Brown Books

Snow White is beautiful. Too beautiful. At least that is the feeling of the queen who is beautiful, too, but insists on being MOST beautiful in the kingdom. And Snow White, without even trying, is becoming more beautiful as time goes on. "So, there is only one thing to do," thinks the jealous queen: "kill Snow White." But try as she might, again and again, Snow White lives on. "Curses," thinks the queen, "there must be a way."

[Picture book suitable for the primary through intermediate grades.]

I read this book when I was seven years old and have never forgotten it. Having been raised with Disney, I had never known what a real fairy tale was . . . at least, not the original tales. This book tells the story the way it ought to be told. I think that I can honestly say that this book started me on my love of fantasy novels and folk literature.

I found a copy of this version of Snow White in the school library in Japan where I was teaching, and took it home to read to my boys. Later, I photographed the pages and showed slides to my Japanese students, using these illustrations to explain the surface, psychological, and spiritual meaning of the Grimm's stories. Of Grimm illustrators, I think Hyman is best, and while her illustrations of Rapunsel, Living Water, etc, are wonderful, this is her most inspired work.

First of all, the paintings take my breath away. Unlike the Disney figures, one can understand why the Mirror on the Wall thought these two ladies beautiful, and why the prince fell in love with Snow White! Hyman uses light brilliantly, beautifully, and with subtlety. Wow! My students liked them, too.

Also, Hyman seems to be one of those rare souls who picks up on the spiritual level of the Grimm tale. None of the other reviewers has mentioned the allegorical nature of Snow White, and I don't want to ruin the story for anyone. But if this interests you, pay close attention to numbers, temptations, candles, the mirror, especially the final mirror image, and the face of the King's Son. Hyman has drawn so subtly that it is possible to entirely overlook this quality and thoroughly enjoy her art, as an atheist may enjoy, say, the Chronicles of Narnia. Nor am I even sure she was a Christian. But she may have picked up on something intended by the Brothers Grimm. (For details, see Ronald Murphy's The Owl, the Raven, and the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales. Or see my upcoming article in Books and Culture, "How the Brothers Grimm Overthrew the Evil Empire.")

Lay all that aside, though, and this is still one of the most lovely children's books I have ever read.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

Parents looking for a good edition of "Snow White" need look no further than this one by Paul Heins and Trina Schart Hyman. One day a beautiful, yet proud and arrogant, queen stands before her magic mirror and asks: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is most beautiful in the land?" Instead of replying as usual that she is the beautifulest, the mirror informs the queen that her stepdaughter, Snow White, has now surpassed her in beauty. Driven by envy and anger, the queen orders a hunter to take the girl into the woods to be killed. He decides to spare her life and presents the liver and lungs of a boar to the queen instead of Snow White's. Meanwhile Snow White takes shelter in the house of the seven dwarfs. The scene when the dwarfs return home is reminiscent of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with the dwarfs asking "Who has taken some of my bread?", "Who has been using my little fork?", and discovering the girl asleep in one of the beds. They allow her to stay. When the queen discovers Snow White is still alive, she tries to get rid of her in a variety of ways: bodice laces that cut one's breath, a poisoned comb and finally a poisoned apple. The fairy tale obviously has a happy ending. There are two scenes in the tale that parents or children might find disturbing. One is when the queen cooks and eats the liver and lungs, thinking they are Snow White's. Second, at the end, when the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot shoes until she falls dead. Other than that the story is well told and the illustrations are magnificent---detailed with rich and vivid colors. I especially liked the one where the queen, disguised as a peddler, is tying Snow White's bodice laces. A wonderul story to add to your child's collection.

This is the well-known story of a princess whose evil stepmother tries to have her killed. The huntsmen could not go through with it and tells Snow White to run away. When she does she finds herself in the company of seven small men. They live in a house very happily until the queen finds that Snow White is not dead. She finds Snow White and tricks her into eating a poisoned apple. Snow White dies. She is awoken from her death by the kiss of a prince and they live happily ever after.
The reason I enjoyed this version of Snow White more than others that I have read was that is was not as much of a fairy tail like story and more of a darker approach to it. The seven dwarfs, for example, are not shown as happy little creatures that sing and dance all day long. They are merely shown as small, kind men. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful even though they are not the bright colors that would usually go along with this story.

