Bonds Books

This was another great read by James Johnson. If you read this make sure you read the series in order---you need to read THE PERFECT PLAN first. James Johnson may not be an author you recognize but he definitely is one of those authors that need to be represented to the fullest --he is a talented writer and can't wait to read more from him. I heard part 3 is called CHECKERS, NOT CHESS if anyone knows how to get this book make sure you get back to me, I have got to find out what happens next.

The perfect holiday gift for the avid book lover has been found this season in The Perfect Plan Series by James Johnson [The Perfect Plan (ISBN: 0974760307) Unhappy Admiration (ISBN: 0974760315) Family Bond Publications, Inc]. This series is relatively new to the mainstream market, yet a familiar staple in underground (non-franchised bookstores, street vendors, Amazon.com, etc.) lit scenes.

The first installment of this series, The Perfect Plan, may seem a daunting undertaking to the casual reader on first glance due primarily to its near 400 pages. However, the initial intimidation is short-lived as Johnson ensnares the intellect into a provocative tale of meticulously planned out scenarios, charismatic characters that touch your heart and heart-thumping action and adventure that at times seem far-fetched, yet right around the corner.

Johnson introduces the reader to a myriad of personalities through well-developed characters that each reveal the stories of their sometimes sordid pasts and present circumstances in a way that endear them to your heart and makes them extremely relatable as people we know or know-of in our everyday lives. The reader is instantly inspired by the love of the two main characters, Crime and Summer (a man just home from nearly a decade of incarceration and his wife who has supported, loved, cared for and remained dedicated and loyal to him throughout the stint behind bars). Crime has had enough of the ever-repeating cycle of living and dying in poverty and, with the help of a trusted friend behind concrete walls, has devised a masterful plan to end that cycle in his own family. Upon his return home, he immediately puts that plan in motion and off we go on a whirlwind escapade of emotional highs and lows as victory and tragedy strike almost simultaneously and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout to the end that comes all too soon. By the time the open-ended and unexpected conclusion is reached, the reader is clamoring for the second, follow-up installment to experience what happens next. What happens to the characters after they retreat to the next level of their lives respectively in Atlanta, Georgia and abroad somewhere in Europe? Do they reunite? Does the most hated, yet intriguing character finally get what she deserves for her betrayal?

Leaping head-first into the second installment, Unhappy Admiration, the reader is sucker-punched and thrown off-balance by the introduction and finds themselves surprisingly incorrect in their assumption of whom the main character turns out to be. A hood-favorite individual from The Perfect Plan ends up returning to New York in an attempt to regain their focus, but finds that trouble is just around the corner and survival by any means necessary is the only option. New players are introduced and Johnson's artistic growth is subtly evident in his expounding of dramatic occurrences. His storytelling abilities are elevated to new heights and we find ourselves falling in love with his style all over again as he plunders our intelligence of all presumptive thinking and attitudes. Beloved entities from The Perfect Plan make their way onto the scene in an attempt to extract from danger and salvage the life of their loved one in need as well as their new companion only to be met with further opposition from recent additions and the alarming resurfacing of a deadly adversary.

Johnson's style is ever capricious and his reputation for non-commercialized reality is abounding. Though the urban literary market is abundant with newcomers, none have matched or come close to surpassing the genuine existence of the master of storytelling found in James Johnson and his The Perfect Plan Series.

The developing urban market has been branded by mainstream media outlets as unimaginative and typical in its production of "ghetto" novels that are almost always underdeveloped in thought, creativity and delivery. James Johnson is proving to be a savior of sorts as his popularity continues to mature and he expands his fan base to include those outside of the hood (in laments terms, White America) in America and abroad to countries around the world. In this industry, there are writers and there are WRITERS. James Johnson has proven to be a WRITER and Family Bond Publications, Inc. has discovered an invaluable gem that will prove to shine with radiance for a long time to come. If newcomers and current authors alike would aspire to be as diligent in perfecting their craft as Johnson so obviously seems to be, there will be no need to differentiate the "urban" market from all others. We would all be a part of the literary market. PERIOD.

