Cameron Books

Lepore makes much of the fact that the history of King Philip's War was written by the victors. That is not much of an insight -- victors always write the histories. But she goes one step further, it seems to me, by attempting to demonize literacy -- whether it's the literacy of the English or that attained by John Sassamon. This is a curious stance for a writer to take. As for the non-linear nature of her narrative, I didn't find that to be a drawback.

In 1675, the Wampanoag and Nipmuck people, led by a sachem identified as King Philip, went to war against the encroaching settlements of the English in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The war, which lasted just a year, was the bloodiest and most destructive, per capita of the populations on both sides, in American history, not even excluding the Civil War. By the time King Philip was slain and the Wampanoags routed, roughly half the English settlements west of Boston had been devastated. It was arguably the last war in America in which the Indians had a "fighting chance" in terms of matched forces, and it has been seen as the prototype of later efforts by powerful "chiefs" to forge an effective tribal coalition against Anglo-American invasion, notably the efforts of Pontiac, Tecumseh, Red Cloud, and Sitting Bull. As in those later instances, the English colonists gained their victory with the help of Indian allies, whom they promptly treated with more or less the same callous severity as the enemies. King Philip's War was a breaking point in the New Englanders' efforts to live side-by-side with the previous inhabitants of the land, priding themselves on bringing the benefits of mutual trade and Christian salvation. Prior to 1675, Puritan elites had professed the desire for such co-existence and had derided the cruelty of Catholic Spaniards in their conquest and enslavement of Indians. At least some colonists had made strenuous efforts to convert the Indians to Christianity by persuasion. After 1675 and for the long duration of westward expansion, most missionary activities followed conquest.

It's important to remember that in 1675 the English had been permanently residing in Massachusetts for 55 years. A girl child born in Plymouth might well have had a third generation grandchild, or more likely a score of grandchildren, gathered at her knees in 1675. The initial Puritan settlement had occupied lands depopulated by diseases, and had been tolerated or even welcomed by the Wampanoag sachem Massasoit. King Philip, whose childhood name was Metacomet, was the younger son of that very Massasoit.

The Name of War, however, is not an account of King Philip's War. In fact, it takes from granted a considerable previous knowledge of New England historiography. Instead, Jill Lepore has written a speculative meditation on the semiotics of war, especially inter-cultural war, and on the implications of King Philip's War for the self-perception of Americans of later generations. What Lepore attempts is a post-modernist examination of the contemporary accounts of the war - a close reading of such accounts in terms of Derrida's epistomology and Lacan's psychology - with apologies for the futility of trying to recover an "Indian" perspective on the same events. Lepore sees the accounts of "treachery" and the racial rhetoric of the war as being of greater lasting impact on American identity than the destruction and the many acts of cruelty by both sides.

Post-modernist history is an acquired taste, as unappealing to some as raw sea-urchin entrails or heavy metal pop music. The responses of readers who have given this book one- or two-star reviews are revealing; many lovers of traditional narrative history will detest this book. Those who view American history through red-white-and-blue lenses may also find it unpalatable, since it affirms the victimhood of the Indians in an unequal struggle, with only the victors equipped to shape perception for their own advantage. Thus I have to warn you, oh potential reader: if you have no idea who Derrida and Lacan are, if you are annoyed by picking-apart of images and vivisection of ideas, this book is NOT for you. But if you are ready to confront Jill Lepore's formidable knowledge of sources and to practice the art of reading as a two-way dialogue, from which no final interpretation is to be expected, then you'll find this Bancroft-winning book well worth your attention.

A few days later: Thinking about this book and the comments my review elicited, I feel that I may have 'damped' it with faint praise. It's a book that gets better as you read deeper into it, and much better as you reflect on it. There's an excellent chapter on the legality and morality, in pan-European thought, of the selling of Indians to the island colonies as slaves, for that it precisely what happened to hundreds of the Wamapnoags and even larger numbers of supposedly Christianized Indians after the war. Even Philip's nine-year-old son was sold as a slave after months of debate about the justice of hanging him. Also there's a strong exposition of the thoughts of the Spanish writers Francisco Victoria and Bartolome de las Casas, of their possible influence on the thinking of New Englanders including John Eliot, and an analysis of why Eliot's defense of the Indians was whisked aside while Victoria and las Casas were widely studied. I'm afraid I allowed my pique at the postmodernist manner to distract me from the true substance of this book.

It's said that the second historian was the first revisionist. In other words, to some extent any and every telling of history reveals as much about the historian as it does the history. But for as much as the telling of history is always interpretive, it is also entirely possible for an historian to confront, recognize, and largely neutralize her own interpretive biases; while she need not abandon or apologize for her point of view, nevertheless it is her responsibility to present all the relevant historical facts -- especially those that might cast doubt upon her interpretations and agendas -- and then argue her case with all of the relevant information on the table. That is the difference between interpretive history and deceptive or misleading polemic.

Lepore accomplishes only polemic here, then, in that she presents as supporting evidence for her biases only her own highly questionable interpretations of the semantics of the colonists' own writings on King Philip's War. She is hermeneutically daft, asserting a self-contained truth within those writings that is simply absurd. Texts (especially in the case of the very personal diary entries, private letters, and firsthand accounts that constitute the overwhelming majority of the colonists' writings on King Phillip's War) do not and cannot contain some absolute, inescapable meaning that imposes itself upon the reader. Texts communicate their real meaning only when referred to the indigenous contexts (social, political, religious, philosophical, linguistic, psychological, etc.) that produced them; when removed from those contexts and read in ignorance of them, the reader must of necessity substitute the contexts and agendas of her own experience for the authentic contexts, so that the texts will appear to have radically different meanings than they really do -- they will seem to mean whatever the interpreter wants them to mean.

