Bishop Books

This book opened my eyes to the background of the existing conflict in the middle east, particularly the Holy Land, like none I had ever read before. I am so grateful for Rev. Abo El-Assal for taking the time to write this book. The Palestinian Christians are in my constant prayer as well as the other peoples residing in that area. If you are living in the west and think that the affairs in that area of the world are not your business, please take time to read this quick and very informative book.

If Riah Abu El-Assal is a peaceful Palestinian Arab leader, we are in serious trouble.

Here is a man who claims to abhor violence, laudable to be sure. He also states, at the end of chapter 10, "The road to peace lies in recognition of the realities, including the reality that is Israel, and I will do nothing to harm the cause of peace." Equally praiseworthy.

Yet this book is full of contradictions.

Born in 1937 in Nazareth, Bishop Abu El-Assal fled with his family at age 11 in 1948 to Beirut, where his father refused to register the family as refugees. They fled of their own accord, not as the result of any battle or threat thereof, or the author would have made great use of the details.

Yet with neither firsthand experience of being forced off the family's land, nor reputable sources, El-Assal describes Al Nakba, the Catastrophe, as "expulsion of the Palestinians from their lands by the victorious Zionist forces...." (p. 51)

Here is a man whose wife's family had in the 1930s emigrated from Lebanon INTO Palestine, where Jewish development had created strong demand for labor. El -Assal himself returned to Nazareth from Beirut in 1949 with his sister Suad, who was then 13. Some time later, his father also returned. He took Israeli citizenship in 1959. He successfully reclaimed and repossessed his family's home.

In other words, neither the Bishop of Jerusalem nor his wife's family has any basis to claim that anything was stolen from them. Yet he does. In fact, throughout the book he claims that the entire land of Israel was "stolen" from Palestinian Arabs, without references to back up this claim. The 151-page volume contains only 15 footnotes, not one of them citing legitimate scholarly material to prove the claim.

(I tend to believe no such scholarly material exists, for I have looked and found none. On the other hand, several books seem to prove just the opposite. These include H.B. Tristram's Land of Israel (1865); Arieh Avneri's Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land Settlement 1878-1948 (1984); Kenneth W. Stein's The Land Question in Palestine, 1917-1939 (1984); Samuel Katz' Battleground: Fact and Fantasy in Palestine (1972) and Joan Peters' From Time Immemorial (1984).)

Abu Al-Assal also attempts to deflate the importance and severity of the 1948 invasion of Israel by seven Arab armies by claiming that most of the fighting was done in Palestinian areas. This is misleading at best. For had not those armies swept into the area, there would have been no fighting at all. Much of the fiercest fighting, moreover, was in the Negev, which the partition plan had designated for Israel. As it was, the war took substantially more Jewish lives, a total of 6,373--nearly 1% of the entire Jewish population. Jewish casualties, moreover, included 600 kidnap victims whom Arab forces mutilated beyond recognition.

Though a citizen of Israel, El-Assal cheered on Gamel Nasser in 1956. He has repeatedly broken Israeli laws and has quite negative feelings for the state. He traveled many times on a Vatican passport to enemy states, including Lebanon and Jordan (before the peace). He twice traveled to Tunisia to meet with Yasser Arafat, before Israel had relations with the PLO. Afterwards, he resented being detained from international travel. He dislikes Israel, its Jewish symbols, and its internal policy of accepting any Jewish person as a citizen of the Jewish homeland. While he admires the beauty of the Israeli national anthem HaTikva (The Hope), he writes that the Zionist movement's hymn, expressing a Jewish desire for a homeland, "is not mine, and never can be."

He claims to be for two separate states, Israel and Palestine, but argues for an Israel that is secular and bi-national. In other words, he considers Jewish desire to nurture a Jewish homeland a bad thing.

Given that El-Assal is an Anglican Bishop, one would expect to find in his book some evidence of closeness with God. Abu El-Assal mentions his "calling," of course. Yet I was surprised to find no real expression of spiritual awareness, love for God, Christ, or mankind. Perhaps I missed it but I don't think so.

