Bonds Books

I shall reserve my review of this and the other 3 other items listed until such time as I receive a response to my previous 2 emails in relation to them.

I loved the "real" Paddington stories as a young girl. When I saw these versions for younger kids at the library, I checked some out to see if my daughter would enjoy them. She loves them! The longer, original stories are much too complex for her (she's 2). But these introduce the characters and are filled with the same humor and warmth of the original stories. The illustrations are wonderful and bring my beloved Paddington to life. We love these books and have now purchased some for our collection!

As a child I fell in love with Paddington bear, who spoke to me more than Winnie ever could, although many have drawn simmilarities between the two. Both are fumbling, innocent little things, orphaned and adopted by human families. Winnie couldn't keep his sticky little paws out of the honey jar, and Paddingtons fondness for marmalade could be called obsessive... However for all these simmilarites the one difference is that while child-like pooh looked to Mr Robin for guidance, it was the wee bear in galoshas and a rain hat, found at the Paddington railway station, whose simplistic outlook on life saved his adoptive family from complete destruction of sanity in the day-to-day madness of the world. Paddington was a saviour in childhood, and is bound to be an absolute delight for any child who learns of his misadventures, his love of marmalade and his earnest love of his newly adopted family and newly adopted life in city.

This is a dumbed-down picture book version of Paddington that sacrifices most of the charm of the original stories. This is one of the few childrens' book purchases I've ever regretted. Buy A Bear Called Paddington instead.

It may seem like a "dumbed-down picture book" version of the original story --- because it's meant for a YOUNGER READER!! The age group for this book is clearly stated as AGES 4-8, while the original is for AGES 9-12. This is a wonderful book with delightful illustrations for the 4-8 year old. It's just the right length for parents to read to the kids (without falling asleep) and for beginning readers to read it themselves.

This book is really good! I reccomend it to every Bond fan. !!!!

This includes everything about 007! and I do mean everything. Buy it today and see for yourself.

This was a very interesting book. I liked it a lot. The word "politics" might tend to steer some readers(especialy younger ones) away from this, but don't let that word scare you. A very good book, lots of information. A recomended read from a serious(sometimes refered to as "purist") Bond fan

Did you ever wonder whether the world of James Bond was more Manichean or Weberian in its outlook? Did it ever bother you that 007 represents a sort of dying totem for the imperialistic, chauvinistic British empire? Do you look at one of Q's gadgets and ponder the limits of technology, or see Barbara Bach in a silken nightie and wonder about the gender politics of the Bond corpus?

If so, Jeremy Black has written the book for you. "The Politics of James Bond" takes on the political as well as social constructs underlying both the original novels by Ian Fleming, as well as the subsequent films. Given the enormous impact of Bond on world culture for half a century, this seems a worthy enterprise. Black certainly knows his Bond, able to deftly move from plot point to plot point in particular stories and explain what was going on at that moment in the Grand Scheme of Things, either a Cuban missile crisis or a spy ring scandal or the advent of the Pill, to draw appropriate connections.

Black is especially on target, and amusing, when he notes the various ways Bond has been modernized over the years, as when the films, with Timothy Dalton by then playing Bond, took on a Jesuitical strain:

"It was acceptable to have an agent who blew up and shot people at will (and without the concerns of Fleming's Bond), but he was no longer allowed to smoke or have sex, a contrast that reveals much about the nature and impact of modern political correctness."

He takes a similar critical approach to Fleming's novels. It's clear Black admires Fleming's writing, and though he echoes the criticisms of Fleming's Old World snobbery, he is also careful not to attach modern sensibilities to Fleming's often-badly-dated views of racial and sexual differences. He calls attention to Fleming's "racialism" rather than "racism," and it's an important distinction, that Fleming could be patronizing about blacks, for example, and yet more willing than many of his time to see beyond stereotypes; certainly not be ruled by them.

For all his cross-indexing and learned discourse, I never got a sense of whether Black thought Bond was any good for society, whether his value extends beyond box-office proceeds. Also, he takes a second-hand approach to explaining the Bond stories, assuming everyone has the same familiarity he does with every novel and film. While he starts pulling out recondite quotes from "Octopussy" to glean insight in male-female relations, I'm trying to remember if that's the one where 007 tells the tiger to sit.

While the book is advertised as "How James Bond has changed the world - and how the world has changed James Bond," it's really more about the latter than the former. Maybe the premise of the book is off, maybe he didn't spend enough time working out the merits of the individual stories over their cultural impact. Does anyone care about what the film version of "The Man With The Golden Gun" has to say about the energy crisis anymore?