And what does Lepore want the Puritans' writings to mean? What is her agenda here? Essentially, it is portray the Puritan colonists of 17th century Massachusetts as despicable hypocrites. Now, as I said, if that's her agenda and her bias, that's fine; but it is acceptable for her to present the conclusions born of that agenda and bias as history only on the condition that they are argued in light of all the evidence that might call them into question. Lepore fails on this count. Again, she confines the supporting evidence she provides for her theses to her own highly speculative interpretations of the colonists' writings; as other reviewers have noted here, then, this book is much closer to deconstructionist literary criticism than it is to history. She misses the forest for the trees: she makes no attempt to check her interpretive biases against the broader historical narrative that is the context of King Phillip's War.

For example, in 1622 the natives around the Jamestown settlements in Virginia attempted to eradicate the presence of the colonists, through a surprise act of genocide that followed eight years of peaceful coexistence. The attack ultimately resulted in the deaths of two-thirds of the roughly 1200 colonists in Virginia at the time, and sent a powerful shock through the other New World colonies and their groups of sponsors across the Atlantic. The natives committed their genocide at Jamestown only two years after the Plymouth colony was founded; it is unquestionable, then, that from the earliest years onward the Massachusetts colonists' attitudes toward their native neighbors would have been colored (and rightly so) by a great deal of suspicion and mistrust in light of the knowledge of what the Virginia natives had done to the Jamestown settlers -- only fifty years before King Phillip attempted essentially the same thing. Yet Lepore never once mentions the genocide in Virginia, and does not recognize its immense significance for the relations of the English and the natives in Massachusetts fifty years later.

To name another example, Lepore offers no analysis whatsoever of the nature of the Puritan faith of the Massachusetts colonists, and how that faith affected their conduct in the war. She does mention their faith in a non-specific way, when it serves to imply a monstrous hypocrisy on the part of the colonists; but never is an astute or sympathetic understanding of their religion presented, and since the early Massachusetts colonies were communities of an almost monastic fervor, devotion, and asceticism, Lepore simply ignores an immensely important factor in their motives and reasoning during King Phillip's War. In its place, she asserts that the colonists fought to preserve their "Englishness;" in support of this idea, she presents some diary entries and editorials of the day in which the colonists wrote of their fear of becoming like the savages, should their common life in the New World continue in the direction they thought it was headed. But it seems perfectly clear to me that Lepore has grossly misinterpreted those writings. The colonists did not actually think that their assimilation into the native culture and way of life was real possibility: the warning that they might "become like the savages" was not a cultural apprehension of theirs, but rather the sort of hyperbole so often used in Christian homilies and catechisms and pastoral essays intended to exhort the faithful. The Massachusetts Puritans were not afraid of becoming Indians. They were afraid of losing their faith, losing the Christian path through life that they had sacrificed so much to preserve. They were afraid of any compromise or waning of the Christian zeal and austerity of their near-monastic lives. After all, it was in order to preserve the Christian life that they had left England in the first place, decades earlier: they had first settled in Holland after the English anathematized them, and then left for the New World when they saw their faith diluted by worldly comforts and distractions while living on the Continent. So to me, the idea that they fought the natives in King Phillip's War to defend their "Englishness" is simply preposterous. Englishness was something they had willingly left behind to purse their religion, and played no more of a role in most of their lives and motives than that of superficial, sentimental cultural orientation. I think it's deceptive for Lepore even to pose the question, "why were the English really fighting?" as though it requires some subtle expert analysis: the colonists fought the natives because the natives were trying to kill them... it's as simple as that.

There are many more examples of Lepore's highly selective consideration of the historical record, and highly questionable reasoning and interpretation. But it is not possible to argue them satisfactorily in a review such as this, of course: to respond adequately I would have to write a book of my own (as I've already made a good beginning of doing), taking Lepore point by point. One thing I'll grant her is that she presents her source material openly, with no attempt to conceal certain passages that might be interpreted any number of other ways than those she has chosen. But again, the biases and misunderstanding that a 21st century American will inevitably bring to any reading of texts produced by 17th century Puritans render any approach to understand their conduct of King Phillip's War solely by a consideration of those documents a myopic, naïve, misguided effort, and doomed to failure.

One of the most interesting, thought-provoking books I have read. The scholarship is impressive, the prose lucid, the presentation of a conflict that has more than two sides is commendably fair. The book is a real eye-opener. And it has the excitement of a detective story, as Lepore tracks changes in white American attitudes toward native Americans through the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. I read this alongside Philbrick's recent bestseller Mayflower, which gives a very good running accout of King Philip's War, and look forward to reading other books about this crucial time in the country's history, a time when piety and violence started their enduring relationship.

In the Name of War is a revisionist interpretation of King Philips War. This is not a history of the war and provides an example of how the colonists at the time interpreted various aspects of the war. From seizing of colonists to selling Indians into slavery the effects of the war were traced throughout the war period. The brutality of the war is captured through the narrative that she lays out but in the end you really have to be interested in the time period to get something out of it. Like many things written about Indians there is a general feeling that the author must apologize for not being an Indian writing about Indians and that comes through in this book. In the end it is lackluster and boring with little for those looking for a history of the war.

In this novel, which I bought based upon customer reviews here, I found myself disappointed in the pacing, as well as finding too many similaries to other authors' works, even the death of a famed horror writer in this book seems reminiscent of an episode of FOREVER KNIGHT.

