Jones Books

This is a terrible book. The writing is truly awful and the story is lame. The other reviews persuaded me to finish the book -- unfortunately the experience was no better at page 499 than at page 9. Don't waste your time.

Comfortably Numb is a fictional account of three exceptional characters thrust into extraordinary circumstances. The trio of protagonists are Weeds, a near super-human Zen-master; Drew, a computer hacker; and Jamie, with natural battle-visualization abilities. The author patiently develops the nuances of these characters before thrusting us (readers) into the action.

Our three heroes are part of the Air Force crew on the Joint STARS, a surveillance and command aircraft monitoring the tense situation along the border between North and South Korea. The situation deteriorates, initially due to the inept and manipulative Commander, but more powerful, complex, and sinister forces also come into play. Weeds, Drew and Jamie suffer through dark and disturbing travails (war is hell) and overcome nearly impossible odds using their wit and intuition.

This is a bold novel taking a far-reaching and unflinching look at the politics of war and the potential for abuse. It is a topical theme neatly written into a captivating story.

If you are interested in a book that will captivate every gamut of emotion, look no further. Guy Jones provides a well-written book that offers the reader a passage through true friendship, love, anger, rage, injustice, triumph, and much more. In his book "Comfortably Numb", he offers a unique opportunity to experience life in the Air Force through the eyes of its main characters - Drew, Jamie and Weeds. These characters share a divergent personal perspective of the military, but prove to share an unmistakable call to duty and honor in the midst of ill plots and betrayal at the hands of their own leaders. The supporting characters provide a consortium of well established, multifaceted personalities that help authenticate each of the story lines and simply bring the book to life. There is an abundance of mystery, intrigue, and diversions, whose sole purpose is to unequivocally, spool and hook the reader's attention - successfully I might add.

Kudos, Mr. Jones, "Comfortably Numb" is most definitely a remarkable piece of literature!

Having served with Indy (Guy) in the Middle East during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, I was able to get a unique perspective of both the man and the author. Both surprised me. It was hard for me to believe that a man so involved and proficient in the technical details of his Joint STARS mission could relay that same technical information in a layman's point of view in his book, and do it in such a way as to keep a reader interested. There just aren't many people out there who have the technical brains and the creativity to convey that so eloquently in prose...Indy is one of those few.

As for the book itself, as with some of the other reviewers, it took me a while to really get into the story. I began to wonder where all the character development was going to take me and when all the technical information would factor into the main plot. However, about a third of the way through it all became clear and I could not stop reading. Guy's understanding of the military-political relationship is incerdible. He lays out exactly how the Korean peninsula fits into the whole political/economic/militray structure of Asia, and subsequently the world, and how one little mistake can have vast-reaching global effects. Jones also brings to bear the dilemma that haunts most military officers...the choice between morality, duty, and obedience. In most cases, those three qualities overlap nicely. In Comfortably Numb, Jones goes into what can happen when the leadership places their warfighters into a situation where those qualities do not synch up. Jones emphasizes the necessity of having skilled officers who know how to properly chose the correct path, and not flow through their careers with blind obedience. Some of the events discussed may seem a little far-fetched, but I think recent events have proven that this book may not be as way off as we would like to think. For military and civilian leaders alike, there are some greast points that Jones has offered. I would hope that those who read this book would understand the importance of not putting your people into a situation such as this.

Indy, you've helped me find my chi.

While the state of comfortable numbness may be an appropriate description of USAF personnel doing long shifts on JSTARS or AWACS, that description does not apply to readers of Guy Jones' book with that title. Numb, maybe, over the first pages as Jones sets the stage a little slowly; but never comfortable and definitely not numb over the entire book.

The promotional blurbs on the cover liken this book to the "techno-thrillers" of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown. I disagree. There is technology: JSTARS and AWACS do their job using very sophisticated technology, but the technology is pertinent to the story only as necessary for a thriller set in that environment. I liken this story more to the "anxiety dreams" of Robert Ludlum, but where Ludlum was the suave sophistication of Cary Grant, Jones creates a situation with more of the down-to-earth coping of Andy Griffith.

