Nova Books

Linda Barnes writes great Carlotta Carlisle mysteries but this was not a great favorite.

Not the greatest detective yarn, but with enough chops and spice to make it worth the ride in the end. Found the tape version and found the narrator compelling. Reminded me a bit of the old radio shows my grandmother loved, but with less melodrama. Have no idea what narrator looks like, but if there's a movie version, I'd go with her.

My Dad worked for Bechtel for most of his life as an engineer, and one of the projects he worked on was the Big Dig in Boston, as well as the Chunnel over in England. Living in New Hampshire was a new experience for my mother and him, as they were confirmed Californians, but what finally got to him was the incredible amount of dishonesty going on at this dig, not on Bechtel's part, but rather on local politicians as well as ones all the way up the line. I remember him coming home shaking his head in total disgust at the way things were being handled; how much it was costing to get anything done as people held out their hands for more money...contractors, politicians, law enforcement, etc. He finally asked to be removed from the project, spent the last couple of years before retirement working in California quietly.

It was because of this knowledge that I picked up this book on the Dig, to see that my father's word backed up, even in a book of fiction. This had to be one of the biggest pork projects/boondoggles ever passed on the American public, and we can only hope that in the process of all this dishonesty, contractors and builders involved did not shortchange on materials and labor. It needs to be remembered that the entire city of Boston lies above this underground highway, and the possibility for catastrophe on the scale of say New Orleans and its known inadequate levees might occur.

Carlotta gets involved in this project, when a friend who is in business for himself asks her to check out somethings. She ends up not only having to change her appearance and her usual methods of getting to the bottom of possible wrongdoing (dressing up and playing secretary is not the view we usually have of Carlotta). She ends up with two separate cases that end up being intertwined, saves the lives of a child and many other people who were going to be the target of home-grown terrorists (book was written prior to 9/11), and she finds a new 'friend-mate' in law enforement, whom I am sure we will see more of in the future.

I really enjoyed this mystery. Good plot, good and factual history leading up the this project, and good use of Carlotta's native city with its various problems (as well as its good parts). Hope to read more about this project and from Linda Barnes in the near future!

Karen Sadler

PI Carlotta Carlyle has been hired to work undercover searching for fraud on Boston's Big Dig. She is to be a mild-mannered secretary working in a construction trailer. This is not what Carlotta had in mind.

She also ends up, with the help of her little sister, being hired in a missing person's case. Veronica James left for a weekend and never came back. Now her landlady, and friend, wants Carlotta to find her. She hits one brick wall after another in her search for Veronica

Things aren't going much better in the fraud investigation. Then a construction worker dies and Carlotta isn't sure it was an accident.

There's a break-in at Veronica's. Carlotta isn't too sure things are what they seem here as well.

Carlotta ends up putting herself in some dangerous situations to try to bring both cases to a close.

I recommend this book. I really enjoy Carlotta. I must admit this wasn't one of my tops in this series, but it was an enjoyable read. I think people who have lived through the Big Dig in Boston relate better to this story.

Using Boston's "Big Dig" as her novel's primary setting, Linda Barnes creates a complex but intriguing mystery in which her heroine, Carlotta Carlyle, a six-foot, red-haired private eye, goes undercover as a secretary on the Big Dig construction site. She is helping the Inspector General's Office investigate possible corruption on the $14 billion project to build a two-mile underground tunnel for the Central Artery. In her off-hours, she has been persuaded by a Boston dowager, Dana Endicott, to work on an unrelated second job, locating Endicott's missing companion, who departed for the weekend and never returned, leaving her beloved dog behind.

The mystery becomes more complex with the suspicious death of a construction worker, the disappearance of the boss's teenage daughter, the FBI's preparations for the April 19th Patriots' Day celebration at Faneuil Hall with several ex-Presidents in attendance, and a possible connection to David Koresh and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas.

The ninth in the Carlotta Carlyle series of mysteries, The Big Dig picks up Carlotta's personal life where she left off in her previous novel, Flashpoint. She has recovered from her gunshot wounds and her ill-advised romance with the son of a Boston underworld character (featured in that novel) and is back at work, following a devastating fire at her house in Cambridge. The action here is nonstop, and Carlotta, as a free-wheeling detective who follows her intuition and her heart, defies the stereotype of hard-boiled tough, revealing herself instead as a woman who is particularly sensitive to the needs of children, especially the missing teenager, Krissi Horgan.

Though there are a great many characters to track and numerous subplots and red herrings to follow, Barnes is spot-on with her descriptions of the Dig, the ambience of Quincy Market and its tourist bars, the local traffic routes and landmarks, and the more distant small towns in northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire which figure in the action. Bostonians will particularly enjoy the local color, but the descriptions are specific enough that those unfamiliar with the area will have no trouble imagining the developing action. Fun to read, with a story that packs a lot of wild action, The Big Dig is a quick-paced mystery that also fills in more of Carlotta Carlyle's personal background and further develops her character. n Mary Whipple

This book is a mishmash, and is poorly named, particularly the subtitle (maybe the publisher chose it?). It's interesting and heartfelt, and obviously the author cares a great deal for the subject. But it wanders back and forth.