In fact, the author actually makes statements I would have thought un-Christian. In a discussion of the different Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Easters, for example, he recounts the story of a father who tells his son on the first that people are crying "because Jesus was crucified." When the son asks who did it, the father says, "The Jews and the Romans were responsible. Damn the Romans." The boy replies, "Damn the Jews." At the second service, when the people weep again, the boy asks, "Dad, Dad, do you mean the Jews and the Romans have done it again?" No, the father tells him, it was the Greek Orthodox. (pp. 59-60)

Granted, this tasteless story is supposed to be a joke. But no person of Jewish faith would find it funny. Neither should an Anglican Bishop. The Roman Catholic Pope and Church, at least, have apologized to the Jewish people for centuries of teaching that the Jewish people were responsible for the death of Jesus. So should all churches.

There are many other weaknesses in this book, not least of all its complete failure to denounce anti-Semitic Arab propaganda taught to each new generation, making meaningful dialogue between the Jewish state and Arab Palestinian people all but impossible. Like too many people, Al-Assal is willing to completely overlook institutionalized Arab hatred of Jews and the Jewish state, meanwhile making blanket condemnations of Israel's supposed evils--which he cannot and does not prove.

One hopes for true and honest Palestinian Arab peace partners to emerge from the ongoing 53-year conflict. But like many other supposed Arab men of peace floated in the last nine years, Abu Al-Assal in this book seems hoisted on his own petard. He herein contradicts his own seemingly peaceful pronouncements with words of deceit and hate. Alyssa A. Lappen

Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal combines a personal biography with an inside look at living as an Arab Christian in Palestine over the turbulent history of the past 55 years. The Bishop's experience as the Vicar of Christ Church in Nazareth gives an inside look at the lives of the Arab people and provides a fresh perspective on the issues of Palestine.

Potential buyers of this book should note a few things:

a) The English translation of the book in question on this page is not by Henry Chadwick, or any other modern translator, but rather, it is by the 19th cen. scholar E.B. Pusey. In fact, this version is so old that it is no longer copyrighted and thus it is in the public domain (which can easily be located, for free, online). Therefore, the language is antiquated, King-James-Bible style English. So beware.

b) Amazon, the company that owns the publisher of this book (BookSurge), has apparently put out this cheap edition because the aforementioned public domain translation could be reprinted and used for free. Which is not a bad thing, per se, but buyers should know this ahead of time.

c) The publication is quite bare-bones; no translator or editor information is listed, there is no preface, intro., or other text inside the two covers except for the text of the Confessions itself.

d) But hey...it is cheap! And I'm actually enjoying the struggle of reading its beautiful, but sometimes confusing, old English style.

Augustine's 'Confessions' is among the most important books ever written. One of the first autobiographical works in the modern sense, it also represents the first time a psychological and theological enterprise were combined. It also helps to bridge the gap between the Classical world and the Medieval world, exhibiting strong elements identifying with each of those major historical periods.

Most undergraduates in the liberal arts encounter the book at some point; all seminarians do (or should!). Many adults find (or rediscover) the book later, after school. For many in these categories, there are concepts, narrative strands and historical data new and unusual for them. However, Augustine's 'Confessions' is still generally more accessible in many ways that truly classical pieces; it has interior description as well as external reporting that we are familiar with in modern writing.

The 'Confessions' shows Augustine's personality well - he was a passionate person, but his focus wavered for much of his life until finally settling upon Christianity and the Neoplatonic synthesis with this faith. Even while remaining a passionate Christian and rejecting the sort of dualism present in the Manichee teachings, he varied between various positions within these systems. Augustine's varied thought reaches through many denominational and scholarly paradigms.

The 'Confessions' are divided into thirteen chapters, termed 'Books' - the first ten of the books are autobiographical, with Augustine describing both events in his life as well as his philosophical and religious wanderings during the course of his life. The text is somewhat difficult to take at times, as this is writing with a purpose, as indeed most autobiographies are. The purpose here at times seems to be to paint Augustine in the worst possible light (the worse his condition, the better his conversion/salvation ends up being); at other times, one gets a sense (as one might get when reading the Pauline epistles) that there is some significant degree of ego at work here (Paul boasts of being among the better students, and so does Augustine, etc.).