This is an excellent book. It's very informative. This is my first year to put up a Martin House. I learned a lot from reading this book.

An excellent book with suggestions on how to attract and keep martins in your backyard.

My husband and I invested in a Purple Martin House, but didn't have a clue how to entice them to our back yard! I have several of the Stokes bird books and have always found them informative, easy to use, and excellent photography. I found all of this to be true in their Purple Martin Book.The book starts with Purple Martin basics, how to attract, and something I hadn't even thought of, when to expect their arrival. Each section of their breeding range has a different date, the Gulf Coast being approximately Feb. 1st, so I need to get ready in a hurry! Also covered, is their behavior, selecting housing, egg laying to leaving the nest. Dealing with predators and parasites. I don't think there was a "stone uncovered"!If you just enjoy learning about birds, this book is a joy. For me, I am hoping in a few short weeks, I'll be a Purple Martin landlord!

Twenty years ago the air above the narrow street outside our little row house in Costa Rica used to teem with swallows dashing about in the later afternoon coolness. I loved to watch their antics, finding in their effortless twists and turns a vicarious agility.

When we moved house and the swallows were no longer part of our end-of-day joys, I knew that I must someday remedy this situation by having a Purple Martin house that would persuade the similar martins to take us into their company.

It's March, 2007 in Indianapolis and a late snow lies on the ground. The Martins will be here within weeks if prognostications are accurate. From the comfort of my easy chair and a laptop bookmarked to several vendors of Purple Martin houses, I've read through the excellent Stokes Guide.

These people have a rare gift for understanding the bird in question but also for speaking to the level of the interested, reasonably intelligent novice, a reader who knows very little of the topic but is capable of getting up to speed with just a little help.

That assistance comes in the form of inviting prose and beautiful photos, all presented in an affordable format.

I know a whole lot more about Purple Martins than I did just an hour ago and am just about to order that house and telescoping pole. Heck, this frozen ground can't last forever and those newbie Martins will be looking for a place to call home.

We'll leave the light on.

Educate yourself before you buy a Purple Martin house. Reading this book is a great beginning. Many houses sold are not suitable and you will end up with a sparrow house. The Stokes have thorough information and nice photographs in their book. I also recommend you join the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Association), Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA, 16444 if you are serious about being a martin landlord.

JONATHAN KNIGHT DOES A GREAT JOB TAKING US THRU SOME GREAT AND EXCITING YEARS DURING THE MID TO LATE 1980'S CLEVELAND BROWNS SEASONS. HE REALLY BRINGS BACK SOME GOOD AND NOT SO GOOD NOSTALGIC MOMENTS. WE START WITH THE DISASTEROUS 1984 SEASON WITH THE RELEASE OF GOOD GUY SAM RUTIGLIANO AS HEAD COACH AND IS REPLACED BY MARTY (SHOT AND A BEER) SCHOTTENHEIMER. FROM THERE THE BROWNS PEAK UNTIL 1986 WHEN THEY HAD THEIR BEST TEAM OF THIS ERA LOSE IN THE FAMOUS "THE DRIVE" GAME. FROM THERE THE BROWNS WENT DOWN HILL A BIT EACH YEAR BUT STILL REACHED THE PLAYOFFS. AS A RESULT OF BAD DRAFTING, IDIOTIC PLAYER JUDGEMENTS AND THE CONSTANT INTERFERENCE OF BIG MOUTH ART (THE LIAR AND BS'ER) MODELL THE TEAM WENT BELLY UP. WITH THE RELEASE OF BERNIE KOSAR THE ATTENDANCE WENT THRU THE BASEMENT. AND WITH THE HIRING OF BILL (PRE NEW ENGLAND) BILICHICK THE FANS STAYED AWAY IN GROVES. POOR ART, HE WANTED A NEW STADIUM BUT WANTED THE TAX PAYERS TO PAY FOR IT. NOT GETTING IT HE LEFT AND THE RAVENS WERE BORN. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL BROWNS FANS. A GREAT READ.

