E Books

This is the most revolutionary business book of the last twenty years! Not since Tom Peters masterpiece, "In Search of Excellance" has a book captured a message so profond, yet so simple. This book can change the course of American business and re-establish our country's confidance in corporate America. Timely, Powerful, Necessary!!!

During my 14 years as a business attorney I have seen clients rise and fall, succeed and fail - and one thing always stands out. The most successful clients are not threatened by the competition, have loyal employees and love what they do. I have read this book 3 times and it has helped me in reshaping my practice. Now, I give it to clients, especially those who have backed themselves into a corner and need the rest of the world to get out and succeed. Contact Sport lays it out clearly and the value system it presents works. As a business woman, I'm not crazy about the macho sports paradigm though. Not everyone does sports ball guys!

At first blush, Tom Richardson and Gus Viduarreta's book seems only to tell you things you already knew. I built a large computer-consulting firm (600+ employees) using many of the same principles described in the first chapters of the book. My first reaction was "Why do I need this book?" After reading it through to the end my feelings changed drastically: "Why didn't I have this book ten years ago?"
What Vidaurreta and Richardson do so well is provide an effective framework for organizing and harvesting a company's relationship management techniques - techniques that we all tend to use, but only in a haphazard and slipshod fashion. The book, in a practical "what to do on Monday morning" fashion, outlines how, with a little thinking and organization, you can vastly increase return on the relationship management techniques that you may already have in place. It then goes on to point out techniques you probably never thought of...
In my opinion a lotta bang for very little buck!!

I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones. I had the opportunity to work with Tom and Gus for a few years back when they first birthed Systems Consulting Group. I spent quite a bit of time with Gus and noticed from day one that he had an uncanny way with people. So I paid close attention and began to soak up all I could. I'm not wired like Gus is motivationally, nor am I gifted with his charismatic personality. I'm a software consultant, I'm still thrilled with the technical side of IT, and that's where I want to remain...but the competition is getting more and more fierce.

I recently discovered that Gus and Tom had written, "Business is a Contact Sport" so I rushed to Amazon[.com] and purchased it...more from curiosity than anything else. What I never would have realized had I not read the book was just how much I had gleaned from my time with them. I've actually been using many of their principles for more than a dozen years and greatly benefiting from them. I've had numerous long-termed engagements as I watched people with more expertise and more years of experience than myself being laid off. I've been able to cultivated relationships with key individuals at many of the clients I've worked at and have frequently been able to leverage these relationships into longer term or repeat engagements. Along the way I've always tried to help people in every way I could, even when I knew there would be no chance for reciprocation.

Maybe you're like me, you're not CEO material (or CRO for that matter) and you don't have the desire to IPO new companies, you're happy with your career but want a edge at being able to land the longer term or more lucrative job assignments. This new book is not just for the top executives, it's for the average person like myself who just wants a leg up in this new economy.

By the way, my wife and I attended the first Christmas party that SCG gave back in 1988, the one that cost 10% of that year's profits. They didn't have to invite me, they knew I'd never be a large source of income for the business, but they cultivated the relationship anyway. Relationships truly are circular aren't they...here I am fourteen years later giving a rave review on their book!

Of course you don't have to buy the book to benefit from their knowledge, you could begin your career under their tutelage like I did!

Kurt Sligh
Software Consultant

Tom Richardson and Augusto Vidaurreta, the founders of the Systems Consulting Group, have had tremendous success since the late 1980's using some of the obvious techniques necessary in business that we all know are important, but sometimes forget to practice. For the seasoned business professional BUSINESS IS A CONTACT SPORT easily defines and labels terms for the principals we know are important for us to succeed, but didn't know how to organize them to teach them to new entrants into the business world. Business leaders should read and develop a cheat sheet of the 12 principals and post it as a reminder of what we need to be doing each day. BUSINESS AS A CONTACT SPORT has been tested and passed with high grades from some of our best business schools. RAM, Relationship Asset Management and CRO, Chief Relationship Officer will become a standard in the evolving business world. Managers need to arms their sales staff with this book as well as department heads and HR personnel.

