die-hard Brown fans.

I like this book for the most part and have gotten some good ideas from it but I only gave it three stars because it's confusing.
For example, in the 9 to 12 month section there is a recipe for honey glazed corn. Both of which are potential allergens. I'm pretty sure the US recommendation is not to give kids raw honey until after a year. There's also a lot of cheese, butter and milk in recipes in the 6 to 9 month section. Also confusing to me. Other books I have say to avoid dairy, especially milk until after a year.
The author is British, so maybe things are different over there? Whcih I also find confusing. The whole allergy thing is confusing to me and the introduction of certain foods. No baby food I've read does an adequate job of explaining the introduction schedule. Is the delay of certain foods because of the likelyhood of survivial if the baby has a serious allergic reaction of is it more to do with the ability to disgest certain foods due to maturity of the digestive system? Does any one really know? I've heard that in India watery peanut butter is baby's first food!
But any way, there are some good ideas in here, although I have largely ignored the age sections.
I also agree with the other posters and would like some healthier ideas, including more vegan alternatives and baking with whole wheat, flax, less sugar! How about no sugar.
Cathe Olson's books: Simply Natural Baby Food has some great ideas and she also has a good family cookbook called Vegetarian Mother's... something. Good healthy ideas for the entire family.

I read and re-read this book for the first year of my son's life. I got wonderful recipe ideas and advice on freezing, too. My son enjoyed my purees very much. I always get compliments on what a "good eater" he is.
As we're not vegetarians, I also used, "Healthy Baby Meal Planner". These two books were a perfect pair for me.
A very pleasurable, informative book. When I have number two, I'll go right back to page one..no new books necessary!

I was given this book by my lovely sister in law for my 2 children. Unfortunately, whilst the recipes sound lovely and they do work out, my family disliked all of them! I liked them but I am the only vegetarian in the house. I guess it depends what type of food you like. If you like the ingredients you will probably like the recipes. So if you are a vegetarian you will probably think it is great! Otherwise you may have a lot of converting to do.

When my family and I became vegan, I needed some help with recipes for children. I found very few specifically vegan resources, and hoped that this book might have some vegan recipes.

It doesn't, and since it doesn't claim to be vegan that isn't a problem.

The problem, for me, is that the ingredients butter, cream, whole milk, and cheese are all throughout the book, most recipes containing more than one of those ingredients. I really can't imagine a baby or toddler being healthy eating SO MUCH saturated fat and cholesterol. Yes, their dietary needs are somewhat different from adults, but not so very different.

I was not able to try the recipes, but I rather think it should be a recipe book celebrating dairy and eggs. If you want to feed your kids lots of full-fat dairy and egg products, this is the book for you whether you are vegetarian or not.

If you want low-fat, whole-grain, vegetable-containing foods children will eat, skip this book altogether.

Cute little drawings all over, easy to read. No nutritional info for each recipe. The recipes are organized by age of the baby. For instance, one chapter is called "First Flavors: 4-6 months" and another is called "Texture and Taste: 6-9 months."

The basic baby purees are pretty much vegan. Once you get into the recipes at 6 mos and over, there is a lot of egg, milk or dairy and will require adapting for a vegan family. Some of the adaptions are simple -- just using rice or soy milk instead of cow milk, others will require more experience with vegan cookery to make it come out right like in the baked goods.

I wonder about some of the selections because they use strong tasting ingredients like cabbage, curries, etc. An adult might enjoy them but I wonder how agreeable it would be for a baby? There is an effort though to keep the tone of the recipes simple and appealing to the average person.

The little smiley and unhappy faces with the boxes under each recipe is useful to check off how baby reacted to the food for future reference. Not a whole lot of margin space to write adaption or more comments though. Because a babies tastes change over time, I would have liked more space to note when I tried it again how baby reacted. Maybe several lines of happy and unhappy faces with a space to add the date?

Overall, it's a cute collection, and looks fun, but while I appreciate the effort to put together something that babies could deal with and create meals for adults that "pull out baby portions" easily for a toddler, I would have found it more useful if it had these things:

Notations for nutritional info per recipe.

If the recipe was vegan, ovo-, lacto- or lacto- ovo- with some kind of symbol

If the recipe freezes well with some kind of symbol

Space in back to write down allergies, etc.

More margin space to write down comments

Bruce Dessau's book begins with his childhood and school life at St. Bees, then into his gradual abandonment of a science degree (he was expected to go into electrical engineering) and onto the theatre, where via connections to the Oxbridge mafia, he got the biggest breaks and the funniest lines.

