Spencer Books

I'm an 8th grade teacher (teaching US history) and I use these crosswords as optional brain teasers for my students. Sometimes I give them to students who are finished with a class assignment to keep them busy and thinking about Social Studies. Students enjoy the challenge and learn something along the way. I have bought other "puzzle"-type books, but this is by far my favorite, because students don't need any specific content-type prior knowledge before tacking the crosswords - all the info needed is right there. It was well worth my "investment". Buy it!

I've been very pleased with this book. It's a variety of maps (including a floor plan of the white house) which comprehensively teaches map-reading skills. My son is gifted, age 9 and in the 5th grade, and he did struggle at first with the thoroughness needed to complete the crossword puzzles. He needed supervision and help. It was good to see him struggle and work (evil Mom grin) instead of dashing out easy answers. He's learned to slow down, analyze, and search for the answers and I've noticed that this has carried over to his other work. I'm very glad that I chose this book for him and I would choose it again.

Alexis' writing comes from the heart, she shares her thoughts, feelings and experiences openly. She's not afraid to challenge, or be challenged! Here verses are a blessing and an encouragement!

From the first words, I wanted to know so much about this woman who chose to devote herself to West Jackson, Mississippi. Her poems and pieces were very compelling. She is living an American life that everyone should know about, whether they are religious or not. I recommend this book for anyone who struggles to make change in the world.

Vagabond's House is wonderful! If you want to relax some evening, read this work of poetry by S. California's poet, Don Blanding from the past. His work will send you on a dream vacation!!

Vagabond's House is a nostalgic collection of poetry set in the exotic locale of pre-statehood Hawaii and the South Seas. The central theme is wanderlust and the joys (and sorrows) of vagabondage. Those who normally dislike poetry may take a liking to this simply written verse which appeals to the everyday man. The book is full of pen and ink illustrations, which are supurbly rendered by the author. This wonderful book has been so popular since it was first published in 1928, that there have been over sixty printings. To find out more about Don Blanding, vagabond poet, please visit www.don-blanding.com

THE WEARY MOTEL doesn't have a breakneck plot. It doesn't have lots of suspense. It's not a mystery; it's not a thriller; it's not a romance. It doesn't have a "gimmick" like some books, and it's not topical like others. It doesn't introduce us to any "brave new world." In other words, THE WEARY MOTEL is definitely not the kind of book that's going to land on anyone's bestseller list anytime soon, though it's certainly better written than most that do.

THE WEARY MOTEL takes place in the fictional town of Peebles, population 3,811, in southern Ohio, just southwest of Steubenville (very near the town where Clark Gable was born), near the West Virginia panhandle. It's coal-mining country, one of the least exotic places on earth. Most of the people are extremely poor, and many lives revolve around the sheer battle just to stay alive.

As would be expected, the people that inhabit this book aren't glamorous or wealthy, or involved in any exotic pursuit; they're just trying to make the best of what they've got, and along the way, maybe eke out a little happiness as well. As the novel opens, Jo Rene, a single woman approaching middle age, is setting out on a mission, a mission to spy on her live-in postman boyfriend, Buck, whom she believes, for no good reason, is lying to her and sleeping with someone on his route.

With the second paragraph, Spencer establishes the tone of his novel, and we can see this is going to be a novel that's both grim and grimly funny. Not satire. It's not biting enough for that. Not even black comedy; it's too whimsical. But, it is going to be filled with something much, much better - deep insight into what makes us human as well as raw honesty.

Spencer is an extremely talented author, one of the best and most genuine of all American voices, and while all of his writing skills are strong, it doesn't take many pages to realize that characterization and dialogue are definitely his forte. All the characters Spencer creates are "genuine," they really "come alive" on the page and they burrow into the reader's heart and stay there. Spencer's able to do what so many other, far lesser but better known authors have never mastered, i.e., translate his insight into human nature into the written word.