Two college friends, different genders but with no sexual relationship (her doing, not his), go into ROTC and JSTARS/AWACS training together, and are assigned together for duty. Their on-the-job mentor and training officer is more than a little weird, and definitely on the outs with their commanding officer. They all end up on a mission where the fan starts being pelted. Their ensuing adventures, blundering through a Ludlumesque environment, end up exposing a major international plot. All's well that ends well, and the characters go off to live happily ever after-or do they?

This is a great read, and I look forward to more-either the continuation of this story as set up very well by Jones, or something new. Based on this book, either will be welcome.

Thanks to Tom Jones for providing an invaluable resource for today's Managers -- both in Government and Private organizations -- for advice on addressing today's workplace problems.

Those of us who are not CEO's or even at management level will find this book useful. It helped me recognize the signs of dysfunction in our organization, as well as identify methods to affect change or influence work behavior from a lower-level employee's perspective. I especially like the personality profiling information, which gives an explanation and a tolerance for the ways my fellow workers perform their work and react to pressure in the workplace. We don't all have to be the same to function as a cohesive and productive unit. Our strengths, weaknesses, and uniqueness can be useful when combined to make powerful teams and successful changes. I recommend this book as a helpful tool for any level of employee.

Excellent book for the OD professional and the manager alike. In his usual very effective style, Dr. Jones' "lessons" are very readable, practical, and understandable, with just the right mix of humor, metaphors and stories. His use of actual experiences serve to effectively demonstrate the "real-life" usefulness and value of the techniques he describes. Every organization experiences dysfunction, to one degree or another, and can, therefore, benefit from the guidance Dr. Jones provides in this book.

I believe that any reader will easily recognize the corporate situations that the author describes - it's the stuff we live with every day at work. The "aha!" comes along with the author's insightful discussions of HOW and WHY these situations come to exist, and why they are so very frustrating. But the best part is the practical "here's what you can do about it" discussions. This book shows you how you can have some impact, how these situations can be addressed constructively.

During my long working career I have partcipated in numerous courses, got advice from the best consultants and read lots of complicated theories. This is the first book that gives clear and practical advice to identify and solve the problems of an dysfunctional organization. I recommend Jones's book warmly to everyone who is interested in improving the quality of the activity of his organization.

Just like The Winter Child and The Faeries of Spring Cottage this is very lovely book. Both adults and children will enjoy the pictures and lovely story. This is a must have for all children and Froudians.

Wendy Froud is every bit the genius as her husband. This book is absolutly enchanting. Her dolls and her vision coupled with Terry Windling's adorable story create a world that young and old will want to escape to time and again. A must have for all fans of Frouds and faeries.

An excellent book for children. My daughter loved the heroic faery. The illustrations are first rate. After getting this book for my little girl, I tried out Terri Windling's "The Wood Wife" which is written for more adult readers. I am glad I stumbled onto Ms. Windling's work. Both books were excellent. She is a very good story teller.

Sneezle, you ask? What exactly is a Sneezle? Well, Sneezle is our little root faery hero, that's who! This is a wonderful book with a very good lesson that teaches us that everyone in life has been put here for a reason. Sometimes it may seem that certain people in life have better luck, are more beautiful, are thinner, have a better voice, etc but this book shows us that there is something special in everyone, even when we least expect it. Sneezle shows us that the pure of heart will always prevail over the forces of evil.

The artwork in this book is also PHENOMINAL (please forgive me if my spelling is incorrect.) Every time I look at the pictures, I find something new. The creatures, the landscapes, the settings are all GLORIOUS! Although this is a "children's" book, I highly recommend it for both the young and old at heart.

The book refers all to faeries, the story is good but what I was interested on was the art. Wendy Froud created the dolls for the story and since my interest is doll making, this was a great book full of details. She has another book named "The Winter Child" in which she uses the same dolls but there is different story line. If you are interested in books with great pictures, this is the one or if you enjoy reading good stories to children you will greatly enjoy it. Wendy Froud is the wife of Bryan Froud the great illustrator of "Good Faeries, Bad Faeries" and "The Faeries' Oracle".

The book is over sized with with a removable box dust cover. The binding is gorgeous and cryptic. Truly inspired by Gaimans work. The pages are thick and colorful... filled with beautiful art and Gaimans amazing stories of his Endless characters.