My sons and I got hooked on the Fablehaven series a few weeks ago. These books are fun to read for youth and adults. The plot and quality of writing is not quite equal to Rollins' Harry POtter series, but we still enjoyed getting lost in this fantasy world. I recommend this book and the series.

This is a great new book series for Harry Potter Fans! I love this author's work and I have read all his books so far. Brandon Mull you keep writing and I'll keep reading your work!! I bet this series becomes a movie like the spiderwick series did.

This has to be one of the best series ever written. I liked it just as much if not more than the Harry Potter series. You have to read all three books and I can't wait for the fourth to come out next year. It is somewhat strong for really young children but is really good for the imagination of the 8-15 range. Some of the subjects are dark but the overall is amazing. Two strong thumbs up. Highly recommend.

Brandon Mull has become one of my favorite authors in just a few short months. I picked up the first book at the end of the school year at the book fair where I teach and have been anxiously working my way through the series and am looking forward to the next.

Mull takes you to very real places with his exotic twists for a magical adventure and its all about kids and how they learn to cope with adult responsibility. To put such a learning tool in ones writing is a gift. Thank You for writing Fablehaven.

Brandon Mull is getting hotter
With books as long as Harry Potter
This one goes four seventy seven
For kids above ten or eleven

There's danger lurking everywhere
Friend or foe is now unclear
With darkness taking over light
And fewer folk to lead the fight

A plague of shadows spreads its wings
O'er Nipsies and all other things
There's no time left for talk or tact
Just find the missing artifact

Fantastic creatures, deadly foes
Centaurs with arrows and bows
See them change before your eyes
The dark forces are on the rise

Knight of Dawn or Evening Star
No one knows which one you are
Or is it what everyone thinks?
Can the traitor be the Sphinx?

Vanessa's in the Quiet Box
Dare they open up the locks?
Oh, the secrets she could tell
If released from her private hell

New characters and distant places
Returning long forgotten faces
Battle lines are drawn and crossed
Could it be Fablehaven's lost?

Before you end up all bemused
Read one and two, you'll be enthused
This is the best, book three of five
What next will Brandon Mull contrive?

I want to see this on the screen
Drinking in each thrilling scene
Surround sound and soundly cast
From Fablehaven to the last



Amanda Richards, June 29, 2008



Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven)

Christopher is an only child of two parents that constantly bicker, and every night, Christopher travels to other worlds for great adventures. He has a cool uncle Ralph that seems the understand him. Soon, Christopher is meeting a young man named Tacroy in the other worlds and running "experiments" for his uncle, smuggling magical supplies back to his own world. Christopher, it is discovered, has nine lives and his so magically powerful that he is destined to become the next Chrestomanci. He befriends a similar powerful young person, a Goddess, in another world. Slowly and without realizing it, Christopher falls into darkness, becoming an angry, unkind, and disagreeable child that is breaking the laws of magic. Christopher must determine who is good and who is just trying to use him. My favorite character is Tacroy, who is quite ambiguous, and yet is sort of Christopher's Sirius Black, as the only one who can identify with him as a spirit traveler and understands him. The book itself is just another beautifully written, incredibly clever and imaginative and magical work from Diana Wynne Jones. The images and so vivid and so brilliant. Grade: A-

I read this book many years ago, and did not even realize that it was part of a series until recently. I bought the other books in the series, and was expecting the other books to be similar to this writing style. While the other three books in the series are good stories and entertaining reading, it is "The Lives of Christopher Chant" that is the best of the series. This book has more depth and humor than the other books in the series. I devoured this book in one setting, because of the wonderful imagery and use of dry humor and wit. I actually don't think that you need to read the books in the series in order; besides the first two in the series, these books really don't have much in common with each other, besides the Chrestomanci character. Each book is a wonderful book in its own right. However, it is this book that gives the best background of the world in which Chrestomanci lives. Highly recommended, especially if you like J.K. Rowling - this book is the most similar to Rowling's style.