IT'S impossible to speak of James Johnson's second novel, "Unhappy Admiration," [Family Bond Publications, Inc., October 2005 -$16.95, ISBN 0-9747603-1-5] without immediate reference to its arresting first pages. A man, Jason, is approached by an unfamiliar woman on the streets of Brooklyn. She asks for help, and though his immediate inclination is to deny her request, an odd turn of events leads the pair to attacking an intruder to their meeting. Jason allows his bravado to cloud his better judgment and place him in a life-threatening situation. The mystery woman responds by throwing herself into the thick of battle to rescue Jason and ultimately send the unwelcome intruder to his demise. Jason flees the scene at her insistence, his ego perplexed and humiliated.
From these events the reader may expect a tale that exploits the mystery behind the attack and dramatizes its consequences to Jason, a hard working, middle-class construction worker. Instead, never disappointing, Johnson turns a chance meeting into another whirlwind of adventure, mystery and intrigue beyond your wildest imagination. "Unhappy Admiration" has a stand alone storyline, but ties in beautifully with its predecessor in the series, "The Perfect Plan" [Family Bond Publications, Inc., December 2003 - $14.95, ISBN 0-9747603-0-7] as it brings the reader up to date with, and provides insight into, the past of a notorious "The Perfect Plan" character. Both of these series installments are bonafide classics in the urban book genre.

The mystery character focused on in this offering reveals the history of her flawed parents, adolescent mischief and magnetism for all things chaotic. In her aggressive, hardly fearful core dwells the sense that misfortune was preordained when in reality it was merely a side-effect of her reckless behavior, and was therefore nothing new."
Jason develops an all-encompassing love for this mystery woman - verging on the idolatrous, as though for some higher creature that has come unaccountably into his possession - obscures the woman in a veil of illusions. He is drawn in by her extraordinary powers of compassion and heightened self-possessiveness; within her lean frame seethes a force powerful enough to obliterate the entire universe, or at least the part of it that Jason was born into. She doesn't, however, display any ability to harness her oftentimes icy personality and her attraction to Jason is surprising to say the least.
The novel's most vital character - this mystery woman - is by all accounts a formidable opponent for any who attempt to come against her and an all or nothing die-hard for loyalty.
A scant few months after the shocking conclusion of "The Perfect Plan" the months of planning, calculating and maneuvering to make a change in her life converge into a thundering crash. The reader learns of her sordid and devastating childhood as well as that of her long-time friend, Nikki, whom goes all out in a blaze of glory striving to protect the lives of her beloved children.
A favorite character from "The Perfect Plan" returns to pick up the pieces and set things straight while a despised existence surfaces to make for an ever suspenseful conclusion. "Unhappy Admiration" is full of heart-thumping action and suspense that will leave you gasping for air, as you'll be holding your breath for most of the chapters.
James Johnson's sophomore novel is worthy of recognition and is sure to be another bestseller on all accounts. His writing has reached new levels of intellect and imagery that other authors of this genre are severely lacking and will not soon compete with, to their own detriment. The signature fast pace is, as ever, enthralling and engrossing, leaving the reader disconcerted and longing for the next episode which is sure to be another literary blockbuster.
Bravo does not begin to express the satisfaction derived from this read. So, until the next phase, Johnson has bravura of unsurpassed heights and promises to further solidify his standing as the reigning Master of urban fiction.

Virginia Woolf, born to Leslie and Julie Stephen in 1862, came into a world that was stacked against her chances of emotional success. Both her parents and close family members had emotional problems she could not avoid. This background formed a vital part in preventing Virginia from forming a close bond with her mother. The result of this was that she suffered from unresolved emotional problems for the rest of her life.

All of her life, Virginia found herself immersed in the world of art and literature. Her father was considered by many to be her mentor in nurturing her talent at an early age. Leonard, her husband, protected her against outside pressure that most writers face from critics, editors and the like. Her lover, Vita Sackville - West, she was the conduit to allow Virginia's genius to reach its peak. Woolf always needed the help of others to survive.

Virginia ran into problems at the two most important stages of a child's emotional development. They are known as Symbiosis and the Rapprochement stages. If the infant experiences any breakdown in these processes, the consequences can be severe and last a lifetime.