Well, I was expecting quite a bit after reading the first Absolute Sandman, and this one delivers on all accounts. The stories are amazing (somehow, A Game of You, the one I thought I'd hate, I loved the most) and this book overall was even better than the first.

The price here is magnificent, way cheaper than store price and the price is a very small price to pay for the content. Veteran readers will, I think, be pleased with the extra content.

They took some great stories and provided them a proper packaging. A great way to read and reread the series.

If you like sandman, just a little, so you MUST have this absolute, its needless to say that it is unworldly beautyful, the kind of item that any sandman fan have (they don't have the option: "not to have", if (s)he don't have, (s)he isn't a real fan). It's full with Extras more than 100 pages of mindblowing Sandman's extras.
Really a Top "Must Have" I already have garanteed tne other 2.

I always love Mr Gaiman;'s work. Sandman is probably his opus given the size and the eclectic nature of the themes. The Endless as interpreted by a Master like Gaiman represent an amazing world that weaves the deepest recesses of the collective consciousness, mythology, history and keep it living enough to be interesting. Aesthetically, the books are great and the artwork is just as eclectic as the are the themes. I wish I was exposed to this stuff as a kid...

My son loves this book so much that when it started falling apart, I bought another one! He asks for this book every night. Highly recommend!!

This book is beautifully illustrated. The vibrant colors invited my students to be actively engaged while we were reading it together. The rhyme scheme of the book made my students laugh and learn at the same time. Humor is always a good way to learn. I would reccomend this book to anyone.

This book has been a favorite in our home since we got it over 8 years ago. The pictures are beautiful and fun. The rhymes are great. It is one of the few books that I do not tire of reading over and over and over again to the kiddos.

Only draw-back is that it is permanately stuck in my head. Can't go to the zoo without finding myself saying the rhymes. Oh, who am I kidding, that's not a draw-back...it is kinda fun! hee hee

This book has been loved by all of my children, every one of my children old enough to talk have this book memorized.

This is such a cute book. Bright and colorful pictures to look at, with a story that isn't too repetitive. Readers will not mind reading time and again to children

What a terrific read! The story grabbed me from the first page and never let go. The characters are amazing, strong, genuine, funny, vulnerable people with big hearts. I loved the interaction between Jenny and the young girl. Made me break into a smile many times.

Other reviewers have reviewed the story in detail if you want to know more. I just never like to create "spoilers", In truth, I may read the back cover when buying, store under my bed for a while, and then when I remove to read I never even glance at the back as I like to be surprised.

Happy Reading!

LAUGH, CRY AND STAYING AWAKE ALL NIGHT READING WILL HAPPEN TO YOU WHEN YOU READ THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES.

I originally submitted this review in 1997 (before Amazon created the About You Page) and am resubmitting it under my public account as directed by Amazon's Customer Service. The original review will be deleted via Amazon.

Don't think you'd like a heroine who smokes cigars, cusses like there's no tomorrow, and can whip the hero's butt in a fight? Then you obviously haven't read THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES yet! Breaking all kinds of stereotypes Ms. Osborne creates an untraditional heroine you can't help but admire, laugh with and cry for.

Jenny Jones, accused of killing a man in self defense, is awaiting death by a firing squad when she is approached by a rich dying woman who offers to take her place. Naturally, there is a catch. Jenny must promise to deliver the woman's daughter safely into the arms of her Father in California. Jenny is a loner who thinks kids are barely half human but decides her life, as pitiful as it may be, is worth the aggravation.

Jenny not only finds herself saddled down with a snot nosed, prissy kid who prays for her death each night but hot on her trail are the kids' money grubbing cousin's who are bent on killing little Graciela so they can grab her inheritance. To make matters worse Jenny is also being followed by Ty Sanders, a real sexy dude, who appears to want Graciela for his own perverted reasons.

Ty, unbeknownst to Jenny, is also on the same mission. He is Graciela's uncle and has been sent by his brother to retrieve her. He'll do everything he can to save his niece from the hands of the obviously insane Miss Jenny Jones. Still, as nutty as he finds her he can't help being attracted to her. She fascinates him and this scares him more than Graciela's murderous cousins.