She makes some errors that would be astonishingly easy to have corrected.

As someone else pointed out, the Immaculate Conception is Mary being born without the taint of original sin, not Jesus's birth. That's the Virgin Birth.

The word "discalced" does not mean anything "literally" about poverty. It means "shoeless."

The correct name of the high school in Seattle is not "Blanchette" but "Blanchet."

She has no bibliography and cites no sources for her information.

Interesting and heart-felt, but not a work of scholarship, which is a pity.

I find it hard to believe that the author was ever "almost" a nun. This rambling memoir gives no insight into the vocation, and is blantantly wrong on a serious matter of theology, e.g. The Immaculate Conception. This church dogma refers to Mary being born with without original--immaculate at HER conception. It does NOT mean "she was not defiled in the process" of conceiving Jesus! This is a basic tenet of the Roman Catholic church, and one that jumps out at a reader with a background of religious education.

The book rambles a lot. The subject inside has nothing to do with the title. I was pulled in by false advertizing on that alone. I felt like I was invited to an old country estate and left outside to look in the windows. The interesting vignettes are far and few between, and the reader never really gets to know the characters well. I don't know the author, presumably who is the center point of the book. There are better books that discuss the decline in religious life, or chronicle individuals who have lived out their vocations.

Perhaps "The Calling" will be a better read for someone else.

The overall sense I received from this work is that Catherine Whitney is more interested in speaking of herself (without so much as answering the question of why she suddenly shifted from would-be religious Sister to unbelieving radical feminist). The anecdotal information about several Sisters in the earlier chapters seems a promise of real development later, but this promise remains unfulfilled.

Half stories, some of which seem flavoured by stereotypes and prejudiced assumptions, are profoundly unsatisfying, particularly since the natural presumption to which the early chapters would lead was that depth, development, and understanding of the various Sisters' situations would follow. It did not happen. There is a sampling of moments from various Sisters' lives (not, as the sub-title implies, a chronicle of a year in the life of an Order), but no insight into anything.

The subtitle "A Year in the Life of an Order of Nuns" leads one to expect a book similiar to The View from a Monastery or A Monastic Year - both of which are excellent books. The books is rather another of the "sisters meet Vatican II' style written from the point of few of a Catholic-educated, nonpracticing Catholic.

The focus of the book is on what it means to be called; initially the author works from the premise that "called" means primarily called to religious life. At the conclusion, her primary insight is that ones "call" may be to a particular aspect of secular life.

She traces her slowing change view of nuns and call primarily through sisters she knew as a child or young adult - most of whom left the order. By not including some of those who joined the order after the substantial changes (for example, one who serves as a hospital chaplain), she fails to explore what a "call to religious life" means today. This results in an understanding of call that is primarily individualistic in a church that is fundamentally communal. The author is also sloppy in her Catholic terminology, sloppy in a way that reveals that her research assumed as a base the Church from which she was estranged rather than the Church of today. An example: she refers to the nun serving the King County Jail as "saying Mass" a role reserved for ordained priests rather than the more accurate "presiding at a Eucharistic service".

What the book truly is a memoir-exploration of a non-practicing Catholic sifting through her childhood with adult eyes, using the nuns who taught her in school as a catalyst for this exploration. In this exploration, we learn the stories of several young nuns who entered and left the order. We learn the stories of some who stayed, who redefined what it meant to be a nun (Dominican sister to be more precise). Those who stayed are presented rightly as remarkable people facing the world squarely in the face - assisting in jail, in urban social services, in hospitals, in rural Hispanic populations ...

The writing is such that you get a sense of who each person is in a very short section which leaves you wanting more or leaves you chuckling about the description if you know the individual described in person or through books. For example, she briefly mentions Fr. Joseph as becoming charimatic - Fr. Joseph has written and self published a delightful biography.

I recommend the book as a delight insight into a particular side of Catholic childhood and female religious orders. I am concerned that some readers may mistake the book for a more universal statement.

Reviews for this book are all over the place, which is kind of like the plot of this book. The characters are all very quirky, but somehow likeable and compliment one another well as the story progresses. Not a great read, but a decent one. A little bit of a "FRIENDS"-esque feel. Certainly not predictible, but interesting and leaves the reader genuinely wondering how things will work out for each of the characters. A good beach read, and maybe one to leave at the beach for someone else to stumble upon.

Another winner from Jenny Colgan! This book was so fun to read. It was part screwball comedy, part love story. The heroine is not your typical couture loving girl about town. In fact she's practically hopeless in social situations.

I read, and loved, Amanada's Wedding. It was funny, fast-paced, and had characters you could identify with and a villian you loved to hate. So when I saw Talking to Addison, I was very excited to read it. I do have to admit that there were funny parts to this book, and I actually kind of liked the ending (despite the fact that a lot of the events leading to it were highly unrealistic). But, it was actually painful to get through the entire middle portion of the story! I was very disappointed in this book. Unless you are a HUGE Jenny Colgan fan, I wouldn't bother with this one.