Black has written a smart book and done his homework. But he doesn't have much of a story to tell, and it shows.

Basically I liked this book, as it does a good job of laying out the political climates of the various times and places in the James Bond novels-not only those by Fleming, but also the many other sequels by Amis, Gardner, et al.-and short stories, as well as all the films up to the third Pierce Brosnan one. I have read all the Fleming stories at least twice each, and will probably do so all over again now that I will be able to keep Jeremy Black's input on the politics surrounding the plots in mind.

However, I am still reeling by the frequency of errors in the book, including wrong names-e.g., he mistakenly calls [Pierce] Brosnan "Bronson" (unless of course I missed a James Bond movie that starred Charles Bronson... I don't think so!)-and he renames the character Tatiana Romanova from the novel and film From Russia, with Love "Natalya"; and heaps of grammatical errors.

This book needed an editor and a fact-checker before it went to print. I sincerely hope the publisher has one of each overhaul this book before it issues the paperback edition!

Secret Plot should be a must read for everyone interested in government, politics and history. This is an excellent resource for those who want to get the real story on Richard Nixon and Watergate.

It is such a fascinating read, so different from the other books on Watergate. The author, Geoff Shepard, obviously, had a front row seat to history, and appreciate his look from the inside. Shepard is to be commended for his research and attention to detail. The flow of the book reads like a novel, but, unfortunately, is non-fiction.

The author shows how Dean, who was supposed to be the President's lawyer, planned and perpetuated the cover-up and was more interested in protecting himself than giving wise counsel to his client. No wonder Dean is called the villain and Judas of Watergate. It is good to see the true colors of John Dean.

As a present-day "liberal" (Witness the "Goldwater in '64" bumper sticker I've got framed and hanging on my office wall), I suppose I should be all upset about the premise of this book, but now, as I near the end of a great read, the book has me wondering. Did John Dean come to his senses and realize what he had to do when he sojourned to Camp David at Nixon's request for a long weekend in late March 1973, or was he plotting to come out unscathed from the moment he heard about the botched break-in on June 19, 1972? The author portrays Teddy Kennedy as "plotting" Watergate as a vehicle to the Oval Office (I like Teddy Kennedy, by the way--warts and all). I think it was more--back then--of Teddy being drawn to the White House like a kid to a playground: he really couldn't do otherwise. The author has tons of interesting and sometimes humorous stuff, such as Nixon's reaction upon learning of the break-in as one of "dismay" rather than "disapproval"--dismay that CREEP would choose the DNC's Larry O'Brien's phone to bug, when anyone with any knowledge of politics would realize that the phone to bug would be the Democratic candidate's campaign manager's phone! The book has me re-thinking what exactly went on back then, really, although I can't say I thought the author "demonized" Hillary Rodham. Back in 1973 I thought it would be impossible to perpetrate an injustice such as Mr. Shepard describes; today, 35 years later, I'm not so sure. Anyway, it was a great read, even if you don't share the author's point of view.

Shepard connects the dots and provides a compelling paper trail illustrating the Harvard/Kennedy clan cabal. Fast paced and well written, it's a good read for anyone and a must read for the political junky. Side bars provide a nice bridge for those whose memories are fading and those who were not around to remember. A convincing indictment with the occasional rascally aside.

This book should be required reading for all political science classes. Rarely do outsiders get a look into the inner workings of Washington's politcal machinations that this book makes possible.
Here, the author explores new lines of thought regarding Watergate that he has uncovered, and then structures them in context with other parallel activities such that the reader has a real time sense of the day by day influences surrounding Watergate and those caught up in it. The book opens the window on an important time in our history, and challenges the reader to consider new possibilities brought by the author after exhausting research and discovery of new material.

This is an interesting twist to the numerous "Nixon is innocent" books that have been written. While most blame the media (of course), the democrats and John Dean, Shepard has a new theory - its a Kennedy plot, put together with most of the branches of government, the media and (drum roll) Hillary Clinton.

The "conspiracy" uncovered by Shepard (and missed by every author and journalist for over 30 years) is so breath-taking in its scope and numbers that, if it was even remotely true, Kennedy would have made a great president as he clearly has the power to unite most of Washington to achieve something!

Shepard claims to be drawing on unpublished documents and his own (extremely limited) experience but there is no meaningful verification beyond unfounded assertions. The book also largely ignores the facts of the Watergate break in and subsequent investigations; preferring conspiracy to rebuttal. This is the author's choice. However, this means the odds are great this book is fiction - which is the way it reads.