Eventually these two hard headed, tough as nail people realize they need to stop beating the crap out of each other and join forces if they intend to bring Graciela home safely.

The three spend time together and struggle to keep themselves alive but will they be strong enough to protect their hearts from breaking when they're forced to say goodbye at the end of the trip?

THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES is often times hilarious and extremely touching. Ms. Osborne handled Jenny's gradual transformation from loner to big hearted woman so beautifully I had tears in my eyes throughout a major part of the book. I also liked the little girl Graciela's transformation from a stuck-up little brat to a sensitive and loving little girl. And, of course, Ty was also a terrific hero whose first mistake is assuming he is going to tame Jenny! The character growth in this story is just amazing. Because the character's are so well drawn and actually get to know each other before they jump into bed the love story between this unlikely couple is completely believable and the sexual tension intense.

The grittiness, humor, realism and emotion of this story are just a few of the things that make it so special. Maggie Osborne knows which buttons to push to melt this reader's heart. Very highly recommended

This author is magnificent.
Jenny Jones is magnificent. The character establishment is perfection. This author can have you hate or love someone in one sentence of description; she's a marvel. I will try to read everything she writes.
I read this book in 1 1/2 days. It was just terrific, heartwarming, different, moving, compelling, action-packed. I thought I'd kill Graciela at one point, but hey, so did Jenny. I loved this book.
This author is ONE TO WATCH!!!

As other reviewers have pretty well described the book, I'll just go on to say that I really liked the heroine, Jenny Jones. Fresh and original, far from being a simpering miss, Jenny is probably one of the strongest and least predictable characters to star in a romance novel. This is one of the best, most heartbreaking AND heartwarming romances that I've read in ages.

Maggie Osbourne delivers one heck of an intriguing, engrossing story in THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES.

All Aunt Hagar's Children is a collection of short stories by Washington D.C. native Edward P. Jones, it is his third book and the first since winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Known World (2003). The stories are about black Americans in Washington D.C. during the 20th century. Each story revolves around family, society and self, detailing experiences emblematic of southern blacks who migrated to northern cities from rural roots: some found salvation and others a living hell. In all the stories there are transformative turning points in peoples lives. As Jones shows, they are often not conscious of what happened - life-altering events can happen in the course of the banal every-day, setting in motion life patterns that can be hard to break when it's forgotten or not noticed how it started. In some cases the patterns are passed down unconsciously generation to generation - like the devil, cycles of violence, poverty, addiction, sickness and ignorance stalk many of the characters for seemingly mysterious reasons, bordering on the mystic in some stories.

The stories are beautifully original, Jones employs authentic southern expressions creating a time capsule reverberating with fading folkways. Like the characters he writes about, Jones grew up poor in Washington. He had a strong mother - whom he dedicates the book too - and it contains many of her colloquial sayings. This is not a book to be read quickly, like the pace of southern culture, each sentence demands respect for plot structure, character development and the unique southern way of putting words together. I read this hoping to learn more about the black culture of Washington (and Baltimore up the road) and was not disappointed, but what an extra treat to have a world-class writer with a deep sense of humanity, empathy (and sometimes sly humor) show the way.

This author has done it again with brilliant illustrations of a city and families that touch the core of our compassion. No wonder he won the Pulitzer-he is amazing, and this is an amazing piece of work with suspenseful endings quite similar to Toni Morrison.

In his highly-acclaimed volume of 14 stories, "All Aunt Hagar's Children", Edward P. Jones draws portraits of African Americans who have migrated from the South to Washington D.C. The stories are set from around the beginning of the 20th Century to the present day. The stories describe many types of people from young children to old men and women and from the poor and illiterate to the highly educated. They speak of loneliness and change, of the frustration, sexual and otherwise, that results from moving to a new urban place, of criminality and drugs, and of education. The stories are short but deeply textured, as in tapestries(the title of the final story). Characters, histories and sub-themes are realized in brief spaces.