"Talking to Addison" begins as a very quirky, funny, British read, with its protagonist, Holly Livingstone, spewing one liners about and insults to her insane flatmates, coworkers, and the world in general. The author does well in establishing the novel's place and in creating Holly's voice and, to a certain extent, her friends. However, the characters and the subject are all things we've seen and read before, in more successful ways. Holly and her cohorts remain two-dimensional, underemployed, disillusioned twentysomethings. As for the plot, it carries along nicely until the final third where it completely goes off into a far-fetched farce. While the last act holds a few smiles, all I could do was wonder where Addison's mother was in all of this mess, as she completely disappears at the most crucial time. The novel becomes unbelievable and loses any of its earlier charm.

After reading and enjoying Amanda's Wedding, I wasn't sure how Talking to Addison would measure up. I was hoping for a fun, light novel, which I did get, but then there was a bonus -- Talking to Addison was HYSTERICAL!

This book probably has the most real comedy in it that I've ever read. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. The timing was perfect! The characters were so fantastic and goofy. I loved every second of this book. I hope there is more to come from Jenny Colgan.

Talking to Addison begins with Holly Livingstone living in the land of nightmares. Her roommates are crazy clean freaks, and Holly just can't take it anymore! So she begs her best friend, Josh, to let her move in with him and his roommates. This is where the story really begins. Living in the flat are Kate, a neurotic career-woman, and the ever elusive Addison, who holes up in his cavern of a room instant messaging his agoraphobic girlfriend 3000 miles away. Holly is determined to make him hers, which leads to some very funny scenarios.

I recommend this one very highly. I rarely give chick-lit 5 stars because for the most part they are good, but not earth-shattering. Well, I couldn't help myself on this one! Talking to Addison is super-funny and I think well deserving of the highest praise.

Controlled by Masterson Corporation, Moonbase has been set up as an advance research facility crewed by researchers and scientists. However, Paul Stavenger has greater dreams for Moonbase; he sees it as becoming its own self-sufficient community in space, totally non-dependent on anything from Earth. But, beneath this lofty goal, trouble has been brewing. Paul has been having an affair with Joanna Masterson, who happens to be the wife of Greg Masterson II, the head of Masterson Corporation. To make matters worse, Greg II is found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide; or is it? Now, it appeared that Joanna's son, Greg III, would be in prime position to take over as head of the corporation. However, Joanna manages to shock everyone on the Board of Directors by nominating Paul, her new husband, to become the new CEO. Paul is elected, and Greg III is left shocked. But. Greg III intends to shut down Moonbase, no matter who or what gets in his way.

Soon, Joanna discovers that she is pregnant with Paul's son, but much worse things are about to happen. Nanotechnology is used on the moon for a variety of reasons. Paul has gone to the moon to study the uses of nanotechnology, but Greg has gotten wind of Paul's plans. He has inserted "gobblers"; visciuos nanobugs, into the batch of nanomachines Paul is working with. These Gobblers somehow managed to work themselves into Paul's suit and destroy it. Paul and two other workers are killed by the gobblers.

Fast-forward 18 years. Doug Stavenger, now a young man, has become interested in keeping his father's dream of transforming Moonbase into its own community. Meanwhile, Greg III has spent years in therapy trying to come to terms with what he did to Paul. Joanna, now CEO of Masterson, has decided that Greg will take over as Moonbase director. But, this decision proves to be fatal as events play out over the rest of the story. Will Doug and Greg be able to co-exist, or will their simmering lack of trust threaten to boil over?

I thought this was a very good book. I thought the character development was good, especially Paul and Greg III. However, I did feel that some of the characters were more shallow than some of the others. I did enjoy the action that took place at Moonbase more than that of what occurred on Earth. I made the mistake of reading "Moonwar", the sequel to "Moonrise", first so I kind of knew beforehand how this book would end. Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading this book.

I recommend "Moonrise" very highly. Although I feel that this is not Ben Bova's best work, it is till worth reading. Highly recommended for science fiction fans.

I shall write of both "Moonrise" and "Moonwar."

These are the stories of Moonbase, a permanent lunar settlement built by an American corporation in the mid-21st century. These tales chronicle the political and societal tension wrought by unpopular scientific endeavors, and the unforeseen consequences thereof. The books portray a future wherein a new fascism creeps across the entire globe, embraced by a superstitious public, and at dire odds with the free-thinking scientists living on the Moon--men and women who journeyed there to escape the shackles of Earthside ignorance and fear. You will find intrigue, betrayal, villainy, sexual bartering, rugged individualism, and even love within these books' pages.

But Ben Bova's vocabulary is disappointing. His dialog is often uninspired and even predictable. His narrative, his pacing, his exposition, his character development, and even his plot development are all very Saturday matinee. Even worse, his understanding of relationships is shallow.

But what gets these books off the ground and keeps the reader till their last pages is Ben Bova's love of space exploration. The man fervently believes that space exploration will benefit all of mankind, and not just the bureaucrats or big business. When Ben Bova describes an exclusively astronomical scene, his passion is undeniable. In the first book, there's a scene wherein an 18-year-old walks upon the lunar surface for the first time, and it borders on epiphanous. Ben Bova brings the Moon's unique beauty into sharp focus; sometimes, you can actually feel the regolith beneath your boots. It's this passion, I believe, that makes these books worth reading--in spite of their shortfalls.