The book would deserve zero stars but for the one impressive thing about it. It manages to rope in Hillary Clinton. This means if you are a "true believer" not only does this book "prove" Nixon was innocent and the Democrats traitors to America, but you also get to demonise Hillary Clinton - all in the same book! Great value for the true believers. For everyone else - stick with All the President's Men.

One of the best books I've ever read! Not only comforted me in a time of grief, but also made me laugh. Very talented author!

Thank you so much for giving me a copy of your book. I can't express how much it helped me with the loss of Sophie. Nobody really understands how difficult it is to lose an animal family member unless they have experienced the closeness that Sophie and I shared. Few people have as deep a relationship with their " pets" as we had. It helped me greatly to read about your love for your animals. It made me unde4rstand that I am not alone in loving my animals as much as I do and in the immense sorrow I have in losing them.

Dr. Cunningham,
It's hard for me to confront people with certain feelings because I don't want to make them or myself uncomfortable, but I wanted to let you know how deeply your book touched me. I sat up until I finished every last page and I wanted to read it again. It made me look at things a little bit closer and a lot different.
When it comes to animals I know I share the same feelings as you. Somehow it's like you reached into my mind and heart and said all the things I've never been able to find the words to say.
Your book has touched my heart more than I could ever explain. I know it will do the same for a countless amount of people.
I just wanted to thank you for sharing an incredible experience with me. I

It appears the author himself gave one of the 5 star reviews. I found this book to be lacking in content that I found interesting or moving to the reader. The author does express a deep love for his pets, however this isn't a book about veterinary medicine. I got the impression he doesn't enjoy being a veterinarian. Little is said about his life working as a vet and bonding with patients. As a veterinarian myself I was disappointed and would not give this to my clients. For anyone who has read this, veterinarians in general do not recommended letting FIV cats outside, nor purchasing pets from pet stores. The author also mentions some issues of anger management and for this reason my name has been altered a bit.

Dr. Cunningham takes us on an autobiographical journey with the animals in his life from four years of age through his ups and downs of veterinary school and into his work as a nighttime emergency vet. In a forthright style he describes the tribulations of his life as a young veterinary student trying to follow both the system and his conscience.

A gentle soul, with a level of devotion and love for his patients beyond the call, he regales us with stories about "One Step" the one legged cockatiel, and tugs at our hearts us with the story of his beloved Boston terrier "Pug."

This is a great book for all animal lovers, easy to read and hard to put down, I finished it the afternoon that I got it, with warmth in my heart and tears in my eyes. Thank you Dr. Cunningham!

I have now read all 4 of the books in this series. The world McKenna has created is intriguing and believable. The 2 main characters within this book, Temar and Ryshad, are handled plausibly. The pacing of the book is very good. As in each book, each chapter starts with a note or passage written during a different time that provides a deeper glimpse into the society of the created world. A very enjoyable read.

First let me say, I *like* McKenna's books. Her writing is solid, her characters are engaging and complex and so is her world. Rather than the typical medieval milieu, she has set her stories in a world that resembles 17th c. Europe-- nice change. The only flaw is that while some of the good guys aren't terribly likeable, most of her bad guys tend to be Evil with a capital E. That's okay-- makes it more fun to see them fall. I'm looking to be entertained here.

With the fourth book in the series, we are back with Ryshad, the male half of her protagonist couple. I realized toward the end of the book that this one doesn't deal with the main villains, the Elietim, from her earlier books at all. The plot revolves totally around the machinations of an Imperial court. I think this may be why some people found it disappointing. I actually enjoyed it, however. The writing remained solid and the characters are likeable and sympthetic. And palace intrigue can be a lot of fun.

I gave this four stars because the enjoyment factor remains high. I wouldn't judge the whole series from this one particular book, however, since it did feel like a small departure. The protagonists are back together at the end of the book and heading overseas so I anticipate our old pals, the Elietim, will be back as well.

Juliet McKenna's latest installment focuses again on Ryshad. We have seen many sides of Ryshad now, from intriguing swordsman to clever slave. Here, we see Ryshad the servant. Returning to service with the D'Olbriots isn't easy for Ryshad, who has gotten used to making his own decisions. Nor is it easy to be separated from his beloved Livak.

The Elietimm must be taking time off from terrorizing the land, because we see little of them in this book. No, the villains of this book are closer to home - the Tor Bezaemar family, rivals of the D'Olbriots. Temar, the newly-awoken noble from Kellarin, is caught up in the intrigues between noble houses, all the while trying to catch up on what has happened during his long sleep. Ryshad assists Temar as best he can while still honoring his oath.

This book is not as interesting as previous books. The idylls of the rich and famous are not as fascinating as the jams Livak would get herself into. It does serve as an history of the Empire, and a tome to the complex social hierarchy of this land.