The writing style in these stories is a major factor in their success. All but two of the stories are told in the third person by an all-knowing narrator. (The exceptions are "Spanish in the Morning" told in the voice of a precocious young girl and the title story "All Aunt Hagar's Children told in the voice of a young Korean War veteran who hopes to move to Alaska in search of fortune and women.) The writing is full of Biblical allusions. Hagar, of course, was the concubine of the patriarch Abraham who was sent into the desert after she mocked the childlesness of Sarah who then became jealous of her. God spared Hagar and her childen. The figure of Hagar is used her for the outsider and the outcast -- symbolizing the lives of the African American characters of the stories. The language of the stories in its richness, difficulty, and frequent elliptical character, particularly in its repetition and in its use of names, also owes a great deal to the Old Testament. There is also much in the stories that reminds me of the African American preacher of Jame's Weldon Johnson's poem "God's Trombones". The rich, narrative voice of the stories is complemented by the contrasting voice of many of the characters with its slang, dialect, and frequent use of obscenity.

The stories develop character and place. Jones shows the reader a Washington D.C separate from the world of national politics familiar to most Americans. I have lived in Washington D.C. for many years. Jones's depictions of neighborhoods, streets, landmarks, stores, and people had a deep sense of familiarity. They also helped me see the familiar aspects of my city in a new way. The characters are true and believable in their many responses to living in Washington.

The stories I especially enjoyed included the first story "In the Blink of God's Eye" and the final story "Tapestries". Both these stories are set both in the rural South and in Washington, D.C., the former at the turn of the 20th Century and the latter in the 1930s. They both show the difficulties young married couples encounter with the change of place.

The story "Old Boys Old Girls" describes the life of a young man who spends years in Lorton prison and his attempt to make a life for himself when he is released. Jones contrasts the life of his down-and-out protagonist with the lives of his wealthy and successful family. "A Poor Guatamalean Dreams of a Downtown in Peru" tells of a young poor girl who achieves great academic success but whose life has otherwise been filled with catastrophe and loss. "All Aunt Hagar's Children" is a complex story filled with themes of womanizing, murder, family, and wanderlust. It is a compelling portrait of African American life in the Washington D.C. of the early 1950s and it touches briefly as well upon African American -- Jewish relations.

My two favorite stories were "Root Worker" and "Bad Neighbors" both of which explore themes of the search for love and finding it in unexpected places. The main character in "Root Worker" is a young successful woman doctor who gives up a planned vacation to travel South to consult a root doctor for what ails her mother. In the process, she learns a great deal about herself. "Bad Neighbors" tells the story of a large, poor family that rents a home in a middle-class black neighborhood where they are shunned and feared by their more successful neighbors. There are many turns as the story progresses, as the main character, a young woman who has become a nurse, gains a deeper understanding of people, status, and love.

Jones' stories depict African American life in a loving, involved manner but without polemicizing or blatant social criticism. They are rooted in African American life but, in their treatment of love, sexuality, change, and character speak universally as well. The stories are dense and thoughtful and will reward careful reading. I am pleased that many of my fellow Amazon reviewers have enjoyed this outstanding book and written insightfully about it.

Robin Friedman

In his second book of short stories, Edward P. Jones does a wonderful job of chronicling the African-American experience in All Aunt Hagar' Children. Just as Lost in the City did, Jones brings to life a city that is hardly ever written about, Washington, D.C., and uses fourteen tales to describe circumstances that include life inside of homes full of love, and those without and those that are wealthy and those that are struggling.

Jones' depictions are as real as it gets, thoroughly describing life for Blacks fleeing an angry South to a new beginning in their first experience of living an "urban" American life from the early 1900's all the way to the mid-twentieth century and the loneliness it may sometimes bring. For example, "In the Blink of God's Eye" is about a newlywed couple that moves from Virginia to Washington, D.C. From the way Jones writes, the reader would assume that the couple traveled all the way to Washington State, because that is just how much home was missed for the young bride and how far away it seemed to her. In the title story, "All Aunt Hagar's Children", a hopeless young man aspires to go to Alaska to hunt for gold but in the meantime, spends his days helping a neighbor solve the mystery of how her son was murdered while also dodging an ex-girlfriend that he perceives to be angry.

