White Books

In Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends, Joyce White, author of Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches, turns her attention to sweet endings. Brown Sugar gathers traditional Southern comfort desserts such as lacy wafer cookies, pecan sand tarts, gingersnaps, chocolate spice cake, a fluffy coconut peach cake, pineapple iced cake, cobblers and pies (including sweet potato and spicy molasses pecan), puddings and custards, candies and homemade ice creams. In terms of repertoire, it's similar to Patty Pinner's Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories, but White includes numerous helpful hints for presentation and how-to's.

There are no photographs, but the recipes include introductions that explain the origin of the recipes and handy sidebars. There are also numerous substitutions and variations suggested if you're looking to branch out, or perhaps to experiment with a more adventurous flavor combination (like substituting cardamom for cinnamon in a coffee cake). There's a chapter devoted to fruits, so if you're looking for a lighter finale, you'll find numerous baked fruits and compotes. These foolproof gems are a wonderful way to slow down and reconnect with a simpler time, and the delicious smells that will be coming out of your kitchen are sure to attract friends and neighbors, who might then sit down for a well-deserved chat over a slice of freshly baked cake or pie.

Wonderful Book. The recipes are unique but not difficult. The book has great tips on the types of pans to use, where to place your pan in the oven and an education on "brown sugar". Who knew there were so many different types of brown sugar! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves to bake and would love to show off something different.

This book is fantastic! I truly enjoyed the stories leading into each recipe. It made me feel as if it let me into a warm and personal side of Joyce White's life. This made reading these recipes interesting and fun.

I've always had a problem with picking out fresh fruit. However, Brown Sugar takes the guesswork out of it. I was so enlighten with the details on how to select the freshest fruits. With the knowledge I've gained, I ventured into preparing a scrumptious dessert for friends. My choice was the "Fresh Berry Compote". It was a hit and the instructions were so easy to follow.

Brown Sugar is a wonderful soul food dessert book that I really enjoyed.

As warm and homey as the smell of freshly baked bread, Brown Sugar welcomes you to enjoy a rich and diverse collection of sweets. Candy, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream and more are all featured in a collection of recipes featuring a wide variety of classics and favorites.

This is also one of those delectable cookbooks you like to snuggle up with and read cover to cover. Mixing practical advice with a wide range of personal family history, White writes the book in such a way that when you close it, you feel like a member of her family.

But even better than that, the recipes themselves are crafted with simple, everyday utensils, using ingredients that are common and can be found at the local store.

There are no pictures of the food, but that is a small price to pay for such a rich bounty of delicious, easy to make desserts.

Highest possible recommendations!

"Food for the soul" is an excellent way to describe the wonderfully soothing experience a person feels after eating any one of the treats from Joyce White's cookbook "Brown Sugar." Right now, just thinking about the "sweet potatoe pie" brings a smile to my face and that "chocolate cheesecake" makes my mouth water. ummmmmm, "Brown Sugar."

My copy of this book is in tatters, because I have read it so much. Since buying the book I went on a canoeing expedition to one of the northern rivers Cliff talks about in the book. I would agree with most of what Cliff recommends. This book or the newer edition is a must if you are going to do an extended canoe trip in the wilderness.

Good reference book, interesting read. The section on BEARS pays for the whole thing. Here I thought I was doing right, but now I find that I am lucky I ain't been et yet.

This book takes you through the planning, paddling, and post adventure stages of an expedition canoeing experience. It is a very thorough collection of expedition canoeing issues, from one of the leading authorities on expedition canoe travel.

A terrific read for novices and pros alike. The writing is easy to follow and accompanied by detailed diagrams and photos.

It is required reading for all of our guides and clients taking part in one of our expeditions.

This is not a book for the novice. I suppose it would be enjoyed but to really apprieciate the excellent ideas and tips, I think one would need to have many wilderness miles in your log. I rank this book with Colin Fletcher's [The Complete Walker] from back in the 70's at the top of the advanced "how to books" list. Well written with just the right amount of stories and humor. This is not to be read by just those useing canoes or traveling the far north. If you spend as much time as you can get away with "out there" you will love this read.