I was in a mood for some "hard" science fiction when I was in the bookstore the other day. Remembering how much I liked Ben Bova's stuff in the past, I started looking through his newer stuff and settled on "Moonrise." Moon colonies and nanotechnology! What could be better?

Unfortunately, Bova manages to suffocate every ounce of suspense and mystery from these potentially thrilling topics with stilted dialog, boring board-room politics, contrived behaviors, and repetitive narrative.

- The first third of the book switches back and forth between the moon and earth without any obvious literary purpose, and I found this to be terribly annoying and even tedious.

- You know very soon that Greg is a murderer, so nothing he does is surprising. The only shocking aspect is how everyone lets him get away with it. For example,

- Joanna is supposed to be a savvy and disciplined corporate woman who is strong enough to edge her unbalanced son Greg out of the top position at the family aerospace corporation -- but not strong enough to do anything about the seven or eight people he's admitted killing by page 150. Then she practically lets Greg babysit her younger son Doug (the "good" one). You know, the one about whom Greg said, "Abort it!" and "Get rid of that monster you're carrying in your belly!" and so on. Joanna is not a "complex" characterization, just mind-numbingly random.

- Booze and sex are sprinkled throughout awkwardly as if some editor said, "make this PG-13." All female characters are described primarilly by how attractive they are to men. The liquor "still" on the moon is referred to in the same cut-and-paste way every time.

- What I *was* looking for -- the "geek porn" of in-depth discussion of nanotechnology and the science of making a moon base -- was there in only the most stingy quantities, like chocolate syrup on a Weight Watcher's cookie.

- The whole anti-nanomachine movement is presented like the characters in the book: mono-dimensionally, with precious little explanation or discussion of their rationale. They oppose the technology because, well, they're ignorant luddites, what do you expect they would do? This isn't really thought-provoking at all, just shallow politician-bashing and religion -baiting.

Some reviewers found this book hard to put down. I found it hard to continue to the end.

In Moonrise, Ben Bova writes a good story of what could be on the Moon in the future. While it is somewhat predictable, it's still a good story.

Masterson Corperation is working on exploring and mining the Lunar surface for solar power and other minerals, and it is the dream of Paul Stavenger, retired astronout and designer of one of the compainies most profitable products, the Clippership which makes travel around the world possible in less than an hour by ships which work above the atmosphere in low orbit.

The company is in turmoil as Gregory Masterson the second dies sudenly and under questionable circumstances, and Gregory Masterson the third expects to take his place as President of the company. However, the wife of the late president nominates Paul Stavenger, her lover and fiance to the position, setting forces in motion which could tear the company apart as Gregory the second rages and plots to regain his rightfull place.

The trials and triumpsh of Moonbase, and of Nanotechnology are closly linked. Nanotechnology is opposed by an extremist religious movement which organises protests and terrorism against any who use it, Moonbase becomes the last place where it is safe to use nanites. However, even this is in danger.

Joanna Masterson/Stavenger must walk a tightrope between her son, and doing what is best for him, and her new husband, and protecting him, and later her second son, Doug Stavenger, son of Paul, from the plots of her criminally insane elder son. However, we can see where a mother's love and protection can go too far in trying to protect one who should be locked up.

In the end, it's up to Doug to save his father's legacy and dream of a future on the Moon, even if it kills him.

This book was excellent, I couldn't put it down. I'm in the middle of reading the sequel, which I am thus far unable to put down as well. I was amazed at the end of this book and found myself disappointed that I'd finished it, because that meant I wasn't reading it anymore. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was I thought the characterization could be a little better. I tried really hard to like Paul Stavenger, I really did, but I just didn't find his character to be all that sympathetic. I liked him just fine until he cheated on his wife with Melissa and it all went downhill from there. Doug was more sympathetic than Paul, but he really had the opposite problem. Paul was at least real to me, even if I didnt like his personal life. Doug is a great guy and all, but jeez, give this guy some flaws already! No one is THAT perfect. But despite the character issues, it was still a wonderful book.

More of the same. After 2 other books where the writting is the same, it was torture to listen to the same simplistic discriptions over and over again. Cashel is really strong, but not stupid. Cashel goes at a steady pace. Ilna is bitter and angry, but really cares about people deep down. Blah, Blah, Blah. The first book was just ok. They do not get better.

Oh no, another one? I thought the first two books were great, and it should have ended there. Stealing from Virgil and Assyria, while sticking time-warped 20th century kids in late medieval Italy, was brilliant. I love a good semi-historical yarn. Oh, you say those kids didn't time-travel from the present to their ages of yore? Could have fooled me. Who hid the blue jeans?

The third book, for which I had to wait, had only one or two memorable scenes, and no tent pole ideas as tall as the first two books. Methought Drake had used up his source material, so I was glad when I could say I had finished reading the trilogy.

The series doesn't need to "explore relationships more deeply" -- it just needs some new ideas. Someone should give Drake a sabbatical.

I wrote this review after seeing the fourth book and thinking of it as an interminable homework assignment. Drake actually has quite a few good tricks in this third book, I just couldn't recall any of them until I read a one-paragraph refresher.