This an incredibly lovely book that I have read a million times; and each time has been just as enjoyable as the last.
This book is the second in the Chrestomanci Quartet, and is my favorite of the four. The story is about a boy named Christopher Chant who discovers that he has magical powers, and, in due time, a truly amazing and exciting life ahead of him. Buy this book! I assure you that you won't regret it;~)

Diana Wynne Jones tells the backstory of everyone's favorite enchanter, Chrestomanci, in "The Lives of Christopher Chant". Chrestomanci turned the sterotype of old, sagely wizards upside down in the first Chrestomanci book with his dapper attitude and humorous qualities. However, I'll be frank; I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed "Charmed Life". The story was very slow in places and the ending was very rushed. But, Jones still won me over with her delightful characters, quirky magic, and adept talent at writing meaningful and thoughtful fantasy.

Christopher Chant starts out as a normal boy who doesn't quite understand everything that's going on around him. Christopher never even bothered to tell people, ecspecially his feuding parents and nannies, about his dreams and the worlds he visits in them. But one day, Christopher's new nanny discovers all of the objects Christopher brings back from his dreams, and informs Christopher's Uncle Ralph, a charming enchanter, about them. It turns out that Christopher is a spirit traveler, or a person who visits the twelve related worlds in their dreams. Uncle Ralph soon recruits Christopher for many "experiments" where Christopher must bring him back various goods from the related worlds, and Christopher is only too happy to oblige.

On these experiments, Christopher soon loses many lives at such an obvious rate that he realizes he has nine lives and is a powerful enchanter, even though Christopher can barely manage the simplest of spells. Christopher is soon sent to live in Chrestomanci Castle for training, and he hates it. He would much rather play cricket than become the next Chrestomanci, but everything changes when Christoper realizes that his "perfect" uncle is really an inter-world illegal smuggler, and Christopher so happens to be his partner-in-crime even though he didn't know what he was doing in the first place.

The story is told with Jones' usual quirky prose and humor. Many readers who read the first book will smile as the story goes on and many of Chrestomanci's background is cleverly explained. Christopher as a character is skillyfully progressed from a naive and somewhat cold child to an aware and powerful enchanter. However, the story, as much as I would like to deny it, does suffer some problems. The beginning is a very long drawl, as well as the middle, and nothing interesting happens till Christopher finally arrives at Chrestomanci castle. From there to the ending its a smooth ride. Unfortunately, it appears that Jones didn't know what to do with her ending as its very quick and jumbled. For the last fifty pages, everything is unusally described and very confusing. I just wish that the story had ended with a strong conclusion rather than the sentence "that is really all, except for a letter that arrived for Christopher from Japan soon after New Year ..."

Even though the ending was a jumbled mess, we're still talking about Diana Wynne Jones here, and her brilliant writing and humorous details makes even a very weakly plotted book enjoyable. While I did not enjoy "The Lives of Christopher Chant" as much as I enjoyed the first book, readers everywhere are sure to enjoy how Chrestomanci went from a timid boy into a powerful enchanter.

"Oops!" The dragon spews fire all over Christopher and "There goes another life!" The Lives of Christopher Chant is a book about a nine-lived boy named Christopher. Every night he dreams he gets out of bed, walks around the corner of the fireplace in his room, and slips into a dreary world called "The Place Between." While conducting experiments there Christopher loses some of his nine lives.

Strong things about this book are that the story line moves along quickly, so your interest stays captive. You'll also appreciate how Dianne Wynne Jones's story line is unique. No other author has ever written anything like her "Place Between!" Her strong characters really pull the story together. Take "The Christomancy" (The Magic Governor) for instance. It seems like he was always a strict and stern man born to be "The Christomancy." However, he actually started out like Christopher, angry and bewildered.

More details would improve The Lives of Christopher Chant. Having additional information would make it easier to visualize Asheth's Temple, and why The Living Asheth (the girl who acts as a channel for the god Asheth's power) wanted to get away. More explanation about why silver stops Christopher from working magic would be helpful. Was it Christopher's dad's fault that silver stops him operating magic?