Overall, this reader really enjoyed Jones' ability to tell a story but at times, wanted it to be longer and did not feel that the short story version could give these stories justice. At other times, the story was just long enough to get to know the characters and get a meaning out of the story that could resonate. Avid readers of Edward P. Jones will definitely want to add this collection to their libraries and will pick their favorites within All Aunt Hagar's Children.

Reviewed by Lena Willis
APOOO BookClub

In All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward Jones once again showers us with prose that is both concise and metaphoric. He is truly one of the great writers of our new century. His stories capture the intricacies of living in our complex and strife-torn world with true humanity and humility. For me, his strongest metaphor comes from the last story - the metaphor of a tapestry. It takes many years to create and is full of innumerable details, yet it produces a work that last for many years and enlightens many other lives. What a wonderful image and a challenge for us to live into. In All Aunt Hagar's Children, Jones has surely presented us with a tapestry that will live for years and enlighten lives.

He is large, ugly and not leaving their kitchen. He is a Wizard's Enforcer. He is Archer's Goon. But what is he doing in the Sykes' kitchen, claiming to be sent by Archer and demanding the "two thousand" promised by Howard's dad, Quentin, who had better come up with the payment--and quickly?

At first Howard is relieved to find the two thousand is only words, and that his writer father has already sent them. But he sent them to Mountjoy, the man with whom he usually deals. What does a man Quentin has never heard of want with them?

Howard is determined to find out, and before he knows it he is drawn into a bizarre plot that threatens not only his own family but the whole world.

Wickedly witty and full of Diana Wynne Jones's usual non-stop action and amazing plot twists (though the plot is not as convoluted as in many of her later books) Archer's Goon is a great read for both young and not-so-young.

(BTW, I find it extremely irritating that the BBC turned Archer's Goon into a TV serial but Television New Zealand never bothered to buy it. While it's probably available on DVD, DVDs from the BBC are horrendously and inexcusably expensive.)

This is my favorite of all her books that I've read (that being most of them). It's absolutely excellent, and the best example of her juxtapositions of mundane and esoteric reality there is. This trick of hers is something other authors try in vain to do - a very difficult trick indeed!

"A Goon is a being who melts into the foreground and sticks there."
"All power corrupts, but we need electricity."
"It pays to increase your word power."
- from the author's note

Although Jones seems to be classified as a "children's" author, I've found her a very fine fantasy writer with a sly sense of humor ever since I took amazon.com's advice and first read HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. While ARCHER'S GOON (a stand-alone work rather than a volume in any of Jones' series) has a young protagonist, but like Jones' other work can be enjoyed by any fantasy reader, since she doesn't talk down to her audience.

On the morning the story opens, Howard Sykes faces a typical day of school, avoiding violin practice, and the usual clashes with his little sister (nicknamed 'Awful', with a voice like an ambulance siren). Just an ordinary day in an ordinary little town, right?

Then the title character, a huge thug promptly nicknamed 'the Goon', shows up.

"What's Dad done?"
"Told her. Sykes got behind with his payment. Archer wants his two thousand. Here to collect it."
"Who *is* Archer?"
"Archer farms this part of town. Your dad pays, Archer doesn't make trouble."

In exchange for being let off his taxes - and maybe other things - Howard's father has been sending 2000 words in an envelope to City Hall every month for years. Sykes tries to laugh this off, saying it's a private joke he used to break his writer's block years ago - but now one sibling after another of the seven siblings running the town wants to get hold of the last batch of words and figure out what Archer's been up to all this time. Despite being adults, the siblings don't get on any better than Howard and Awful do; they've just got a truce by which they've divvied up the city. (One sister runs law enforcement while her twin handles crime, for example; Archer runs city power, Hathaway transportation. The brother who got last choice got waste management.) We eventually meet each sibling in turn; in some cases, the main characters must work out where that particular sibling's HQ must be, given their discipline.

The siblings settled into town about a decade before the story opens, planning to use it as a base for taking over the world - but they can't even get along with each other except for staying out of each other's way, and some seem to have changed their minds about running the world. But at least one appears to be interfering with all the others - all of them seem magically constrained to stay within the city limits, although they all deny knowing who did it, how, or why. The siblings have different personalities, and one or two really *are* efficient enough at organization to run the world if they can get free of the town.

