Nova Books

I have been a long-time fan of Fern Michaels, but occasionally you run into one of her novels that does not sound as if she wrote it. Late Bloomer, No Place Like Home, and Cinders to Satin were wonderful reads. Her book The Future Scrolls was disappointing and defintiely not of the same caliber. Unfortunately Listen to Your Heart is another example of one of her poorer writing efforts.

While reading Listen to Your Heart I couldn't help but wonder if this was written by a member of a stable of writers that call themselves Fern Michaels, a very junior member.

The story line was contrived and predictable. The characters were shallow, and the conversations unbelievable. There was no plot development, save for the detailed explanations given during conversations between the characters. One example is the first time that one of the principle characters, Josie, meets a new business client. The client compliments her on her place of business. Jose responds by saying,

"My sister and I have only been here three years. Our parents operated the catering service until their death. There was a gas-line explosion that killed them. This has all been redone and landscaped. We added more flowers, some shrubbery, and we repainted the ladybugs and the cottage. I apologize for the condition of the carpet, but we had a bit of an accident this morning. I had to take the screen door to the hardware store for repairs and didn't get to the floor. Step carefully."

Please, enough! Information overload! Poor writing. Skip this one.

This book has the potential for a wonderful love story, but I felt it was written in a rush. First of all, there were mistakes that weren't even caught, using the wrong names for characters, Paul when it should have been Jack, etc.

I really felt I was reading an "abridged" version of the book, there was no time to get to know the characters, no development of their relationships, no detail into their past. I felt more like I was watching a movie. My first Fern Michaels novel, and a bit of a disappointment.

Josie runs a catering business with her twin sister Kitty after her parents' death. Josie's only relationship is with her dog when suddenly Paul and his giant Boxer smash into her life.

This was the most pathetically contrived book I've read in a long time. I really have little respect for a romance that goes from "I'm not sure I like him" to "Let's get married" with little or no development. This book did that and had little else to redeem itself. Even the lush setting of New Orleans was barely explored. The dialogue was pure torture, rambling sentences and interruptions. Sure, the dog thing is cute, but it will only get you so far in a romance.

This is my first Fern Michaels book.

This was a pleasant story about a "work alcholic" twin and the love she finally meets. The story tells a lot of details about life in the "richer" part of the south and paints a real good picture in your mind so it is easy to see the setting. The story centers around a maltese and a boxer (dog) and their owners. It is love at first sight for the dogs and this leads to some rather humorous situations.

I did think that the book was VERY predictable as to what would happen next which I found to be a bit dissapointing. Which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

I did find all of the references to the "dead mother" giving signs a bit far fetched and I thought it actually took away from the story.

This refers to the unabridged audio version.

As always, Ms. Michaels does an outstanding job of entertaining readers with her gift of storytelling. "Listen To Your Heart" is no exception. A fast-paced love story with a supernatural twist, she takes readers on a journey revealing just how far the bonds of love can reach.

This has been the most compelling crime drama I have listened to in along while. The author expertly combines the conflicts ethnic culture, personal tragedy, and work promblem into a into a court room drama. The plot is the difficulties of doing a child rape trial where the victim is silent. The author also shows the personal and work difficulties the D.A. Jin has to overcome to mount a successful. The only drawback is the subject of child rape is gruesome and I personal had to stop reading at times to control my emotions. I am anxious to look forward to more novels about D.A. Jin.

The plot has some interest but Mr Lee is, to be frank, not quite literate. He simply can't write English -- and also has the annoying habit of peppering each short paragraph with one, may be two one-liners. The situations are also constantly unrealistic, for instance, the protagonist's ex-lover, a beautiful lawyer (yes, it's that kind of novel) who practices both corporate anti-trust law AND criminal defense of pederasts. Uhh, sorry, not believable. I am amazed that anyone could give this novel 4 or 5 stars, considering the fact that Mr Lee needs a introductory course in writing.

A complicated moral man wrestles honorably with the unpredictable complexities of evil, and the plot is great, and somehow you can't put the book down. Gus Lee reminds me of Scott Turow. The style is different, Lee's spare and vivid and Turow's discursive and courtly, but the moral center holds with both, and the superior writer's touch. I hope Gus Lee is hard at work on the next one, because this guy is really, really, really good.