Rush out and buy The Lives of Christopher Chant, it's a page turner! The story line is new and interesting. It is a magic book, and you can never tell what's going to happen! I hope you don't lose your nine lives as quickly as Christopher Chant!

My kids are two and one and they LOVE this book. It has such a catchy tune and they really enjoy singing along with the CD. It also introduces them to words they ordinarily wouldn't use, such as thyphoid, pneumonia, and colic! I bought three more copies for friends and their school! We have most of John Lithgow's kids' books and this is our favorite by far.

This is a fun book with good repetition and some "big" words. It will make it a book you can revisit when your child is older. I bought it for my 3 1/2 year old who is very picky and talkative. The cd is narrated by the author in front of a live child audience so it is a bit spontaneous and entertaining.

Marsupial Sue is a great song/book for kids. The message of being you is important, and the song sticks with the kids. Having the CD to hear John Lithgow narrate is a must to do this book justice.

My granddaughter introduced me to this book...and it has become my favorite piece of children's literature! I try to give it as a gift to as many children as possible. Perfect for the three year old....and great music for moms to listen to over and over and over...THE GREATEST!

John does it again! My 3-4 year old preschoolers LOVE this book! I love this book. I find myself actually singin along with the book and the kids absolutely love it. One of the best books I have bought them! (and his other ones too!)

If you need help, this is where you'll find it.
The CD that comes with it is a lot of help too.
Worth the price.

This is another in the WOW series and even though it's for the last interation of photoshop (CS2) there is a wealth if info here. It's all in color, clearly explained. It gives you an overview of how much you can do in this amazing program and helps you develop the chops to put it to use. Nicewly structured so you can pick and choose what you need at the time if you don't want to read it cover to cover. You won't need every technique here but it gives you the tool to apply in other ways for whatever you want to do. One of the easily accessible and useful books on the subject.

This book is to me the bible of Photoshop. It's so thorough and thick, and it's large number of illustrations, screen shots, and photos make it work whether I am carefully following a book example on my computer, or sitting and reading without the computer.

Let me begin by saying that this book is BIG, slightly bigger than a hard backed dictionary or textbook. If you plan on carrying this around in a backpack or ferrying it between school/work and home, don't.

This book has a humongous, colorful wealth of information. I guarantee that this book will show you how to do ANYTHING you could possibly want to do in Photoshop. Whether you plan on reading it straight through or using it as a reference book (I recommend the latter), you will appreciate the collection of tips and tricks this book has to offer.

Covering everything from picture touchups to full fledged graphic design, this book is artfully written and painstakingly thorough in its design. With pictures demonstrating everything, along with the helpful and easy to follow text, this book is great for those wanting to really get into Photoshop. If you're a graphic artist or have a job that requires the use of Photoshop, this book will expand your knowledge and understanding of Photoshop. Whether you're new to photoshop or a professional, this book is definitely a wise investment to help further your Photoshop skills.

This is your Photoshop Bible that you should keep with you at all times! I just hate that I paid $65 for it at Borders, when I could have gotten it here for MUCH less!

For some time now I've had a fascination with the F-105 Thunderchief and the men who went Downtown during the Vietnam war. To further my knowledge on the aircraft and the men who flew her I picked up When Thunder Rolled.

Overview
When Thunder Rolled is a pilots view of the F-105 and the missions he flew during the Vietnam War. In this book our Fighter Pilot (I mean this a complement to Mr. Rasimus. I believe it would be a greater honor to call him a Fighter Pilot than by his retired rank, read the book if you want to understand why) gives us a view of the F-105 from training thru his time in Thailand flying missions in North Vietnam.

The Good
Wow! What a book. Mr. Rasimus pulls no punches. In all of the books I've read dealing with a persons own experiences in war I've found very few that are as candid about being scared. Mr. Rasimus tells us about how his initial debate is if he should fly combat mission or not and then flies a couple. I have to think that the fear Mr. Rasimus talks about is more common than many other books would have you believe.