Sometimes both sorcery and artifice seemed just a little too convenient, devices to get our protagonists out of trouble or to tie up loose plot ends. I hope this trend doesn't continue, as I lauded the low-magic aspects of the first book.

I was relieved when I finished the book, after struggling to get through some of the duller moments. I usually give my favorite authors a few chances to redeem themselves, and the end of this book sets things up nicely for a better fifth installment.

The Warrior's Bond is the fourth novel in the Tales of Einarinn series, following The Gambler's Fortune. In the previous volume, Livak has left a songbook with Pered to translate and traveled with Usara to Selerima in Western Ensaimin to learn more about the Mountain Men folk songs and tales. Joining with Sorgrad and Sorgren, they then traveled on the Great West Road through the Great Forest to the mountains. There they have fought an Elietimm enchanter and Mountain Men and have returned with Aritane, a renegade Sheltya, to assist the wizards of Hadrumal in the study of enchantment.

In this novel, Ryshad has become a Chosen man of the House of D'Olbriot and assigned to the Esquire D'Alsennin, who has come over from Kel Ar'ayen -- i.e., Kellarin -- for the Summer Solstice Festival in Toremal. There Temar D'Alsennin meets the nobility of the Empire and gets robbed, snubbed, stabbed, mobbed and otherwise entertained. Moreover, House D'Olbriot is embroiled in law suits and invaded by thieves. Someone is stirring up trouble for both D'Olbriot and D'Alsennin.

Ryshad is also having a interesting time, with ritual challenges that turn deadly, beautiful con ladies, and failures to keep his patron informed. Casuel is his usual C3PO self, always vain and ambitious, barely in control of his magic, never in control of his tongue, and occasionally useful. Allin is still deferential to Casuel, but growing more independent with encouragement from Temar. Then there are the Emperor and palaces and mazes and balls and puppet theaters and rope walkers and seers and feasts and assassins and a host of other sights and events. It is festival time!

Recommended for McKenna fans and anyone who enjoys adventures and personal relationships within a fantasy setting.

McKenna's fourth tale of Einarinn covers the same timeframe as The Gambler's Fortune, focusing on Ryshad Tathel's activities in Tormalin while lover Livak is off in the west. While retaining all the color and texture of earlier books, The Warrior's Bond offers some departures from the norm as well. For one thing, it does very little traveling, with most of its action set in the capital city of Toremal.

Ryshad's first-person narration isn't yet on a par with Livak's, but comes across well enough. He's been elevated from sworn man to chosen man by Messire D'Olbriot; one more step up to proven man will give him the wherewithal for the life he wants with Livak. His viewpoint alternates with two others in third-person. One belongs to wizard Casuel Devoir, still trying to advance his own fortunes and still as delightfully odious as ever. The other is from colonist Temar D'Alsennin, on his first mainland visit and having trouble adjusting to a changed world after his centuries-long sleep.

Temar and a fellow colonist plan to meet assorted nobles and present a case for assisting the colony. A third of the colony's members remain locked in limbo, with the ancient artifacts holding their consciousness yet to be recovered from among the noble Houses. Equally important, the colony's long-term survival depends on establishing mainland trade and other alliances. Though the Elietimm threat still looms, Ryshad and Casuel are temporarily reassigned by their respective masters to watch over Temar as he tries to navigate modern Empire life.

As usual in a McKenna story, things start to go wrong almost immediately. Temar's ship nearly founders right outside the harbor. His sample trade goods are plundered from their dockside warehouse. He's attacked by an unidentified assailant. Ryshad is set up for a warrior's challenge. Several noble Houses file suits to wrest all control of the colony away from D'Olbriot and from Temar himself. Are these incidents related? If so, who's behind them, and why? Ryshad struggles to get to the bottom of things, while at the same time serving the interests of both D'Olbriot and Temar, all of which only seems to get him deeper into trouble and further away from achieving his own goal.

Previous books have focused on the lives of common folk, or on wizards, foreigners, time-displaced colonists, or other unusual groups; here McKenna turns her writer's talents loose on the lives of the rich and noble. Readers get a good look at Tormalin nobility through the widely differing perspectives of Ryshad, Temar, and Casuel. Magic takes a backseat to political and social machinations. As one character tells Temar, "[i]t's a different kind of danger, but it's just as real for your colony." It's just as real for readers, too, and well-told, as always. McKenna's control over plotting errors remains phenomenal given the complexity of her stories; control over printing errors-like inappropriate question marks-is less than perfect, but who's going to sweat such picky stuff with fine tales like these?