As a trial attorney, I found this book almost unreadable, to my great disappointment, since I very much enjoyed Mr. Lee's HONOR AND DUTY. The author clearly lacks any knowledge or experience of how our legal system works or how the people within it do their jobs. At the outset, the police all bear a grudge because of misbehavior by the D.A., and no longer cooperate in prosecutions. What kind of fantasy is this? The police want successful prosections a whole lot more in the real world than anything else and would NEVER respond in this fashion. Nor does the political infighting in the D.A.'s office make much sense. I have seen plenty of political infighting in my time, but Mr. Lee's account of it is quite fantastc and unbelievable. His knowledge and understanding of criminal investigations and prosecutions is pathetic. Any reader who thinks criminal law really works like this is very mistaken. His turning criminal defense lawyers into morally compromised monsters bears no relation to real life, where such attorneys often work long hours for very little compensation simply out of a dedication to justice, and whose personal lives are above reproach. On the whole, a sadly failed effort.

Chinese American Writer Gus Lee explores an important area of criminal abuse in this new legal thriller. But Lee, author of four fine novels, experienced deputy district attorney, Army judge advocate, FBI trainer, and executive of the California state bar forgot to review his notes on how the system works. Lawyers and politicians will probably hate this drama. Readers will turn the last page knowing the law is not handled this way, yet will appreciate his passion for what is right, and his love for children and family. His window into the human soul saves this tangled story. A little polish would have helped as Lee creates great sentences in difficult paragraphs and confusing chapters.

This book is engrossing despite its flaws. Josh Jin's career and his personal life are slipping away due to his emotional collapse caused by the death of a daughter. Resulting mistakes caused him to lose respect and position. Jin is forced into a case in which he finds himself conflicted from grief, loss of status, ugly politics and morals, cultures, and outrage. A 13-year old rape victim refuses to talk. There is no physical evidence. He has nobody's confidence and no professional support. The accused ex-con may not be the one. Worse, his legal adversary is a powerful ex-girlfriend he once jilted who knows how to pull his chain. He cries in court and colleagues think he is without hope.

Jin struggles back from the edge while pulling another from disaster. The reader learns a bit about the Chinese-American culture and very real child sexual abuse, accurately rendered. As the story unfolds, there are surprises aplenty.

This BOMC alternate is awkward but remains a page turner. It is a complex crime story based on what is really happening, though a bit overplotted. A tale of lives in crises, untidy politics, horrifying crime, sleazy judges, shoddy legal work, messy lives, committment and personal salvation. Lee toys with the reader right up to the last few words. This is a book of passion dotted with clever observations and characters that resonate. Readers will think about this book for a long time despite it's rather unbelievable legal, political core. Gus Lee could do better and has done so(Honor and Duty) than this sometimes confusing book, but "No Physical Evidence" remains a worthwhile read.

This was my first Elizabeth Adler book and found the storyline different and interesting. There were several villianous people going into the past and difficult to read of the character of Bea's father and such an abusive childhood. There were a few too many abusive situations in the book and found I just had to skim some of them. Another thing I don't think I had found in a book by any of my favorite authors was for the main character to have a love affair with the villian. She was a Psychiatrist and she couldn't figure out he was psychotic?? His first jealous rage would have had me running to the nearest exit. Of course Detective Mahoney was my favorite character and again Ms Adler ended the book and leaving you guessing whether he and the heroine end up together. Actually I wasn't sure who the main characters were. The villian plays such a large role, it sort of makes him a main character. I would have liked Mahoney to have played a bigger part in the book but it just seemed there were too many main characters. It was still a good read tying all the characters from the past and present together.

Elizabeth Adler's "Secret of the Villa Mimosa" tries to combine romance with a thriller, and it works as neither. Dr. Phyl Forster is drawn to a "Jane Doe" who has amnesia. She is named "Bea French" by the doctor, mainly because she could speak French fluently. Then, Phyl tries to restore the woman's memory, while keeping detective Franco Mahoney at bay. We know instantly that these two will become close, as both try to discover who almost killed "Bea." Then, Bea gets a job with a rich French socialite, and start having her memory jogged in France, while Phyl has a chance meeting with Brad Kane, a rich Hawaiian with a terrible secret. The thriller unfolds as the reader is keyed into the connections between the Kane family and Bea, and the reader starts to feel that things would have added up quicker if Bea and Phyl had talked more in the second half of the book.

I enjoyed the book. I don't remember reading any of her books before, so was pleased that it kept me entertained till the end. I would probably give it a three and a half star rating as the story line was a little too coincidental and Cinderella like, but I enjoyed it. Dr. Phil Forster sees on t.v. that an unidentified woman has been found in a ravine. At first they think the woman is dead but she is still barely alive and she is rushed to the hospital. Phyl is drawn to her and soon is treating the young woman who, when she finally comes to, has amnesia. Franco Mahoney, a likeable homicide cop is assigned to the case and he is trying to identify the woman, but is not having much luck. It looks like a homicide attempt. Through the course of the story Bea French (made up name for victim) ends up going to France while working for a rich lady as a companion of sorts. Bea can speak French that much she knows and she remembers a house but doesn't know where it is until by chance she runs across it and discovers another murder years before was committed in that very house. The story keeps your interest til the end. Not a spectacular mystery but still a decent one. I would read more of her books.