Augustine also uses his Confessions as a tract against the Manichean system - once a faithful adherent, Augustine later rejects the Manichean beliefs as heretical; however, one cannot get past the idea that Augustine retained certain of their intellectual aspects in his own constructions even while denouncing them in his official life story.

The whole of the conversion turns on two primary books - Book Seven, his conversion to the Neoplatonic view of the world, including the metaphysics and the ethics that come along with this system; and Book 8, which describes his conversion to Christianity proper. This is where perhaps the most famous directive, 'Tolle! Lege!' ('Take and read!') comes from - Augustine heard a voice, and he picked up the nearest book, which happened to be a portion of the Pauline epistles, arguing against the undisciplined lifestyle Augustine lived. Scholars continue to debate whether Augustine's conversion to Christianity was more profound or more important than his conversion to Neoplatonism; in any event, Christianity interpreted through a Platonic framework became the norm for centuries, and remains a strong current within the Christian world view; Protestant reformers as they went back to the 'original bible' in distinction from the Catholic interpretations of the day also went back to the 'original Augustine' for much of their theology.

The final three books are Augustine's dealing with the creation of the world via narrative stories in Genesis 1 exegetically and hermeneutically. This is very different from what is done in modern biblical scholarship, but is significant in many respects, not the least of which as it gives a model of the way Augustine dealt with biblical texts; given Augustine's towering presence over the development of Western Christianity in both Catholic and Protestant strands, understanding his methods and interpretative framework can lead to significant insights into the ideas of medieval and later church figures.

This translation by Henry Chadwick is one of the standard editions of the book available. Chadwick, a noted scholar of early Christianity, provides a good introduction that gives synopses of the books as well as background and contextual information. This is a book that will be of interest to novice readers of Augustine as well as scholars, to students, clergy and laypersons, and anyone else who might have an historical, literary, philosophical, theological or other interest in Augustine - something for everyone, perhaps?

Augustine's writings have withstood the test of time and it is clear to see when reading. The confessions begin with Augustine giving praise to God. It proceeds then into early childhood of Augustine and how his parents made him go to school to study Latin. As he continued to grow in his studies he also began to grow an addiction to sexuality. He brags to his friends of the sexual encounters that he has been through. In this same chapter he also speaks of how he and his concubines stole pears. He explains how this is something that he would have never done on his own, but with his friends he enjoyed it for the shear sake of stealing.

Augustine's studies increased as he continued to search for wisdom. These searches led him into the direction of the Manichaeism and to becoming a teacher of rhetoric. Shortly after this, one of his friends was baptized right before his death. Augustine teased his friend in regard to his conversion. However this also left Augustine with many questions regarding Manichaeism. He became very excited because he had the opportunity to meet the Manichee bishop Faustus. He had many questions for him, but after meeting with him, he found that Faustus did not have any answers to give him than what he had already known. This left Augustine to turn from Manichaeism and shortly after that he began to lean more towards Christianity.

Augustine's mother Monica had arranged for him to get married to a Christian girl. During this time he had been reading profusely and finally came to a conclusion about Jesus. He was in a moment of despair and heard a young girl's voice singing, "take up and read, take up and read." Upon hearing this he grabbed his Bible and began to read a passage in the book of Romans and after reading it he gave his life to Christ. He continued to give lengthy illustrations of memory and temptation. The remaining chapters of his book went into great detail about creation, the deity of Christ and the Trinity.

There are many pearls of wisdom to be gleamed from Augustine's work. Augustine does a fantastic job of tackling many questions in regards to Genesis. Also, the confessions would be great for a defense regarding the Trinity. This is great to appeal to since the confessions were written around 397. This could help show someone that the teachings of the Trinity were not just something that was conjured up, but have a historical standing. I highly recommend that you "take up and read."

This novel, although readable, proves that Quill and Meg belong at the Inn. Without the supporting cast of characters, the book drags.