The book is organized by chapters presenting different types of letters you may need to write. At the beginning of each chapter there is short introduction explaining in general terms that type of letter, presenting any information particular for that type. Then you get a number of examples. Most chapters are finished with a list of useful sentences. The end of the book has some brief grammar reference, list of zip codes in US, a list of ways to address a letter to people with a specific title or position, a list of common words that can be easily confused (ex. all togeher vs altogether) and a list of adjectives and names of people for most country names.

What I find to be strong advantages of the book is clear division in chapters, many types of letters are covered,
useful introductions and list of sentences, the appendix is very useful.

I did not quite like some examples and the layout in parts of the book. For example, for emails it is a bit space wasting to use whole page to print a screen shot of an email client to present an email example with 1-3 sentences... Bit this is just a minor remark to think about for any next edition, should not really stop you from thinking about getting the book for yourself.

Overall, I am very happy with buying the book; and my wallet is happy too - the book is definitely worth the price! Go and get a copy too!

This jumps around from business type to business type and does not give general letters. Hard to find several that work,maybe one or two only, for sales letters.

This book seems to cover just about any business letter that you might ever need. The book itself is divided into 16 chapters covering topics such as LETTERS OF INQUIRY, BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS, INVITATIONS, and COLLECTION LETTERS. In addition to providing many examples of letters the book also covers issues and approaches to creating letter for various reasons. This is helpful if you do not want to use the example, but still need guidance on how to compose a letter on a certain topic. The book also provides what it calls "useful sentences" that you can plug into a letter of your own design. There is also a "quick reference appendix" that show Forms of Addresses (if you're writing to a politician or dignitary), common spelling and grammar mistakes, and other helpful pieces of information. Overall I rate this book very highly and think that it should be on the bookshelf of anyone that writes formal business or personal letters.

Alan Bond's book, OVER 300 SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LETTERS FOR ALL OCCASIONS gives several examples of actual letters. Examples of just about every type of letter you will ever have to write can be found in this book. It was written as a reference for the business professional and home correspondent.

OVER 300 SUCCESSFUL LETTERS FOR ALL OCCASIONS does not have a lot of tutorials. It does little to teach you to be a better business writer but is a very good source of examples of actual letters.

This book is best when used with BUSINESS WRITING FOR DUMMIES by Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts. BUSINESS WRITING FOR DUMMIES is just the opposite. It does a lot to make you a better Business letter writer but it has very few actual examples when compared to Alan Bond's OVER 300 SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LETTERS FOR ALL OCCASIONS.

Used together, any person has a formidable arsenal to write a well-written professional letter regardless of the subject or circumstances.

I highly recommend that anyone interested in improving their business witting skills purchase both Alan Bond's, OVER 300 SUCCESSFUL LETTERS FOR ALL OCCASIONS and Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts' BUSINESS WRITING FOR DUMMIES.

As I noted previously in a review of Paul E. Johnson's A Shopkeeper's Millennium, an account of the rise of the industrial capitalists of Rochester, New York in the 1830's, in any truly socialist understanding of history the role of the class struggle plays a central role. However, the uneven development of society throughout history has created other forms of oppression that need to be address. In America the question of the special oppression of blacks as a race clearly fits that demand. And everywhere the woman question cries out for solution.

Any thoughtful socialist wants to, in fact needs to, know how the various classes in society were formed, and transformed, over time. I have mentioned previously that a lot of useful work in this area has been done by socialist scholars. One thinks of E.P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class, for example. One needs to have a sense about the evolution of the forms of woman's oppression, as well. One does not, however, need to be a socialist to do such research in order to provide us with plenty of ammunition in our fight for a better world. One of the great developments of the past thirty or forty years is the dramatic increase in research, led by the feminist resurgence, on woman's history. The book under review here Nancy Cott's study of the role of women in early capitalist America, The Bonds of Womanhood, is an early such addition.

I have mentioned in other reviews of this period in American history that the changes from an agrarian/mercantile society as found at the time of the American Revolution to the contours of an industrial society in the Age of Jackson were dramatic and longstanding. This was also the case with the role of women. Women, due to their biological function, have always been central to the cohesion of the family throughout class history. The form that has taken however has varied with changes in the economic superstructure. Thus such occurrences, due to the nature of industrial development, as the decrease in extended families, the dividing of work from the home, the putting out system, the dominance of the male as `breadwinner' and the domestication of women as center of family life had profound changes in the way the family related to the world, the way children were socialized and the way woman subordinated their desires and creativity to the tasks at hand. Sound familiar?