This book definitely is not a thriller, but is a good story that will keep you reading, sometimes it goes out of the main story and the way that Phyl met Brad the first time is one in a million. This is a very easy book to read so you will read it very fast, and as many books, the end is like Cinderella but that doesn't mean that the book or the story aren't good.

From a writer who delivers great novel after great novel, comes one that truly has everything. The suspense and mystery are first-rate as clues to a decades old murder are revealed. An amnesiac searching for her past, two orphans looking for their future, a handsome stranger, a dedicated psychiatrist, and an elderly eccentric are some of the characters you will take to heart. But it is homicide cop Franco Mahoney who is my personal favorite as he combines the best of Irish charm and affability with his innately Italian love of opera and gourmet cuisine.

Set in San Francisco, Paris, and Hawaii, this story follows the key characters as their lives overlap in a well-plotted, page-turning story. Accident victim Bea French finds a true friend in psychiatrist Phyl Forster who has forgotten what a personal life is. Naturally, Franco Mahoney hopes to give her one, until a handsome stranger with an erotic obsession whisks her off to his private island. Can the good guy win the girl? Will ancestors long dead be avenged? Will Bea's memory return, and at what price? Will a cat named Coco and a dog named Poochie save the day? This is one you won't want to put down and one that leaves you wanting more from these characters and this writer.

My first time reading Deutermann. Believeable plot ruined by an introduction of a "rogue" element. A quick read.

I've never been able to "get into" mysteries that _tell you who the criminal is and how he does his deed_ in the opening pages.

Very descriptive of the Monster and its workings. Could have been a little overly stated. As the story progressed my interest perked and suddenly it turned into a full fledged rampant read.
The chenical weapons of the world could reek more havoc than any army in history has. The sad fact is most countrys have a great array of these killers and the ability to produce many more. Let us hope that this fiction never turns into fact for the sake of humanity. The last fifty pages will surely give a cold feeling up your spine.

This is my first P.T. Deutermann novel. It started out a little bit slow but was rich in background. By the time I reached the back cover I felt I knew my way around a DRMO. The story line is believable, current and frightening. By the end this book was moving like an inbound rocket. I definitely recommend it and will be looking for other Deutermann titles.

David Stafford is a disgraced government bureaucrat, recently consigned to Siberia (Atlanta). Wendell Carson is a government bureacrat in good standing, but definitely on the take. His latest scheme involves a cylinder of the deadly "Wet Eye"--weapon of mass destruction beyond your wildest dreams--which he has acquired and is somehow planning to sell. The girl in the airport is mute but communicates in sign language and--get this--she is psychic, especially around bad guys. Throw these characters together and you have the makings of Zero Option, an improbable but gripping thriller.

So, will Carson really sell the cylinder for 1 million dollars? Will Stafford rehabilitate himself? Will the government do what is right or just try to cover up the loss of the cylinder? What do you think? Is this America? But, you will just have to read the book to find out for sure.

Is it perfect? Not quite. There are a few too many characters, especially in the beginning, and a few too many acronyms for government agencies and programs. Does it matter? No. Start reading and you quickly figure things out. This is a book that, as they say, you can't put down. Author Deutermann knows how to hold your attention, and he has worked with these guys, so he knows what he's talking about. Recommendation: get the book and start reading. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

I loved the story line, but it was too drawn-out. If it had of been written on half as many pages, I probably would have given it 5 stars. The story was great, and I don't want to say much so I don't mess it up for those who haven't read it yet. But I will say that there is one particular coincidence that I really liked. (Eileen is known for her coincidences, but I love that about her.) On a lighter note, I am glad the senator's widow found a new husband - she deserved it.

Blessing in Disguise is more like a blessing to an over worked mind that needs a bit of mind candy. The character of Grace Truscott, the intelligent and privileged daughter of a former senator, undertakes the task of writing her idolized father's biography. However, after only the first draft, a myriad of difficulties surface. To start, after crossing each of the many bridges on her journey, she finds she is writing a biography about a man she hardly knows. A man that lived a life very different than the one his daughter had imagined. Although these many complexities initially draw the reader in, they become an annoyance after a while, especially the complexities that take place in Grace Truscott's personal life. For one, I find it hard to believe the author, who at first introduced Grace as a strong and determined woman would bring her to points of desperation with the man she loves. The passion is not what I am knocking, but I could do without her insatiable desire to marry her lover Jack. I should add however, that while this bothered me, it in no way bothered me as much as many of the other characters, namely Jack's son Ben, and Grace's selfish and social conscious sister, Sissy. It should be said however, that one of the truths Grace finds when researching the bio leads her to the discovery of Nola, her half sister. The story itself was heartwarming, but little else. At times it is a wonder that Grace's biography ever gets finished and her personal problems ever get resolved. Nevertheless, Blessing in Disguise has a typically "happy ending".