I also loved how Mr. Rasimus mentions the maintenance men who took care of the Thud he borrowed (sorry, everyone knows that a fighter is owned by the crew chief, pilots just borrow it). This is something kind of rare and nice to see.

The description of the environment is great. Referencing stealing hubcaps for what it took to be a fighter pilot over there was sheer genius! Between the use of vernaculars and a simple honest approach, one is able to visualize and feel something of what he was experiencing. I also loved the way Mr. Rasimus takes us thru the base and the missions. From premission briefings thru the return. Interestingly there isn't a lot of focus on the post mission time at the Club.

The Bad
The only one I can readily think of is that the book ended. I loved the story telling. It flows so nicely. The real shame is that we know that our fighter pilot went on to fly F-4's in the Linebacker timeframe. I'd have loved it if this would have been brought together to hear the differences in the aircraft and how the war was fought.

Rating Wise
5 Stars! This is the best personal account I've read from an aviator. A solid read and is a must read by anyone interested in knowing about F-105's, the Vietnam airwar, or about a pilots view of combat.

This is the best book along with Jack Broughten's "Thud Ridge" that I have read concerning the Air War in the North, especially as it relates to F105's.If I were to write a book on this subject, this is what I would have written.

Whilst putting you very much in the cockpit Mr Rasimus has at the same time managed to produce a thoughtful, insightful, and instructive book that gives an excellent view of the experiences, feelings and thoughts of what it meant to be a fighter pilot in the early years of the Vietnam war. Highly recommended.

What a great book! I agree that this is the best of the F-105 books about combat during Rolling Thunder. Such detail! Ras explains everything so well and puts it in words that non-pilots can understand. He even takes you on R&R to a Bangkok niteclub to get a "massage" ;-) The difference between a fighter-pilot and a pilot of fighters is explained. I was at Takhli, the other F-105 base in Thailand, and I remember the Wild Weasel/Iron Hand "F" models. The initial group was sent in and shot down. Then another batch was sent in and shot down. I believe there were five or six airplanes in each group. During that initial period, the crewmembers of F-105F (Weasels)were virtually assured of death or capture. What a slaughter.
I loved the noise of that beautiful bird when afterburner with water injection kicked in. Not to mention the noise when a pilot returned after his 100th mission and went "supersonic" right on the deck. Awesome!!!! Also described in the book was the practice of burning off fuel with the speed brakes open and the afterburner on. I saw this on another 100 mission bird going low and slow with the "finger" extended in a pass just above the runway. This book brings back memories of that. In the meantime, back in the "world" (US)Hippies were coming on the scene. It was a shock to me and many others returning. And, by the way, so much for the "domino theory" - Thailand is still there.

As a story of courage and combat flying this book sits near the top of the list. Daily missions into the heart of a well defended N Vietnam, flying against targets selected in DC by those with no combat flying experience, training in tactics of successful air campaigns, appreciation for those who did and with the even greater corruption of a lack of commitment.

Somehow Rasimus and his fellow pilots keep getting up after sleepless nights, getting the brief and launching missions into North Vietnam. It is sad to hear of the lives lost dumping bombs on "suspected truck parks" and other secondary targets.

The author was one of those for whom successful completion of 100 missions over N Vietnam was improbable. One wonders how our nation produces those with the skill and courage to fly these missions day after day. Add to the burden the knowledge that far too often the missions were flown against insignificant targets while truly valuable targets were off limits.

The author was blessed with the skills of a fighter pilot and the writing skills normally associated with those sedentary pursuits of a writing career.

Highly recommended.

The next big idea - being the mastermind behind it is the key to success. "Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World)" is an informed and informative business guide for those who are searching for that one big idea that will take them right to the top - or just the idea they need to keep their jobs. Creatively written following the story of a caveman called Og, fictionally credited with inventing the wheel, "Awake at the Wheel" will resonate with modern man's quest to think of something new. As entertaining as it is educational, "Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an Uphill World)" is a top pick for community library business collections.