Symbiosis occurs between the first to fifth month of a child's existence. It is the stage of sociobiological interdependence between mother and child. Rapprochment occurs around the age of two, where the child seeks to be reunited with the mother, after finding the outside world too hard to cope with. When Virginia wanted to be reunited with her mother, her mother was not available to her. This inability to be as one with her mother affected Virginia all of her life. It led her to be constantly plagued by alternating states of mania and depression.

The Stephen and Woolf family members had a repetitive behavior pattern. They only gave to others a little of themselves, to ensure they would not lose part of themselves. It did not occur to them that by allowing a part of themselves to be consumed by another being, in a caring and sharing relationship, that this would not destroy their self. Indeed it would strengthen their belief in themselves and make them a more emotionally robust person, to take on and conquer what the world might throw at them.

Virginia Woolf wrote: "Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written in his works."

Doctor Alma Bond believes that this is indeed true of the works of Virginia Woolf. The writer's internal anguish about what problems were confronting her at various stages of her life flowed through into her novels. This characteristic of Woolf, allowed the author to utilize her professional skills to present to the world the tormented soul of a very talented person.

This is the most interesting book I have read in a long while. I thoroughly recommend it to those who wish to be entertained and gain a better understanding of themselves as well.

When I taught a graduate seminar on Virginia Woolf at Iowa State University, I told my students to read this book if they wanted, as students always do, to understand the multitude of reasons for Woolf's suicide.

Most biographies skirt the responsibilities of the other people in Woolf's life -- the exact topic that Alma Bond takes on so thoroughly. This book had to be written exactly because other writers have not been willing to examine all dimensions of Woolf's death. Hurray for Alma Bond for applying her psychoanalist's expertise on this literary/historical subject!

After seeing "The Hours" I knew I had to read more on Ms Woolf. What a great woman she was. What a great tragedy when the world lost her.

This book is definitely a must for anyone wanting to know Virginia Woolf.

More amusing practical tips. This man is quite ingenious in coming up
with sensible and not so sensible things to do with the stray corpus
felinus that you might have lying around, or are thinking of producing.

Really very funny, indeed. Worth a look for a chuckle.

A continuation of his first book. His ideas are so stupid, that they are funny. A book for cat haters and lovers.

I have been hooked on these pictures for years! As long as Greenfield supplies - I will buy! My dance students love the monthly pictures!

This is NOT a Pilobolus Calendar for 2008 in spite of the fact that the Amazon search engine groups it with the earlier Pilobolus calendars. I've just opened it, and there's no sign of Pilobolus inside.

This book is about dictators and while its events take place inn a small country irrelevant to the world, its story is indeed relevant to the world.
It draws comparisons with other dictators (Stalin) or leaders (Agamemnon) which in our timne would be defined as such.
Most of all this books is about the corruption that power brings to the society and especialy how those corrupt individuals, whoare in charge of our societies (politicians and great leaders) would do anything to achive their goals, including...(wish I could tell you).
I gave it only four stars, since when you are from free countries who have never been part of any kind of dictatorship, might find it to be les relevant, neverthe less this should serve as a vacination for future dictatorships, be it cultural, governmental, religious ( a dictatorship does not have to be a Government one, it can be religious, life stylre, cultural and we must be aware of its anatomy)or social.

In an excerpt from the publisher's preface to the French edition, we are told how Kadare smuggled manuscripts out of Albania, disguising them as translations from a German author, bringing only a few sheets at a time to be safely stored in Paris. His intent was to ensure that the totalitarian government of Albania could not misrepresent his work - that his objections to totalitarian governments would be unmistakable. In this context, it is not surprising that these stories have a didactic bent. But who else wins the Man Booker International Prize with didactic fiction?