I listened to the audio version of blessing in disguise (all 16 hours!), and found myself strangely compelled by the lives of Grace, Cordelia, Jack etc. The story is the tale of Grace Trescott, the daughter of renowned civil rights leader. She is writing a controversial novel about her father. She is also involved in an interfaith relationship with an older man with older children. As if this weren't problematic enough, Grace discovers the truth about her father and his relationship with his secretary and this strains the relationship between her and the rest of her family.

While I liked "Blessing in Disguise" it was not without flaws. Number 1. I got really really tired of Jack, Grace's boyfriend. He was whiny, "I'm too old for her....." Yep, agree with him there. He was also too immature, and too focused on his own children. I thought the age difference was icky and did not work for me. The problems with an interfaith marriage weren't even touched upon. Overall, I was really sick of Jack by the end. Grace was better off with the veterinarian.

2. Ben. Hated the character. He is an abusive user and gets away with it. I don't buy the 'therapy cure-all' excuse at the end of the book. Ben needed more than just therapy, he needed to be locked up. His "Feel sorry for me, I'm a poor little rich kid" just wore thin... Get over yourself Ben!

3. Cordelia: liked her. Liked her relationship with her gardener boyfriend. But what is with Goudge and writing characters who are in relationships with much older people? Seriously, two romances in one book between two people with a large age difference began to skeeve me out...

4. Also, while I appreciated hearing about Hannah, Ben and the other minor characters, there was WAY too much time spent on the children. I would've preferred more character development between the main romantic couples and less time spent with the two teenage malcontents. (The scene where Chris ran away had me rolling my eyes in pain.

Overall, despite my criticism of this novel, I felt it was extremely well-written. Goudge made you feel for the characters, and is an extremely talented author, making even the most trite stereotypes seem fresh. While I didn't care for some of the subject matter: older man/younger woman, younger woman/older man, rape, adultery etc. I felt she handled the topic well.

This was one of the most interesting books I have read, and my first I've read of Eileen Goudge. I wasn't disappointed.
The story is really very sad as the father had had an affair long ago that he had never talked about; and in that affair, he'd had a child, unbeknownst to his wife until after he died. The beginning of the book captures your attention right away with a tragic event, and moves forward from that point on. A lot of family difficulties and situations arise in this book that make it great to read and hard to put down.

This was my first Eileen Goudge book, and I think the general premise and story is pretty good. I also liked most of the main characters, but I also got frustrated with the repetition and indecisiveness of those characters. I believe this could have been an equally good, or better, book and been two-thirds as long. (I do hestitate to say something like that because I have great respect for writers' autonomy and integrity.)

Eileen Goudge is particularly good at descriptions--her house and garden descriptions here are wonderful. Her character development of Cordelia Truscott is also excellent. Cordelia is ultimately the strongest and bravest character in this book, and it is fitting that it ends with her.

The thing that struck me throughout the book, was how it felt like I was seeing everything through a fog. All his actions seems to move very slooooow. I don't know if he just favors passive voice or what, but I'd read something that came across as matter of fact, and only when I was done with that passage did I realize it was piece of major action. Kind of like you'd miss it if not paying attention.
I didn't even get really interested in the book until the last 70 pages or so. I was fond of the relationship the main character had with "Number 2", and I think that saved the whole book from being simply a documentary about a woman who can't make up her mind about men.
It's a quick read, being only 250 pages, which makes it worth reading if you're curious about Nova's work, or have a lazy rainy afternoon.

The author does not grab you as you think he will from the story line in the jacket cover. I stopped reading at page 61. The author kept jumping around from one person to another, it was hard to follow what he was talking about or what was going on. He left to many open ended story lines. I love to read, so much that I sometimes buy the same book twice by accident. This authors name I will not forget. . . I never want to buy him again.

Did you see the movie The Heartbreak Kid where the guy has an affair with another woman while on his honeymoon? Well, folks, the lady lead of this book meets her true love on her wedding day, whilst being married to someone else.