Cliff Jacobson has once agian set a new standard for canoe tripping literature. In his most recent publication, Expedition Canoeing: A guide to Canoeing Wild Rivers in North America, Jabobson goes where no other book of this kind has gone. The book is a thorough and comprehensive collection of every aspect of expedition canoe travel. Jacobson covers everything from choosing a river to the meals that you can prepare in barren land, but what sets this book apart from others is that he includes his own novel concepts for the trail alongside time-tested techniques that only someone with his experience can add. This book will surely become the standard against which all other books of this nature will be measured. The book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to venture north with a canoe.

God, I love these short stories. These are a must, must read for anyone interested in France during this time period, and someone interested in the nuances of human relationships. Colette was given as a gift to me some 20 years ago, and I have reread these stories so many times, the book is falling apart.

Her short stories are superb! Much much better than any of her novels. If you like short stories, try reading John O'hara (A completely different vein, but excellent also).

The Collected Stories of Colette by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, ed., and with an introduction by, Robert Phelps. Highly recommended.

According to the introduction, this collection represents 100 stories taken from a dozen volumes published during Colette's lifetime. They are categorised as "Early Stories," Backstage at the Music Hall," "Varieties of Human Nature," and "Love." Some, like the Clouk/Chéri stories, appear to be fiction, while many, like "The Rainy Moon" and "Bella-Vista," seem to be taken straight from Colette's varied life and acquaintances.

Whether writing fiction or chronicling fact, whether writing in the third-person omniscient or in the first person, Colette herself is always a character-rarely as an influencer, that is, one whose actions or choices drive the plot. Colette's preferred role is as observer-and it is one for which she is well suited.

An inveterate sensualist and a former music-hall performer, Colette integrates her characters (real and fictional) with everything around them-their clothes (costumes), their abodes, dressing rooms, and haunts (sets), and their neighborhoods and towns (theatres). Much of Colette's writing, no matter how mundane the surface subject, is about art-the art of living and, notably, the art of loving. In "My Goddaughter," the subject tells her godmother how she injured herself with scissors and a curling iron and recounts her mother's reaction. "She said that I had ruined her daughter for her! She said, 'What have you done with my beautiful hair which I tended so patiently? . . . And that cheek, who gave you permission to spoil it! . . . I've taken years, I've spent my days and nights, trembling over this masterpiece. . . ."

Colette is attuned to everything, every sense, every nuance. "A faint fragrance did indeed bring to my nostrils the memory of various scents which are at their strongest in autumn." ("Gibriche") ". . . set in a bracelet, which slithered between her fingers like a cold and supple snake." ("The Bracelet") " . . . the supper of rare fruits, an[d]of ice water sparkling in the thin glasses, as intoxicating as champagne . . ." ("Florie") "Peroxided hair, light-colored eyes, white teeth, something about her of an appetizing but slightly vulgar young washerwoman." ("Gitanette")

Colette does not pretend to be an objective observer of human behaviour; she does not hesitate to express to the reader her weariness with certain individuals or situations, and her stories of her vain, pretentious, overbearing friend Valentine reveal her jaded and waning affection. She knows this woman so well that she sees her almost as Valentine sees herself-a drama queen acting out stories, roles, and games without depth of feeling for them. "What Must We Look Like?" becomes Valentine's driving philosophy, to which Colette responds with "a mild, a kindly pity." In "The Hard Worker," Colette says, "I can see she does not hate him, but I cannot see she loves him either." What Colette sees-and does not see-is to be respected.

Some stories, such as "The Sick Child," are vivid and imaginative and reveal Colette's amazing ability to think and dream like a gifted child. "The Advice," with its mundane beginning and premise and twisted, horrifying ending would enhance any collection of gothic or mystery tales. Other stories, like "Gibriche," several of the other music-hall stories, and "Bella-Vista," tackle topics that even today remain controversial. "Bella-Vista," in which Colette's moods seem to wane with every familiarity achieved with her hostesses, offers an ending that is heavily foreshadowed throughout but is surprising and gruesome nonetheless.

Most of the stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, seem to come from life in one way or another. The quantity of stories and the quality of the collection reveal the incredible scope of experience of Colette, the dry, often weary yet obsessive observer, interpreter, and chronicler of human nature. As Judith Thurman says in her introduction to Colette's work, The Pure and the Impure, "This great ode to emptiness was written by a woman who felt full." As well she should.