While the cold winds are blowing around the Inn at Hemlock Falls in New York State, Sarah and Meg Quilliam are on their way to Palm Springs. They have been invited by Tiffany Taylor to speak to a group of phobic women about innkeeping and cooking, the two subjects they know best. When they discover the type of phobia these women have, they become reluctant to participate. Then they witness some shouting matches between Tiffany and her ex-husband Verger and they are really ready to return home. The plot is complicated by yet another of Verger's ex-wives and their two sons. There is a murder and a disappearance and suddenly the Quilliam sisters are right in the middle of the investigation. Although I missed the usual cast of characters from Hemlock Falls, I still enjoyed this "cozy".

It is cold and snowing in Hemlock Falls, home town of Quill, owner of a local inn. Quill and her sister Meg have been invited to attend a charity event in Palm Beach, Florida. With the sun as Quill's lure and a chance to show off her cooking abilities being Meg's enticement, the siblings accept the opportunity to luxuriate in the home of society matron Tiffany Taylor.

Neither sibling expects to be involved in a homicide investigation in Florida as they have back home. However, the Quilliam sister are unaware that the battle of the roses has begun between Tiffany and her former spouse. Verges will do anything to stop Tiffany from turning him into the laughingstock of all his friends and business associates with her ludicrous charity gala of collecting money for women who are phobic about marrying for money. When he disappears, the siblings seek the truth in order to protect themselves and their business from the wrath of Verger's first wife, a woman with the mystique of A Jackie Kennedy.

The fifth installment of the Hemlock Falls mystery series is just as quirky and entertaining s the previous four humorous novels. The snappy repartee between the two siblings reduces the growing tension to manageable levels. The story line is fast paced, easy to follow, yet complex enough to keep reader interest at a very high plateau. DEATH DINES OUT is gourmet delight that overcomes the holiday blues.

Harriet Klausner

Meg and Andy are about to be married, and Quill is working hard at making sure that happens. Meg seems determined to mess it up. Plus Jerry Grimsby seems to be mucking things up. He's supposed to be filling in as chef at the Inn at Hemlock Falls while Meg is on her honeymoon.

In the midst of all this, there's a fire at the old MacAvoy barn and a body is found. Then it is announced that Leo "Boom-Boom" Maltby and his business partner Norwood Ferguson will be opening Lovejoy's Nudie Bar and Grill in Hemlock Falls. Many of the women of the village protest it.

Quill has her own problems at the Inn. Doreen steps in to help, only does it really help? Quill ends up giving some promotions that provide their own challenges.

Can Quill find the murderer while making sure Meg and Andy get married in a few days? And can she do it without putting herself in danger?

I always devour the books in this series. I would love to spend a week at the Inn at Hemlock Falls. Quill and Meg are great characters and have really grown with the series. I love all the peripheral characters and the roles that they play. They really add to the story, especially all the town folks and the Chamber of Commerce members.

I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

Claudia Bishop is on a roll with her story line about two sisters who own an Inn in mid-state New York. Both are a bit wacky, funny, and like to get into other people's business. The is always a murder or two to solve and this edition is no different. If you like light bed cozy type mysteries, then this will be a new favorite of yours.

These are individually pleasant, competent mysteries. There is a fairly large continuing cast of characters that are well differentiated from one another and a fair amount of humor. Given the length of this series, obviously a lot of people like it; I think that a fan of the series will be very happy with it.

I find them extremely repetitious - if you've read one, you've pretty much read them all except for plot details. I don't find the two main characters, Sarah (Quill) and Meg particularly endearing. Sarah is a fool and Meg is an explosive tantrum thrower, which I find a little wearisome. An exemplar of what I don't like about this series is Max the dog. For five or six books at least, Max has been running wild, infuriating the other townspeople, and causing various kinds of damage. Get a dog chain! Get kennel fencing! Get a leash! This might be amusing if I didn't have to carry a large stick to ward off other dogs when I walk my own.

I'm also not terribly fond of "gourmet" food - I wouldn't care to even taste most of the dishes that this celebrated chef prepares, but clearly that does interest a lot of people, so take that into consideration when deciding. There is usually at least one recipe in each book.