Sitting down and asking myself why I like this book so much, I think it's basically the same reason I like some of GK Chesterton's grand conspiracy stories: on the surface we have an ordinary, apparently completely mundane and boring setting - but underneath that surface, even the most mundane activity may cover the activities of some agent of a colorful conspiracy. For instance, Hathaway doesn't get out much, which explains the town's disorganized road construction programs and why potholes don't get fixed properly. Archer has his secret lair in a bank vault and likes gadgets. The brother who runs entertainment travels with an entourage of disco dancers and the local cathedral choir when he wants to foil eavesdroppers.

The Goon himself *looks* very threatening, and refuses to leave without Archer's overdue batch of words, but he's easily bullied about little things like where he puts his feet, and can almost be overlooked like a large pet or easygoing protector - a dangerous assumption to make, perhaps.

This book was way fun to read, full of humor, magic and character. Amazing to think that when Diana Wynne Jones wrote this even SHE didn't know what was going to happen.

Howard Sykes comes home one day to find a goon- a huge dirty guy, anyway- sitting in his kitchen, saying that he comes from Archer, and refusing to move until he gets the 2000 words Howard's father owes him.

But the words got misplaced by Fifi, a college student who stays at the Sykes's house. So Fifi, Howard and Howard's little sister, Awful (who can live up to her name at times) go to find it.

Well, one thing leads to another and they soon find out that the whole town is run by 7 wizards (who are all related).

For me to give you a play by play here would take too long, but if you're thinking of reading this or just looking for a great book to read, I HIGHLY recommend this.

I'm not gonna lie to you. This book is about a Goon belonging to Archer. To be exact, it is about the repercussions of living with a Goon for an extended amount of time. I've slowly been devouring the collected works of Diana Wynne Jones and so far I haven't been disappointed by a single one of her titles. Each book is even odder and more bizarre than the last, often causing the reader to clasp his or her head from time to time and shout, "How does she think this stuff up?". "Arthur's Goon" is no exception to this rule. A brilliantly warped view of absolute power corrupting absolutely and the power plays that go on between siblings (no matter what their age), this book deserves to be remembered as one of the best children's novels out there today.

Walter comes home one day to discover a Goon sitting in his family's kitchen. Your typical hired heavy, the Goon has been sent by the mysterious Archer to collect from Walter's dad about 2000 words. It seems that for the last 13 years Walter's father (Howard) has been writing 2000 words a month and sending them off to a mysterious somebody. Now the words have become misplaced and the Goon has been sent to collect. As Howard steadfastly refuses to type any more, things start to go a little crazy. It isn't long before Walter and his family come to realize that their town is run by seven power mad sibling wizards. These wizards have been trapped in the town and each one runs a different part of it. For example, Dillian farms (that means runs) the police force while Shine farms crime. Now it's up to Walter to solve the mystery of the seven mysterious beings and to figure out who exactly is behind their entrapment within the town.

Author Jones is equally a master at engaging peculiar characters as she is creating complex multi-layered plots. You grow to love the Goon as he grows horribly lovesick for a young college student staying with Walter and his family. And who wouldn't identify with Walter when he has to deal with his appropriately nicknamed little sister Awful. I would venture to guess that she's the worst little sister character I have ever encountered in a kid's book, and that's saying a lot. Then there's the mystery to contend with. As Walter meets more and more of the seven the reader slowly is given clues to understand who's behind it all. Not since Raskin's, "The Westing Game" did I have this much fun with a mysterious kid's book. And to be honest, I never guessed the ending until I was told. The surprise twist this book carries is a doozy. If you figure out who's behind it all before they tell you then you're probably the kind of person who downs Agatha Christie novels like pop tarts.

Unfortunately, I have a bone to pick with this book. Sad to say, either I wasn't bright enough for some of the loose ends here or they were just too darn loose. The ending of this story is never fully explained and (to be frank) I don't believe we ever do find out EXACTLY how the seven brothers and sisters were trapped in the town at all. Some of these points are glossed over so beautifully that it takes a full three hours after putting the book down to realize what it is that you have missed. Now I'm 26 years of age and if I can't understand parts of this tale it's probably a fair guess that your average 10 year-old reader with have similar problems.