I was reading these series because I thought the only interesting character is Ilna the Weaver, and I was curious about what happened to her. I was very surprised when I read this book and found it to be by far the best one in the series. The plot was much better than the first two books. Prince Garric and Tenoctris are trying to close the bridge that opens Valles to the cosmos, letting in dangerous creatures. Same old same old there, nothing new and exciting. Sharina is taken through the bridge by a creature that serves the Dragon, turning Sharina herself into a servant of the dragon. However, the Dragon is not evil, he needs her help to recover his mummy that is being used to destroy the world. He sends Sharina through many worlds with her new friend, the birdman Dalar. Cashel goes in search of Sharina and ends up in the Underworld after killing the wizard he was supposed to ask for help. He is accompanied by the wizard's ring, which has a demon trapped in it. The demon Krias is a refreshing addition to the stories with his witty sense of humor. He reminds me strongly of the faerie Mellie that Cashel befriended in Lord of the Isles. Lastly, my favourite character Ilna has her best adventures yet, which make the book a good and interesting read. She is taking the child Merota, niece of Lord Tadia, with her on a ship to Erdin. On the way they are shipwrecked on Yole, risen from the sea again with an army of dead things. Ilna meets the best character Drake has yet introduced into the story yet, the sailor/pirate Chalcus. He actually loves Ilna, and he let's us see her softer side. His witty humour and dialogue add a lot to the story. I found myself breathlessly waiting to find out what would happen to him and Ilna next. It seems that Drake has finally figured out how to write romance. He did a very poor job with Mellie and Halphemos. I was sad about Halphemos' death, but Chalcus is much better than he ever was.

To start, I have to say that the Lord of the Isles series has kept me company on many otherwise boring and lonely nights. I enjoy the characters and their abilities, and I have to admit Tenoctris' constant modesty over her abilities and lack of power gets a chuckle out of me, particularly as she always seems to have just enough ability to do what is needed. None of the main characters ever fail in Drakes world. Well, it is fantasy. However, the series' attempt to be just that, a series, while also trying make each book a standalone, simply isn't working. Halfway through Servant of the Dragon, the constant backfill and reminders of a character's particulars became very annoying as I found myself saying out loud "Yes, I know, I know!" And the structure of the plot is also repetitive, as many have indicated. The reader can use more insight into the characters' darker side, as we have with Ilna, easily my favorite character. Everyone else is just a little too perfect. I would love to see Ilna lose out to the dark side of her persona, perhaps due to her jealousy of Liane, or have the others wonder that Garric is talking to himself maybe just a little too much. Garric needs to stop being so accommodating to his ancestral spirit Carus, and Tenoctris' spells need to fail significantly and at the wrong time. Maybe Cashel needs to realize what a powerful wizard he really is, perhaps too powerful. The possibilities for storylines and conflict are great given the character's current development. I hope in the future Drake may stray from his formula.

That said, I read fantasy to be entertained, and I like the characters the author has created. Overall it works for me, especially on those boring rainy snowy nights and long subway rides.

After the first two books, this reader expected the characters and the plot to develop. Unfortunately, Servant of the Dragon reads like a shopping trip to the fantasy stacks at the local bookstore! Drake established some really promising characters and world building in his first two books in the series, then in this installment, the reader is forced into all sorts of confusing battles where the main characters are seperated are tossed about from world to world facing unrelated situations. I really enjoyed his first two books but Servant is almost unreadable.

This book kept my interest all the way thru. It was one I did not want to put down until I was completely finished with it. Always enjoy this author books.

The end of the trilogy and by far not the best of the 3 books. Hannah and Rafe's story was the best and it goes downhill from there. The next two aren't bad just not as good and I really enjoyed the secondary characters but got tired of the references that because you are a Harte you act this way or a Madison acts this way.

In this book I couldn't warm up to Octavia for some reason. She seemed manipulating and just so sassy to Nick, not that he didn't have his hang-ups with relationships. It seemed they are at odds with each other and then suddenly they are in love. The saving character in this story is Carson and his character added some funny moments.

I found myself skimming a lot in this one. For some reason it just didn't hold my interest. As I said I wouldn't really say it was bad just not as well written as the first one and then Gabe a Lillian's story wasn't as good as the first book but better than the last one. I thought the "Curse" thing was over done. It's all their friends and family talked about. In real life it would have been somewhat embarrassing. Even people who didn't know Nick that well, would say things to him about it. Everyone kept blaming Nick but Octavia made it clear to everyone many times she was leaving the end of summer. IT was those things that just didn't come together for me. IT started getting on my nerves and when a book of fiction gets on my nerves, I usually give up on it but did finish it and knew pretty much how it would end. It was just the getting there that was the problem for me.

I'm still new to JAK books so not sure of her writing style. I started with Deep Waters and liked it so much but haven't read another I liked as well yet. I will continue to try a few more. I have read so much of Nora Roberts, Luanne Rice, Susan Wiggs, Catherine Anderson and wanted a different author for awhile so maybe just have to get used to the different style.

