Long Books

Simon Rothmore, Earl of Merrick works for His Majesty's Secret Service. Simon and his partner Adam Kirkland have been searching for Prince David Chastaine and his sister Princess Isabella Chastaine of Leaudor. The prince is found dead and now the search continues for the elusive princess. Simon is concerned that Leaudor will blame England and side with France against them because the prince was killed on English soil.

After a few more failed attempts Simon finally finds Isabella. Isabella soon realizes that her only chance of making it back to Leaudor alive is with Simon's help, so she reluctantly confides in him. She must return home before the throne is overtaken by another.

Simon and Isabella have a long and very dangerous journey ahead of them. Once they reach Leaudor, the danger continues when both are betrayed by those they trusted. Falling in love further complicates things.

The journey that Simon and Isabella take in Her Majesty, My Love is as much emotional as it is physical. It's an arduous adventure where their relationship grows closer day by day. Although it's very cool to see how well Isabella takes care of herself, I felt the fact that she could best any man in a physical fight was unrealistic. I enjoyed Her Majesty, My Love. The characters are appealing and the story is romantic and exciting.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Princess Isabella Chastain has lost everything, and with it, her ability to trust has been shattered. To avenge her family's murders and save her country, however, she must learn to trust a man faithful to the very country she fears responsible for their deaths - England. She cannot deny her attraction to him, but she is very aware that the maddening man who has captured her (for her own protection, he claims), is more than he seems. Unsure of whether she can trust him, she resigns herself to the hope that at least his agenda might align with her own, and will serve her in her quest to regain her family's throne and prevent war with England.

Even inheriting the family title, becoming the Earl of Merrick, has not swayed Simon Rothmore's dedication to serving England. When he is tasked with finding and protecting the missing Leaudorian Princess, he discovers the mission is much more than he ever bargained for - as is Princess Isabella herself. Returning the beautiful royal to her country uncovers betrayals that run deeper than he ever suspected, and threaten everything he believes in. As he slowly gains Isabella's trust, he realizes he is simultaneously losing his heart. But there can be no future for an English Earl and a Leaudorian Queen - or can there?

Writing under the name Sharon Long, popular author Maya Banks proves her talent with the release of Her Majesty, My Love. This beautiful historical romance is entirely reliant on the plot to succeed, with nothing more than a handful of romantic scenes, as opposed to the plentiful erotic scenes prevalent in her Maya Banks titles. Don't get me wrong, I love her erotic stories just as much as I love Her Majesty, My Love, but it is wonderful to watch this skilled writer confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt her proficiency as a story teller by publishing a tale without the steamy scenes we are so accustomed to with her pen name.

In my opinion, a good romance, erotic or not, must be enjoyable even without the romantic scenes. If the story cannot stand up without the love scenes, then it isn't a good story. I've seen this author's talent with a good plot in her other books, but this book, perhaps above all her currently published works, is a testament to that skill.

Sharon Long creates one heckuva kick-*ss heroine (literally!) with Princess Isabella Chastain. Although raised as a princess, she proves she can more than hold her own when it comes to her own protection, time and time again. As the last living member of the Chastain family, she is driven not only to save her own life, but to avenge her family and prevent war for her country. She is no shrinking violet, but being on her own for so long with no one she can trust has taken its toll, and she is more than ready to meet the dangerously competent Simon Merrick - even if she doesn't know it yet.

Isabella may be a Princess living in a historical time, but any modern woman can easily identify with her. One passage in particular resonated so strongly with me, that it stopped me in my tracks: "But deep within was a woman who was tired of being alone against the world. A woman who wanted very badly to be held and told everything would be all right." How many of us, whether single, divorced, or even married feel the same way? It doesn't matter if you are trying to save your dethroned kingdom, get the kids to soccer practice, or simply handle the day to day chores and decisions of life - this is a sentiment most of us will echo. And like the modern woman, Isabella continuously brushes aside her own needs and fears, digging deep to find the strength and resilience to do what must be done.