Still, that's my only quarrel. There's so much to love here that I feel a little dour making these kinds of comments. I mean, how can you dislike a book where a character like Awful is constantly asking the seven wizards where they come in order of birth so that she can better understand the pecking order in the family? It's a delightful tale about family fights and what it is that exactly makes up a family at all. And then of course there's the goon. Last of all I display for you the fabulous goon that starts this book rolling and, quite possibly, ends it. Here's to goons, ladies and gentlemen! May they grace the pages of more and more children's books in the future.

There are some great food ideas, some are pretty basic, but for me i need basic because im not very creative with food. I have tried a lot of recipes and I have loved them all, even my family has enjoyed them.

I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant and have been using this cookbook since before conception. It has been my bible through 4 months of morning sickness and into my second trimester, and will certainly stay on the shelf after I give birth. Every single recipe in the book fits my 3 main requirements: 1) easy (nothing takes longer than an hour or contains any complicated ingredients), 2) healthy, and 3) delicious. My husband loves this book too. I especially recommend the banana-walnut muffins . . . I make a dozen every Sunday, freeze them, and grab one to take with me to work every morning. Yum!

I love this cookbook. I am not pregnant yet, but decided to start eating more "pregnancy-friendly" & nutritious foods to prepare myself for my future pregnancy (hopefully soon!) I have prepared several meals for my husband and myself and we both enjoy them very much. Definitely worth it!

I really love this book. Each of the recipes include important nutrition information that women will find helpful before, during, and after pregnancy. I believe that men will appreciate this book as well. There is a lot of information and helpful eating tips throughout the book. I would highly recommend it.

I'm not pregnant, and neither is anyone in my family, but this is simply the BEST cookbook I've ever purchased.

My husband and I are living with my fifty year old parents and my teenage sisters, and I am the only one in the family who likes to eat healthy. I've been cooking healthy recipes from other cookbooks, only to get grumpy looks and half-eaten portions from my family members. Along comes "Eating for Pregnancy." We have tried six of the main-course meals, and my family has liked EVERY ONE of them. That NEVER happens in our house! (People all liking the same meal, let alone a Healthy one!)

The best part is that each recipe contains a fresh-from-scratch version (each takes about 1 hour to prepare), tips for using prepared foods to make a "quicker" version, and complete meal ideas for sides etc.

I'll can't wait to finish trying the rest of the recipes!

This book is goes in alphabetical order and gives a description of each vegetable and the benefits form it. It tells you how to store it how to prepare and gives you simple recipe. It a great book

I love this cook book! I'm always in the lookout for cook books. This is a real good one if you're trying to incorporate more fresh produce in your diet. It literally has all the veggies from A to Z and tons on awesome recipes for each one. It has information on each vegetable and tips on preparing and storing it. This is a great book for using more varieties of vegetables and it gets creative with them too! Great format too.

This is an excellent book. It makes me excited to go to the produce section and farmer's market.

Generally a handy cookbook to have available, especially for new CSA members or people looking to branch out to some locally grown produce. It's best used in the "I have this vegetable and have to make something out of it" way. Some recipes are unusual (this can be both good and bad)and I would estimate about 85% of the recipes are vegetarian. I'm glad I bought it, and it usually gets my first look, but I do go sometimes go elsewhere for recipes.

First, anyone expecting a glossy, foodie tome will be VERY disappointed. This reminds me a little of some of the "hippie" cookbooks that were hand drawn in the late seventies and early eighties and self published. Or the early Moosewood offerings. However, this is the only cookbook I know of written by CSAs for use by their subscribers. Great recipes (but NO pictures of the food). Great references. And the ingredient based approach you need to have when contemplating the CSA box containing four vegetables you have never eaten before, let alone cooked with. Great for farmer's markets, but really explicitly designed for CSAs.
If you want glossy, get "Local Flavors" by Deborah Madison. But realize, this has more recipes and more utility, especially in the Midwest. (And I love Deborah's book). Worth every penny, even without pictures.