I was very interested in reading this book because the very fisrt book that got me into her was A SHARED DREAM. It had a good story line as well as summer in eclipse i still havent had the chance to read the first two but if theyre anything like this one im sure ill buy it and read it.
JAK makes it so easy to read her books and enjoy them that its hard to put them down.
KEEP ON ROCKIN'

I think I've burnt out on Jayne Ann Krentz. The chemistry between her main character never sizzles, it just slow simmers. And I'm so tired of her cliched characters: the cold, uptight, calculating, corporate male hero and the emotional/spiritual, free spirit heroine. Tired, tired, tired. On top of that, the plots are boring. I give up on this author.

I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook and if it weren't for the fact that I was trapped in a car with no other form of entertainment to be found I more than likely would've given up on this one mid-way through. The characters were too blah to hold my attention and their attraction to each other just didn't come alive for me.

It turns out this story is the third in a series but it easily stands alone since its plot isn't exactly complicated. Octavia Brightwell is relatively new to Eclipse Bay and runs a successful art gallery. She arrived in Eclipse Bay to soothe the rift between the Madison & Harte families that her dear departed aunt caused years earlier. Once Octavia realizes the feud has been mended without her help she decides it's time to leave Eclipse Bay. She's also desperate to get away from gorgeous, heartbreaker Nick Harte who continually pesters her for a date. When she finally makes up her mind to high-tail it out of town she agrees to the date with Nick (don't ask). They soon become romantically entangled and banter back and forth denying their true feelings. Before long the two find themselves partners in the search for a valuable missing painting and, well, I bet you can figure out the rest . . .

These two are very much stock characters. We have Nick who lost the love of his life years earlier and has never allowed himself to fall in love again (and has a reputation for loving `em and leaving `em before the night is over) and then we have the "free spirit" Octavia who sort of floats through life and avoids romantic entanglements. Stock characters are all fine and good when they're written with depth and emotion but these two were just flat out bland and their relationship lacked any sort of spark. Nick also has an annoying habit of referring to Octavia as a "fairy queen" that made me cringe every time he uttered the words.

There are also pop-up appearances by characters who I only guess starred in previous books. They add a little to the story but their visits did not convince me that I need to search for the previous books in this series. There are also far too many over the top weird/quirky/cult-y/odd speaking secondary characters populating this story to be believed.

The few bits of fun banter and Nick's enjoyable little boy Carson are about all that I'll be remembering about "Summer In Eclipse Bay" once I finish writing this review.

This was my first book by this author. I was quite excited because of all the good reviews for her writing. I could not connect with these characters. There was absolutely no chemistry between the two. I found it quite annoying that Gavin always said and did the perfect thing. He had no passion whatsoever. Very boring book.

I like books that start off with a bit of a bang. This one certainly does.

In the Tower of London, an adventurer is awaiting trial for the murder of his wife, whom he loves quite dearly. For Gavin Elliot life on the seas and dry land has been a long series of hairbreadth escapes, and winning the love of not one, but two women. Now he's lost everything.

We get the heroine, the blond and beautiful Alexandra Warren in the middle of a pirate attack in the East Indies. Recently widowed, and with her young daughter, Katie, in tow, she's seeking to return to England and her family. But captured by pirates from a close by island, not only is she separated from her beloved daughter, she is subjected to a life of horrors.

Noted romance author Mary Jo Putney gives us another entry in her "Bride" series, with the title in this one coming from the events surrounding Alex's captivity by the decadent Sultan Kasan. The Sultan offers Elliot a choice -- to rescue Alex he must win at the challenges of the Lion's Game, or help the sultan build a merchanting empire. The fact that the sultan uses piracy to terrorize local shipping is a little matter here as well -- and Elliot has pressing business in England over a touch of revenge. How he manages to outwit the Sultan and rescue Alex and her daughter makes for one of the more entertaining sections of the novel.

Returning to England, our two main characters have managed to make a marriage of convenience, but further troubles await in persistant would-be lovers, a pack of in-laws (mostly characters from previous Putney novels that I found to be distracting), and that murder charge that the novel opened with. While I don't mind flashbacks as a plot device, sometimes it gets annoying. To the author's credit, her handling of the old tried-and-true "captured by pirates" storyline is here told in an inventive style, and kept my interest until the end of the novel. Both of the characters have emotional baggage that they cart along with them, and Putney handles the sensitive issue of rape and abuse in a dignified manner, much different than the usual "forcible seduction" that's a stock in trade of bodice rippers.

The bad part of the novel is that the villains are pretty much stock characters here, with only the Sultan being at all interesting (enough to make me wonder if Putney was setting him up as a future hero in a forthcoming book), but the others are pretty much one-notes. The really bad part is that the novel could have been more interesting if the extra characters had been cut out -- I kept getting distracted and bogged down with the little tidbits that Putney kept tossing here and there. Still, it's an interesting read for those of you who like their romance novels with plenty of adventure, and Putney has a deft touch in her writing style. Even the erotic bits are tasteful, and that's rare thing to find these days.