To all the linear thinkers of the world!

If you've always wondered how great artists, inventors, innovators and leading edge thinkers do what they brilliantly do - and if the non-linear, inexact science of creation has always baked your noodle a bit - then this book is especially for you.

And for all the creatives out there, you will hoot (or weep) with playful recognition of a kindred spirit who's figured out how to tell the story of your day to day life's experience (by and large).

Using story, metaphor and humor, this wisdom packed little book explains - which ain't all that easy to do 'cause many have tried - something that's been wrapped up in esoteric mystique for far too long, and makes the connection between individual and collective success and open collaboration (love anything that's 'me to we').

It also makes clear that the fragile front end of this process not only can't (and shouldn't) be rushed, but is too often (and too easily) misunderstood and dismissed or disdained, both by those to whom BIG IDEAS come and those frustratedly witnessing the process.

And if that weren't enough, the tools at the back of the book are worth the price of the book alone!

If you want to understand yourself better, enjoy a whole lot more fun and success (if you let yourself get all jiggy with it), and partner with a natural process that's happening all the time anyway, this really should be at the top of your 'must have' list.

I work in the field of innovation and change, and really love what Mitch Ditkoff has produced here. Almost everbody can relate to good stories, and Og's parable reads soooo simple, but it quite accurately reflects the journey to making good things come to life and can help you to think more clearly and see your way through things when confusion hits. I also love tools and there is a box of them in this little gem. Mine is dog earred already as a friend accompanying me through the middle of something I'm very excited about. I wish more books in business were this useful, and am turning on several of my clients to Mitch's mini opus.

Having good ideas is easy. People do it all the time. The problem comes when the ethereal thought-stuff of a nascent idea has to turn into the hard nuts and bolts of a working innovation. The bigger problem comes in getting that idea, and its value, across to the people who need to participate in its deployment.

Ditkoff addresses parts of the process of originating and refining an idea. He acknowledges that the problem is more often one selecting from among many, or refining the good ones, rather than in having the basic idea in the first place. And I have to agree: a good idea gets you, not the other way around. I know I've had some ideas sit like a lump in my stomach until I expressed them, one way or another. His advice applies to many domains - the breadth is helpful, but people who deal in specifics might have trouble narrowing it to their applications. The real innovation in this book lie in treating an idea as a problem in communication. If getting it straight in your own mind and as a working prototype is hard, conveying it to someone else is even harder.

The book's real value comes from about 1/3 of its content, towards the end. There, Ditkoff lays out his strategies, almost as a bulleted list, so the busy executive with minimal time can pick them out clearly and succinctly. The first more-than-half of the book expressed the same ideas in user-friendly parable about inventing the wheel. These features represent both a strength and a weakness, depending on your cognitive style - I tends towards a deeper, more thorough style, so Ditkoff's breeziness didn't always work for me. Still, what's here is good, especially Ditkoff's mention of "immersion." Productive minds like those of Twyla Tharp and Santiago Ramon y Cajal stress that, and it's refreshing to see a popular-style book emphasize the value and necessity of plain hard work.

-- wiredweird, reviewing a complimentary copy

Since becoming a Professional Coach back in 2001, I've had numerous books recommended to me and for this bibliophile, business books are equivalent to a nice stout order of broccoli (not that there's anything the matter with broccoli....). "Awake at the Wheel" is equivalent to a nice portion of fresh well-prepared broccoli with lots of good ole cheese dribbled throughout.

I recommend this book for movers and shakers and/or entrepreneurs or anyone that feels stuck in a rut or hopeless when it comes to their ideas. Don't let the simple lay out of the book nor the subtle (and not so subtle) humor distract you from the wisdom that lays just below the surface of the words. You will feel a spark of hope even after reading the first couple of pages.

Take your time to read through the usual topics for a book. Even the acknowledgements portend what is in store for the reader down the road. The quotes sprinkled throughout the story of Og are refreshing and some of them are from people we know very well but may have never heard them say the quote that is captured. I'll not spoil the fun about the footnotes, but if you ever wanted to heal your inner-footnote reader this would be a good time.