Professor Cott makes her case for this observable change by looking at changes of various types of New England families from self-sufficient farmers to producers for the market, etc. She also relies heavily, as all historians of necessity must, on the record left behind by women mainly through their diaries. There are certain methodological problems inherent in that approach and a tendency to generalize off of the relatively small numbers for whom a record survives but nevertheless her early work is the starting place for a better understanding of the crisis in the family that occurred with the rise of capitalism in America.

I would note as a sidelight that her digging up various self-help manuals for child-rearing and other domestic responsibilities was quite interesting. Dr. Spock in the last generation and today Oprah and Doctor Phil and their ilk thus come from a long pedigree of those who had something to say about the correct raising of YOUR children. Read on.

Unless your extremely into History and like reading term papers you better just skip this book. I had to read this book for a college history course and the read was so dull and boring, there is nothing in the book that pulls the reader in and I doubt anyone that reads this book will have a hard time making up excuses to get away and do something else. Learning about history should be fun, not so horribly boring that you want to commit bodily harm to yourself rather then reading it. For what this book is, the length of the reading is completely unneeded.

Cott argues that the market revolution in early America brought about the creation of a seperate women's "sphere" of domesticity. She further contends that the placement of women in a seperate "private sphere." can be termed the "cult of domesticity" She concludes by making the claim that the cult of domesticity allowed women to forge bonds through churches and fellow homemakers which helped bring about the first femenist movements of the early nineteenth century. The work stands as the primer for the revisionists' view of new women's "anti-victimization" history.

When I first began to read 'The Bonds of Womenhood' I found the concepts general and the progress slow. Despite this slow start, Nancy Cott's work soon pulls you in to her convincing arguments and compelling presentation. By the conclusion one can appreciate the structure of the argument as much as the message, history, and interpretation she conveys in the text. I recommend this book to those who wish to begin a modern and fair interpretation of Gender history and Women's issues. There are few scholarly books that are enjoyable to read and this one in particular is commendable.

I just finished reading "Burn" this weekend, purposely missing my train stop 'cause I was at the end of the book. "Burn" was a real juicy page-turner. I liked how complex and tough Jasmine was. I loved Felicidad and how she was portrayed - real, multi-dimensional and funny without being the cliched tranny clown. All the characters felt fully realized and the plot was hot! I learned alot about the bail bond business. I could totally see "Burn" turned into a movie.

Reviewed by Ronald J. Martin for Reader View (6/06)


As the reader rides shotgun with bondswoman Jasmine Reyes you follow her life: court appearances, bail jumpers, cigarettes, whiskey, keeping clients in line, love affairs, and office politics are all a small portion of a regular day at Reye's Bonds.

Jasmine is the bail agent with a heart. She believes in second chances and will post bail pro bono for clients with low flight risk and good possibility of rehabilitation.

When Jasmine runs into Malcolm "Macho" Booker, a graffiti writer charged with armed robbery for his theft of spray paint, she gets a wake up call from the past. Macho reminds her of her late twin brother, who was also a graffiti artist and killed himself while in lockdown.

Malcolm is a low flight risk, and has a contract to do his graffiti legally for a local health clinic. So after Jasmine posts the bail and Macho takes off, she has a mystery to solve and $10,000 on the line!

She has a feeling that Malcolm's running away might have something to do with the high rolling humanitarian doctor running the clinic, who might not be as saintly as most think.

This book was a good read and has an ending that ties up the loose ends, which in my opinion is a good writing style. If you like books that tell a story and don't just setup for part two then you won't be disappointed.

Unfortunately some of the social commentary had me groaning out loud. A lot of it was really out of place and seemed to come out of left field (pun intended). For example, discussing the faults of Mayor Giuliani in a book about graffiti is appropriate. He was a big enemy in the world of a graffiti writer and it makes sense to bring it up. On the other hand, having the main character Jasmine discuss with her employee the issue of Gender Identity Disorder and if it exists or not, was a pretty far stretch and didn't advance the plot.

"BURN" takes the reader twisting and turning on a journey that is entertaining and also explores a plethora of social issues.

Please note that this is an ADULT fiction book. Coarse language and adult themes are used. I would recommend it for the 20-30 age range with an interest in graffiti and hip hop.

Girl Friday!

Burn by Black Artemis is a book about a female bail bondswoman named Jasmine Reyes. Jasmine is not your average run-of-the-mill girl; she is a take-charge woman and when she puts up a bond for your release you better make every court appearance or else!

Burn is a well-told street tale which includes social commentaries such as the AIDS epidemic, lack of good quality health care, and the justice system. Take a journey with Jasmine as she chases down bail jumpers, gets in fights, tries to save lives and runs her own business. Risking her life in what is known as a man's job, Jasmine takes to one of her clients, and her mission is to make sure he is returned to society safely.