As one observer puts it this is "Intellectual pulp fiction"; it's well written, and is really about....what? The reviewer for the NY Times says that it is "a harrowing new thriller (that) moves with breakneck velocity." My impression was that it is a nice leisurely paced novel that is far removed from those taut, fast paced thrillers that cause severe palpitations of the heart. The back cover blurb writer tells you it's an exciting story of saving the life of our heroine who has been bitten by a snake. Let me just say this: she indeed does get bitten, and that is part of the story up to page 30. The author then digresses for the next 122 pages! The bulk of the book is about the two main characters, their affair, and incidents in each person's life. Mind you I'm not being critical of the book, as I really enjoyed it. I'm just warning Ludlum readers that thrive on panic and paranoia that this book will not give them their usual adrenaline high.

Well, maybe I could make one criticism. I like a writer who pauses to describe scenes, emotions and the patterns of light on the wall, but Mr. Nova seems to be obsessed with color. He doesn't seem to be able to describe something unless he tells you its color. Oh well, at least he stays away from mauve, puce, and burnt sienna.

I discovered INCANDESENCE in early 92' , after a non stop tear through the book, I realized that I was on to someone amazing. Craig Nova has been around for so long, he's like electricity, you don't know how great it is , until its gone. I waited for his new book to arrive, well after I got it , as I did all of his work, I read it in one sitting. Two people on the edge of their minds, and in a constant state of shock, collide over and over, trying to get this thing called life , right. So goes the main characters of UNIVERSAL DONOR. With interior dialogue and dilema's over how to "properly proceed" through life, Carig Nova brings the worst of everyone to the reader at large. If you have ever been bitten by a snake or got caught in traffic on the way to the emergency room, then this book is for you. John Updike was right when saying "Craig Nova is the greatest living writer of his generation" .

THE UNIVERSAL DONOR was not what I expected. Put another way, THE UNIVERSAL DONOR was not what the book jacket led me to believe it was. I expected a medical thriller, complete with a slowly perishing heroine, and a mighty and resourceful hero fighting both time and fatigue as he races to find a cure. In other words, I expected a novel I don't usually enjoy. But John Irving admires the author (or so the book jacket would have you believe), and being an admirer of John Irving, I decided to forego my usual misgivings about the Robin Cook-type plot, and give it a read.

But DONOR is not what the jacket says it is. It has the skeleton of the story right, but it has the muscles all wrong. It is not a thriller, in the usual sense. It is a love story. And by this, I do NOT mean it is a 'romance' novel. It is a love story, with all the pain and suffering that goes along with it.

It centres around Terry McKechnie, an emergency room doctor, during the time of the Los Angeles riots. His lover, Virginia Lee, has been bitten by a rare snake, and he must do all he can to save her.

As I said, it sounds like a fairly routine 'doomed romance' scenario. But author Craig Nova uses the poisoning only as a pretext, going back in time to present their entire affair. And it IS an affair, as Virginia is married to an old schoolmate of Terry's. But, instead of the more expected "Oh, we're such bad people, but we can't help ourselves!", with much hand-wringing and gentle sobbing, Nova has presented one of the most realistic extra-marital affairs I've read.

Virginia and Terry are both deeply flawed people who realize their mistakes, but, like all of us, have a hard time dealing with them. Their initial meeting at a hotel is deeply moving, and Nova captures both the excitement and the horror of what they are contemplating.

Nova's skill at playing several emotions off each other is shown to best effect in a scene where Terry and Virginia sit down in a hospital cafeteria to discuss there feelings. A nearby stranger interupts the conversation from time to time, and it is only until a few pages later that the reader realizes the lovers are no longer simply talking, they are afraid for their lives. Nova's interplay of Terry and Virginia's conversation with the increasingly forbidding presence of the stranger is a wonder of suspense and emotion.

Nova has not written an altogether perfect novel. His introduction of a subplot involving Virginia's rare blood type, and a possible donor, stretches the bounds of coincidence and credibility. It is effectively written, but it detracts from the more effective and absorbing main storyline. It is this subplot that the publisher emphasizes on the cover, resulting in readers who may not appreciate the subtleties of Nova's work (see other reviews, below). THE UNIVERSAL DONOR is not that sort of story. It is a meditation on the consequences of love, and deserves a far larger audience than the jacket aims for.

Dorothy Gilman is one of my favorite mystery writers. I've read all of her first nine books many, many times, and highly recommend them. In this book and the ones that follow the author's voice shifts so completely, I wonder if she is actually the one continuing to write them. Mrs. Pollifax's character changes, she is "cross" several times in the first few chapters and the old Mrs. Pollifax was curious and philosophical and observant. This philosophical bent disappears entirely from these later books.