Very well written account of a great era in Cleveland Sports history. I had moved back to town in the time frame and was so excited to have the Browns back in my life that strongly. A great group of guys. Really is a shame they were not able to take it to the next level, but in the end, truly, the experience is way more about the journey than the end result. To Earnest Byner.....a quote I once heard from Julius Erving after he had lost to Kareem and the Lakers for the second time and lost in the champioinship for the third time...."In order to be great, you have to DARE to be great, and I will continue to dare to be great." I think of that qoute when I think of his experience in those years.

I loved this book, I vaguely remember these Browns teams as I was only about 10 years old, but I knew how much they meant to people around me. Reading this enable me to learn how this team connected with the city and how much heartbreak there was. I couldn't pt the book down wanting to relive everybit of the history.

I purchased this book on a lark right when the 2006 football season began. As the Browns started their all-too-familiar path of on-field ineptitude and losing, I decided to pull this book out for a read.

Thank goodness I did, as it made me remember how good things used to be for those few years in the 1980s. The author did a great job of describing the games and providing insight as to what was going on within the team, organization and community at the time.

A wonderful read that took me mind away from another abysmal season and reminded me why I love this team.

I love this book (as well as "The Kardiac Kids", also by this author). As someone born and raised in Cleveland, I've followed the Browns since the early seventies. The Schottenheimer era, along with the first year of Bud Carson's reign, contained some of the most exciting (and heartbreaking) Browns games I can remember. I still have a lot of VHS tapes of those games, which I occasionally get out to re-live the days when the Browns were a real contender.

Mr. Knight's book begins with the last part of Sam Rutigliano's reign as head coach, when the Kardiac Kids were becoming a memory and the team began to return to the losing ways of the mid seventies. We learn how Rutigliano was fired and replaced by Marty Schottenheimer and how the team acquired the players whose names would come to represent the newer, better Browns: Kosar, Slaughter, Dixon, Golic, Byner, and so many others.

There were a lot of classic games in the late eighties, and Knight takes us through all the important moments - the 1985 divisional playoff in Miami, the thrashing of the Bengals at Cincinatti in 1986, the Steelers games, the Oilers games, the great playoffs against the Jets in '86, the Colts in '87, the Bills in '89, and, of course, those nightmarish Broncos.

When the games are really big, Knight's coverage is quite in depth. For example, we read Nev Chandler's own words as he describes Kosar's touchdown pass to Brennan in the '86 AFC Championship for the radio audience: "... he's firing the home-run ball for Brennan... turns one way, turns another...HE'S GOT IT AT THE FIFTEEN! TEN! FIVE........" I still get excited at that! For a moment anyway, we were going to the Super Bowl!!

Besides the game action, we also learn a lot of what was going on behind the scenes - the death of Don Rogers, the issues that caused Schottenheimer to leave for Kansas City after the 1988 season, Kevin Mack's drug addiction, and how the bottom finally fell out in Carson's second year.

I can't praise this book highly enough for the true Browns fan. Pick it up and enjoy the great memories. It will help to hold you over till that sweet day when we finally, someday, get another contender in Cleveland. And when we do, I'll be cheering as loud as ever!

The author presents various scenarios that are supported by past events. Timelines, degree and origin of crisis miss the bullseye, but not the target. The author does mention CMO's, which sound like the CDO debacle now unfolding due to subprime loans packaged within these securities.
Extremely enlightening. An excellent bargain for .01 cent. It's the ultimate "contrarian" purchase for a personal finance book.

This book shows a breadth of knowledge and depth of investigation that is rarely offered to the investing public. The fact that the book ends with a chapter on Further Reading indicates that the author respects the intelligence of his readers and is interested in what he is writing. A book of this quality shows by example how much junk is out there, yet the author is modest and always seeks to help the reader, not exhort. I read it after the onset of the two year bear market and in some ways, not all of the predictions have been met yet, making this book still worth your reading. The persistent heavy volume of trading in the QQQs and the recent snap back rally (5/2002)suggest that the public is seeking further punishment and the crisis is not yet matured. I hope the author rewrites it with the current changes in the market in mind: iShares, ETFs, gold and the rediscovery of the emerging market (only a rediscovery to the amnesiac). His style is intelligent and refreshing. You'll need to read it carefully, since some ideas only appear fully developed in a single passage. I couldn't put it down.