Another point is that if I'm going to read farce, I want it completely off the wall, not mixed with reality. I know that some people will be extremely amused by things that leave me rolling my eyes.

If you're looking for something to read, you could do a lot worse, and indivudually they can be cute and charming.

McDevitt has a number of stories showing his interest in the potential for computers to simulate the human mind: "The Candidate" and "Combinations" both feature artificial recreations of historical figures and "Henry James, This One's For You" tells of a computer programmer who creates an AI writer that is so talented that the POV character (an editor) fears for the sanctity of the classical authors. I'm personally skeptical of the ease at which AI intelligence can be created and McDevitt shies away from or glosses over the ethical and philosophical implications. "Date with Destiny"--described by McDevitt as "'a situation that usually would lead to violence'" but ends non-violently--indeed finds a peaceful solution but it rests on a dictator wanting to seem like a peace-loving leader, which I think is rather unrealistic.

"Lighthouse", written with Michael Shara, was about an astronomer who discovered a way to detect just about ALL brown dwarfs (the method is a bit sketchy, since interstellar gas is known to redshift and block certain wavelengths) and finds that around 2000 of them are artificial. It had some strengths but it seemed to rest on this one idea and withheld it unnecessarily to the end.

Some of the weaker stories are:
"Nothing Ever Happens in Rock City" about SETI discovering extraterrestrial intelligence but told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator and far too short to be interesting

"Whistle" about a signal from M-82 that turns out to be music. Somehow the narrator is certain that, because the galaxy has a tenfold increase in star formation that the "sky is on fire" at the source of the music

"Ignition" takes place in a post-flood world where a theocratic elite governs ideas. Some people find a statue of Jefferson and when it's destroyed by authorities, a civil war is implied. Again, I would have liked to seen more, and as it stood this was an incomplete tale.

"Valkyrie" a naively anti-war piece where valkyries are actual entities... not really scifi.

"The Mission" a confusing narrative that takes place in the South after a horrible plague and people decide to scrap a rocket to survive...

However, McDevitt shined the most when he dealt with space exploration--or settings that involved a spacefaring humanity:
"Windows" is about a thirteen year old who wants to go to space but robotic missions are preferred over manned ones (just like today!). The character development went at a good pace but the story was a bit too short.

"The Far Shore" is about a character marooned on a habitable planet and spends his time listening to radio broadcasts from Earth 200 years prior which, by sheer coincidence, allows him to follow along on the events of World War II. He is rescued just before the end of the war comes to him. The story was good, but the final line was just stupid.

"Melville on Iapetus" and especially the two Novellas "In the Tower" and "The Big Downtown" were the strongest pieces. In all of them, alien artifacts are found; the Novellas also have strong detective aspects, which play out well.

It's these last three that give me an appreciation of McDevitt. I haven't read any of his novels, but if his strength is in longer pieces than I may just do so.

This is not really a review, but a suggestion on how to find a reasonably priced copy of this book: For some reason (probably because I am cheap), I originally passed on Amazon's discounted copy of Outbound and then was shocked to see it go out of print and start doubling (and more) in price.

I recently began re-reading all of Jack's books (they are even better the second time through), and needed to check his website to make sure of the order they were written. I happened to notice that he sold autographed copies of some of the books postpaid at the original list price. There was Outbound for $30. Mailed a check, and yesterday my nice new copy came, signed by Jack on June 17th (2008).

I don't know how long they will last, but if you really need a copy, why not get a signed one from the Man himself? Try http://www.jackmcdevitt.com/ and go all the way to the bottom of the page.

Hope this helps someone!

Some of you might be fans of Jack McDevitt thru reading his novels, several of which have sold well and are currently in print. Chances are that many fewer will have read the short stories and commentaries in Outbound. Ok, some of the latter were written specifically for the book, and have not appeared in print elsewhere. These give you insight into McDevitt's thoughts and help flesh out your knowledge of him.