Several of the characters in this story were very artsy and dramatic; readers could definitely relate to them. Black Artemis deftly incorporates a secondary storyline about street art and the trials and tribulations that some of these groups go through to showcase their creativity via 'tagging' and basically to be accepted.

I recommend this book to young high-school students who are trying to find their way in society today.

Cheryl H
APOOO BookClub

Bond agent Jasmine Reyes is willing to give anybody a second chance. Her latest client is graffiti artist Macho Booker, who reminds Jasmine of her own deceased twin brother Jason. But when a $10,000 bail is posted, and Macho vanishes without a trace, Jasmine will stop at nothing to find him. But she may have bit off more than she can chew when Jasmine finds out a devastating secret about Macho's employer Dr. Adriano Suarez. Suarez is a modern day Robin Hood providing affordable healthcare to New York's poorest residents. But he doesn't want his questionable practices exposed or for Jasmine to find out how much he's connected to Macho's disappearance. Jasmine also has her own personal issues when her past demons slap her in the face.

Burn is an ambitious and innovative novel by Black Artemis. Artemis tackles many issues in the novel such as affordable health care, HIV/AIDS, and the justice system. I really like the excellent character development in this novel. I thought that Jasmine Reyes' profession as a bond agent was a refreshing and unique change from other women protagonists. Incorporating the whole graffiti culture into the story was not only entertaining but enlightening as well. This novel also shows how one's past mistakes can catch up to them when you least expect it. Burn is full of breathtaking, real life drama that pulls no punches. Black Artemis knows how to tell a story and helps us to open our eyes to a culture we might not have known to exist.

This is another of the biography collections covering World War II generals that was done in the early 90s by a British publisher. In this book we get an introductory essay by editor John Keegan that puts the rest of the book in context, describing how Churchill dealt with generals, what he thought of them, and how he related to them, briefly. After that, we have a series of short (each about 20-30 pages) biographies of various commanders from the British Army in World War II. The editor chose to restrict himself to officers from Britain itself, so no Guy Simonds or Bernard Freyburg. He chose commanders who had some influence on the outcome of the war, or who were somehow outstanding or memorable, so no Miles Dempsey. Instead, the editor chose those soldiers who stood out in some way, or were somehow instrumental in the victory in a fashion that can't be ignored.

Within this, as is usually the case in such a volume, the individual biographies are somewhat uneven. Some are written as if you know everything already about World War II, and others are written in a very elementary style, as if you know nothing. Some are also more editorial or review of the individual's character and actions (the essay on Montgomery is the most obvious one in this category) while other seek merely to inform you about the person involved. There are two combination biographies, one covering the "Desert Generals" (Cunningham, Ritchie, and Leese) and another covering two generals who were more involved in diplomacy during the war, Adrian Carton de Wiart and Edward Spears. These tend to do little more than recount the facts of these men's careers: there's no space for anything else.

I think the general researcher who's looking for a reference work covering this topic will find this book useful, if only in a limited fashion. Since the coverage is rather limited, you're going to be disappointed if a particular soldier isn't covered here and he's the one you're trying to research. On the other hand, if you are looking for information on someone who *is* here, then you're going to get more data here than you would from the Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, for instance. So it depends on whom you're researching.

Churchill's Generals proves to be just that, basic introduction to the British generals who fought under Winston Churchill during the Second World War. Its an interesting collection of soldiers, some which every students of military history knows while others were folks no one never heard off until they read this book. These biographical essays proves to be a mixed bunch. Some are better then others. Some essays proves to be quite insightful and able to give an personal understanding of their subject. Others seem to be written by a clerk copying off some dossier file.

The book is a companion to its sister volumes, Hitler's Generals and Stalin's Generals. I would put this book above Stalin's Generals but its definitely inferior to Hitler's Generals. I haven't seen titles for Roosevelt's Generals or Hirohito's Generals so I guess we are stuck with these three books.

Overall, a pretty basic introduction essays. It should be enough to arouse your curiousity and hopefully you will read more on the subject. Some of the British generals like Slim really do need greater attention.

This book is an interesting and exceptionally well-done introduction to the British perspective of World War II. Each of the seventeen chapter is a biography of a key British general during this conflict. Some are well-known (Montgomery), while others have largely been forgotten (Sir Henry Wilson). Five generals end up having to share two chapters. Each and every one, though, gets a good biography. There are differences in focus, emphasis, and interpretation, which is to be expected, but none of these entries is weak. This fact in and of itself makes this book unique among in its genre.