This is a book that should be read by anyone that considers themselves to be PRUDENT investors. When people say they are LONG-TERM investors, do they really know what they are saying? What do they mean? Do they realize that a dollar invested today may be worth 1.25 in 6 months -(due to the mania of this market) - but only worth 50 cents in 5 or 10 years? It could likely be worse than that. These mutual funds are being run by young hot shots that have no concept of doing anything but putting "money to work" (buying) due to the massive influx of money pouring in over the years. All reasonable valuation models have been trashed and "investors" have become extremely complacent because it's been so easy to "make" money. Sorry, it's not that easy or realistic! The selling will soon come in waves. Be wise and prepare youself for what will go down in history as the worst bear market ever, followed by a worldwide depression. Best of luck to all! P.S. I also recommend a book called "THE WARNING" by Joseph Granville and "THE GREAT CRASH of 1929" by John Galbraith. The parallels between then and now are too striking to ignore. So don't be one of the mindless herd.................

Just as speculators were lured into joint stock companies centuries ago (e.g., Tulipomania, South Sea Bubble), and investors of all kinds were seduced by unrealistic promises of stock pools and investment trusts of the 1920s and the "Go-Go Mutual Fund Mania" of the 1960s, so too are today's savers-turned-speculators being led down a path toward financial tragedy by the "New Era", "buy-and-hold" mania that has gripped the public's imagination for the past seven years. Christensen warns investors of the pitfalls and potential disaster that awaits anyone who thinks that mutual funds are a good way to diversify against risk. Mutual funds use derivatives, borrow from one another, engage in margin speculation, and are increasingly less shareholder friendly as massive inflows of money from uninformed savers breed arrogance and abandonment of risk aversion by mostly inexperienced, starry-eyed portfolio managers under 35 years of age. When the public discovers stocks and other financial assets, the risk becomes extreme and the party is almost over. Don't be one of those caught blaming the portfolio manager, the government, or Wall Street, when the blood starts flowing and you lose your life savings in a matter of a year or two.

I can't understand why this book is listed out of print. Why aren't more people demanding this book? Maybe there aren't enough investors yet who are worried about the safety of their money.

Just recently (Sept 99) a few money market funds ran into a bit of trouble - exactly the kind of trouble described in this book. Are you still assuming that your money market fund is safe and that a fixed NAV of $1 will be maintained?

The book definitely opened up my eyes to other alternatives for places to put money. Because of this book I've rediscovered alternatives like Treasury Bills and savings bonds.

However I did question the author's suggestions for a self-directed portfolio containing municipal bonds and widely held stocks. After the Orange County, California fiasco I would not consider municipal bonds. And I would question the idea of holding the same widely-held stocks that the institutional investors hold.

My sister has been wanting this after many visits at Tassajara....She finally got it for her birthday

The Tassajara Recipe Book is a great cookbook for families moving to a vegetarian diet(like mine). The recipes are delicious, simple to follow and use common ingredients available at the grocery store.

Edward Espe Brown's commentaries, descriptions and poems are thoughtful and full of humor.

I'm surprised that there aren't more reviews for this wonderful book. I am a new vegetarian and my husband and I have been less than impressed with a lot of the veg cookbooks we've tried so far. This one really does deliver great flavor and wide variety without getting too wrapped up in exotic or hard to find ingredients. My picky hubby gets *filled up* on these meals and even gobbles up the leftovers! The other thing I like is that the recipes are well-explained with simple down-to-earth instructions and there's a nice smattering of Mr. Brown's sense of humor and Zen observations throughout. Even if you never try a single recipe, it's a pleasant read.

So why 4 stars instead of 5? I have two minor complaints about the book.

Firstly, it's apparent that many recipes are conversions from much larger portions. After all, the original recipes were meant to feed a whole retreat's worth of folks. Sometimes the amounts in the ingredients lists are a bit off - nothing that destroys the recipe, but they do take a bit of tweaking to make right. Not all the recipes have this problem. On the upside, most of the recipes are very flexible so you can change the ingredients quite a bit to suit your taste or whatever veggies you have on hand. (He gives many suggestions of substitutions if you're not feeling daring enough to try your own.)