Outbound also includes several stories that appeared in various magazines. Most notable is the one with the Kristi Lang character. There have now been 2 stories about her, which Analog readers have encountered. The hard science in the book's story is quite ingenious and, while very speculative, is quite solid. Undoubtedly reflecting the input of the story's co-author, who is an astrophysicist. Plus, the depiction of the social interactions in current astronomy is spot on. Perhaps McDevitt will give us many more Kristi Lang encounters. This first tale is a promising start.

Another attraction of the book is a short story set in the universe of "A Talent for War". That book was an elegant tale, and it is neat to see more stories in its context.

The book is great if you simply want an introduction to Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks or (Photoshop in the premium edition). The Dreamweaver section is not very thorough and the Flash section is somewhat difficult to follow. Overall I was able to master Dreamweaver and Fireworks so two out of three aint bad. The book is definately worth it.

This is one of several tutorial packages I bought at the same time to help me learn the Adobe CS3 suite of web-related programs. I wanted to determine which was the best to start with, so I sampled a couple of chapters from each of about six titles before deciding this was the clearly best of the group to get me started. My main interest is in learning Flash, but I've got a use for almost everything in the CS3 suite. This book provided an unanticipated motivation to stop avoiding Dreamweaver and take a fresh look at Fireworks as well. (I no longer find FW redundant in a world dominated by PS and IL.) I can't say enough about how exquisite this book is, and the inclusion of camouflage nature scenes was a smart move. It is well organized, nicely paced and I haven't found any glitches yet, which is seldom the case with tutorial books. If you are just starting out with CS3, my advice, and I write educational books for a living, is to start with WC Revealed and then you'll have better info on how to decide what will be your next move. Everyone associated with this book can be proud of the results. Kudos, and thanks. I'd give it more stars if I could.

I purchased this book primarily for information on Flash CS3 and Photoshop CS3. I don't have anything to compare it to in regard to these two features, but it is clear to me that the section on Dreamweaver CS3 is not nearly as thorough as the book "Dreamweaver MX 2004" which I purchased several years ago.

I just tried to read up on a couple of Dreamweaver topics in "The Web Collection Revealed" but couldn't find them mentioned. I didn't have any trouble finding the topics covered in my "DREAMWEAVER MX 2004" and the instruction from MX 2004 still worked in the CS3 version of Dreamweaver.

Cora MacLaren learned her nursing skills from her father. After his death, she is forced to use those skills in exchange for room and board from various relatives. When she is offered a home with her eccentric cousin, Lord Wintercroft, she accepts, without questioning too much that there was no mention of a position. Maybe she should have questioned that little detail.

Alexander Neadow is one of the many relations staying in Lord Wintercroft's home. He was raised as Lord Wintercroft's son even though he obviously isn't of Wintercroft's blood and the old man never lets him forget that fact. He's only returned to the `family bosom' to ferret out information and he isn't about to trust anybody, not even this Scottish cousin who's suddenly arrives as an angel of mercy for the family.

Cora arrived in Croft's Corner apprehensive about her new home and the benefactor who made the offer. Finally she decided that he was tight-fisted and didn't wish to pay for her medical knowledge so he was offering her a home instead. Descending from the coach, she stumbles into a forbidding man and then has the misfortune of having the coach drive off with her trunk still attached. The man then informs her that he is there to pick her up to take her to Wintercroft, but they must hurry if they are to catch the coach with all her possessions. By the time they've caught up to the coach, Cora is quiet ill and convinced that the driver is a madman. However, they do make it to Wintercroft without any further incident. Upon arriving, Cora meets Lord Wintercroft and discovers for herself just how eccentric and disagreeable the old man can be. What she can't figure out is why he's offered his home to her if he's so disgusted by the Scottish side of the family. She's soon to learn the Lord's warped plans and comes up with a few of her own.

WHEN HORSES FLY is delightfully amusing. I adored Cora's head strong and determined spirit that allows her to stand up to Lord Wintercroft as none of the rest of the household, with the exception of Alex will. WHEN HORSES FLY is filled with many delicious side plots that will keep the reader guessing and even once you think you have it all figured out, you discover a new twist. Laurie Bishop uses wit, suspense, and the quirkiness that is human nature to write a charming tale that is a pleasure to read.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

The heroine, Cora, enters into the midst of a classic dysfunctional family and with great courage, decides to rescue them from the slough. The hero, Alexander, distrusts her motives (the fact that she enters into a false engagement to his father tends to complicate things) but ultimately Cora's warmth and determination, not to say stubbornness, win the day.