The unnaturally tall - for his time - blond, French vampire has already been done to death, pardon the expression, by the famed creation of Lestat, whose mother and the family of wealth and nobility already figure prominently in the Anne Rice novels. But here we have Noel and her son, and frankly the horrific character of the mother is the only reason one has any sympathy at all for her son. And the son is not nearly as compelling nor as charismatic as Lestat, even though there are some glimpses of a sense of humor, there seems something oddly disassociative about a character the reader is supposed to empathize with.

There are supernatural elements to these vampires that take them into the realm of cartoon: mind-influencing; the ability to inhabit another's body; to start fires with a simple command.... It seems too childish. Isn't it enough to be immortal and a vampire? Why must someone possess parlor tricks at one's disposal as well?

The entire novel becomes steadily more ludicrious in its plot until a final nonsensical finish, and I haven't read the second book in the series, but one wouldn't expect the developments from book two from what is concluded in book one.

The eroticism others are finding here, I didn't, and yet m/m eroticism isn't something I shirk from: Instead, I was bored, and merely turned the pages.

Basically a well-written book, however. One problem is the amount of backstory, flashbacks being a staple of vampire novels, it seems, but also a terrible use of characters' supplying verbal exposition, such as when Laura is telling the cops' about her birthday party and Claude is talking about Noel: Writers WRITE that type of exposition, but it is unnatural for people to talk in such a specific and detailed a manner.

The story line of this book is adequate, however the plot development leaves a great deal to be desired. Lord has taken a short story and expanded it, through TOTALLY UNNECESSARY AND FLOWERY LANGUAGE, into a barely passable novel. This really isn't as good a book as it could have been.

I enjoyed this book. It was so completely different than anything else I've read. It's about a vampire who preys on gay men. It's really a very clever and devious notion. Men generally are not as cauteous as women, and thus Jack (Lord's vampire) uses that lack of fear to seduce and kill his victims.

But different isn't what made me really enjoy BIB.

Lord's use of description is excellent. He's done his research and places his reader into his vampire's haunts. You "feel" like you've wandered the streets of both Paris and New York. Also, the book is very hot. IOW, lots of great sex.

The piece that I most admired, though, was Lord's ability to make you root for Jack. Let me back up. Jack is a monster. No doubt about it. He's not "Angel" or any of the other good blood suckers out there. You will wince as he seduces and kills his victims. Then, something happens, very slowly and subtly, and you'll begin to worry about him. When I realized this was happening, I couldn't believe it. As I said, it's subtle and it's incidious, and very skillfully done.

So, will I read Lord's next book, BOUND IF FLESH? Definately.

At first I thought the sex was taking away from the story line... then I thought wait there is no story line.. so I started reading it for the sex (I am adaptable) but then I figure the sex is not that great either... NOT my kind of vampire story... maybe I am just to much of a romantic... and there is not romance in this story... but I give it two stars for effort.

With BOUND IN BLOOD (the first part of a proposed quintet) author David Thomas Lord manages to show us both the best and worst faces of erotic horror.
Through the eyes of ancient vampire, Jean-Luc "Jack" Courbet, we see the bleak underbelly of modern day New York City as he slinks from one seedy underground club to the next, in search of gay male victims to suck dry- both figuratively and literally. It's during these episodic killings that the vampire's lack of empathy for his victims leaves one feeling cold, and gives a good sense of the anxious nightly search for food. After extensive (in some cases, too much) background of these desperate souls, Jack destroys them in bloody and imaginative fashions, in an effort to make his slayings seem the work of a serial killer. And this is the crux of what makes for the worst weakness in BOUND IN BLOOD. The violence becomes increasingly more distracting, rather than plot spikes, and as the story begins to move forward, we all come to a halt for the vampire to seduce and then kill another horny victim. These, coupled with the sexual episodes, while admittedly titillating, do very little for the book's story. In fact, in some cases, the scenes detract from Lord's fine eye for detail and rich use of language. Although his distinctive voice is loud and clear during the sexual scenes as he straddles the line between sensuality and debauchery, there's a bit too much emphasis placed on the kills.
With deft touches, Lord illustrates Jack as a walking anomaly in the modern world: Pessimistic, caustic, seductive, bitter, and acerbic. A true predator, he shows no remorse for his victims, and there are moments of bloodiness that will make every man squirm uncomfortably, as Jack goes for the soft flesh.
Lord has some wonderful flashback scenes that recall the startlingly detailed visions wrought by Anne Rice in her original vampire novel, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. From France, to England, to America, Lord paints the historical picture of Jack, allowing us to begin to see his lost humanity. His recognition of personal shallowness is deftly culled from how badly he's handled his own past, and how selfishly he's handling his intended lovers' presents.
A little too far into the book, Lord sets up for Claude to become Jack's eternal companion of choice. And then, almost without warning, Jack seems to prefer a woman as his eternal companion instead, a sort of replacement for the mother he can no longer have as a friend and fellow vampire. Lord draws the character of Laura more realistically than any other, and lends her a sense of humanity and humor that the others seem to lack.
At times, especially at the beginning, the book falls into needless self-indulgence, and could have used the work of a sharp eyed editor to either condense or cut extraneous scenes that bog down the narrative. It takes a bit too long to get to the main story between Jack and his vampire mother, Noel, but once we get there, Lord does a great job of adding surprising plot twists and elements to keep the story moving. Including his mother's ability to slip into the minds and bodies of his friends and make threats against him. This is where the story becomes enticingly more complex- sexually and emotionally- and rewards the diligent reader with some beautiful scenes of pathos. The interchanges between he and his mother are by far the most effective the book has to offer. Although there is a bit of a stretched explanation for Jack the Ripper- Mom's bad job at framing Jack in dreary old London years ago.
Another strange turn in BOUND IN BLOOD is the inexplicable death of vampire authoress Edna Oates (Anne Rice?), but it does tend to keep the story moving, as the media descends on the scene to heat up his secret life.
There is a boiling current of sensuality in BOUND IN BLOOD, but too many instances of unattached sexual play that may not be for everyone, scenes that play like sex without foreplay. Erotic literature is about voyeurism, and there were times this lost that stylish edge and descended into borderline Penthouse forum letters.
Again, a good editorial distance could have helped make this a stronger book all around, as en editor could have attacked this issue, and the several instances of clunky dialogue, the overuse of names during interchanges (no one really talks like that), and the silly moments of Jack talking aloud to dead people while giving much needed exposition. But despite all of this, by the book's end, we are left in suspense as to the fates of the three main characters, Jack, Noel, and Claude. The next volume in this series is to be titled BOUND IN FLESH, and should cement David Thomas Lord as the king of vampires.