Spencer's characters may seem a bit quirky and offbeat at first glance, but as the book progresses, the reader comes to identify with them more and more, for what human among us isn't a bit quirky and offbeat, himself, at least at times? Spencer simply reaches deep inside his characters and turns them inside out for the reader to get to know. It is, at least in part, the loving humanity that this author bestows on each and every one of his characters that sets THE WEARY MOTEL apart and lifts it above the ordinary.

THE WEARY MOTEL features an ensemble cast, rather than focusing on one central protagonist. This book tells the story of Dill, Jo Rene's brother, and the heartache he feels over the early death of his young wife, Carol; it tells the story of Jo Rene and her struggle to survive in a family she loves and one we know that, if given a choice, she'd no doubt choose again, though she might want to kick herself for doing so; it tells the story of Dawnell, Dill's teenaged daughter and her desire to break free of the suffocating atmosphere of Peebles despite the fact that she's going to have ties to this little town for the rest of her life.

The supporting characters in THE WEARY MOTEL are as beautifully drawn and engaging as the major ones, although several of them aren't very likable, but then, they shouldn't be. There's Buck, the man Jo Rene should be woman enough to toss out, but doesn't, because love, more often than not, gets in the way of common sense and causes us to do stupid things instead of smart ones; there's Lori, Dill's unhappily married love interest; there's Tonya, the girl who dreams of running away to Florida, but settles for Buck and roses and chocolates, instead, at least for the time being. Then there're Dill and Jo Rene's mother and grandmother, two feisty women who are both surprising and yet, wholly believable.

Like the characters in Spencer's previous book, LOVE AND RERUNS IN ADAMS COUNTY, the characters in THE WEARY MOTEL do the "wrong" thing more often than they do the "right," but they are, above all else, supremely human and extraordinarily memorable. Spencer really lets us see into the hearts of these people and I found myself chuckling on almost every page and thinking, yes, that's exactly the way I felt; that's exactly the way life is.

One of the most memorable and endearing scenes occurs when Jo Rene receives a chain letter. Like most of us, her first instinct is to chuck it into the nearest trash can, but also, like most of us, Jo Rene doesn't want to tempt fate, so she deals with the letter, instead, and in a very comical and human manner.

While the characters take center stage in THE WEARY MOTEL, one really can't review this book without mentioning Spencer's fresh and funny dialogue. His narrative voice is strong and it's unique. It's also as uniquely American as Mark Twain. Spencer carefully walks the line between the comic and the grim without so much as a single misstep. In addition, his dialogue has subtext, something I think many authors today simply dismiss as being unnecessary. I have yet to read another book that can even come close to being as poignant, as truly funny, and as genuinely bittersweet as is THE WEARY MOTEL. The subject matter is sometimes dark and grim and serious, but Spencer never forgets that even in the grimmest moments there can often be found a comic side to life, and to his enormous credit, he focuses on both.

THE WEARY MOTEL is a fresh, funny, and touching novel and one I would definitely recommend to anyone. It's really too bad it's not more widely read. Mark Spencer is an author who's not only mastered his craft; he's an author who knows how to plumb the depths of the human heart.


5/5

I love this book! I love the way Mr. Spencer draws the reader into every characters life, all the way down to the "mind chatter" that everyone has and never talks about. He draws a clear picture of the external settings of an internal madness. I love his sense of humor and the multi-faceted texture of his writing. I own three of his books and look forward to the next!

This book has an excellent mix of Wright's structures and furniture. I am a woodworker and I make mostly furniture for my family. This is a quality book with quality photographs. Wright sure kept things simple and his designs will never lose popularity.

Some books on Frank Lloyd Wright do not fill the page with the photo, they'll have a white border. Others will have a number of black and white photos. Others will have as much as half the book in text. This book has none of those. It's 90% or more big color photos with up to half of them filling the page. It differs from many FLW books in that it is mainly photos of interiors. Most of the photographs were taken by Balthazar Korab and Paul Rocheleau and they did an excellent job. I own about 50 FLW books. I try to buy those that are large and filled with photos of his buildings. Another unique aspect of this book is there are several photos looking up at the ceiling of various FLW buildings which is a real treat. There are probably over 150 photos here.