The adventures no longer sizzle along. An early chase in this book is poorly crafted; as it happens it is described without enough detail to make it interesting or suspensful and we are told Mrs. Pollifax looks back on it as a "nightmare," when there is no basis for this in the story. The earlier Mrs. Pollifax would roll with the punches and reserve "nightmare" for full fledged torture. These later books are so disappointing because the first nine are so wonderful....

Of course, I love all of Mrs. Pollifax's adventures! I want to be her when I grow up;) But this one had wonderful, colorful (to say the least) characters, plot twists, and bits of Sicilian culture that made for a overall very enjoyable read.

Mrs. Pollifax, intrepid Garden Club member and holder of a brown belt in karate, has gone on several assignments to exotic places for the CIA. In this book, she is called by old friend John Farrell to help him in his latest predicament. He is a former CIA agent who is now an art dealer and he has been asked to authenticate the signature of Julius Caesar on a document. In the process of doing so, he has been chased and shot at and he is currently in hiding. Mrs. Pollifax shows up with a young woman named Kate who has been assigned to help her. When they have trouble finding a safe haven, Kate takes them to her aunt's house. Mrs. Pollifax finds all sorts of interesting activities going on there and learns more about the people who are chasing Farrell. This story has the amusing complication of having Carstairs assign a person to follow and protect Mrs. Pollifax. She is not aware of this and she levels the poor man with a well-placed karate chop. Mrs. Pollifax fans will not be disappointed in this entry in the series.

I just finished listening to Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief on audio, and I must say, I was disappointed. I had to force myself to listen to it all the way through. This is definitely the worst Mrs. P, book I've listened to.. Why? Too many irritating minor characters. Not enough suspense, and, unbelievably stupid villains. Usually I can expect a TAD more realism than this from a Gillman book, but, this book was just plain silly and tried too hard to be cute.

Yes, it starts out okay, with Mrs. P, getting involved in the rescue of an old friend, Farrell, who owns an art gallery. We are led to believe that Farrell is some sort of super-agent, and super handsome, but instead he's just super annoying. Mrs. P, teams up with a spunky blonde agent, soon find themselves embroiled in a mystery surrounding an ancient roman scroll, art theft, and murder. Can Mrs. P and her gang of friends save the day?

By the end of this novel, I just didn't care. Farrell, was the world's most irritating character.All he does is whine and complain. The spunky blonde agent who was Mrs. P's sidekick would never pass any Intelligence Agency's background check with a family like hers... And Aristotle? This villain was silly, *choke* get real.

Overall, I'd give this one a pass. I've listened to much better Gillman books, and this one was beyond disappointing.

The first 4 or 5 books in the Pollifax series are wonderful. This is the worst of those that follow. I think the problem that I am having is that Mrs. Pollifax no longer seems to be the author of her own success. Lucky chance may be the reason she wins through in the end, or some individual she meets up with does it all for her. And I don't care for these partnerships, especially with Farrell. The wonderful thing in the past was how Mrs. Pollifax would come to a case with lovely excitement and by being herself assemble a group of unusual people around her and inspire them to great things. The recent Pollifaxes have seem tired and dependent.

The authoritive reference for what happened on Scott's polar journey - since it was written by the man himself. Don't be put off by the appalling introduction by Bainbridge (which ruins the story if you don't know all the details since it is just a brief summary of the rest of the book - just skip it!). I wouldn't recommend reading this first (try Scott by Elspeth Huxley as an intro) but for historical interest if you get into the history of the antarctic this is a must. The actual description of the southern journey only makes up the final section of the book, most of it is concerned with the depot laying and over wintering parts of the expedition. As such most of the book is mostly concerned with the details of preparing for the journey and hence probably won't appeal as a general introduction to Scott's last expedition.

It's really too bad that "Scotts Last Expedition" was heavily edited by Sir J.M. Barrie, the talented author of Peter Pan. We'll never get to read Scott's real diary, which, I suspect, is a good deal more forthcoming on his feelings about Lt. Teddy Evans (his No. 2), Cecil Mears (his dog driver), and perhaps his own flawed self.

Still, "Scott's Last Expedition" belongs in every collection on Antarctic exploration, regardless of whether you feel Scott is a hero or a buffoon. An original copy from the 1920s will set you back $300 or more, so this paperback reprint for $10 or so from Amazon isn't a bad deal at all. True, it doesn't look or smell the same, but it still has all of that great source material on diet, clothing, equipment and the officers and crew.