The book is rich in content and ideas and the back of the book has at least 35 great ideas that individuals and groups could use to unstick their stuck idea!

Get this book, it's cheaper than filling your car up with gas.

The gals at "Hair It Is" love Jennie's Reprisal. Jennie Gravatt's journey from Atlantis to Eternity has a compelling realness. And facts regarding our town of Ashtabula, presented during Jennie's lifetime in the early 1920s, made the story even more real to us. This is truly a great book.

Reading this fascinating and diverse story, I found myself amazed at the depth of life's lessons.  I was entertained and educated.  If I have to come back to this world again, I hope to find my Raimone.

Just finished reading Jennie's Reprisal and I love it!  Carol Bennett's words touch my heart, stimulate my mind and other body parts, and help me to remember.  The Epilogue is one of the most incredible passages that I have ever read.  Anyone who reads this book will be lucky and blessed.

The fascinating premise of Jennie's Reprisal held my interest from start to finish.  I really became involved with Jennie in all of her manifestations.  Movement back and forth, from the present time to the distant past, evoked feelings of timelessness.  Scenes are creative and extremely sensual.  A beautifully inspiring book that gives hope for the future!

JENNIE'S REPRISAL is one of the rare books that makes a compelling case for reincarnation. This book not only resonates with the truth that awaits us all, but gives us insight into our very existence.

Second chances...

Following in her four older brothers' footpaths, Teresa July became a renowned bank robber and for many years she was able to stay one step ahead of the law, that was until one day her luck ran out and she was captured and finally sent to prison. After spending three hard years incarcerated, Teresa was released early on good behavior; however, her discharge came with a parole condition - Teresa had to live under the supervision of Molly Nance for an entire year learning how to become a respectable, proper lady and if she resorted back to her old unlawful ways, she would be thrown back into prison. Teresa was willing to do whatever it took to remain free from the hardship of prison life; but she didn't count on Molly's well-to-do, handsome son to throw a monkey wrench into the mix.

After the previous episode, the last thing Madison Nance expected his mother to do was to take in yet another female prisoner. The prior thief robbed his mother blind. This time Madison determined to protect his mother at all cost and the only way to do that was to keep the new houseguest, Teresa July, in check. But, Madison's task proved to be more than he bargained for, because not only was Teresa a bold, sassy woman, she was also very defiant and headstrong. Nevertheless, instead of her wild and unruly actions making him even more outraged, she turned him on like none other. And, it didn't help matters much that his own mother was trying to play matchmaker over them.

Wild Sweet Love by Beverly Jenkins was an amazing tale filled with spectacular African American, late 19th century, history and a superb love story between a man and a woman. It was a joy to get to know Teresa and Madison. Both were robust, smart and very outspoken characters with a passion that could not be denied. Wild Sweet Love brought forth a multitude of emotions from me. One moment I was bowing over with laughter because of Teresa's bold behavior or at Molly's matchmaking abilities and then in the very next, I became teary-eyed because of certain events and finally, the chemistry that sparked between Teresa and Madison left me breathless with great desire. Wild Sweet Love was one of the most unforgettable stories that I have read in a long time and I am positive that after you dive in the love story between Teresa and Madison, you will agree that it deserves to be a Joyfully Reviewed Recommended Read!

Nikita
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I know this is fiction. But I expect it to make sense too. Teresa July said that her half brother was an Indian. But I did not get the fact that she was. Yet she called herself a Cherokee. Does she mean culturally and psychologically?

This is minor, but it just stuck out for me. Madison and Teresa July journey was fun to read and as always I learned some AA history. I think these two characters are my favorite. I really like Terasa.

She also mentioned Sisteretta Jones. I have had her on my list to read about for months. Maybe I will get to her soon.

I highly recommend y'all read anything Ms. Jenkins writes.

BJ is awesome writer. I fell in love with her when I was in high school. My first book was Indigo. She has an art of writing history and while including romance. She has a gift to want you to read more, and more, and educate you on the different topics that I did not learn in class.
Yes this is romance; however, you have you black history lesson included.