Yet again, Kadare is a masterful writer. The plot lines of all three works in this book are very sparse. In Agamemnon's Daughter the narrator quits waiting for a lover he know is not coming and goes to watch a parade from a grandstand - a coveted perspective. In The Blinding Order, government orders evil eyes be removed. Girl's fiance works for governmental agency enforcing order; hoped for political safety for family backfires. In The Great Wall, Chinese administrator charged with rebuilding wall misunderstands reason for the Wall ... Yet all three pieces are riveting reading - through the ruminations of the narrator, each story speaks of political and social power. In each, the ruminations take twists and turns as riveting as any plot-action. And the ruminations ring true to human experience tying into other works of Kadare (especially the The Three-Arched Bridge), mythology (Agamemnon) and history (Tamerlane). This truly is an example of fiction carrying more truth about human behavior/abuse than any factual history book ever could. Pure ecstacy to read.

Glad to know that you enjoyed the first edition of All About Bonds. All about Bonds and Bond Mutual Funds is the 2nd edition, which is both updated and expanded from this first edition. In it, there is a separate chapter devoted to each type of bond and mutual fund. The Treasury security chapter, for example, includes information about the new Treasury inflation-indexed securities and inflation-indexed savings bonds. There are many new tables and diagrams which make it easier to read for both beginning investors and bond investors who want to increase their knowledge and investing skills.

Bonds ought to be easier to understand than stocks, but they're not. Actually, the nuances of bond features and bond selection can be confusing, even treacherous. Esme Faerber's book is a terrific primer for the bond neophyte, but to call this merely a bond primer does not quite do ALL ABOUT BONDS the justice it deserves. In truth, I failed to take the book's full measure until I came back to it a couple of times after perusing other texts. Faerber's book includes some worthwhile features, carefully described, which don't appear in many other bond primers. There is a formula for the calculation of DURATION, with a clear explanation. There is a very good explanation of CONVERTIBLE BONDS, which often are not discussed at all in bond primer texts. Each type of bond receives its own chapter, and each can be studied in isolation. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...and still useful despite the book's age since publication.

"The Bells of San Filipo" was my first Max Brand western, and what a treat. Just an absolutely wonderful tale. The story had all sorts of things going on and took numerous directions. The story begins with a prospector who leads a very simple, mundane life. But where it goes from there, and utimately leads the reader is a story you'll thoroughly enjoy.

Is there a western writer alive today who can do as much with the western as Max Brand did 80 years ago? I'd have to say no. The Bells Of San Filipo simply defies description. It begins with a hapless prospector who stumbles upon an ancient cache of silver and then... the book takes turns and twists the reader cannot even guess at. Shakespearean scope, myths, criminals conspiring, gang wars... in a book of 200+ pages. Picking up a Brand western is always something special but, every now and then, he tosses a tale at you that just makes you read in awe of his imagination. If you like the unconventional, Brand is for you. The Bells of San Filipo is something very, very different. And very, very good.

I was browsing the shelves at the library, when this caught my eye. I picked it up and took it home. I forgot about it for awhile but then remembered it. I started reading it and I couldn't get into it. I challenged myself to keep reading. I realized that I really liked it. The main character, Charlotte, doesn't have many friends. There is this weird kid named Oliver in her class. One day she notices something suspicious about him. She also sees these guys in red coats. Charlotte has to know what's going on between Oliver and the guys in red coats.

When I got this book at the library, I was getting ready for a boring book. Even though I had already read two of Nancy Bond's books (which I loved), I didn't think that this would be as interesting a book. I was totally wrong. Right away I got pulled into the main character's (Charlotte) life and a certain mood came over me. First of all, I am very much like Charlotte and I feel for her. But this book also is adventuresome - even though they stay in one town - and the friendships that gradually occur are remarkably written. Also, the setting is perfect - a small tourist town in Massachusats. I urge everyone to go to their library to find this book. Most of you won't regret it! If you end up liking this book, there are more with the same characters (I've read one of the sequels so far).

Jamie Denton has a special talent for pulling and tugging at the heartstrings inside you. I cried a lot throughout THE BIOLOGICAL BOND. I cried for the heroine, Rebecca Martinson, who lost her baby right after birth without even knowing the sex of the child. I cried for the hero, Sam, who had to take the biggest risk of his life and contact the biological mother of his fourteen year old daughter, Melanie, because she is his last hope for a bone marrow donor to his child. After Rebecca and Sam meet there are sparks everywhere. I cried for the two of them and their inability to recognize and live up to their true feelings and desires. And when they do, it's almost too late. The scenes and obstacles that come between Melanie and Rebecca, Melanie and Sam, and the three of them together are heartbreaking. You sympathize with them and for their respective losses. You feel for them and the things they face and need to overcome. Then there is the absolute love. The love that Sam has for his daughter is stunning and beautiful but most of all, priceless. Jamie Denton did an incredible job with the heartwarming relationships between Melanie and Same. Thank you for the love you give these characters and the happy-ever-after. The love the characters shared and the happily ever after will touch every reader, and make this a keeper book.