Secondly, he must really like "sour" as a flavor. There is a lot of vinegar usage in this book, many vinaigrettes, and several recipes that can best be described as pungent. If that's your thing, you will be very happy with this book! If not, don't automatically dismiss it. For one, there are other recipes here that are more than worth the cost of the book and secondly, you might just surprise yourself! We tried both the "Cumin Cheese and Onion Tart" and "Mustard Butter Pasta with Broccoli" and went into both meals with a LOT of skepticism - but they're awesome! They're both now regular favorites.

Even if you aren't a vegetarian, I highly recommend this book. It will add great flavor and variety to your cooking repertoire. :-)

We are enjoying the recipes, and love the philosophy re using natural products, wasting as little as posible. Learned more about varioius grains, greens.

Every single recipe in this book is amazing-- they are all wonderfully balanced and do not call for hard-to-find ingredients.

The collection features a good blend of exotic, gourmet, health, and American-traditional dishes (with a touch of flair, of course!) Check the index under sample pages for listings.

Instructions are straight-forward and easy to follow, however there are no pictures or diagrams to help (but for most people, the written instructions will be sufficient.) The book helps you develop a sense of intuition with cooking, sometimes the techniques are open-ended.

This is among the best and unique recipe books I have.

Read the whole series through in a week. Couldn't put it down! Don Brown is an awesome novelist!

Great Series! I own all three of these novels, plus Don Brown's fourth Black Sea Affair. Highly recommend these for nonstop action and entertainment!

These books are by far the best collection of military-legal novels I've ever read, hands down. A must have for anyone who loves JAG or the movie A Few Good Men!

I've read all three of these and couldn't get enough. Brown does a superb job of balancing legal and military stuff. Kept me interested from start to finish.

I was swept away by the romantic tension between handsome U.S. Navy JAG Officer Zack Brewer and his feisty, sexy, redheaded naval officer girlfriend Diane Colcernian. All three of these novels kept me reading in the wee hours of the morning. Not good if you want to sleep! Zack Brewer should run for President!

Explains in lay terms the processes used in illuminated medieval manuscripts. Still a bit complicated, but a good resource.

This publication using a lexiconary form lavishly displays an art form too long ignored. Extraordinary effort and expense has created a book that shows and explains the accomplishments of a lost art. Any bibliophile, any artist will devour this book.

This slim volume by Michelle Brown is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the study of books and manuscripts (codicology). In a succinct dictionary format, Brown gives definitions of all of the major terms that may give trouble to someone visiting a museum or reading a work by such major writers in the field as Chris DeHamel. Suitable as both a textbook and a companion to books on manuscripts, this book is nearly indispensible to the beginner and the intermediate in allowing some understanding into the complex technical and art-historical vocabulary used in the field.

I used this book and the Christopher De Hamel book while I was taking a graduate course on Illuminated Manuscripts. The information was indispensable for the entirety of the course, but it also helped me in future courses I took. It is wonderful to find an academic book that is fun to read! I would heartily recommend it to anyone, and especially to students who are studying manuscripts or merely the art history of the period! It is a most worthwhile investment!

This little volume provides brief definitions of all the important phrases and terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts including forms, techniques, themes, and periods.

Great for understanding the differences between an historiated initial and an inhabited initial - or between an antiphonal and a gradual.

Most of the representative images are in color and are well chosen to illustrate the definitions. Perhaps their only drawback is their small size due to the size limitations of the book itself.

A great companion while reading to "Medieval Illuminators & their Methods of Work" by Jonathan J.G. ALexander or "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts" by Christopher De Hamel.

Debra Lee Brown debuts with a satisfying read in THE VIRGIN SPRING--a perfect Harlequin Historical. Laird Gilchrist is a wonderfully tortured hero. Rachel is a mysterious yet strong heroine. There are some truly touching moments between them that make their story a pleasure.

The masterful Debra Lee Brown crafts an intriguing tale of historical romantic suspense.

The tormented Gilchrist is having enough trouble resuming his role as leader of the clan Davidson after a fire ravages his body and nearly destroys his spirit. The last thing he needs is to be looking after a lovely lass with no memory of her past-- or is it? A beautiful story of the healing power of love is woven with enough intrigue to keep readers turning pages quickly. Debra Lee Brown makes an impressive debut-- definitely an author to watch.