This is my first book by this auothor. I found it to be exteremely different from the conventional historical romances which I'm used to reading. I do have to admit, that Gavin was described as the epitome of male perfection - which obviously is very unrealistic. I found many facets of the story quite realistic, for instance how the characters dont immediately fall - like how its usually portrayed in other novels...it took them a good 6 - 8 months to fall in love.... i found this idea quite close to reality. The initial attraction is present of course, and it wasnt overstated.
All in all...i enjoyed this book and the writing style of Mary Jo.

Mary Jo Putney has added another book onto the list of must reads. No disappointment here. From Australia to the East Indies, pirate ships, slave trade and of course, the happy ending. The story is fast paced and I couldn't put it down; a book to grab off the shelf and add to the shopping basket.

I was prepared to not like this book. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that I picked it up, read the first page and put it down in favor of something else.

A few months later it was still sitting in my book bin, and I suppose I must have felt sorry for it, being neglected as it was, so I chanced it and cracked it open.

I'm so glad to be wrong! I really, honestly and truly, enjoyed this book from start to finish. I found the hero refreshing, engaging, and a man I could really cheer for in the end.

In reading many of the other reviews, I will agree that the way the book begins was the reason I didn't wish to read it at first. I just simply wasn't in the mood to deal with the possible let-down of the heroine dying before the book's end. Having finished it, however, I think the beginning was a rather brilliant stroke on Ms. Putney's part, as I spent most of the book in fevered anticipation of when "the bomb" would drop.

It was a well-crafted bit of work, and I would recommend this author to anyone.

This book should be required reading for everyone in the US. I found it fascinating, and it really helped me get a better perspective on the role of Mexicans in American history. I was educated in Australia, so had no idea of how Mexicans were a part of the U.S. Also gave me a good introduction to Latin American politics, and the role of the U.S. in those countries, as well. I agree with other reviewers that the title didn't quite fit the contents.

Despite the hyberbole of the title, a result of the series of which it's a part, this is a solid introduction to Latino history for middle school and up. What makes it distinctive is the author's writing style, which reflects her personal passion. Most series books of this sort are written according to formula--dry, matter of fact, useful for school reports and not much else. This one is worth reading cover to cover.

I use this work in a class on US Latino diversity at the university level. It provides a wonderful overview of the backdrop of Latino history to understanding the rainbow people identified as US Hispanics, in all of their demographic and cultural diversity. It is immensely readable, organized in a way that attracts the reader's attention, and it is improved with each edition. Some of the criticisms noted in other reviews are either beyond the scope of such a volume (the detailed consequences of the Mexican Revolution for the peasantry of that country) or are fine bases for discussion and consideration (the perspectives offered by this Cuban-American author). My Latino/a students appreciate it and comment favorably regarding this work and I very much look forward to the new edition.

Santa Fe, New Mexico has a strong hispanic heritage dating back to the Conquistadores. The area has become a magnet for other Hispanics from other areas. As a psychotherapist, I work with native New Mexicans, Puerto Rican, Mexican and people from other countries of origin. This book is extremely helpful in describing the historical and cultural details that can influence the individuality of each person. It is also excellent reading. Very informative and well written.

I taught in an Arts Focus, Multiage, Spanish-Immersion school for fifteen years. I read Latino History AFTER I retired. It would have been an exceptional companion to Lies My Teacher Told Me and work by Howard Zinn. Having realized how much fiction we teach in the name of fact, we began to research what we were teaching and to teach the truth, despite the curriculum. I wish I had had Himilce Novas's Latina History as a resource then...

I've read all three books written by Steinbrg and I feel this is by far the best. Would like to see this made into a movie. I am looking forward to his next novel.

A master thief becomes involved in a top-secret government cover-up when he breaks into a safe, which he shouldn't. This cover-up has been secretly protected since WWII and the government will do anything to keep it that way. It deals with aliens being hidden from the outside world. The second part of the book is not as good as the first, but the action and Steinberg's writting make up for it. The ending may be a bit silly, but it's a good book.

Reading some of the negative reviews really made me stop and think, as I really enjoyed reading this book.

The only thing I can think of is that the people who didn't like this book were not into Sci-Fi. The cover makes it seem like its a straight-up suspense/thriller novel (which it is). But the latter part of the book adds Sci-Fi to the mix. Those who do not think favorably about Sci-Fi would most likely not enjoy it.

As a person who enjoys good Sci-Fi, I really enjoyed this book. There are some good/unexpected twists in the story as well. When I was done reading, I went looking for the sequel, and hoping they make a movie out of the story (it definately ends with a good setup for a series of stories).

If you are a Sci-Fi fan, get this book. If you are not, you most likely won't enjoy the last half of it. In any case, its good writing and a good story (better than I or the negative reviewers could write).

Nobody's Safe, a book ultimately centering around some mysterious secret that the U.S. government has been protecting at all costs since World War II, starts out with a bang. The first several chapters are brilliant, involving a master thief strutting his stuff while we can only gape in wonder. From there on, however, Nobody's Safe becomes confusing, distant, and poorly written -- all while remaining fast paced. To the very end, this book has few paragraphs longer than four or five sentences and will not turn you off with a lack of white space. However, be warned ... the secret for which you must wade through some three hundred pages to reach does NOT live up to its expectations.