Nickolas Cook

This is really two books in one. I loved the first half or so--a vivid, well-written account of an arts and music filled childhood in Illinois, an early and tempestous marriage, an out-of-control addiction, and a struggle to get sober.

Right after Cameron sobers up, there's a marvelous period where she's raising her baby daughter and writing three pages a day. She's just begun to discover what would form the core of her creativity work--how actually being an artist is more important than looking like an artist, or suffering for her art. This is a sane and entirely workable approach--a platform that you could build a decades-long career on.

Unfortunately, the more well-know Cameron becomes, the less she heeds her own advice. The second half of the book is such a slog that it's hard to believe it was written by the same person who wrote the first half. As other reviewers have said, it becomes a chronicle of heedless leaps and terrible choices that she repeats and repeats. As time goes on, she seems to surround herself with people who will tell her what she wants to hear--that she's amazing, that she's an artist--all while the actual circumstances of her life are going precipitously downhill.

The end result is distubing and tragic--and not in an artful way. There is no "triumph of the human spirit," just an endless slog that I imagine continues to this day.

To me, this is a cautionary tale for artists. Here, we see the downside of someone who gets caught up in their own grandiosity and forgets the humble modesty in working that she actually preaches. Here, we see someone who surrounds herself with people who will tell her that she's brilliant and amazing, even as the quality of her work is clearly headed downhill (sorry, but those musicals sounded insane.) For me, it underlines the need for constant critical thinking in conjunction with all that creation.

Dorthea Brande, in her marvelous book "Becoming a Writer," talks about how a writer needs to be two people--the impulsive, childlike artist that creates, and the sober, detail-oriented, parent that creates a safe place for the child. If this book is any indication, and I'm afraid it is, Julia Cameron gave her life over to the childlike, creative side of her without putting in place any of the boundaries or structures that were necessary to keep that child safe. She looked for someone else to give that to her, but no one ever did. Heartbreaking.

I've read most of Cameron's books and was delighted to find out there was a memoir. I knew she was a recovering alcoholic, but I had no idea of her psychotic episodes, turmoiled love life and struggle with self-doubt and endless geographical cures. A person's weaknesses, acknowledged and overcome to the point of attaining personal success, makes them stronger.
I enjoyed it and would have liked to know even more.

I loved the "The Artist's Way," so I was very curious to the read the memoir of its creator, Julia Cameron. Wow! Who knew with "Floor Sample" I would be taken on a journey that rivals some of my favorite memoirs. Julia Cameron has led an extraordinary life, starting with her childhood in Libertyville, IL, to life as an honors student at Georgetown, to a passionate but doomed marriage to Martin Scorscese, to years spend in Taos (a place she writes magically about). Adrift after her divorce (it took her years to get over her famous husband), Julia followed her instincts to a prolific and successful career as a writer and artist. Cameron overcame serious addiction and bouts with mental illness to build astonishing success with her series (some credit goes to second husband Mark Bryan's marketing acumen). "Floor Sample" is not without its problems -- it gets a little long winded during some sections, especially the overly detailed London/Glastonbury years -- but overall is a fascinating read.

I am not of the generation that got swept away with the Artist's Way phenomenon, but I do like memoirs, so picked this up at the library.

The reviewer that said that after this book, the whole Artist's Way method seemed to be about tapping in to or tuning in to impuses and psychotic voices seemed really astute to me. I ended up with that concern as well. The grandiosity! The lack of insight about her impact on others. The obsessional focus on "art" as though it excuses anything.

I really wondered about what the people around her would say, and how very different their view of her might be. I worried, as have others, about the impact of all this on her daughter. Julia Cameron seems to have foisted her investment in "specialness" and "art" onto her daughter, and that can't have been easy.

You know the old saying, "some things are better left unsaid"? Well this is definitely the case with Floor Sample, a "creative memoir" which--in all honesty--reads more like a book report. I too have been enchanted with Ms. Cameron's Artist Way path for many years, and now feel a bit disenfranchised with her entire movement because of the steps she has taken to "get it down on the page". The book begins with her train-wreck addictions to cocaine and alchohol and Hollywood marriage to Martin Scorsese. A tragic yet interesting start, but after the birth of her daughter, Domenica, her memoir loops endlessly into her moving back and forth between LA, NYC, Taos, London...at least 30-40 times as she searches to release her creative talents in writing books, plays, and music. It was so dizzying at times the reader might find themselves feeling sick inside and worried for her daughter (I know I was!). She just felt out of place, didn't like her surroundings, felt "unsafe" but still bounced back and forth through the ENTIRE book.

Floor Sample would have been a more comfortable read if she summarized all the moving around into one or two chapters; it would have served her well to convey her life story David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs-style (sans the humor)in order to keep us abreast of her creative "movement" and (gasp!) numerous psychotic breaks. Her egotistical personality is really shocking and thoroughly expressed in her very tedious writing style. Every little detail about her exterior life is relayed, but not much detail or thought is given to what was really going on with her "interior landscape". Maybe she has finally tapped out her stream of consciousness and doesn't have much more to say?