In spite of my feeling that "When Horses Fly" ended a little disconcertingly, I still rather enjoyed the book and would recommend it to Regency-era romance readers who are a little tired of the books that are all about the London Season, balls and beaux, or books that have the Napoleonic wars and a spy motif for a subplot, and would really enjoy something a little different. Laura Bishop's "When Horses fly" is a well written novel, that possesses a heroine, Cora, who's no shrinking violet (even if she does have a few daft moments), and has for a hero (Alex) a brusque and commanding gentleman who has suffered emotional abuse from his father but who still possesses honour and who doesn't, believe or not, behave like a spoilt brat!

Ever since her father passed away, Cora MacLaren, has moved from household to household, going wherever she was needed, taking care of various sick relatives and running their households in exchange from room and board. Now, however, she seems to have reached the end of the road: the relative she's currently living with, her great-aunt Leyburn is dying, and there seems to be no where left for Cora to go. And so Cora's Great-aunt writes to the crusty, tightfisted Lord Wintercroft, the head of the family, to ask him to take Cora in. And much to everyone's surprise, Lord Wintercroft writes back to invite Cora to come and live with him and his family in Sussex. Almost as soon as Cora arrives at Wintercroft (Lord Wintercroft's estate), however, she discovers that the situation in Wintercroft is far from ideal: the house is badly run, and Lord Wintercroft who is estranged (and seems to almost hate) from his eldest son, Alexander, has surrounded himself with impecunious relatives that he enjoys nedddling. Used to trying to solve problems and make situations better, Cora soon sets out to resolve all conflicts. But she may have bitten off more than she can chew in this particular case, as it soon becomes evident that someone rather resents her presence and has taken steps to make her threatened. Who is her aggressor and just how much harm does he/she mean to do her? And then there is the whole issue of Alexander, a brusque and almost rude gentleman, who doesn't like her but whom Cora is rather attracted to. Could he be the one behind all her mishaps? Or should she listen to heart and trust him?

I thoroughly enjoyed "When Horses Fly" -- not only was a bit of a departure from the usual fare one is given these days, it was also a very engaging and enjoyable book. I liked the independent and quick tempered Cora, and how she handled the situation she found herself in, and the people she had to deal with; yes, it is true that there were a few instances where I wondered about her intelligence (like when she followed Alex into danger, without giving a thought to the danger that she herself was courting), but since this allowed for a moment of romance between the two, it was easy to overlook this failing on Cora's part. I also rather liked Alex as well who, refreshingly, in spite of his bad treatment, didn't develop a huge chip on his shoulder and used it as an excuse to behave badly. Yes, he was curt, brusque and rather rude at times, but throughout it all, Alex behaved with honour and rather well. So that it was really easy for me to root for these two to achieve their happily ever-after ending. Strangely enough, however, my one criticism with the book lay in the manner in which the gothicky subplot came to nothing. At one point it seemed as if someone was out to put and end to Cora's life; there was also a small smuggling subplot -- both these subplots were brilliantly interwoven into the main storyline and really added to the suspense and atmosphere in the book. But then these threads were resolved with a whimper instead of a bang I was expecting, and everything just felt a little anticlimactic after that. However, in spite of this small dissatisfaction, I did enjoy this book tremendously, and would still recommend it as a really good read, in spite of everything.

Great book...but too short. Very durable, excellent binding, will last longer than less substantially bound books. My son enjoys it, but it has been relegated to the car for it is too short for bedtime.

Great book...but too short. Very durable, excellent binding, will last longer than less substantially bound books. My son enjoys it, but it has been relegated to the car for it is too short for bedtime.