On the whole, a good enough read that I tore straight through the first half. A bad enough read that I only skimmed the last half.

On a second note, I just noticed that this book appears to no longer be in print. Perhaps that reviews it better than any words I have used.

If this is not the worst book I've ever read, it ranks well up there. Poor writing combined with gadgetry does not a novel make.

This book was up and down for me. At times, it was exciting and "wow, that can happen?" At other times, that was not the case. I think there were a lot of inconsistencies and far-fetched assumptions that got the plot to where it was. I don't know all the nitty-gritty details about aviation technology, but I'm pretty sure the wild events taking place in this book could not spiral as far out of control as they did. Either way, I would recommend reading it and making your own opinion.

Turbulence shows the business world what devastating consequences will arise when you treat your customers as an annoyance rather than as valued clients. Many banks and multinational corporations today although not quite at the level of Meridian Airline are cutting back the number of and the training of their staff. Many are also seemingly doing nothing about removing Judy type personnel who treat their customers and colleagues like an annoyance while going on an ego trip and for them Turbulence is a great lesson on the future consequences of their actions. If I owned a company I'd make all my team leaders and upper management read Turbulence and give me a written report on what led to the customers behaving like they did.

Turbulence is an excellent read, the ending is a bit predictable and it's a shame to say the American and other governments' responses and actions are what I would predict they would do. A great read which is amusing and scary when you think about that there are people acting like this in the real world.

In Turbulence Meridian Airlines takes bad customer service to new heights. Helpful and friendly staff are told off by ego filled superiors who demand authority. Among those aboard a London flight to Cape Town are passengers such as a man gravely concerned if his mother is still alive who is not answering her phone and a surgeon whose wife died on a previous flight where a poor attitude from the pilot and crew did nothing about making an emergency landing which would have saved her life. The cabin crew is led by Judy who demands respect from the passengers and other flight attendants and sees nothing wrong with her creative announcements about flight delays rather than telling her passengers who should be grateful the actual truth. She also sees nothing wrong with threatening any passenger who dares question her. As well the Meridian flight is captained by an inexperienced pilot promoted from domestic to international routes with no training what so ever and sees nothing wrong with endangering the lives of his passengers or crew if it will keep them in line. Throw in engine trouble, a lot of delays, blatant lies from Judy, landing in the middle of a civil war in Nigeria and you've got one angry load of passengers and one hell of a story!

Throughout the tale, Mr. Nance went above and beyond with the details that would be the focus of the story. It would however be these details that would be the downfall of the story.

From switching back and forth between plots and different settings, it became increasingly hard to put the book down. The tale of this plane, almost surreal as it made its way through Africa and Europe after encountering what we see every day in the airline industry.

This novel has left the impact of what ifs, what if something like this were truly to happen, in this crazed 9/11 world, how would we respond? The legacy of the attacks that day will never be forgotten, but at the same time it has not been remembered as a mistake of shooting down an American plane could easily occur.

I don't want to fly with John Nance, but I can't put his books down once I begin to read one. He knows enough about the frightening events that take place on airplanes or makes up enough new ones to scare a timid soul into taking the bus.

In Turbulence, the setting is post 9/11 and Meridian Airlines is dealing with internal problems. Meridian is a mirror image of any airline that flying passengers have been on with poor service, too little space, lack of good information, and passengers traveling with personal problems. Add to the mix a captain who had been a good domestic pilot of super big airplanes
who had bid on an international flight route and was not given enough training on the differences of international and domestic flight. The pilot was insecure and working on an ulcer; the copilot was hostile towards him and trying not to worry about his own problems at home. The lead flight attendant was hostile and hated the passengers she was supposed to be serving.

Several passengers with problems of their own had experienced problems with Meridian before takeoff to South Africa. The delay is long and uncomfortable with no acceptable explanation.
During the flight the pilot mistakes a mechanical signal for an engine fire and lands in the middle of a civil war in Nigeria.

With no confidence in the pilot, the passengers revolt in a rage, the lead flight atttendant hides in the cockpit, and the plane moving through the skies becomes a threat to the controllers on the ground who have no idea what is actually going on inside the plane.

The suspense is almost unbearable. Read the book, but not on a trip that involves waiting in airports, boarding airplanes, or sitting close to people that are strangers.

Some folks here bagged on Nance and his black-and-white characters and his over-the-top portrayal of nasty airline types. I'm here to tell you I had to do business in Dallas and flew weekly (weakly?) from Southern California to there; I do not consider the nastiness and poor customer service descriptions by Mr. Nance to be overstated. Stuffed in an unair-conditioned aluminum cylinder with 250 of my brothers and sisters for two hours plus while a line of thunderstorms ambles by is an experience that is not to be savored as a fond memory. That they are regular occurrences with American out of Dallas -- just because they don't want you wandering around the airport like a herd of cats -- was enough to cause me to relate very intimately with Nance's mistreated passengers on Meridian.

War and Peace it is not. It *is* a comic-book adventure, granted, but I thought it more compelling, more fun to read, and less condescending than Finder's extraordinary Powers. (Yet another gratuitous swipe at that poor unfortunate piece of literature!)

As Steve Wright would say, "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?"