In Simon, Isabella finds a man as devoid of family as she now finds herself, and as devoted to his country as she is to hers. Both wholly commit themselves to fulfilling their duties, at the expense of their own desires and lives. But in Simon, Isabella unexpectedly finds a rock. Near the point of collapse, she is running on empty when he finds her, and although she does not give him her trust easily, he proves worthy of it time and time again. In addition to winning her trust, he allows her to be the strong, capable woman she is, rather than trying to undermine her authority and independence. In short, Simon Merrick is the stuff dream men are made of, and it is easy to see why Isabella falls hopelessly in love with him.

Fans of Maya Banks work who aren't certain if they want to read a Sharon Long title because it lacks the spicy scenes her work as Banks includes should know that once you start reading Her Majesty, My Love you will be so captivated by the story, you won't miss having spicy scenes in it at all.

It's a great guide to the CT and I often use the advice for any trip I'm planning. It goes into great detail for the thru hiker or the day hiker, about the CT, or regardless of where you hike.

This book is in excellent source of information on the Colorado Trail. The sections are perfect for day/weekend hikers as well as thru-hikers. The advice on trail hiking is also very accurate and useful.

The books are wonderful, but if you think that the books are gonig to be like any other version of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, you are dead wrong. If you read the introduction to the books you know that each version is meant to be different than the others. That is the beauty of Douglas Adams work. They are all unique but all worth you time.

Okay, for those of you who haven't read the book yet but did watch the movie you guys missed out on a lot the movie didn't include all the scenes that I personally though was very well.
Now that that's out of the way. Douglas Adams in his one of his possibly best know books really out did himself. In this adventure a boring simpleton named Arthur Dent living on the planet we call earth has befriended a guy named Ford Perfect, who is not as he claimed from earth but from a planet called Betelgeuse. Where he was sent from to do research for "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe" (it's a book where it has everything and anything that you could possibly need to know about the universe). Ford tells Arthur that he isn't from around here. He isn't from Earth. In telling Arthur this he also tells him that the earth is about to end.
And since they have gotten to be really close friends he takes Arthur with him when he hitches a ride with the Vogan ships (these are what the aliens are called that destroyed our planet earth). Vogan's in particular don't like hitchhikers very much. So they kick them off the ship, shortly after they get on. And by pure chance they get picked up. And the story goes from there.
Now that I've told you how the book starts I'll leave it up to you to read the rest of the book. And if you read this book, then watch the movie. You'll see that the movie is hardly based on this incredible book .

This is a follow-up to the earlier, excellent, "Why Do Buses Come In Threes?". While the earlier book focused on those annoying little mysteries of life, this asks a set of different questions, many related to tough decisions such as how conmen get rich, or "should I phone a friend?"

The answers, like before, lead us through a gentle, humorous exploration of mathematics and its relevance to everyday life. Along the way we explore (among others) geometric progression (why all pyramid schemes eventually fail), the geometry of stacking, fractals, chaos theory, the mathematics behind taxi meters, and various uses and abuses of statistics, both to detect and commit fraud.

The two messages of this book are that mathematics is important, and that it's fun. It's in the same vein as the work of Martin Gardener, but with a British slant.

To aid casual readers or those who've previously found the subject forbidding the maths is kept at a fairly simple level. Most of the time the concepts are communicated in words and simple graphs, but key equations are included and explained for completeness. The text is easy to read and the illustrations clear and amusing. Although aimed at those new to the enjoyment of maths, it's also a good memory jogger for those with a bit more background.

I thoroughly recommend this book, and also the authors' earlier volume.

I received this book for Christmas 2003, by the 26th I only had 40 pages left. If you are looking for a book to improve your mathematical ability, this is not for you. If you like to think and wonder why things are the way they are, then this is the book for you. I found myself reading one section after another, chapter after chapter. From the reasons why pyramid schemes are destined to fail, what is the best way to pack boxes of belongings when moving house, when do you take the money and leave 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' and many more fascinating and thought provoking ideas and concepts. I liked the book so much, I bought the previous book 'Why do buses come in threes?' the same day I finished this one - and I have already read one third of that one and it is not even New Year yet. This book would make the perfect gift for anyone who likes to think! So if you think they think, I think you should get it!

