Johnston Books

Ray Johnston writes poetry that is touching and simple in verse. If Willa Cather had chosen poetry rather than prose, these might be very close to the results she might have produced, with Ohio as her subject rather than Nebraska.
Johnston's subjects range musings over a hundred-year old photograph of a church gathering to the change of seasons in the Midwest to very poignant memories of his deceased wife.
The simplicity of the verse often hides the depth of the subject. At the very least, this collection is a throwback to older, simpler times, and the reader will walk away with pleasant memories of youth and nature.

This story is one in a series of four Mole and Troll books that explores themes of friendship and citizenship through child-sized experiences.

"Trim the Tree" tells the story about a disagreement that arises between the friends over how to decorate their Christmas tree. The snappy dialogue between the two snappy friends - who ultimately find happy common ground and community - was written by Tony Johnston.

The illustrations in this book were done by Wallace Tripp (who also illustrated Amelia Bedelia). I felt his illustrations make the main characters look like adults in a child-sized world. For that reason I gave this book four out of five stars. Cyndy Szekeres replaced Tripp as the illustrator in the final two books with softer, more child-friendly images of Mole and Troll.

Like all the Mole and Troll books, "Trim the Tree," is printed in a 7"w by 8.5"h format - perfect for little hands.

Author Tony Johnston started her writing career in 1972, when she published her first book, The Adventures of Mole and Troll. Three more Mole and Troll books followed:
Mole and Troll Trim the Tree (1974)
Night Noises and Other Mole and Troll Stories (1977)
Happy Birthday, Mole & Troll (1979)

Unfortunately, all four books are now out-of-print and available only through used bookseller markets such as Amazon Marketplace. They are worth finding and buying since they reflect a golden era of children's literature.

When Rachel Barthelme has a car accident one Halloween night in which she believes her car hits a young child, a group of frighteningly masked youths surround her, including a girl who shouts to her that she has killed her brother. Frightened by their hideous visages and believing they are out to harm her, she flees the scene of the accident and runs for her life, calling the police the minute she gets home.

The problem is that the police fail to turn up any such victim. Rachel, however, remains convinced that this occurred, despite no evidence to support her assertion. With her marriage failing and her ambitious husband believing that she is losing her mind, Rachel begins to question her own sanity. Complicating matters further is her new born baby, who keeps her tethered to her loveless marriage.

As her teenage children become friends with two teens with strange ideas that give her the willies, she finds that something about each of them seems strangely familiar in an unpleasant way. She also finds herself reliving the accident, as she continues to find herself haunted by brief glimpses of those youths she believed to have been there. It is as if they were stalking her. Moreover, Rachel seems to be falling in love with a police lieutenant, Sam Lomax, who is investigating the matter of the accident and seems to be the only person really listening to her.

This is a suspenseful, well written work of fiction, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

"My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla", by Nikola Tesla, edited with Introduction by Ben Johnston (1982), Barnes & Noble Books, NY 1995. ISBN 0-760-70-085-0, HC 111 pages includes Introduction & six Chapters written & prev. published in Electrical Experimenter, (a mos. Mag., 1919) plus some 30 B & W photos, illustrations. 8 ½" x 5 ¾".

Nikola Tesla was a genius, gifted and zealous striver for altruistic reasons, readily acclaimed as renowned inventor, largely of electrical devices. This book, largely autobiographical in a sense, contains some lengthy philosophical expositions which are, wind and weather permitting, laudable, but also megalomaniacal and although having ponderable truths thereto, also borders on marginal conjectural contemplations which depart from contemporary science.

Affording further exploration into his mindset of imageries, his writings suggests, to me, migrainous attacks with scintillating scotomata, fatigue spells. Nonetheless, his explication on "telautomatics" is conceptualization of robotics before its time. The realities of his Magnifying Transmitter and devises to create unlimited dispersal for his World-System of globalization of electrical energy for industry and communication systems, etc. to promote human understanding, etc., overreaches imagination just as his musings on telekinesis, etc. are difficult to dissect as to whether believed or rejected. To know Tesla, one must read his own words, as reprinted herein.

This the Contemporary English Version, New Testament only, read by Stephen Johnston, published by AMG.

It arrives on 13 audio compact disks, in individual paper sleeves, in a cardboard box. I think this is one of the better ways of transporting CDs in bulk.

Book names and chapter numbers are read out but not cross-headings. There are no introductions or any other spoken sections other than the bible text. This is how I think audio bibles should be.

There is music throughout but it is not intrusive. Its mood changes with the content and is quite creative at times. I prefer just voice to badly done music but I think this music is an asset.

Stephen Johnston has recorded many audio bibles and has a pleasant accent. The audio is recorded cleanly and well read but at a very fast pace - a common fault in audio bibles. Total audio time is 15h 59m.

The CEV is one of my favourite translations. I would like to see the Old Testament available as an audio bible as well.