At best, Cameron is brilliant artist/writer and brave for telling it all, but I really wish she hadn't. Will I stop reading her "work", probably not, but it will take awhile to distract myself from her obviously selfish lifestyle and the steps she took to "get it all down on the page".

If your thinking about getting a tattoo but don't know where to begin this is the book for you. Everything has a meaning or sometimes several. Find out what the symbols, animals, and flowers all mean. Genie - Change
Bomb - Strength
A great book you will find yourself refering back to several times.

there is not much to this book a few pictures and mild reading rather informative yet not as much help as popup books would have been.

I had previusly bought and read Ink, from the same author (book that I highly recomend for people new to tattoing like me) and I was thrill to receive this book, though, I must admit, at lest it gives you some structure to determine a bit closely what you want, but the collection itself is not as big as I would have liked, and most of them you can see them on any tattoo shop.

I loaned this book to a friend, and she kept it when she moved. It is worth re-purchasing because it gives some meaning to some of the designs out there. While not all of the descriptions are useful, and the drawings included are not at all what I would want permanently on me, I have used the explanations as a springboard for some of my more meaningful pieces. It's worth checking out if you want to know about more obscure designs.

The Mark of Cain

The pub, the bar, the old watering hole: it's where all the animals gather at the end of the day, but that also includes the predators. I met a gal with the nickname of "Lou". Lou challenged me to arm wrestle and beat me two out of three, and me being a weightlifter and wrestler in high school. But in all fairness, I was distracted by the tattoos of bleeding skulls and naked women rippling down her biceps.

Tattooing is becoming much more commonplace and mainstream in today's society. It used to be that very few women got tattoos. Those that did were the exception and usually a touch eccentric and rebellious, not to mention being able to hold their liquor. All that changed in the late 80's when tattooing became much more socially acceptable, largely due to the many celebrities who publically sported tattoos. In the fall of 2006, a study was completed by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, which found that 24% of Americans who were between the ages of 18 and 50 had a tattoo. This is almost one in four people in the United States, including women.

Throughout human history, we have deliberately and permanently marked our skin. Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations of bravery, punishment, talismans of protection, to identify oneself with a particular group or gang, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. Today, most people choose to be tattooed for cosmetic and sentimental reasons. No matter the reason - tattoos are forms of expression that carry meaning.

Perhaps you are thinking of getting a tattoo like my drinking buddy "Lou", and you don't know where to start. I recommend checking out The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide To Choosing Your Tattoo by Terisa Green with illustrations by Greg James. This illustrated reference book has entries on the origins and meanings of nearly one thousand tattoo symbols that can serve as your guide for choosing a personally significant tattoo.

For people contemplating a tattoo, the choices can be overwhelming. Do you get a tiger, a dragon, or is a 13 ½* better suited for your current situation? Maybe a butterfly, flower, or cartoon character is more your style. Tattoos can be rich in symbolism or whimsical fashion statements. The Tattoo Encyclopedia presents concise descriptions of symbols both common and unusual, and provides information on their historic, religious, and cultural significance.

Most people and most cultures do associate tattoos with some deeper meaning. They can be an outward sign of inner transformation, an appeal to the forces of fortune, or a declaration of love, loyalty, or sometimes even hatred. They are reminders of events both grim and uplifting -- a glimpse into our past and the events and experiences that have shaped us. I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of the Phoenix, the mythological bird that rises from the ashes. I know I can beat "Lou", and I'm going to challenge her to a rematch. Right after I pay for the next round...

I'm not going to talk about the plot because the summary that Amazon provided was the same as to the back cover of the book and at that, it's as good a summary as it goes. I'm just going to talk about the book, which is an interesting read. Is a book that's not heavy, it's a simple read that re tells the classic tale of romance between human and vampire giving it some new additions. Some reviewers say that they found it boring and not a keeper. I think this is the kind of book that you read, enjoy while reading it... maybe get bored by some parts of it... and then forget completly what the book was about. What I'm trying to say is that this book doesn't stays with you once you have closed the back cover. You just simply put it away and go on for the next one. It makes no big difference.

Passionate Thirst has all the typical contemporary paronormal elements. The starcrossed, or stake-crossed, lovers are: Candace, a beautiful vampire slayer with a active libido, and Ash, a mysterious gorgeous undead hunk. As much as Candace loves Ash and also hates him for trying to turn her, it doesn't seem to keep her from finding 'comfort' in the arms of other men. The romance between Ash and Candace is handled in flash backs and is a little creepy. After she discovers Ash's true nature, she becomes sort of an abused hor d'oeurve. I found my feelings for Ash vacillating, between thinking that he really really loves Candace and thinking that with a PhD in Psychology that Candace should recognize that she needs major therapy.

I also had problems with several plot pieces. The first- we discover rather dramatically what activity Candace has chosen for therapy when she slays her first vamp. Just a little later when talking about a friend who is a vamp she makes the statement that essentially vamps have the same personality in death as in life, so they aren't inherently evil. I found it disturbing that the author had Candace take out the first vamp without establishing that he was truly evil. We know that he was out for blood, but Candace knows first hand that vamps don't have to kill. So the scene just didn't seem to fit into the story and the world well in retrospect. Another major disconnect for me was why Ash left Candace bleeding to death, when she got cold feet and asked him to stop in the middle of trying to turn her. The whole way through Ash was so possessive that I can't imagine him just giving up like that, when true death is so final. It seemed out of character. The last problem I had with the plot was with the whole evil super-vamp twist. Why is this vamp out to get Candace? It didn't make a whole lot of sense.

So, I had mixed feelings about Passionate thirst, but several of the secondary characters and their relationships were interesting (and I found all three books in this series at the thrift store) so I will give Candace and this series another try.

Candace Steele has multiple things to do. Serve cocktails, assist with the security of a pop star, and kill the odd vampire in her part time.

An encounter with a man in her past that she fell for was more than she thought, when it turned out he was a vampire. His little love bites give her vampire detection powers and appear to have enhanced her just a little above a normal human. No zombie summoning or wereleopard control.

Set in Vegas, said old lover returns, causing a few issues.

This is very much in the Laurell Hamilton plot lite variety, without getting quite as silly.

Lots of shagging, with things finished in a rush at the end, apart from the vampire lover part of course.

Really enjoyed this book.It was very interesting and was exciting to read.Great vampire book if you love storys like that .Alot of juicy details that kept me all in the book and made it hard to put the book down.

This isn't a particulary heavy book and while it was an entertaining easy read Ms. Dean hasn't really been able to make her series stand out from a slew of other paranormal romances that share the same theme.

Candace Steele, or Dr. Candace Steele, has her Phd in Psychology and is working undercover security in a Vegas casino. Most think she is a cocktail waitress. She specializes in killing any vampire that may want human blood, no questions asked. Though only she, her bestfriend who is sleeping with the casino owner, and her direct supervisor know that vamps actually exist.

Candace knows because a year and a half ago she was in love with a vampire and left him. Half way through his turning her in an elevator, she chickened out and pushed herself out of the elevator where Bibi, the bestfriend, saved her life. If she hadn't encouraged him to change her she wouldn't have almost died, but that is a part the character glosses over. Anyway now both women have run from Ash, the vampire. They've gotten new lifes ( though they didn't bother to get new identities) and since the bungled turning Candace has developed what are obviously some vampire senses. She knows when one is near and has reflexes that are a little to goood for a normal human.

Just as a vamps headless corpse is found off the strip and her ex rolls into town Candace is placed as the only security detail for a very famouse pop star playing the casino, Temptation. Intrigue apparently surrounds the starlett as Candace & Bibi plot to keep her safe even from her manager/boyfreind who is draining her. While it had it's moments of fun the book was pretty predictable. I'll reserve judgement and see if the next book in the series is any better.

All Smiles by Stella Cameron did not make me smile...I thought it was the worst! I hated most of the characters and thought the plot was stupid. As a rule I generally like Stella Cameron books, but not this time. I thought All Smiles was a major disappointment. If you want to read a few worth while books try anything by Kim Corum, Kate White, or Adele Lang.

The Mayfair stories are delightful but still not up to Cameron's usual delights. This story is funny, sad, cute and sexy. Jean-Marc and Meg are a delight. He so magnificent and authorative and Meg so assertive and commanding. It is nice to see a heroine who is not stupid, timid and has no backbone.

The dialogue is fast paced and the story moves at an adequate pace. Even if not her best, it's a Cameron, what more can I say.

I have to say I was very disappointed in this book. More & More (7 Mayfair Square series, 1) and 7B (3rd in series) were much, much better. I disliked Count Etranger immensely. He was overbearing, arrogant, selfish, foul-tempered, and autocratic. I found it incredibly hard to believe that Meg Smiles' had any difficulty in deciding if she should be Jean-Marc's mistress after what she did with him (and to him) in his bedroom the first day she met him. I found that scene in poor taste since it was so soon in their acquaintance. Jean-Marc seemed to know how to say what Meg wanted to hear. For a man who wanted to coax her into being his mistress (because she wasn't socially acceptable as a wife for him) he did a poor job, even shouting at her in front of people on one occasion.

Oddly enough I liked both characters much better in Meg's sister Sibyl's book, 7B. Although Meg seemed a bit arrogant too there (must be hubby's influence). The interesting thing about All Smiles was its introduction of the Count's half-sister, Princess Desiree. I am hoping she gets her own book - with Adam Chillworth as the hero of course!

Others have already summarized the story for you. I am simply going to say that I found that there were too many unnecessary sub-plots. Meg, the heroine, went from being a free thinking, independent,and passionate woman with Prince Jean-Marc one moment, to a "wimp" with others who were either downright rude or demanding the next. I thought that Cameron couldn't decide who she wanted as her villian and so one minute it was the ghost. The next it was the prince's rude mistress, and yet another time it was her distant male cousin. I believe that romance books should leave me wanting to rush out and buy the author's next novel. I believe that romance novels are a neat past time that entertain better than TV and should make you cry a little and smile alot. This one just made me tired!

I just loved More and More ... now the All Smiles! We can't wait to read the next episode I easily fell in Love with all the populace of Mayfair Square, they are very inexplicable, hilarious enjoyable to read about. Stella always has a way of writing that adds fun, mystery and great sex to her books. Meg and Jean-Marc are fantastic together. I also love that Stella doesn't make you wait, wondering, just when they are going to admit they want each other! Stella is a great author and never predictable.... that's why I love her works! I can't wait to hear about the other inhabitants.

This is the first book I have read of Miss Maxwell's and I was not impressed! I thought it was BORING and UNBELIEVABLE! The main characters were dull and I thought passionless. It took me a long time to finish this book!

I waited too long to review this book, so my comments will probably be sparse.

Apparently, Charlotte and Phillip first tangle in a previous book, and it aids in believing their connection. I didn't know this when I read the book, but it makes sense. It did seem as though you were supposed to know what had happened between them. Some readers say that if you didn't read the other book, it really took away from Charlotte and Phillip's connection, but I didn't think it was a huge problem. I still believed the chemistry between them.

I had two complaints about the book. The first was that I had a real hard time with Charlotte's antagonism toward Phillip. She blamed him for all her problems when he hadn't done a thing wrong. In that time period, she was the one who had wronged him, the one who'd caused all the problems. So it just seemed entirely illogical that she had a right to be angry with him. Secondly, I thought the ending sucked. It was too abrupt and incomplete. I was left wondering about too many things, and that's utterly annoying. It's likely that there will be another connecting book, but still, too many open issues leave a reader with a bad taste in the mouth. Some more closure would have been appreciated.

Bottom line, a decent enough historical. I liked that there was a bit more action than you find in many historicals. The romance wasn't too bad. I liked the book mostly, but I didn't find anything outstanding about it.

(I give this 2.5 stars, but you can't give half stars on Amazon ratings)

A very easy to read, light-hearted romance. The book kept me interested but I was so disappointed in the ending. I felt like the author purposefully leaves you hanging so you will buy the next book. Most of the storyline focuses on finding the twin (the eldest - who will be the Duke) and then you are left wondering where the story went from there. I am not saying that every book needs an Epilogue but I seem to really miss them when they don't have one.

Phillip Maddox, the Duke of Closter is the man at the center of a scandel. His bride-to-be has jilted him. Charlotte Cameron is the sister of the intented bride. Due to her sister actions she has been shunned by the Ton. They meet again when Phillip recieves word that his brother is alive. The brother that should have been the Duke. Now the two are running though out Scotland, trying to survive and find out the truth.
"In the Bed of a Duke" is the lastest offering by Cathy Maxwell and its not her best. The plotline seems to a good one, but the whole book seems rushed and not believible. This maybe a book not to read.

Phillip Maddox, the Duke of Colster, is headed to Scotland to confront Laird MacKenna, who he believes has his twin brother Justin. Phillip has never met his brother; he thought he died in childbirth. Along the way, in need of assistance, Phillip stops a traveling coach and gets a ride. When he steps into the coach Charlotte Cameron is seated within. Charlotte is the sister of Miranda Cameron. Miranda jilted Phillip at their betrothal ball with the encouragement of her sister Charlotte. When Phillip discovers that Charlotte is traveling to MacKenna's as well, he is furious thinking she may be in league with him. Charlotte is stunned and angry to be riding with Phillip. When he throws himself onto her seeking answers, the fine line they tread between hatred and desire is breached and they share a passionate kiss.

Upon reaching an inn for the night Charlotte and Phillip realize quickly that trouble is brewing. They manage to escape danger and hide out in the forest, where Charlotte soon discovers why Phillip is going to MacKenna. Phillip decides to seduce Charlotte into keeping his secret.

Charlotte's feelings for Phillip intensify. When they are once again thrown in danger, Phillip realizes that his feelings for Charlotte go much deeper than he imagined they would, but his station prevents him from doing what his heart desires.

When they are taken to MacKenna's castle, Phillip now understands that he has been brought there for a reason that has more to do with his ancestors and less to do with him. Representing his family, he is made to pay the price. In the end, Phillip will have to risk it all if he wants to be with the woman he has come to love.

In The Bed Of A Duke is excellent. The story is intriguing and the love affair between Charlotte and Phillip is passionate and heartwarming. The unique bond they share is beautiful. Although Charlotte and Phillip's story is wonderful, so much is yet to be resolved. I only hope there is not a terribly long wait for the next part of this saga to be released!


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Very unlikable main character!

The story seems interesting in the first chapter but quickly turns to painfully contrived nonsense to fill up the pages between frightfully awkward sex. Why can't romance writers turn out a real plot with believable characters and situations?

Courtesy of A Romance Review

Finding Ian is realistic, touching and warm. The love between father and son is the main theme of the story and the romance between Jade and Byron is just an interlude. Not a standard romance but still a page-turner for a mainstream fiction.

Does a man fall into deep, passionate, soul-scorching love with a woman after one night of sex? Lust, maybe, but never love, yet this is one of the premises of this inane book. Out of desperation for something to read, I attempted another Stella Cameron book--same scenario. This kind of sleazy sex is so boring. The author's fantasy that sleazy sex results in love and marriage is not only not realistic, its laughable. I hope no teenage girls get a hold of these books. They might then conclude that having sex after knowing a man only a few hours is the way to find a husband. And what about AIDS? This book is just really disgusting and really stupid.

I personally read books to get away from my real life and live in a "fantasy" world even if just for a few days...
I couldn't stop reading this book from the moment I picked it up. I fell in love with Byron, Jade and Ian. It's heartwarming, funny, sad and sexy.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Try the marmitako. This is to the Basque country as clam chowder to New England. The version in this book is excellent and can serve as a springboard for you to create your own version.

i HAVE OFTEN ENJOYED THE EXCELLENT BASQUE FOOD AT SAN FRANCISCO'S BASQUE HOTEL, SO I WAS QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THE EASY TO FOLLOW AND REALLY AUTHENTIC DISHES IN THIS TRULY FIRST CLASS BOOK. THE VERY WELL WRITTEN PREFACE TRACING THE HISTORY OF THE UNIQUE BASQUE PEOPLE WAS AN ADDED BENEFIT. HAVING NOW PREPARED MANY OF THE RECIPES FROM THIS BOOK, I CAN ONLY SAY IT IS REMARKABLE HOW WONDERFUL UNCOMPLICATED COOKING CAN BE.WHETRHER YOU ARE A NOVICE OR EXPERIENCED, YOU WILL BE REALLY SATISFIED WITH THESE RECIPES.