Diane L. Schirf, 27 May 2003.

Ok. You've read the Claudine novels, and Cheri and the Return of Cheri. Now what? There are other novels (The Vagabond, Gigi, My Mother's House) but there are these short stories that are "must-reads."

Colette was one of France's most distinguished writers. Though not a writer of massive books like Victor Hugo or Proust, or of psychological novels like Zola or Flaubert, she caught that French essence of individuality and quirkiness and the golden age of La Belle Epoque before World War One changed France forever. Her books are pure joy as are these short stories. If you have NOT read Colette, you are in for a treat. (And don't neglect Claudine or Cheri. )

If you're looking for a refreshing deviation from the mean of women writers, then Colette is it. Her stories offer a pleasurable clearing of the literary palate.

I am reading my way through the White Wolf omnibus series and have just finished this one. There is only one word to describe the sweep and the depth of Moorcock's imagination -- awesome. It's no wonder so many other fantasy writers call him the Master.
This book, like the final book in the Elric series, has a dramatic and shocking ending, but that makes it all the better, all the more like a real myth. From books like Mother London and The Brothel in Rosenstrasse, through the Elric and Hawkmoon novels, to the most recent King of the City, Moorcock shows himself to be the greatest. A giant in modern fiction. Whether you like fantasy novels or literary fiction, I guarantee you will like the Corum series. Only Moorcock and Tolkien are the 'real thing'. Even in his minor work, he throws up concepts which other writers create entire series out of. He is one of the best and most influential writers of our age. Totally recommended!

In America at least, I think Moorcock has been overlooked as a notable pioneer in fantasy. At the very least he's merely underrated but as I read more and more of his work I realize how much he's influenced writers of today and the recent past, especially in the fantasy genre. Elric took the concept of the "anti-hero" and ran with it and Corum injects a whole heap of Celtic mythology into the proceedings, with quite entertaining results. Nowadays, some writers (Charles DeLint is the one who comes to mind right away) pretty much base their entire careers on building on those mythologies and folklores, but when Moorcock put all this stuff together, I don't think it was as common and I wonder what people thought of it at the time. This is another volume in White Wolf's Eternal Champion series and the second entire book to feature Corum (he's had cameos in other stories throughout) and this one basically wraps up his saga. Pound for pound I think Corum is a far more interesting character than Elric . . . Elric, while fun in a "gee what new tragedy will happen to him so he can complain about it" sort of way, probably has the biggest appeal these days to teenage fantasy lovers who mostly fixate on "Cool! He sucked out that guy's soul!". Corum, on the other hand, is more well rounded, he has definite doubts after saving the world, he misses his late wife but is prepared to move on, has a sense of humor and is actually proactive once in a while, which I think gives the stories more narrative drive, as opposed to the Champion reacting to stuff over and over again. These last three stories in the series have separate plots but mostly deal with the ongoing problem of saving the world from huge demigods from Limbo that would really like to get back but since they can't would rather just destroy the world (I'll give Moorcock this, his villains are unique). Corum is summoned to the future (really the past, or at least an alternate world) to save the world from these menaces and proceeds to get hip-deep in Celtic mythology. Moorcock sure seems to have done his research and it's hard to tell where he's drawing from other sources and where he's simply just making it up. The plot do suffer to some extent from the "plot coupon" mentality, where Corum has to go track down the long lost rare artifacts (the titles of the stories are a good clue) generally by way of a lot of tangential side quests, but Moorcock piles on so much local flavor that you don't really notice and he does take time to throw in extra twists and wrinkles so it doesn't feel color-by-numbers. The ending is typically downbeat (I know they're called "champions" but boy do their lives stink) but it's a fast entertaining read and probably possessed of more reread value than the Elric stuff, this definitely makes for a more consistent reading experience throughout. A must for both fantasy fans (the White Wolf volumes are sadly out of print, I'm sure the British or the originals are all available, although I'm not sure how much revision was done) and those who enjoy adding a sprinkling of Celtic folklore to their reading.

When it comes to real intellectual content Gene Wolfe gives better value than Moorcock in this series at least. But for sheer Celtic instincts (listen to Celtic Ladies CD while you read this) Moorcock is second only to Yeats, who used the great Celtic myths for inspiration (both the CD and Yeats refer to 'moorcocks'). These are the closest to their Celtic roots, using Cornish, rather than Irish, as their main influence. Is it a coincidence that Cornwall has so many traditions associated with King Arthur and Camelot. There's a suggestion in this that Corum visits Tintagel, which sometime Dubliner Moorcock has used to similar effect in his Jerry Cornelius books. How mythologies intersect, sometimes with disastrous results, is part of the theme of this hell-for-leather fantasy which goes so fast, in comparison to modern 'phat phantasy', as Revolution SF calls it, that you hardly realise the time has passed. The CONTENT of this book, like Wolfe's, is considerably greater than the content of most of its rivals. Highly recommended, if just for its sense of the Celtic Twilight.

My first experience with Moorcock was Elric. I loved the character and wanted to read more Moorcock, so I picked up Von Bek. Well, I did not care for Von Bek, so I picked up the Eternal Champion, which, excluding the Von Bek story, I liked. I had heard many good things about Corum and decided to give him a try. While I will not say that he is greater than Elric, he is almost as good. Corum's story is one of irony to the end. Humans take his eye and his hand, but he aids humans in their struggles and falls in love with one. She dies and the Prince with the Silver Hand collection starts up. I liked these novels and consumed them rather quickly. They are well-written and thought out and everything that happens, for the most part, is resolved. Moorcock's sense of continuity is wonderful. Corum, as are most Moorcock books, is violent and full of arrows through heads and swords through throats. If you are at all interested in dark fantasy, read Corum

While Elric remains Moorcock's most enduring charecter, Corum is the most likable. The Corum stories are also probably the best written because they were written as a series, unlike the Elric stories which were written through a 15 to 20 year time span. (The first 4 volumes of Hawkmoon are also excellent.)

Corum, like Elric is a tragic Hero, but is much more likeable and really has a lot of elements of being a true Hero. While Elric is a taker (The Stealer of Souls), Corum leaves his own world for another to help humans in a dire struggle against an Ancient race of Gods. (Actually charecters and representations from ancient Celtic Mythology.)

All in all one of Moorcock's best series. A must for any Sci-Fi/Fantasy Genre fan.

This is an absolute essential guide for Dark Ages: Vampire players. It has info on Medieval life, history of the time, religion of the time period, and fictional info on more obscure DA:Vampire bloodlines and disciplines, including the frightening Baali and the mysterious and doomed Salubri. Definitely recommended, excellent reading..... If you're going to play a Dark Ages Vampire game, get this!

If a chronicle is hard to build, it is a dark ages chronicle, not because of lack of plot, but excess of it, there's too much going on with the church, also there's chivalry and clan differences begin to break the vampire society. Certainly it is a good time to have a companion to give you few details.

It expands existing disciplines providing new ones, with even new rituals. The blood lines also prove to be interesting characters that players might enjoy, and storytellers trying to run the dark ages chronicle will find this book quite useful.

While Vampire: The Dark Ages is infinitely resourceful, the Dark Ages Companion is infinitely more so. It has detailed information on aspects of the dark ages which will help any chronicle. Included are several new bloodlines, plenty of new disciplines and new powers for old disciplines, and details on several religions. Possibly the most valuable resource is the new data on combat, including the mass-combat for the armies of the day.

All in all, this product is essential to run a complex chronicle, and well-worth the money.

Great book filled with lots of info on different religions, really helps form backgrounds for npc's. On top of that I also have a pc who is a salubri and It REALLY helps, thank god I found a book that has the discipline of Valeren in it. Anyway overall this book was very helpful.

If you have just purchased Vampire: The Dark Ages, then you will want to look deeply into this book. This book contains information to help make vampire chronicles even more dynamic than before. This volume contains a detailed section outlining the various actions and reactions of different religious organizations. I state organizations because too often the word Church is assumed to mean the Holy Roman, or Catholic Church. Although it was a major power in Europe, there were still plenty of other religions in the world; each religion had its own agenda and these are illustrated in the Companion. Now a Storyteller can be sure throw a massive curve into a Chronicle when Cainites are now confronted by not only Catholic clergy, but also pagan and followers of even more remote religions. What basis of belief do the Assamites follow? It is most assuredly not catholicism. With this book, you can get a slight taste for their beliefs, or the beliefs of those in their homelands.

So that is the church, but what about Cainites themselves? The Companion carries the higher level disciplines for the one listed in the Dark Ages core book. The authors have also included more Thaumaturgical paths as well as power to make better Infernalists. This book carries a wide selection of Dark Thaumaturgical paths and rituals. It also carries a few new disciplines altogether. Wait! New disciplines? Who wield them? This volume also adds four new clans/bloodlines. The Laibon, Lhiannan, and Lamia make their possible First Appearances in the White Wolf canon. Their chapters contain information on their origins, structure, beliefs, and discipline just as it does for all others. The one exception is that it also spells out each bloodline's fate. These Cainites do not survive into the modern days, and now you know why. But, I only mention three, who is the fourth?
The Dark ages are a strange time. Not only does it see the "birth" of a new clan, but also the genocidal hunting of another. Yes, the Salubri are still alive at this time and the Companion provides both a clan overview as well as a long listing of Valeren, the Salubri principle power. For all you veterans, Valeren is not the same as Obeah. Now we have the actual power the Unicorns wielded long ago in Enoch, the very power that is said to have temporarily soothed Malkav of his madness. This alone makes the book worth its cost, but the authors have included so much more.

In summary, coupling this book with Vampire: The Dark Ages will only enhance a chronicle. If players feel they done this before, add a few new religious antagonists, or just drop one of the unknown clans into he story to add danger, intrigue, and a huge new enigma to solve. Do not forget to spice the game with the upper levels of Disicplines. You may have a Brujah or a Nosferatu with a ton of Fortitude, but what good is that when you opponent can strike you from across the room without moving? What good is a ton of Potence and Celerity when your weapons shatter upon impacting another Cainite and not leaving the slightest mark? Who said the "things-that-go-bump-in-the-night" in the night do not have their "things-that-go-bump-in-the-night" as well? Can we say Methusala? Sleep well, childer. Sleep well.

Harlan Coben's short story "Entrapped" is about a woman whose husband goes missing. When she arrives home from the police station, she finds an imposter husband waiting for her and the charade begins.

All of the stories are filled with common elements that make for a great mystery; secrets, deceit, love, lust, drama and of course the most important ingredient, murder. Readers will find at least one of their favorite writer's works and be able to sample several new writers as well.

R. L. Stine tells a tale of a murdering best friend who's left with his victim's "talking" dog. The dog witnessed the whole murder. That, combined with paranoia and guilt, makes for a well written and very imaginative story.

A few of the writers that readers will look forward to include Lee Childs, Ridley Pearson, R.L Stine, Laura Lippman and P.J Parrish.

To sum the book up in one word that would be it, Fantastic!! This is such a wonderful collections of stories. Each story different from the other but all keeping the same themes. My favorites were Safe Enough, Home Front, Till Death Do Us Part and Entrapped. However all were fantastic. I recommend that you get this book, you will not be disappointed.

Anthologies of short stories by different authors are usually a collection of a few gems, a few all right stories and a few fillers. Death Do Us Part is a collection where all but two are great reads, they are not all masterpieces granted, but there are more than the usual number of those as well. I was interested in this book just to read Coben's story Entrapped as I had not read it before when it was first published in 1997, and its pretty hard to come across Mary Higgins Clark's Mystery Magazine let alone that edition to read it anyway. Coben is not the only great author here, so many others have written great tales and the other authors are all freshly published as well. Like all great short story collections, Death Do Us Part gives the reader a chance to sample authors they've heard of but never read before as well as introduces to them lesser known authors to add to their lists of future reads to track down. There's also a brief and very helpful summary of each author at the end of the collection, so those looking know where to begin.

In reviewing what the stories within are about I'll start first with my favourite ones (undoubtedly your list would start differently). My list starts with the editor and Coben's story Entrapped. A wife reports her husband missing to police only to discover he is at home. Only the person at home does not look or sound like her husband but he is the same guy the police show her that is in the photograph she gave them. Is she going insane? Could he really be her husband after all?

Wifey a story by normally child and young adult author R. L. Stine proves to the world that he can write sensational stories for any market. Wifey is the nickname Jake a neighbour of Frank the owner has given Frank's dog Ruby since they behave like a married couple and are never apart. Jake hates dogs, but is ecstatic that his neighbour entrusted him to inherit the beast as it showed to the world what Frank thought of their friendship. Ruby though makes Lassie look like Forrest Gump and will stop at nothing to avenge her master's murder.

Till Death Do Us Part, Tim Maleeny. The title story of this collection is the great tale about the sixtieth anniversary of a feud between an old couple who do not believe in divorce. They are both extremely intelligent and every year play the "fair play", dinner game of trying to poison the other through each others dishes.

Lee Child's Safe Enough has a guy from the city taking up work on houses in the country where notices a beautiful women. He stalks her and discovers she has a violent husband When the husband disappears he is the only one who can prove the wife was not around the murder scene when it happened but obviously he can't supply this news to the police to prove her innocence as they will want to know why he was stalking her.

The Home Front by Charles Ardai is set in America while World War II rages on in Europe. Too old to go to war Ray Harper is a government agent who catches petrol retailers selling rationed fuel on the black market. One such arrest is Rick Kelly who is killed in Harper's car as Harper was giving Kelly a lecture about how his actions are helping Hitler and why isn't he over there anyway etc instead of watching the road. Sacked by the government and with injuries Harper is down on his luck and one the streets. Luckily he comes across a kind woman who offers him food and board if he helps her run her garage.

The Last Flight by Bredan DuBois has a man booking a joy flight in the type of plane he flew in the war over the ocean to scatter his wife's ashes and obtain closure.

A Few Small Repairs by Jeff Abbott has a hospital ridden father who is dying a slow painful death asking a son he had disowned to help him end his life.

Blarney by Steve Hockensmith is the tale of a few drinks at the pub by a group of writers after a conference where they run into one of the only non boring speakers. This old Irishman offers to teach them what it is to be a writer if they buy him a pint.

The Masseuse by Tim Wohlforth is the story of a man whose dream comes true when his masseuse offers to cook and pleasure him in exchange for food and board and a bit of spending money while she studies for a new career.

Homecoming by the mother and son team pseudonym Charles Todd, has a wife of a guy fighting in Europe during World War I discovering an intruder in her house, however even though she knows he's there can never seem to find him so wonders if stress is making her go insane.

Part Light, Part Memory is an African slave girl's story of her thirst for vengeance when her father was hung for looking at the American master's wife.

Queeny by Ridley Pearson is the tale of a guy whose wife attracts the attention of a man while running in the park which she tells him about. The wife soon disappears.

One True Love by Laura Lippman is the story of a high class prostitute who is recognised and blackmailed by a parent her son runs into while playing sport.

The Cold, Hard Truth by Rick McMahon is the tale of a rural police office recounting the story of how he first met death row prisoner Jesse Brashear and the cold hard truth that good people can do bad things.

Cyberdatedotcom (note Amazon ridiculously keeps replacing the actual title with [...] so that's as close as I can put) by Tom Savage is the chat room transcript from a dating website where two under aged kids take a liking to each other.

Pushed or Was Fell by Jay Brandon has Walt a loner, meeting a girl, quickly marrying and setting out on cruise ship honeymoon then realising he doesn't love with devastating consequences.

One Shot by P.J. Parrish has Stuart returning to visit his old home which is now for sale and reliving the traumatic changing event of his life.

Heat Lightning, William Krueger although readable is one of the lesser quality contributions to this collection. A story of a guy who is having an affair while his wife lies in a coma in the bedroom upstairs.

Chellini's Solution was the only story I don't really think is worth reading, it's about an Italian guy whose enemies gloat as they tell him his wife is cheating on him and of course the actions he takes afterwards.

This is a great collection of short stories and one you'll want to keep forever. Not as good as this but still a good recent collection of similar stories to these I've read is Dangerous Women, edited by Otto Penzler.

This anthology of 19 truly great mystery stories is presented by the Mystery Writers of America (a fine association of not only authors, but readers too!) is edited by Harlan Coben. It is as perfect as an anthology can be.

Each of the nineteen stories is from an established writer. Most have won or been repeatedly nominated for various awards. No warmed-over, previously published material here: all nineteen stories are original. Nor are there excerpts of the writer's novels: this stuff is fresh and new. Coben wisely doesn't present the author bios until after all the stories and much to credit of editor and authors alike, the bios aren't pure puffery and hyperbole.

I can't tell you what my favorite was, because all nineteen stories are terrific. Jeff Abbott, author of "Panic" and "Fear", two fine thrillers, sets up a tense father-son-wife story. R. L. Stine provides something of a "shaggy dog" story that involves love in a strange way. Harlen Coben presents a story of a very crafty wife. Tim Wohlforth contributes a gem about a man's ideal relationship that leads to an unfortunate bit of snooping. All nineteen stories are simply great reads.

Oh - and if you didn't guess already, all nineteen stories are true to the cover blurb: they involve love, lust and murder.

Good stuff. Not to be missed.

Jerry

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (09/06)

"Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories about Love, Lust and Murder" is a must read for anyone who loves stories about mystery, misery and murder. Harlan Coben, the editor, brought together some of today's best mystery writers to create this book of 19 short stories, including one of his own "Entrapped". As Coben tells us in the introduction, most of these stories are going to end badly for at least one person, maybe more. The commonalities of the stories end there.

"Queeny", written by Ridley Pearson, is a story about a famous mystery writer whose wife is brutally murdered and he is mistakenly forced to stand trial for it. After what has happened, no matter what the outcome, and I won't tell you what it is, no one can win. Then there is the City electrician in "Safe Enough" by Lee Child, who moves to the country to be with a woman who is suspected of killing her husband, but did she really?
A few war stories come into play, the most poignant one being "Home Coming" by Charles Todd, a story about an English woman who becomes frightened of her home because it feels like someone has invaded it while her husband is away fighting in the war. AND, the most chilling story of all is Cyberdate.com by Tom Savage, which is about two teenage kids (are they really who they say they are?) who meet on the internet and the boy finally convinces the girl to meet in person. How many of us live with that worry about our children doing exactly the same thing? Revenge is even thrown into the mix with stories like "The Last Flight" by Brendan DuBois.

My two personal favorite stories were "Till Death Do Us Part" by Tim Maleeny and "Wifey" by R.L. Shine. "Till Death Do Us Part" is a about a chemist and botanist celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary by each preparing a meal for the other. What is on the menu turns out to be the surprise. "Wifey" is a dog who witnesses the brutal murder of her master and is forced to live with the murderer afterwards. Wifey does not take this lying down.

Other contributors to this collection of great stories are Charles Ardai, Bonnie Hearn Hill, Steve Hockensmith, William Kent Krueger, Rick McMahan, P.J. Parrish, Tim Wohlforth, Jeff Abbott, Jim Fusilli, Laura Lippman and Jay Brandon. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. The short stories make it great for reading before bed, taking to the beach, or if you have small children and frequent small slots of time to read.

Anyone joining the debate about deer management in Pennsylvania should read this book before speaking -- it's that important. Read it and you'll understand that conservationists and biologists (Aldo Leopold, Richard Gerstell, Roger Latham and others) have for a long time recognized that because the forests changed, deer hunting policies needed also to change.
Read Deer Wars and you'll gain a better grasp on the relationship between a healthy habitat and a healthy deer herd -- a relationship that cause the PA Game Commission biologists to advocate a decrease in the deer population to improve both the deer and the habitat as long ago as 1935.

Frye covers the era of market hunting... to the days when the forests were clear cut... to the time when a deer track was rare... through the various attempts to repopulate the state with deer... to the arguments about protecting does... right up to our current controversy. His book is thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and an easy read for hunters, anti-hunters, farmers, forest managers, politicians, biologists, environmentalists, and ordinary people who want to understand what's happening with deer management in Pennsylvania.

It's all in this book. Read Deer Wars and you'll learn enough to speak with confidence backed up by knowledge.

Well written. Shows all points of view and where they overlap and conflict.

This book is a must read for anybody concerned about the future of deer hunting in Pennsylvania. Bob and Spike did a tremendous amount of research for this book and the final product demonstrates this. I am looking forward to the follow up documentary?

I TOTALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I FEEL THAT EVERY HUNTER SHOULD READ IT. IT OPENED MY EYES AND MIND. I KNOW MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH GARY AULT, BUT, AFTER READING THIS BOOK IT MAY CHANGE THEIR MIND.