This is such a fun book to look at and think of all the possibilities. There are more hikes in this book than my dog and I could complete in many years. Each hike is rated for difficulty and the book tells you how long the trail is as well as how steep it is, whether there is water, shade, lots of crowds, etc. I have been to several of the trails including Forest Park, Tryon Creek, Angel's Rest, Hart's Cove, Wahclellah Falls, etc. I would never have known many of these places were out there without the help of this book. That being said, the directions are often very vague; I've gotten lost more than once looking for a trailhead, and there is one (Oneonta Gorge/Triple Falls) that I never found. Also, the trails are rated for which seasons they can be hiked inaccurately--one trail (Hart's Cove) was listed as year round but the access road is closed half the year! Some of the trails are listed as one way only, meaning you need at least two people and two vehicles to complete them, or you would somehow need to hitch-hike with your dog back to your car. I think the addition of color pictures would also add much to this book. It's hard to tell how beautiful many of these places are by the black and white pictures.

I truely enjoy the book. We have been on roughly five of the hikes recommended in the book. The author states what difficult level each hike is. However, that is for her and her dogs fitness level. I only found one trail impossible to master so far. But that was because of fear of heights. After going on these trails I add my own comments to the book, such as how the trail was, if litterbags were available and if restrooms were on site. I also add a map were available and mark our own hikes. Because of this book we have discovered a few new trails to take. Thank you Ellen Bishop.

While I have found this book to be of some use in my research, and in creating my web site, I have also found it to be somewhat flawed. First I think it is a mistake to think that Dan McCaffrey is an Historian. As it says on the back cover, at the time he wrote the book, he was a newspaper man. That, does not an historian make.

Also, I don't believe a real historian would take something that someone told them was 3rd hand information and present it as proof. He did that in at least one part of the book, and that information comes from a respected air Historian, the Late Phillip Markham.

But, I did find some of the information in the book interesting, and helpful in various ways. As long as you're willing to live with printing errors and take this caution, I believe the book is worth the time. Though perhaps not the money.

Billy Bishop, the highest-scoring Allied fighter pilot of World War I was a man that gave a new face to Canadian pride and patriotism. Having shot down a total of 75 confirmed victories (72 planes and 3 German balloons), he broke the records of other prominent fighter pilots, being second only next to his German counterpart, Manfred von Richthofen (who shot down 80). Bishop was a man of fame, but he was certainly not without controversy. Many critics and historians have since launched attacks on the man, denigrading him and leaving his legend in tatters and surrounded with uncertainty...until now.

In this excellent and superbly-written biography, historian Dan McCaffery has not only examined Bishop the man and his fast-growing legend, but also has set the controversy to rest in light of new and previously untapped interviews with comrades and extensive readings of primary and secondary sources on the topic. Was Bishop truly honest about many of his victory claims? Find out for yourselves! Reading like a fast-paced novel, Bishop is depicted in a very well-deserving light characteristic of a hero and living legend. What more can readers and aviation history buffs seeking the truth behind the man and his amazing deeds in the skies over the Western Front ask for?

As a Canadian, this reviewer sees the lack of heros and an identity crisis that the country of Canada is experiencing. Bishop is the type of individual that stirs pride and patriotism, and certainly represents the Canadian youth that were among some of the best fighter pilots of the Great War.(1) Should these great and brave individuals not be acknowledged and remembered with pride as Canada's history grows? Form your own opinion (as you will), but Canadians are doing an unbelievably shoddy job of remembering and acknowledging, all sense of pride being lost amid attacks and accusations of hero-worship and pro-war propaganda. McCaffery and his work is the little bit of acknowledgment and pride-stirring history that Billy Bishop fully deserves.

This book remains the definitive work on the subject, and Mr. McCaffery is to be congradulated for writing and exposing the truth behind this Canadian legend and icon. Let Bishop go down in history as a Canadian Hero, and by reading this book, one will gain tremendous insight into what made Bishop tick, and what a true hero is made of.

Edition which was reviewed: Dan McCaffery, "Billy Bishop: Canadian Hero." (Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 1988).

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1. For an excellent discussion of this issue, see Denis Winter, "The First of the Few: Fighter Pilots of the First World War" (London: Allen Lane, 1982); and Dan McCaffery, "Air Aces: The Lives and Times of Twelve Canadian Fighter Pilots" (Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 1990).