Romance At Its Best

Fourteen years ago lawyer Rebecca Martinson unwilling placed her child for adoption. She's never forgotten that haunting first cry of life and the child she never held. Now in family practice, she buries her past in a successful career based on helping families in need. Until one shocking day, that is, when Sam Winslow enters her office and declares himself the father of a dying daughter in need of her biological mother's bone marrow.

Desperate to save his daughter, Sam had the court records opened so he could track down his daughter Melanie's birth mother. Now he faces the adult version of his beloved daughter complete with unexpected and unwanted attraction. When Rebecca demands a month to meet and get to know her daughter, Sam capitulates with the understanding that afterward she will walk away, and Melanie will never know the visitor was her birth mother.

Both Rebecca and Sam know the risk heartbreak by allowing Melanie to meet her mother. They don't realize that they also risk heartbreak by spending time together. Rebecca's family are judges and doctors; Sam owns a farm. Rebecca has a successful career and Sam doesn't see how she could ever trade her power suits for an apron. With all their differences, however, they share a daughter they both love.

THE BIOLOGICAL BOND delivers an unexpected love story with tender empathy. Indeed, author Jamie Denton's flair for creating believable characters and a bond that go beyond blood result in a memorable, beautiful tale. As the biological mother, adoptive father and beloved daughter each reveal their innermost fears, the reader's heart can't resist a flush of understanding. Further, the unique family environment, rich characterization, and revelation of secrets keeps the pages turning. THE BIOLOGICAL BOND comes very highly recommended.

In Times Literary Supplement's "Books of the Year" (2002), Felipeo Fernandez-Armesto writes:
"Bitter Bonds is the most intriguing work of micro-history since The Return of Martin Guerre."

In 17th-century Batavia, Cornelia van Nijenroode, the daughter of a geisha and a Dutch merchant in Japan, was known as "otemba" (meaning "untamable"), which made her a heroine to modern Japanese feminists. A wealthy widow and enterprising businesswoman who had married an unsuccessful Dutch lawyer for social reasons, she discovered that just after her wedding, she and her husband were at each other's throats. Cornelia insisted on maintaining independent power of disposal over her assets, but legally her husband had control over her possessions and refused to grant her permission to engage in commerce. He soon began using blackmail, smuggling, and secret accounts to channel her wealth back to the Dutch Republic.

Cornelia fought back and tried to get a divorce. The struggle - complete with legal subterfuge, mutual recriminations, and even public brawls - would drag on for fifteen years and culminate in only a partial victory for Cornelia.

"Melodramatic and ripe for Hollywood" - Suddeutsche Zeitung

"Blusse's fine research has given us a fresh picture of a woman living between worlds and of the cultural and economic crosscurrents in the Pacific." - Natalie Zemon Davis, author of The Return of Martin Guerre

Winner of the 1998 Golden Owl award for nonfiction, Bitter Bonds: A Colonial Divorce Drama Of The Seventeenth Century by Leonard Blusse (Professor of History of European-Asian Relations, University of Leiden) is the compelling story of Cornelia van Nijenroode, the strong-willed daughter of a Dutch merchant and a Japanese geisha. Cornelia married a Dutch lawyer for social reasons, yet was soon betrayed by her husband, who sought to plunder all her personal wealth. Cornelia strove to obtain a divorce in an era when the law and customs were especially stacked against women, after a grueling fifteen-year-struggle, Cornelia emerged with only a partial success, and in the process, became a footnote to the history of women's rights. An emotional, turbulent true story of betrayal and the quest for independence, Bitter Bonds is ably translated into English by Diane Webb and a highly recommended contribution to academic Women's History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.