While the story is known to most armchair explorers, nothing beats the saga right from the horse's mouth. Yes, the journal does drag in places, but so do long days of waiting in the Antarctic. It makes us impatient and edgy, wondering if the storms will ever end or what equipment will break next. Knowing the climax detracts nothing from how they got there--or didn't. This and Shackleton's own story really have to be read if one enjoys this kind of tale.

About halfway through this diary account of the Terra Nova expedition, it becomes clear why Amundsen made it first to the pole ... and why Scott's was the greater achievement. The Norwegians focused completely on getting to the pole and back: no fuss, no elaboration, no scientific spin-offs. Amundsen cared not a whit about paleobotany, the discovery of a new parasite in fish livers or pony psychology. (More to the point, Amundsen kept to dogs.) Scott took an interest in everything, and he was willing to experiment. The diaries brim with accounts of sledging diets, weather balloons, penguin dissections, ice crystal formation, geologic strata and killer whales. He writes of what it is like to be without the sun for four months, of feelings stirred by the aurora australis, and of the colors of ice and sea and sky. He describes camp life and daily routines and the antics of ponies and dogs. And, knowing he has failed in his goal, he speaks movingly of his obligations to his country ... and to science. Among the items dragged to their final camp by three exhausted, half-frozen dying men were 35 pounds of fossils - fossils which would help rewrite geologic history.

Whether these journals were edited or not is of small importance in the face of the challenge that these men attempted. Scarce few in this day could brave the monotony, much less the lack of conveniences and having to survive by their wits in an unforgiving environment. By the end, I felt as if I knew these men and I felt the loss as they weakened and succumbed to the ravages that nature wrought.

This was almost like stepping back into the pages of Winnie the Pooh and the pleasure I remember from being in the magical 100 Acre Wood. Jo Coudert's memoir of seven of her pets, how she acquired them, lived with them, lost them, is fascinating, and each cat teaches a lesson about how our behavior impacts the life we experience. I think what Coudert wants us to know is maybe the cat can't change the way it is -- how its life experiences shaped its personality -- but people can if they understand why they do what they do. Her pen and ink illustrations are charming.

Now, where the controversy is: I don't know if a cat's early life experience shapes their behavior that much or if they just have personalities. I have a feral cat I caught when she was three months old and after six years, she's still shy and withdrawn, and I have a male cat we acquired at 3 weeks who is wild and unmanageable despite being raised by us since almost birth.

But the bigger controversy: Coudert keeps her cats in when she would go back to her city apartment, but in the country she let them out and some of them come to very bad ends as a result. You will shed many tears reading this book. I think only one of her cats lives a long life. She also did indeed, as one reviewer was horrified to learn, ship a couple out to be barn cats elsewhere, and they disappeared. I felt bad about that. I have one who sprays, too, and he is ruining our life, but I can't see myself getting rid of him even so.

Then again, the sainted Dr. Dodson in his behavioral book is on the side of a shorter cat life if it's a happier one - outside.

This book stays in my amazon.com shopping cart to give as gifts whenever I need one and I'm interested to see her other books on other topics. I've also been inspired to write my own cat book.

Although I basically enjoyed this book, I have very differing views of how cats should be treated. I believe that cats should be kept indoors for their health and safety as well as for the protection of wildlife. Remember, the "housecat" is domesticated, and is NOT a natural predator in the wild. You don't see people letting their dogs out at night, expecting them to return in the morning. We don't let our parakeets take a spin around town or let our goldfish splash in puddles in the driveway. So why do we let our cats roam the streets? Our attitudes about cats must change, and when they do, millions of cats around the world can be spared euthanasia due to over population. The author does, however, offer interesting insight into the different human characters that we certainly can learn from.

I truly enjoyed Jo's talents for writing and illustration and these talents shared with her readers on this wonderful book about her cats.

One can quickly feel the passion she has for these mysterious, delightful creatures. Reminiscing about these seven cats in her life all but transports the reader to GoWell (her home in the country) and the life she enjoys there with her dogs and cats and friends.

The heart she displays and articulates about her relationships with these seven are enjoyable to read, and the cat lover and/or owner can relate to the various emotions: the pain of losing, the thrill of discovery and growth.

Howeve, I must admit that this book would have easily been a five if she left it as this" "Seven Cats." She chose to allow this to become a commentary on living. That's where I humbly beg to differ, due to our different orientations of worldview. What I believe in is that all wonderful creatures (cats included) come from The Magnificent Creator God. I love his creatures and our cat Molly is one of our favorites. However, much as we love Molly and our two Shelties, we love the One who made them and us, and regard our relationship with Him as more important. God truly wants us to be good stewards of His creation, including cats and dogs. (Sidenote: I also take exception with her preference for cats over dogs. Dogs want to please their ownders far more than cats, and one can do much more activities with the dogs.)