Influences? Jacques Tati's Mr. Hulot character, whose tics and twitches he memorized during his time at St. Bees. The significance of this is that it helped him in his technique of using silent comedy, miming even, to get laughs. Coupled with the faces he pulled in front of a mirror to gain a rubbery-faced elasticity that rivalled Jim Carrey, we can see the beginnings of Mr. Bean. Naturally, Monty Python is an influence, as it aired when he was 15 years old. John Cleese's nasty sarcasm was later felt in each of the Blackadders, as well as his portrayal of hideous comedy star Ron Anderson in his first starring movie, The Tall Guy, opposite Jeff Goldblum.

There are a lot of comparisons between him and Cleese, come to think of it. Each of them had many years behind them, cutting their teeth on TV series, working with other performers, never being in something for too long, before making it big.

In terms of his TV series, there's quite a lot devoted to each of them: Not The Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder, Mr. Bean, and the Thin Blue Line. Brief plots are given of each episode, as well as major performers who appear as guest stars, such as Miranda Richardson, Rik Mayall (The Young Ones), and Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter movies). It is with the third series of Black Adder (my personal favourite) that he won BAFTAs (the British equivalent of the Emmys and Oscars).

Mr. Bean, despite being his breakthrough series, was not only his fulfillment to create a comedy that could be more universal instead of being directed strictly at British tastes, was in a way the culmination of sketches he did on stage in the late 1970's, so it was basically old material (e.g. face shaving routine) refined. The movie was a success here, but because it was so Hollywoodized, was panned quite a bit in Britain.

Atkinson though comes through as a genius who despite striving to be a perfectionist, realizes that perfectionism unhealthily reduces someone to a bundle of ragged nerves. More an introvert, he is two different people, a comic onstage, a very private person offstage.

At this point, the Bean movie seems to be the pinnacle of his American success, but has the backlash happened? Sure, he came out the painfully jejune Rat Race, but Johnny English may be his saving grace, as Hollywood seems at a loss how to use him optimally. Then again, he didn't quite break into movies, as the book points out. Most of his movie roles have been minor (Never Say Never Again, Hot Shots Part Deux, Four Weddings And A Funeral). Yet through this book and from the time I noticed him in Not The Nine O'Clock News, the thing I've learned is never to anticipate what Rowan Atkinson will do next. Overall, a well-done book that casts Atkinson in a positive light and recommended for those who want to find out more on Britain's most talented comic since John Cleese.

Something of a lesson in not judging a book by its cover (or the blurb on the back). After purchasing this book, I was disappointed to learn in the opening acknowledgements that this was an unauthorized biography and that not even one of Atkinson's friends or close business associates agreed to be interviewed by Bruce Dressau, which in my mind, somewhat discredits the biography. On the other hand, if you're an American who didn't stumble upon Blackadder until it began airing on public television in the 90's (the way I did), this book isn't a bad read. It closely follows his career from his Oxford days up through The Thin Blue Line, which was interesting, especially when you see that seeds of certain characters (particularly Mr. Bean) took root early on in his career. Other than that, though, don't expect to gain any insight as to Rowan Atkinson the man, because there isn't any. The author tries to draw parallels between things like Atkinson's love of cars and his performing (if I had the book by my side now I'd subject you to the metaphor)but they just don't fly. I also realized, after reading the book, that the numerous articles that he quotes from (since no one was willing to talk to him) are mostly available on the internet. So while I'm willing to say that I learned something about British comedy and Rowan Atkinson, in the end I was still disappointed.

This biography is an excellent account of the various television shows, films and stage productions that Rowan Atkinson has performed in during the course of his career. Starting with some plays that he did as a school-boy, it continues right up to the year 2000 with his Comic Relief CURSE OF THE FATAL DEATH sketches and the BLACKADDER BACK AND FORTH one-off special. Unfortunately, while the book is bursting at the seams with information and facts about his professional life, we never really learn much about Mr. Atkinson himself. This is perhaps hardly surprising, after all it's fairly well-known that he hates to give interviews and will often times appear on a chat show in his Mr. Bean character in order to promote the series without having to give anything of himself away. Throughout the book one only catches a glimpse of the man behind that face. We learn rather superficial details, such as his love for automobiles and his shyness in person, but we never really get to see how much of an impact his public and private lives have on each other.

There has obviously been a lot of research that has gone into this book. To compensate for the lack of material from the mouth of Rowan Atkinson himself, the author instead quotes from a variety of his friends, but the bulk of the information comes from his co-workers. It's very interesting to see how Atkinson kept with the same people he had worked with since his graduate school days. The same names keep cropping up over and over and it becomes clear that Atkinson knows to stick with a winning team. One also learns the origin of some of the most famous Mr. Bean sketches, many of which date back to his stage persona from the late 1970s. I was fascinated to see the evolution of the Bean character. While many of his live shows incorporated a silent character, it wasn't until the 90s that he brought most of his most famous material to television.