How Long She'll Last In This World is an articulate and engaging collection of remarkable poetry by Maria Melendez. Drawing from her expansive knowledge of the environment and biology, Melendez creates poetry which induces muse and highlights the spirit as it carries its readers through a creative and evocative philosophy. American Adhaan (October 2001): Watch night spilling on the western edge/of invisible, its cool surrender/to the peach-colored clouds (just water/that has lately collapsed/into form).//How violently natural/my petroliferous valley looks/in this faint, blue wash;/the slow, arc'd strokes/of a great egret's wings/deny the crude thickness/of this air.//The shattered world's particulates/fall everywhere around us;/the call to prayer means bowing/and facing them all.

How Long She'll Last In This World is an articulate and engaging collection of remarkable poetry by Maria Melendez. Drawing from her expansive knowledge of the environment and biology, Melendez creates poetry which induces muse and highlights the spirit as it carries its readers through a creative and evocative philosophy. American Adhaan (October 2001): Watch night spilling on the western edge/of invisible, its cool surrender/to the peach-colored clouds (just water/that has lately collapsed/into form).//How violently natural/my petroliferous valley looks/in this faint, blue wash;/the slow, arc'd strokes/of a great egret's wings/deny the crude thickness/of this air.//The shattered world's particulates/fall everywhere around us;/the call to prayer means bowing/and facing them all.

This book contains a unique perspective on a variety of sports and their heroes, and some who might not quite be considered heroes after the facts as told by this writer ... It really gets into the personalities and temperaments of some of the greats, and those involved who contributed to their greatness. The author, Joe Palmer, was obviously there and experienced it first hand. It has a multitude of sports stories well told. If you are a sports fan then you'll no doubt enjoy this book and probably want to share it with friends.

I received the book in a timely fashion and in mint condition.

Interesting tidbits about multiple sports personalities! Couldn't put it down. Shipped immediately. Very happy.

gs in napa

I read this book...did a lot of practicing, (got spanked a few times) and then climbed the Washinton Column's Southern Route & Prow along with the regular route on Half Dome and Zodiac on El Cap!

No book will make you a good aid climber...but this book does as much as possible.

If you're in doubt - buy it, its definetely worth the cover price.

The best way to learn to aid and climb big walls with the exception of going out there and doing it. A good reference for beginners. The illustrations are a little corny. Looked like a throw back to the 1970's. Illustrations probably lifted from "Climbing Big Walls," edited by Mike Strassman.

Prospecting for Better Days? Feeling Blue on the Bus everyday? This little book about the colorful humming birds will brighten your day and put a twinkle in your eye! Highly recommended :-)

This is the best reference book on hummingbirds I own. Small enough to use as a field guide yet covers everything you need to know to study hummingbirds. Good drawings,vital statistics, and range maps of the United States Hummingbirds plus information about the hummingbird family [Trochilidae]

Another Great book to visit the Patterson's with. "For Better / For Worse" has to be one of the best comic strips of all time. It really makes you think, "They are just like my family", and if you do not have kids, read the books so you know what to prepare for.

All of the For Better or For Worse books can help you find humor in tough situations. I'm not saying that you should use them as child rearing guides, but hey, loosen up a little.

Longtime employees heading for retirement are cutting back hours, declining promotions and moving out of the demands of business, yet research indicates companies are healthiest when they have both young and older employees fully engaged. Igniting Gen B and Gen V: The New Rules of Engagement for Boomers, Veterans, and Other Long-Termers On the Job discusses barriers to full engagement and how long-term employees can achieve the most by blending their newfound goals and changed energy level with business requirements. Chapters are based on research and real-world scenarios alike making this in invaluable pick any serious business library must have.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book presents an approach to building a strong organization that draws upon the potential of the Grass Roots people. It involves the transformation of an organization from reactive to proactive using Grass Roots teams. This entails a revolution requiring new skills and perspective about the human organization. The content of the book consists of pragmatic guidance and ideas for tapping into the knowledge and strengthening the abilities of "Grass Roots workers." It employees brief case illustrations to make its major points and offers succinct tips. It makes extensive use of Mind Mapping, a tool for detailing new ideas and projects, presented with numerous illustrations. Overall, the authors have created a solid contribution to enlightened leadership and organizational transformation, drawing upon what we know about human behavior and motivation. Highly recommended.