Life brings with it many toils and troubles, as Jo relates. So where do we turn for help and relief and understanding and hope? I don't think we'll find the answer in our cats, as much as we cat lovers love them passionately. My suggestion is to turn to the One who gave us such remarkable gifts. Psychology and all the self-help advice in the world will not fill the void that only our Creator-Redeemer God can.

Jesus warned us not to turn inward into self or to nature (Matthew 24:24-26) but to Him who loved us and gave Himself on the cross us.

For those who share Coudert's search for truth, or see every path the same to truth, then this part of this well=written book will not bother. For those of the Christian-Judeo heritage who confess the First Commandment to be the highest, then this portion will not speak of the true art of living which we learn from in the Book of Life, the Holy Scriptures. However, the read is a good one, and I thank Jo for her passion for life, for cats and for seeking the truth to make sense of it all.

This is a gentle book, an easy read. Cat lovers will recognize the endless antics, distinct personalities, and uncompromisingly self-seeking behavior of these always amusing companions. The author describes the often devious methods that her cats have used in insisting that they will live with her in spite of her protestations, and she focuses on the unique qualities of each animal.

However, early in the reading, the real depth within the book becomes vividly apparent, and the telling goes beyond the surface stories. As the author explores the challenges and delights of living with cats, she discovers the life lesson each brought with her or him. The lessons learned are universal truths, ideas most of us are familiar with but too often forget in our hurried lives. The reminders of these truths are welcome, easy to accept, and appreciated as revealed through the various tales.

This is a lovely little book to give as a gift to good friends - even if they are not confirmed cat people.

The author likes only the cats that behave according to her 'rules'. She blames the cats if they develop normal behaviors in reaction to the way they are treated. She expects them to be logical and to be able to 'reason'. When one cat hides much of the time as a result of being mistreated, the author says the cat should be more trusting and willing to take risks because the bad treatment is in the past. This is ridiculous. If you love cats, I don't think you'll like this book.

This book had all the ingredients of a good story well told. I found it to be neither. The writing is clumbsy and the characters are cliche's, and so is the plot. The "BIG Secret" isn't at all hard to figure out. Let's see we have identical twins in love with the same girl who go off to war and only one comes home...I bet you can figure out the big secret just from that syopsis.

I have read everyone of James Michael Pratts books and have loved everyone of them. I love the romance between the people in every book. This one touched me and I think I cried almost through the whole book like I do with all of them. Paradise Bay was the same way. I enjoy Mr. Pratts work and will continue reading as long as he writes.

I highly recommend reading this book. I really enjoyed it. It has romance in it, and you also learn about what it was like living during the war. It was a very interesting story. I really enjoyed reading James Michael Pratt's other books too: "The Lighthouse Kepper" and "The Last Valentine." I highly recommend these too! They teach good values and a lot about relationships as well.

Ticket Home is one of the best books that I have read. The author, James Pratt, plots out the story extremely well. This book is a mixture of romance and action. The book takes place during the rise of World War Two in the fight against Hitler and the Japanese. The main characters are two twin brothers who are very alike in appearance but even more different in personalities. They both work with their father at their family owned train station.
One of the most important events in this book is when these two brothers fall in love with the same woman. When one of the boys actually takes the girl's hand in marriage the other feels betrayed and torn because his love for the girl was immense. Right after the wedding the boys (who have joined the Mexican National Guard) are sent away to the Philippines. It is while they are there that America joins into the war because of Pearl Harbor. The brothers are thrown into a fight that will change their lives forever.
Although the war helps the broken hearted brother get rid of his anger it also takes away his innocence and it eats away at his naturally kind heart. The war does however bring the brothers close together and many times they save each others lives. For the first time in their lives they see what war actually is and they suffer together as they strive to survive.
This book is a book of sadness. It uncovers the pain of war and also the pain of losing someone that you love. It covers things that all mankind suffers with. We have all been betrayed at one time or other by someone we think we can trust. We have all gone through the trials of love. Most importantly though we must all realize that in these dark times are lessons of life that we must learn. Learn from the mistakes of the past. Learn to forgive and not to fight. These are the things that war tends to teach.
This book is excellent and very thought provoking. I hope that I have inspired someone to read it. The lessons packed inside of it are something that nobody should want to miss.

Ticket Home is a wonderfully written book. James Pratt's talent for drawing his readers into the story is remarkable. He presents various aspects of love; from brotherly, to familial, to marital; and invites his readers to discover their own understanding of love and compassion. Ticket Home is a romantic saga and much more.