Readers of Scottish historical romance are in for a real treat! With rich detail, intricate plot, and finely drawn characters, Debra Lee Brown creates the ultimate historical romance. Few writers can make flawed heroes delectable and yet Gilchrist Mackintosh is the proverbial to die for with an extra twist. Rachel is a stunning heroine that readers will cheer on until the very end. Don't miss this exciting tale! Denise A. Agnew, best selling author of BRIDGE THROUGH THE MIST

I just finished Debra Lee Brown's THE VIRGIN SPRING and loved it! As a long-time fan of Scottish historicals, I was excited to see a new author of this very popular subgenre. Ms. Brown's first book has everything the savvy historical reader demands. The hero, Gilchrist, is the kind of hero I love--a true tragic hero with scars not only on the outside, but deep within as well. The heroine, Rachel, has been struck by her own tragedy--she is found by Gilchrist at the legendary virgin spring, and does not know who she is. The gradual revelation of her true identity brings on treachery and betrayal that nearly threatens to tear Gilchrist's clan apart, as well as Gilchrist himself. Set against the cold, harsh highlands, with excellent, interesting secondary characters, The Virgin Spring is a terrific read. I am excited by this new author and hope that she and Harlequin stay partners for a long time to come. Kudos to you, Ms. Brown!

A True Blue Fan

In THE VIRGIN SPRING, award-winning author Debra Lee Brown has written a beautiful story of love and passion that will warm your heart. The hero is a man of power and pathos, while the heroine is likeable and strong. The amnesia angle was not contrived or cliched, but was as fresh and interesting as the rest of the book. I love Scottish historicals and found Ms. Brown's book to be both accurate and entertaining. I look forward to her next offering!

If you have not read Ross Thomas before I envy you because you are in for a great treat and have a lot of books to chose from. Like many Ross Thomas books the plot is inventive but also incidental to the humor and flash of the characters. I recommend reading A Chinaman's Chance, and Out on the Rim before reading this book. They earlier books featuring Artie Wu and his partner Durant. It is not necessary to read them in order of publication, but it helps a little, and to be truthful I enjoyed the earlier books more.
St. Martins Press is to be congratulated for reprinting many of his books. He had gone out of print for awhile, but the more I read his books the more I wonder why. He is a great stylist with a edge of dark humor. Ross Thomas should be on anyone's reading list who wants to consider himelf or herself familiar with recent American mystery/thriller writers. He is one of the best.

I got the audio tape for my husband's Christmas in 2006. He really liked it, and I'm glad because he died in January'07.He enjoyed audio books because he was blind.

Ross Thomas could do just about anything he set his mind to, and fortunately for us, the readers, he set his mind to writing fast-paced, funny, complicated thrillers that are as much fun to read the second time around as they are the first.

By the way, VOODOO LTD is the third in the Artie Wu, Quincy Durant series, not the second. The first is CHINAMAN'S CHANCE. All three book, like Mr. Thomas's other books, are terrific.

Ross Thomas, the author of a long series of mystery/thrillers, reunites the shady team of Artie Wu and Quincy Durant in "Voodoo Ltd." Also returning from "Out on the Rim" are Georgia Blue, cashiered Secret Service agent, Booth Stallings, terrorism expert (and sometime Georgia Blue paramour) and the timeless Otherguy Overby. This novel sets up the team a bit differently from Out on the Rim, in which they straight-forwardly set out to "liberate" US$5 million of other people's money. In Voodoo, they are commissioned by a rich German who runs a rather sophisticated version of an employment agency, to track down two missing brother/sister hypnotists and figure out who really shot the billionaire boyfriend/fiancee of a Hollywood actress. As with most Thomas novels, the characters and their interplay are what carries this story. Each is a distinct personality playing the game by their own rules as they see fit, and sometimes it's difficult to figure out which side each is on. This is another fine Ross Thomas effort - I only wish he had lived long enough to write a 3rd Wu/Durant novel (as he was able to with Padillo and McCorkle).