This book is great. Teresa July is a great character, I think all women can have sass but with passion. All women want to feel special like Madison made Teresa July feel.

This book was so good that I read all 367 pages of it in just a day and a half. Teresa and Madison surely knew how to do that "passion thing." I liked their constant bickering that only added to their passion. There is not a dull moment in this book. BJ gave very vivid descriptions and history lessons that do not take away from the book. I am starting to like historical romance better than contemporary romance. A must read.

The book was little slow at first but then the more I read the more I liked it. I found the characters very interesting especially Teresa July. Part of her personality reminded me of myself. So I could sort of related to her independence. The author gave good intimate details of the interactions between Teresa and Madison. This book had a good story. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

I am just now rediscovering poetry. I've always enjoyed it as a teenager, so I bought three books by word-of-mouth this year. I can't say this one was my favorite, but it is a classic! I am sure the effect of Cummings at the time was great, but I strongly suggest that readers take in the writers of our day. This book is a great starting point, but it only gives you a history of what's going on with more contemporary poets.

Cummings is one of the best American minor poets. He invents a language, a style a way of saying things all his own. And he does this in memorable lines and with his own kind of beauty. "What of a much of a which of a wind " " There's a hell of a universe ,next door. Let's Go" " I sing of Olaf, glad and big " " Nothing not even the rain has such small hands" The style is magnetic and there is a most individualistic celebration of life and love.
Appealing. But without the largeness of Whitman or the mind of Dickinson or the music of Stevens,it is not at the very highest level.
And also sharing with Pound and Eliot, and to a lesser degree Hemingway and Fitzgerald the Anti- Semitism of his time which makes it therefore almost impossible for me to read the stuff with uncritical joy as I would like to.

I got this book in a used bookstore that was owned by a "former hippie"...is there such a thing, I always felt once a hippie, always a hippie...I didn't even ask for him to recommend it to me, he just looked in my eyes and said, "Hey, man, do you want to read something great?"

I read the whole book from cover to cover in the bookstore and I knew I had to have it as part of my collection. When the old hippie put the book in a bag he just smiled at me as if to say, "I told you so..."

So now I'm telling you, you who is looking for something crazybeautiful in which to pour your lovelyeyeslikemine over. Carry this book with you. Go to the local coffeehouse with pen in hand and make notes in the margins. Talk to Mr. Cummings as though he was right in front of you, because in a way, he never died. He is still very much alive and he especially loves new seekers of his words.

There are certain things that one must read before they exit the planet and this is one of them. You may not go crazy over it as much as I did, and if you weren't the least bit impressed I suggest that you make an appointment with the doctor and see if you have a pulse.

This little book is de-light-full and will work its magic in you if you let it.

This sweet little volume is a great introduction to Cummings' work...perfect as a gift to someone who's expressed an interest in him. The small, thin size makes it MUCH more portable than a 20-pound "complete works" volume!

I was determined to hate e.e.cummings. The quirks of his spelling and punctuation alone seemed to me to be contrived and overly pretentious and I felt instinctively (without reading it) that his poetry must be some sort of grand put-on. I am even today still not completely convinced he did not suffer some form of mild to severe brain damage (perhaps progressive) that increasingly affected his later writings. However, once I was introduced to the man through this excellent collection, I could no longer deny the stunning originality of his poetry or the gorgeous music of his lyrics, particularly when read aloud (most effectively and rewardingly to an adoring female audience of one). I have been converted into an admirer through this collection.

100 SELECTED POEMS is a fine and concise introduction to the works of this nonconformist poet. There is a sampling of his very best poems and enough variety to sway all doubters. This collection wisely (I feel) avoids the more terrifyingly eccentric typography of some of his more notorious efforts, though some of the later poems in this collection push the envelope far enough to be discomforting (but in a good way). No collection of American poetry would be complete without e.e.cummings, and this book rattles like a fragment of angry candy.

Jeremy W. Forstadt