I have found a major fault: Ephesians 6 is completely missing!

PROS: Translation, text, music, packaging, price.
CONS: Too fast, missing chapter.

I am not a Noble Causes fan. I have never read another issue before. The reason I bought this particular issue because I read that Invincible (another image character) had a guest appearance. (As a note for other Invincible/Kirkman fans, Invincible appears for 2 panels and has no lines or real involvement to the story. Brit also makes a slightly less brief appearance. And Robot, Atom Eve, Rexsplode, and DupliKate are there with Invincible.)

On to the comic. Having never read Noble Causes before I think that this book seemed to do a good job of introducing you to most of the main characters and giving you a glance at what they are like. You get an idea of who has a problem with who and who tolerates who. Since it's made of all short stories though it felt like there might not be to much substance for long time readers who are probably already familiar with the characters. Most of the short stories were good, I especially liked the first one and seeing Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's almost Hellboy like short on Krennick was very entertaining. (As I'm a Kirkman fan, I may be a little biased) I have to say that the Zephyr short story was my least favorite. It was extremely tragic and felt a bit pointless to me. I would go as far as to say it was simply for shock value.

Again over all a good read. There's good artwork and good writers. A good read for someone new to the Nobles but as I said previously there might not be enough substance for long time readers to really enjoy.

Linda O. Johnston finally gets it right in her third Intrigue, "Operation: Reunited," easily the best book she's written for the line. Two years ago, the love of Alexa Kenner's life, government agent Cole Rapaport, was killed in an explosion. Since then she has been trapped in a sinister plot by a dangerous man, forced to cooperate to save her parents' lives. There is no one she can turn to. Then a familiar stranger arrives at Alexa's mountain inn. He reminds her of Cole and makes her feel the way only he could. Does she dare hope this stranger is the one man she knows she can trust?

That's not really much of a question. Johnston tells us from the very beginning who the stranger is and the title is a dead giveaway. What matters is that Johnston takes this well-used plot hook and delivers a wonderful tale of romantic suspense.

"Operation Reunited" is a clear improvement over the author's previous Intrigues, the plodding and predictable "Alias Mommy" and the mediocre "Marriage: Classified." First and foremost, this is Johnston's first Intrigue to have an actual romance, one with all the passion and emotion the genre demands. While the characters in "Alias Mommy" had no chemistry and behaved like brother and sister and the leads in "Marriage Classified" were so underdeveloped that it was hard to care about their romance, the characters in "Operation Reunited" are placed in the kind of highly dramatic situation that is made for an emotional romance. That is exactly why this plot device has been done so often. Few that I have read have managed to do it this well.

The hero and heroine's relationship is passionate and has the feel of a couple who are meant to be together. This adds to the suspense. They can't show their feelings for each other because it would put their lives in danger. They also can't deny the attraction between them. Johnston uses this to add a high level of tension to her tale. Alexa is faced with a terrifying dilemma, the stakes are high and the villains are truly evil. I love this kind of story, where the characters are faced with insurmountable odds so the reader is really wondering how they will get out of it. That is suspense.

The story takes a number of unexpected twists toward the end that caught this reader off guard since, after reading enough Intrigues, you tend to believe things are going to happen a certain way. Instead Johnston keeps her story gripping to the finish. Alexa is a strong heroine. Although the hero's distrust toward the heroine grows tedious, it does have a worthy payoff. Frustrated readers should keep going. The destination is worth it.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book five stars is a small one. I simply found the basis for the intrigue to be too far-fetched. Even after we've experienced terrorist attacks on American soil, the plot in "Operation: Reunited" is so big and elaborate and over the top in its intentions and execution that I couldn't make myself buy into it. The story is effective when it sticks to Alexa, "John" and their personal dilemma, but less when it gets into the conspiracy at the heart of the suspense plot. Other readers may not have this problem.

"Operation: Reunited" is an excellent Intrigue, with pulse-pounding romance and suspense in equal doses. This gripping read will pull you in and not let go until the last page is turned.

I loved the book but then again I love to read anything by ms johnston

The mood and method of this thriller seem ripped from, or ripe for, TV's "Law and Order." Johnston tells nearly all early, and then keeps you completely engrossed in watching the hunt for a murderer and a missing child in Manhattan as the past and the present come together. The writing is spare but the characters matter as the plot races on.

I bought this book for my four year old daughter, and neither of us were disappointed. In addition to some really top notch illustrations, the book presents information about sharks and their prehistoric ancestors in an easy to follow, logical progression. Difficult words and names are highlighted, and provide a chance for parents to help their children with their reading and phonics skills. All of the information provided in the book is superb; it is up to date,and coincides with the latest scientific data available about these amazingly diverse creatures, covering from the first primative sharks to the more bizarre species such as Hybodus and of course, the mighty Megalodon.I highly recommend this book for the budding young scientist, and for parents that want to expose their children to more than Pokemon, Barney, or other typical children's fare.