The book's title, Voodoo, Ltd., derives from a mispronounciation of Wudu, Ltd., a London based detective agency run by two Americans, Artie Wu and Quincy Durant.
Early in the course of this smartly written dark comedy, a wealthy German businessman with the improbable name of Enno Glimm hires Wu and Durant to locate a pair of British hypnotists who have suddenly gone missing in Southern California. Glimm suspects that the hypnotists are about to blackmail Ione Gamble, a Hollywood actress-director, who has been charged with murdering her ex-fiance. Which is to say that Voodoo, Ltd. is the granddaddy of all shaggy dog stories. And what an entertaining one it is!
Before descending onto the Los Angeles scene, Wu and Durant hire three former colleagues to assist them. They are; Booth Stallings a 65 year old counterterrorism expert, Georgia Blue, a statuesque former Secret Service agent who has spent the last five years in a Manila prison, and Maurice Otherguy Overby, an adventurer with dubious ethical standards. Together, these five very colorful and supremely resourceful characters use every trick in the book to solve the mystery while at the same time making sure that one or more of them doesn't double cross the others.
This is a deliciously witty, irreverent novel. Believable? Not for a minute. It's not meant to be.
It is meant to be a hilariously funny, over the top, comedic novel. And by that standard, it is an overwhelming success. Read Voodoo, Ltd., you'll love it.

Very enlightening book.

This is a wonderful book. Steve Brown is a very gifted communicator and he does a wonderful job of providing an encouraging vision of the grace of God in this book.

I have read several of Steve Brown's books and have always enjoyed them. This one though really exceeded my expectations. He asks himself many of the same questions I have found myself asking after I passed the AARP age. His forthrightness and honesty was like a fresh drink of water. I have since purchased and given away several more copies to my friends and family.

Steve's book is the most honest appraisal of the Christian life that I have seen - short of the Bible itself. He writes in an entertaining manner, and the book is easily read and understood, even aloud. In one word, 'awesome' comes to mind as a description.

If you've ever heard the "Key Life" radio program, then you've probably heard the rich, authoritative, made-for-radio voice of Steve Brown, who is also a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, where his rich, authoritative, made-for-seminary voice has dispensed wisdom and knowledge to students for a number of years now --- and to his own congregation and countless audiences at seminars and conferences

Or has it? Well, yes and no. Yes, a great deal of what his voice has dispensed could be described as "wisdom and knowledge." But a lot of what he dispensed was, as he puts it, "irrelevant God words." An older and wiser Brown admits: "I was wrong. I got the words right, but I missed the tune...if we get the words right but can't sing the tune, we miss the grandeur of the song." He's singing a new song these days, one based on a faith that is "far more radical and far less cerebral" than he once thought it was.

That's good news for the reading public, because Brown felt compelled to set the record straight about his skewed way of thinking in print. Ever the entertaining author, Brown is at his best when he's vulnerable and self-deprecating, and with a title like WHAT WAS I THINKING? you can be assured that he is, indeed, at his best here.

Each chapter title betrays Brown's former faulty way of thinking. In "The Holy Spirit Is Working in a Lot More Places Than I Thought He Was," for example, he encourages Christians to quit limiting their lives to involvement in "religious" activities and entertainment and to instead engage the wider culture around them. The activity of the Holy Spirit, he writes, is not limited to Christians and the church. "It isn't where we go, what we see, and what we hear that determines what is appropriate and right for the believer. It's what we bring to where we go, to what we see, and to what we hear that determines what is appropriate and right for us as believers," Brown believes.

Individual chapters address Brown's once-misguided views of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, supernatural warfare, people ("a lot worse than I thought they were"), people again ("a lot better than I thought they were"), self-righteousness, obedience, love and the world; the chapter on self-righteousness alone is worth the price of the book, and then you get all those other wonderful chapters as a bonus. He concludes with this chapter: "Things Will Work Out a Lot Better Than I Thought They Would."

Throughout, Brown reveals his special brand of humor. This is a guy with a doctorate who teaches seminarians things like "how to develop a Christian mean streak" and "how not to be a weenie"; who obsesses over his hybrid Honda Accord and whether it's symbolic of his judgmentalism; who comes right out and says he likes to sin; and who admits that Monday morning is depressing because that's when he has to pray. You just have to keep reading when a well-known, well-respected Christian leader writes stuff like that.

"Keep reading" is what you'll likely do once you start, because Brown has this charming way of captivating his readers and holding them hostage. Before you realize what just happened to you, you've finished reading --- and of all things, you're thanking your captor.

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford.