Campbell Books

This second installment in an expected trilogy lived up to my expectations. From the first page, I was sucked into the rapid development of the plot and characters. Very vividly written with lots of action and suspense--a dark tale, but one that doesn't go over the edge into unbelievability.

I started it the other night about 10 pm. & then had to stay up 1/2 the night to finish it! Great book; very dark...

Thomas Campbell's latest addition to his several other books on the Confederate Navy is the most exciting, as an 'old, mostly unknown' hero emerges to the spotlight he so well deserves. This first, complete biography of Lt. Charles W. Read, CSN, skillfully weaves various obscure sources of information, mostly unknown except to serious students of the Confederate Navy, to new family histories recently discovered. Many of the generous number of photographs have never been seen in public before. Read's participation on such ships as the CSS McRAE, ARKANSAS, FLORIDA AND WEBB are but a portion of the many thrilling experiences he originated and encountered. A brief history of each of the ships such as with Capt. Maffitt on the CSS FLORIDA fills the reader with anticipation of the next chase and adventure. Charles Read's overland escapades will surprise many students of the army to find they were done by navy personnel. In short, this book is a must for anyone who wants to learn of a true life adventurer and to ask themselves "why haven't we heard of him before?". Thomas Campbell is to be commended for this work. John E. Ellis, founder, Confederate Navy Research Center, Mobile, Alabama, http://www.csnavy.org

Excellent in-depth coverage for those who want more than the usual cursory overview. R. Thomas Campbell's Sea Hawk Of The Confederacy brings drama to the naval war, providing both a biography of Charles W. Read, a Confederate Navy officer whose battles were legendary, and a narrative style which reads like a novel while incorporating plenty of strategy and military facts.

The tranquility of a small New York town is shattered by a grisly murder in a local church. Police detective David Stone, a man trying to come to grips with the death of his wife, is called in to investigate this rather gruesome crime. This is far beyond the typical murder of a young girl. A note left at the crime scene makes it perfectly clear that Jack the Ripper had reappeared after a hundred years to begin his grisly campaign of crime. Is this possible? The crime makes it crystal clear that whoever the culprit is, he has extensive medical knowledge and the means to perpetrate this sort of crime. The murder threatens to continue his killing rampage, and his threat brings to America Charlie Warren, a brilliant forensic investigator from the United Kingdom.

Charlie is an attractive young woman with her own troubled past and dark secrets. Together with David Stone, they try to solve this puzzling murder and the person or persons involved. As this unlikely pair dig deeper into the mystery they fall in love and discover the solutions to their own problems lies in each other and in God.

Michael Campbell has crafted a very believable and wonderfully written first novel. His work as a critical care nurse and experience as a military medic help blend reality to this story. If you like a good murder mystery with a touch of the supernatural then you'll like this book.

When I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down!! If you want a book that will keep your attention throughout then this is the book for you. Great research on Jack the Ripper and other characters. Neat twist (or continuation) to an infamous story. I think this is an excellent book from a fledgling writer and am very anxious to read his next accomplishments. If his future books are as thrilling as this one, he can expect me to buy and recommend them!

Senior Jena Maxwell cools her heels at her family's luxurious ranch for the summer after her parents refuse to take her along while they tour Europe. Stir-crazy after being cooped up at her conservative New York all-girls-school, she's miffed at first, but decides La Paloma is better after all when she meets a cute stranger.

This mysterious young man is actually a refugee from a high-profile rock group, desperate to keep his secret- and to keep things cool with Jena. Our hero bears more than a passing resemblance to a non-nerdy Clay Aiken- supposedly more well-mannered and less taudry than your average rock star, and a little older than Jena. The terrific older guy- more experienced, but kind too, and with just enough authority to seem exciting, and not overbearing. Reading the story is reading about a rock star being involved with an underage girl in a kinder, make-believe, more innocent time- before a rock star being involved with a young girl became such a horrible thing.

It's a good story, and fans of this sort of thing will probably list it among their favorites.

An intriguing tale of sixteen year old Jena Maxwell who is forced to spend her summer on her parents' ranch whilst they fly to Europe. Expecting a dull summer, she is surprised to meet Eric Bliss, an engineering student. Or is he?

Eric is spending the summer house-sitting for some friends. What Jena doesn't know is that he is really Eric Clayton, lead guitarist of a very successful rock band, who is trying to get away from the world of publicity, fans and rock and roll.

Anxious to keep his identity secret, Eric keeps up the charade of being a student, and tries to avoid falling in love with Jena. Jena, however, quickly falls for Eric and is frustrated by his lack of romantic interest.

Eventually, however, Eric's resolve weakens and finally admits to Jena how he really feels. Before he can reveal his true identity to Jena himself, Jena's friend recognises him. On learning the truth, Jena refuses to have anything further to do with Eric, feeling that she was just being used.

When Eric has to return to Houston to start a tour, Jena refuses to take his calls and he finally gives up. It is then that Jena begins to think she has made a dreadful mistake. Will she ever see Eric again to explain her feelings?

An excellent book for all those girls who dream of meeting a rock star and better still having him fall in love with her!

The author, United States Air Force Colonel Wally G. Vaughn, is an outstanding researcher, scholar, historian and writer. Colonel Vaughn has pieced together the missing links in important Civil Rights quests of the early 1950's and 1960's. His first hand accounts of the Selma campaign, has produced critical testimony to the struggle for equal rights worldwide. Colonel Vaughn and his co-author have put together a genius work!

An excellent and necessary documentation of a neglected segment of history.

I strongly recommend this book to people who like poetry, and even to those who don't. Full of great phrases that stick in your head.

Setting The World In Order is an impressive compendium of poetry showcasing Rick Campbell's intensely personal style, grace, and storytelling approach to the genre. Legend: He came from a land that didn't need words./Fire singed the sky, soot and ash/settled on the tongue. Speech/was furred and superfluous,. He grew older and left, crisscrossed/America, sat silent and stranger/in the loud seats of cars. Salesman/and truck driver wove their special language,/piston-driven to talk and brood./He listened and thought his shadow/saved them from their lost dreams./Throughout his land he became legend./Buck's boy who never talked. No one/at the Legion or VFW; no one/ at the hundred Bohunk and Italian bars;/no one at J&L, Armco, Coppers,/Phoenix Glass, or American Bridge;/no cops; no railroad dicks;/no coaches named Maccalini/ever heard him speak. he saved it./It's for you and you haven't come yet.

I bought this book for my baby when he was only about 4 months old and he absolutely loves it. It was his first book!

The glitter illustrations obviously attracts their attention and feels great when they run their hands over the pictures. Also some of the pictures use collage photographs which gives it a realistic look - my son loves the rock pool pictures especially.

The length of the book is perfect to read to a baby that's mostly more interested in crawling off and exploring. The text is fun to read and has a nice rhythm to it.

I highly recommend this book to parents. Your baby will love it:-)

This is one of those books that you see in the bookstore and think...mmmm - "a bit gimmicky". It even comes with a sticker that states "there's glitter on every page". Now this is a sure-fire way to catch your little one's attention but in my experience this type of book is not destined to become a classic in children's literature. Having said that however, I reluctantly bought this book as my two year old appeared to have fallen in love with it. It turns out that my almost five year old son LOVES it. It's a very tactile experience reading it and the pictures are lovely (same illustrator as Aaaaaaargh! Spider!). You just can't help running your hands over all the glittery pictures. The text is nothing to write home about but the rhymes slip off the tongue easily enough.

It tells the tale of a little hermit crab who is none too pleased about sharing his shell with an anenome and a bristle worm. This storyline has of course been churned out many times before but it still provides a good opportunity to discuss the concepts of sharing and symbiotic/commensal relationships etc. with your child. As long as you don't expect anything too original, this book makes a nice little addition to any child's library (particularly for a girl who will no doubt love the glitter which IS very well done).

This is a set of stories or fables, focusing on a jackalope named "Molly." For those of you who might not know, a jackalope is a mythical creature of the America West's deserts, resembling a large jackrabbit, but with antelope-like antlers. The mythical jackalope also offers parents an opportunity todiscuss fiction versus reality with their children.

In the first story, "Song of the Jackalope," we meet Molly, who lost an antler when very young, following an unfortunate encounter with a cactus. Molly is growing into a sensitive, aware, thoughtful, and somewhat outcast jackalope, whose physical abilities are hampered by her impaired balance (having only one antler will do that). In this initial story, she meets Grandal, a very old and very wise jackrabbit, who befriends her. We also learn of the power of song in the lives of jackalopes.

In the next story, "Molly and the Ginkgo Tree," Molly makes a rather unusual friend, and issues of friendship and self-esteem versus vanity are neatly addressed.

In "An Unlikely Rescue," Molly learns how to look beyond her immediate situations, see others from their own viewpoint, and the meaning of altruism and charity.

In "The Crippled Coyote," we see Molly learn more about not making assumptions about others, and the concept of kharma or "what goes around, comes around."

"Many Years Later" is a brief, somewhat wistful, epilogue.

This collection of stories started as e-mailed stories from the author, Roy Campbell or "Baba Roy", to his granddaughter. They would make excellent bedtime stories for children 3 to 7, as well as read-along stories for children 5 to 7.

The stories are quaint, humorous, and clear, but subtle, in their lessons. They are well-written, and they leave you wanting more. I hope that Mr. Campbell will consider writing more jackalope stories, possibly featuring a young male jackalope, to connect better with boys learning to read.

I have mixed feelings about Grandal's occasional references to the Arthurian legend. They seem to be non-sequitirs, and cause minor interruptions to the flow of the reading experience. However, for some children, they might open the door of interest in the Arthur stories, and thus lead to further reading. For older children, David Clement-Davies' "Fire Bringer" might be a good book to follow "Song of the Jackalope."

This is a delightful tale revolving around the legendary Jackalope in
the American southwest. I personally did not know what a jackalope was and if you do not either let me tell you. It is a mythical creature living in America's Southwest deserts. It is said to resemble a large jackrabbit with antelope like antlers. It is said that it sings and cowboys through the years have heard it during the long night watches of their herds. Interesting!
We meet Molly, a young sweet Jackalope who has only one antler. Because of this handicap she is often ridiculed by the others in her group but through a mysterious friend named Grandal, Molly learns the difference she can make in her world, as they take one adventure after another together.
We are also graced by meeting a really funny magpie named Fraida and a talking ginkgo tree along who will make an impact on Jackalope's future events.
One day Molly is in a situation where she must face her enemy the coyote and actually help to save his life, will she do it? And how will this one act set in motion a repaying of kindness? You will have to read this adorable story to find out.
I highly recommend this work; it is packed full of just the right amount of adventure, moral issues, true friendships and many lessons on just what is important in life.
A top of the notch read, one you and your child will enjoy sharing together. Excellent source of bedtime stories or just adventures to be shared anytime.

This lady is good! (You gotta love that staircase scene). The last time I experienced twists like this was on a roller coaster at magic mountain. Kelli captures the spirit of the characters, grinds it up, mixes it with water, and uses it for the ink in her printer. If you like horror or dark fantasy, you will LOVE this book...

I got this book yesterday and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it this evening! Not only is this one incredible writer with a fresh voice and an entertaining story filled with atmosphere, but she's a she writing from a convincing male point of view. You don't see that too often. I kept flipping to the back of the book to see her picture to make sure it was a she.

The story is about a man, Bobby Desmond, arriving at his rental property where he's staying for six months in order to write a book. His sister Candy comes with him, and the back story between him and his sister and their team efforts at romance writing is really interesting not to mention even erotic, exploring a taboo subject in a sweet and touching way.

Bobby is soon attacked by a ghost and he is off on the adventure of his lifetime. I don't want to give things away because there's a twist or two or three, but he does comes up against an evil that is hard to resist and if he gives in it'll cost him everything, even his soul.

The ending more than satisfies and this is one horror novel that doesn't rely on gross out slashing and hacking just for the shock value, but on heart and emotion too. I really liked the erotica and even humor sprinkled throughout and the last paragraph made me laugh out loud. I was totally involved with these characters and would highly recommend this book if you're looking for more than blood and guts, but for a real plot that tugs at your heart at the same time it's giving you major goosebumps.

I am a new member of the Horror Writers' Association, the same as the author, and I see a bright future for this talented lady and eagerly await whatever her next novel may be. She inspires me to get my own novel finished! Congratulations, Ms. Campbell on a shining debut!

This is yet another wonderful book in the "Images of America" series. My only regret is that this book (and others in the series) is not twice the size. I was looking for memories, nostalgia...and I got much more than that. Scenes forgotten, buildings and views I've been talking about for years and wanting to share with people who never saw them; page after page of mood and memory. Very special for me were childhood pictures of people I knew as adults, when I myself was a small child. And, best of all, I had always heard about the woman for whom my grandmother worked as a domestic when she came to Southington from Germany as a young girl. It's part of the family story that this woman helped my grandmother make her wedding dress. In the book, there is a lovely portrait of the woman herself; a piece of our family history which we had never before seen. This book, like others of the series which I've seen, is beautifully and thoughtfully done, though it did leave me feeling somewhat frustrated that there wasn't more.

This book is great. We live in Southington and we love seeing the old pictures of the streets and town as it was before all this development.