Three years ago my son gave me a copy of The Basque Kitchen, written by his good friend Gerald Hirogoyen. The book has sat on my coffee table ever since, and whenever I am in the mood for something challenging and different, I have been trying out some of its recipes.
Then, a few days ago, my son treated me to a memorable dinner at Gerald's restaurant in San Francisco, "Piperade," which features many of the delectable dishes described in his book, and I had a chance not only to meet this kind and gentle chef but to sample firsthand his culinary skill with genuine
Basque cuisine.
The restaurant itself is a delightful place, its decor simple and rustic yet warm and friendly -- like the Basque people and countryside itself. We were treated like royalty and feasted on various Basque specialties: lamb chops with roasted Macheco cheese and potatoes, steak with mushrooms, fish with asparagus, and white wine from Gerald's own vineyards in Penedes, Catalunya.
Because my son and I lived in Spain for 13 years, we have visited all four of the Basque provinces, enjoying the beautiful Pyrenees mountains, the local culture, and their native foods. Lamb barbequed over an open hearth oven and bacalao (codfish) were special favorites.
Having worked my way through college as a part-time cook, I thoroughly relished reading about and then experimenting with many of the recipes. I found the directions easy to follow and, while my results may not have reached the perfection of Gerald's restaurant offerings, everything I prepared was tantalizingly tasty. A true gourmet delight! My personal favorites are stuffed squid in its ink, lamb chops, steak, steamed red snapper, and honey-glazed spare ribs, to mention only a few.
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit the Basque region will enjoy recreating some of its culinary specialties, and anyone willing to experiment with new tastes and techniques will consider The Basque Kitchen a real find.

This book is full of gorgeous pictures and inviting, unusual recipes. Most of the recipes are relatively simple, although some hard-to-find ingredients are used. Its a great book; it could have used some more careful editing. Some of the directions seem puzzling or incomplete. A good book for an experienced cook, but probably a poor choice for a novice.

Nestled between the two cusine powerhouses of France and Spain, the Basque are influenced by these two, yet retain and developed a food tangent of their own.

Here, Chef Hirigoynen shares his passion for this region and its food. He takes liberties at times to add his own touches, which he has been serving up in his restaurants in San Francisco.

He provides a complete two page listing of sources for the hard-to-find ingredients as well as a listing of restaurants, etc. if one tours the Pyrnees region.

I've tried with delight the Sea Bream with Garlic Vinaigrette "A La Concha", Lamb Stew with Mixed Nut Pesto, and Quince and Goat Cheese Layer Cake with Candied Pine Nuts.

Faith-wise, I'm a bit of a hybrid. I was raised Catholic, but had enough curiousity about spiritual matters to read about other religions and their associated beliefs. I've gone to Mass on Sundays, witnessed Advent Christian services, spent weekends at Hare Krsna temples, and discussed the Kabbalah with Jewish friends. My conclusion is that we're all going to the same place in the end, and God is too big for one religion anyway. So live your life as benevolently as you can, and leave the technical arguments to the theologians.

Julia Cameron's "God Is No Laughing Matter" is not out to replace the Bible or even offer a new interpretation of it. She has written a witty, common-sense guide to living a spiritually healthy life. Cameron alludes to religious texts, Eastern gurus, and other crutches employed by those on a faith-based quest, but neither recommends nor dismisses them. She's basically saying what Shakespeare put so perfectly: "To thine own self be true."

I loved this book. I savored reading it over a month's time, treating myself to one or two chapters each time. I intend to read it again and actually do the exercises. I found her entertaining, heartfelt, encouraging, and true. Of course some of the descriptions of "types" of people were done as caricatures to make her point; which I believe is to define yourself and your own spirituality, do not let others do it for you.

Julia Cameron's no nonsense style and shared wisdom on the connection between art and the divine. This is a real woman with her own share of life's ups and downs. Not some guru mystic in the popcorn style spirituality of certain areas of New Age. Forget Marianne Williamson and all the slick over-polished LA style gurus and their mantras. Turn inward and hear what down-to-earth folks like Cameron have to say. Rather this is Cameron's perspective on what the Divine is and is not. And what it is ... is hard work. She likens the method at which lost souls pick up and abandon deep spiritual paths in a matter of months ... as a form of shopping for God. A very refreshing take on how God is a serious force to be reckoned with... and that there are no short cuts to being in the consciousness of spirit. Easy to read but deep and provoking as usual, vintage Julia Cameron.

From this book to the follow-up PRAYERS FROM A NONBELIEVER: a story of faith, you can read through out the development of Ms. Cameron's faith/spiritual and influence on her work/writing journey. Every book she writes is a journey of the Path. You don't have to be a believer nor a doubter. Each both speaks from her heart to yours. Try reading these two and you will broaden your horizons.

I don't know...but by the title I expected an uplifting, refreshing, original series of thoughts from a very popular artist/writer. What I got instead was a series of negative slaps at countless types of spiritual paths. I am someone who reads a book from cover to cover...well I guess I can abandon that statement now. I tried to read straight through this book but got so sick of each chapter being devoted to making you feel as though by doing nothing toward your spiritual goals you are doing just fine (which is a lovely thought if it ended there) however if you should (God forbid!) be a vegetarian, or do yoga then somehow you are a freak and a phony. She continually refers to these horrible "Spiritual People" as if they (whoever the heck they are) are Nazis. I tried skipping chapters but the theme stayed the same. I finally gave up.
I treasure all books and always think about who the appropriate person will be to receive the book when I am finished (if I'm not keeping it for my own library) so throwing it in the trash so no one else will read it is a big deal.
In fact I was so frustrated by this book I wrote my first review.