The book is catagorized into Integrity of Site and Structure, Common and Private Spaces, Multilevel Interiors, Sheltering Eaves and Balconies, Indoor/Outdoor Gardens and the Grammar of Simplicity. Most of the buildings presented are his most famous ones. Printed in 2001 it's definitely worth a low used book price. For these reasons it is a must buy for the FLW fan of color photos in a relatively large book for a very reasonable price.

A self-proclaimed Mormon prophet, Ervil LeBaron, and his polygamous cult, vow to extract "blood atonement," aka murder, for what Ervil perceives as sins against his cult so great that simply "being saved" won't wash them away. After Ervil's death in prison, his family (referred to by some as the Lord of the Flies LeBaron's because of their ages), set off to murder their father's enemies.. Investigative reporter Scott Anderson exposes "The Church of the Lamb of God," the two-decade-long murder spree, and the prophet's sons and daughters who were also his hit men. This is true crime at it's best.

This text is user friendly for a basic class about abnormal psychology. It is complete with models for understanding theoretical approaches and interventions.

ABSTRACT JUSTICE: An Ascent Into Hell, by Spencer Preston. The spellbinding political thriller that dramatically altered the course of the "Trial of the Century". "As the leader of the free world lays dying, a plot unfolds to kill his successor-- a black man.

This is a very enjoyable historical novel about a Luftwaffe fighter pilot during WW2. It is fiction for mature readers, obviously very well researched, and is as gripping a read as many of the autobiographies of the real Luftwaffe pilots that I have read. (eg. Heilmann, Hannig, Knoke. If you know and appreciate these titles I feel you are sure to enjoy this novel)

The story covers the young combat pilot's first sorties against the British during the Battle of Britain, moves to the Eastern Front where he hones his 'trade' and also touches on the air-fighting during the Defense of the Reich and culminates in the Bodenplatte attack. It reveals an interesting look at the propaganda machine behind the aces, and the sometimes insatiable drive for victories and scores among Luftwaffe aces. Interwoven with the descriptions of operations, pilots and personal vs. military politics is an unforgettable love story which does not detract from the impact of the book for air combat enthusiasts. If you have read and enjoyed Len Deighton's "Goodbye Mickey Mouse" you will find "Ace" a similar spin on the pilots and operations but from the perspective of the other side of the channel.
I loved it, found it to be well researched historically and technically and have re-read it many times. I would recommend it to anyone interested in stories about the pilots of the Luftwaffe.

Reviewed by Tina Avon for RebeccasReads (9/08)


I had not previously read any of Dan Spencer's books, however, I got a wonderful introduction to his work by reading his latest novel, The Acid Diary.

The Acid Diary is billed as an historical thriller and it is that. But, what I found to be this books strongest asset was definitely the fact that the author was willing to go well beyond the standard formula found in most thrillers. In fact, the 'thriller' part of the book, while entertaining and certainly a main focus of the book, was secondary, in many ways, to the richly developed characters, especially the Evan character who spent most of his time trying to figure out why his 'good guy' brother would suddenly be found dead and also be accused of selling drugs.

As Evan read pages from his brother's diary, you began to get a bit of a feel for whom this person was, yet none of it answered any broader questions. The entries did make me actually like the brother a lot more, which is an interesting way for the author to get his readers to become more personally acquainted with the dead brother. Again, this to me shows that the author had an emotional tie to his characters and that he felt the need to make sure that the reader understood them.

As mentioned, this book is historical; it is set in the late 1960s, which were certainly turbulent times in the US. While I was a very little girl in the 60s, I do have vague memories of that time, and the effect of the Vietnam War on families. Spencer did a fine job of setting his novel in this time period, that the reader feels as though they are living everything right along with the characters. At one point, Evan is reading his draft notice and as I was reading the passage, I could almost feel the emotions coming off the page! The imagery is vivid and all too real.

The writing is fast paced, but the overall story is never sacrificed for the sake of a cheap ploy to advance the book.

I really enjoyed this book and if you like your thrillers to have some 'soul,' then I highly suggest this book. As a bonus, it was also a fun read with a bit of a surprise ending.