This book is recommended for fans of Rowan Atkinson's work. Do not expect an in-depth look at his personal life, because until Atkinson starts giving more interviews or writes his autobiography, there simply won't be anything on the market resembling one. However, as far as detailing his many accomplishments in the field of comedy, you won't get any better than this book.

Until an authorized biography is written with the cooperation of Rowan Atkinson, this book will have to do. Because none of Atkinson's close companions (or the man himself) would be interviewed for the book, the author had to resort to sources such as published interviews and the like. While not an ideal situation, the general outline of Atkinson's life does successfully emerge, though with substantial interpretation required of Dessau.

The book is more a summary of Atkinson's career than an in-depth biography (for obvious reasons) and in that regard it is quite detailed. Atkinson emerges as the shy and reclusive youth with a penchant for "pulling faces" and physical humor. Although obviously his material has matured over the years, a persistent theme of the book is the essential "brainy physicality" of Atkinson's catalog. This physical humor obviously leads to comparisons with John Cleese (the two are friends,) who emerges as a mentor of sorts for Atkinson. I was especially amused at the prospect of Atkinson participating in the corporate training films made by Video Arts, Cleese's film company (see page 100 for details.) I appreciate also that Atkinson never lost touch with his roots as he participated in several projects centered on the schools he attended (he went to Durham School with Tony Blair) and Newcastle, his home town. I found it interesting that Atkinson's first date with his future wife Sunetra was to see Dire Straits, the band fronted by Newcastle's other famous progeny, Mark Knopfler.

The book does detail the shows and characters Atkinson became famous for, notably Mr. Bean, and my personal favorite, Blackadder. It also supplies a fairly detailed amount of information on several other ventures of less critical note (for instance, please feel free to read page 165 for a full account of the travails of attempting to get a piece of toast to stick to Jeff Goldblum's bottom) or import, such as his small roles in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "The Tall Guy."

As for genuine biographical insight, the book mostly outlines Atkinson's love for cars (and vehicles of all kinds; he's very proud to have a commercial truck drivers license) and racing. In the end, Atkinson seems not to have changed that much: he's still reclusive, shy, and intellectual, but of course, now he's the top paid actor in Britain.

I awarded this book four stars for a couple of reasons. While it isn't that insightful into Atkinson's inner being, it is the best that could be hoped for given the source restrictions faced by the author. It does yield a detailed professional history, and it gives us at least a glimpse of the enigma that is Rowan Atkinson.

It's a sad sad tale of an ugly duckling. Once upon a time there was this boy whom everyone called alien for his looks were quite odd if not freakish. Even own parents of his shipped him off to a distant boy boarding school as not to see his grotesque visage.

The book merrily skips the boarding school years -- thank god. Imagine the torture and suffering poor Rowan must have endured in a British school.

No wonder, the man is quite quiet and reserved. That was his survival technique. The only way poor Rowan could touch life was through playing out characters on stage. His inclination, like a snubbed wicked cripple who hates the world, was to play the bad guys and sort of get back at the world.

But the story, as you know, has a happyend. Rowan makes it big. Real big. He turns his oddity into a golden mine. Where are those pretty boys that once picked on Rowan now? Getting up at 5 lining up to catch the bus to ferry them to and fro their dead-end jobs as nobodies, carrying a mortgage on a semi-detached dwelling with a hefty dose of stress to boot.

Well done, Rowan. Way to get back at all of them. And in fact, in Blackadder II or III (The one where you play the court guy doing a great deal of hanging around with the giddy queen) you look rather dashing.

Yes, you may interject, but Atkinson is synonymous with fun... he's a hoot... he's great... that all is well but not in this case. Not in the pages of this dull paperback. Not in its confines. The retracing of steps of this comic giant leads into a boring staleness of a rather common and not so happy plight.

I'm giving it 2 stars only because I like Rowan. The book itself deserves none, really.

I'm Rick Friedman. This has been the Awful Truth, bringing you reality like no other. Take care.

As I read the reviews for this product, my heart sank a little. I am, myself, a fan of the CoH/CoV games. So, like I said, I expected very little from the book as a result except for a backstory to add to my enjoyment of the game.

However, after receiving the book, and beginning to read, I was immediately captured by the writing style of the author. His descriptive wording and appropriate word use were the first items to catch my attention. However, after a chapter, the story was riveting.

As I said, I had read the previous reviews on this, and if I may say, perhaps some of them are overly critical. Keep in mind, for example, that the book is centered on two specific characters, those of Stefan Richter (Lord Recluse) and Marcus Cole (Statesman), and so therefore, mentions of the exploits of any other heroes prior to their appearance in the novel would be unwarranted. And, it would not seem illogical for someone with great powers to be eaither a) unaware of the vastness of them, or b) in an era when the world was just over the first industrial revolutions of America, afraid to show any level of supernatural ability, since the demonstration of such would instill fear in a great many people (including the politcial regimes of the day).