The authors come from a number of backgrounds: academia, journalism, and the military, including a general and a field marshal. One of the contributors is Australian, another is American and the rest are British. The reader is getting a good cross sampling of the British perspective.

The main theme that emerges from these essays is the importance of interpersonal relationships with both Churchill but also other generals. The chapters also do a good job of introducing the reader to issues in the literature without getting bogged down in the details. Each chapter concludes with a chronology of the general's life and career.

A reader unfamiliar with British military culture will stumble on some issues: the acronyms are completely different: GOC and KCB to give only two examples. (General Officer Commanding and Knight Commander of the Bath---a knighthood that gives the individual the title of "Sir.") The practice of keeping generals on half-pay is another practice that is often referenced but never explained. (A general without an assignment received only half his pay. If he did not receive an assignment after two years, he was retired.)

Nonetheless, this book is easy to read and is recommended without reservation.

This collection of essays, edited by Keegan, provides a good introduction to most of the generals who made it to the top of the British Army in WW2. The essays are of varying standard and some require a knowledge of the subject and their place in the world. Each article has a bibliography and a career time line. Keegan provides an introduction as to each generals place in the scheme of things and his relationship with Curchill. Generally a good book with some outstanding essays.

Charlie Bond kept a diary of his experiences while flying with the American Volunteer Group, popularly known as the Flying Tigers. This book covers this time in his life, with a brief preamble and a brief postamble. Bond retired from the USAF as a Major General, and had many varied experiences after his tour with the AVG, but this book is 95% Flying Tigers.

Claire Chennault, and the AVG, went against the grain. Army Air Corps doctrine was that the bomber will always get through. Chennault thought differently, and showed that doctrine was incorrect during interwar maneuvers, and was allowed to retire for his efforts. He was hired by the Chinese to rebuild the Chinese air force, and was a confidant of Chiang Kai-Chek, and also the very powerful Madame Chiang. He taught his tactics to the AVG pilots, and they set records that were embarrassing to the Army Air Corps hierarchy.

Bond explains some of the higher-level activities, but stays mainly with his own experiences as a pilot flying Curtiss P-40's This book really shows the nitty-gritty of life in a war-torn third-world country, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the AVG history, and a should-read for everyone else.

as one one of the remarkable "Flying Tigers". Charles Bond was a young man who longed to fly fighter planes but found himself stuck flying four engined bombers. When the chance to resign from the Army Air Corps and fulfill his dream of flying fighters came along he jumped at it and never looked back. His book is a fine record of his time with the American Volunteer Group and is filled with personal insight on his fellow pilots and the very valuable ground people of the AVG. He became an ace and also himself underwent the harrowing experience of being shot down and wounded during his service with the storied AVG.

His descriptions of the somewhat lively air combat, his thoughts on Claire Chennault, Greg Boyington, and his feelings about China make for a fine read. Bond had a long and distinguished military career and he retired from the Air Force as a Major General.

This book is exactly as advertised. It is basically the day-to-day diary entries of a member of the American Volunteer Group (AVG), the "Flying Tigers" of World War II fame with additional material to set the entries in context. As such, it should be a valuable historical reference for anyone seeking insight into the internal workings of the AVG, the personal thoughts, struggles, adventures, and misadventures of those in that group, and, in particular, the exploits of those in the First Squadron of the AVG.

I found the book to be interesting and quite factual; particularly since the entries in the diary were made at the time the events actually took place and in many instances detailed the actions of the man making the entries. I had hoped, however, that this book would tell the broader story of the AVG, based on the diary entries, rather than simply restating the actual records. But it didn't. As a result, I found the book to be somewhat narrow in scope. I say that since the author of the diary was in the First Squadron of the AVG which was generally remote from the other two squadrons. As a consequence, virtually all of the diary entries relate to the exploits of the Adam and Eve Squadron and the personnel in that squadron. The missions and actions of those in the Second and Third Squadrons (the "Pandas" and "Hell's Angels"), such as Tex Hill and Ed Rector were touched upon lightly, but much was left out. Of note, however, the cumulative entries in the diary did present a somewhat different picture of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington than I have seen in other venues.

Since the book is in diary form with many missing dates, it is somewhat difficult to read and, as you might expect in this form, there is some lack of continuity. One diary entry doesn't necessarily relate to the one before or the one after. Nevertheless, this book includes some valuable and noteworthy information and should be of interest to anyone seeking to learn more about the Flying Tigers.

General Bond kept a diary during his year with the American Volunteer Group. Unfortunately, it was slightly edited for publication, so we don't in all cases get his unvarnished view. Still, it's by far the best account currently in print from the point of view of one of the original Flying Tiger pilots. There's some historical context provided by historian Terry Anderson.