Also, as to Recluse's metal spider legs, since he is a technocrat and obviously a fan of the scientific, it is not unthinkable that such a person would either a) augment natural appendages which grew as a result of his transformation, to be fitted with metal, or to b) have created that metallic set of appendages.

Finally, though the characters might seem predictable, and "lightweight", the fact is that the author is playing on what we should expect. The great war hero, power hungry villain, megalomaniac Nemesis, plucky reporter, etc...are all the types of people we can relate with. Their characters are well fleshed out in the novel, and overall, it is a great read!

It was... okay. Not a page-burner by any stretch, but if you're really into City of Heroes, it's not a bad read, either.

The book introduces us to Marcus Cole (aka Statesman) and Stefan Richter (aka Lord Recluse) and takes us through their origin at the Fountain of Zeus, the downfall of their friendship, and through the first major battle of good-versus-evil for Paragon City. Along the way, we get to meet the Dark Watcher, Elementar, Vambrace, and even Maiden Justice, grandmother of the famed Miss Liberty. All of the events take place during the 1930's in a time when villains were diabolical and heroes were few and far between.

As an interesting story of origins and a historical background for the City of Heroes game, the book was okay. As a standalone novel, though, it falls a bit short in a few areas.

The writing style, while not quite bad, is not as good as it should have been. The number of big men in the book that have fingers like sausages is amusing. There's not much depth to the characters. Everyone is good or evil. Stupid or smart. Small or huge. Straight-and-narrow or guilty-as-sin. Maybe the author was shooting for Golden Age comic book-type simplicity to go with the time period in which the novel is set, but it usually comes off as very predictable and common. There are no real conflicts in the book, other than those solved by fists and bullets. No inner turmoil, no real climax except when the unstoppable force meets the movable objects (an outcome that's a foregone conclusion), and not much suspense to make you have to read the next chapter to find out what happens.

Some of the details required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. A fabled fountain of immortality under a site with millions of dollar's worth of undiscovered archaeological curiosities strewn about intact within an easy day's row of Crete? Stefan's transformation from Marcus Cole's closest friend to the twisted and murderous Lord Arachnos was a bit hasty and implausible. He went from Cole's loyal confidant to a backstabbing murderer with fascist ambitions in less time than it took Anakin Skywalker to go from saving the Republic to killing Jedi younglings. And the same hasty transformation happened to Marcus Cole as well. When we meet him, he is stealing priceless treasures of the ancient Library of Alexandria from a museum. One sip from the Fountain and he goes from being a criminal to putting away criminals. And even our new hero, upon closer inspection, has some curiously glossed-over flaws. He escapes justice for the crimes he committed by monetary bribes and payoffs. He enlists the aid of a crime family that, by the end of the book, the reader should still not be convinced is as legitimate as the author tries to lead us to believe.

I am still rating the book three stars because I believe that it serves its purpose adequately--to give us a glimpse of history that got us to the Paragon City we virtually live in today. I just hope that the next novel will give us a lot more reason to care about our favorite characters in City of Heroes and a lot more reason to come back for more. Ideally, I would like to see a novel that a non-player could read and that may even entice him or her to give the game a try. Unfortuantely, by that standard, this one doesn't quite measure up.

(The Freedom Phalanx is due to be published in April 2006 and is available here at Amazon.com. According to the excerpt in Web of Arachnos, it will be set in the mid-1980's.)

It's nice to finally have some good background written on City of Heroes.
And by one of the best game-related fantasy author, no less.
I raced through this book with delight. I hope you will enjoy it.

As was described in an earlier review, the transformation of bandit Marcus Cole into Statesman was not adequately explained. I also want to know why Stephan Riechter, who becomes Lord Recluse, grows into a monster with metal-tipped spider legs on his back. This is not explained well either. There is also a scene where a non-super-powered reporter, who has been taking some martial arts classes, karate chops a large steel pipe or beam and bends it in two with her bare hands.

Also, the superheroes that come to aid Statesman pretty much come out of nowhere. Elementar seems extremely powerful and it's surprising that he did not do anything with his powers until Statesman came along.

I could go on if I felt like refering back to the book, but I don't. It's just not a very polished story in my humble opinion. I hope the author's own original works are better than this.

It is very hard to write a compelling book placed in a world the writer themself did not invent. Just see any of the various Magic: the Gathering novels for a good example of what happens when a writer fails to carry off a convincing story.

The Web of Arachnos, on the other hand, weaves a compelling adventure about two inseperable friends who wind up dire enemies. The deterioration of their relationship and the creation of both a superhero and a supervillain is told with compassionate insight into what drives people to choose lifestyles and priorities most of us would label as "evil".

An excellent study of human nature set in the universe of a popular online game. What more could a modern reader ask for?