The size of the whitetail deer population in Pennsylvania has been a matter of controversy for decades, and the debate is currently more emotional than ever. Here, Pennsylvania journalist Bob Frye helps clarify at least some sides of the argument. With a lack of predators, and several decades of under-hunting, deer are now severely stressing the habitat on which they depend. Frye deftly explains how dense deer populations prevent forests from regenerating. This creates severe impacts on ecosystems across Pennsylvania, and also damages the health of the deer themselves. Frye extensively examines the science of deer population, and presents the many arguments for and against management of the deer herd. He also includes very illuminating coverage of the financial damage done to farms and suburbs by browsing. Refreshingly, Frye mostly tries to let the science of deer management speak for itself. However, this book is not as impartial as it appears to be. Most of Frye's coverage is from the point of view of sport hunters. Opinions or statements from any other interest groups are introduced briefly, followed by considerably more commentary on whether hunters agree or disagree. There are several appearances of the derisive term "treehuggers" for those opposed to hunting, and Frye generally prints the statements of excessive numbers of officials and interested persons who support hunting lobby positions (which in turn makes the book very repetitive), while only offering short snapshots of all other opinions. This book is still very informative for anyone concerned about deer population issues. But Frye does not adequately cover all sides of the controversy. [~doomsdayer520~]

I thouroughly enjoyed the book and found it well written. The Shih are the absolute characters I have seen in the World of Darkness.

I've had this book for a while now and from reading through both books, it far exceeds Hunter: The Reckoning. Just based on that, and the fact that I know Demon Hunter X is a very excllent sourcebook, I'd highly recommend it over Hunter: The Reckoning...this is just what my opinion and current course of action though. Do with it what you will...

Let me Just say WOW!!! First of all Demon Hunters are incredibly powerful. it has great describtions of the Shih and the Strike Force Zero(aka SF0). Both have intresting pasts and present about how they deal with the Shen>. And as an added bonus it has Great art work (even though a little graphic) but still "DA BOMB". Now if only they rest of the World of Darkness was Anime.....

this is another must buy supplement for anyone wishing to play in the east. whether you play one of the shen or wish to play one of the hunters, demon hunter x adds a whole new dimension to gaming. when will white wolf get the hint and make KoE a division of its own.

Demon Hunter X details a lot of information for running a Kindred of the East campaign for Vampire. The Shih are well detailed as is Strike Force Zero, and one is hard pressed to choose which to play. Not everyone takes the Shen lying down, and both the Shih and SF0 are at odds on how to truly deal with these demons. A great opening story and lot of info on how the Shih and SF0 hunt down and destroy the Shen, this book is highly recommended to anyone even remotely interested in the hunters in the Middle Kingdom.

The Celts have a term for people like Studs Terkel. Mr. Terkel is one of our cultural Shanahee. In the world of the ancient Celts, the story around the fire was the way in which cultural values, community and family history was transmuted to future generations. The role of the Shanahee was to keep the family tales and pass them on to future generations. That is exactly what Mr. Terkel does with this book. Wisdom and the values of the past are not something that younger generations today value so I fear that Mr. Terkel's book, although very interesting and informative may not be read by many nor the great pearls of wisdom discovered and carried forward.
Over sixty elders were interviewed by Studs Terkel. After reading about their lives, their adventures, their hopes and dreams for the future, and their indomitable spirits, there are some that I would really like to have had the opportunity to meet and other that I did not find as interesting.
Since this book is a collection or oral history interviews, it is not a typical book that a gerontologist would use for research yet the book is helpful to those desiring to know more about the life experiences of older persons. As I read the book and entered the life experiences of those interviewed, I was moved and challenged and delighted as I read about people whose lives impacted and created the world I live in today.
After reading Terkel's book, and this was the first book that I read written by Terkel, I think that oral history is an under utilize in teaching history and makes a contribution to understanding the lives of people, common people, who were part of making the history we learn about in text books. In many ways oral histories make history come to life.
I don't believe that Studs Terkel set out to write this book as a means of making a contribution to any one particular academic field. I think his motivation was two fold. The first purpose was to give the reader insight into the common person's impact into the events that formed the 20th Century. The second purpose was to allow those who he interviewed to tell their story and in recording their story, allow that person to leave their legacy to the world. Coming of Age contributes to gerontology as a field because it elevates the art of oral history, it highlights the importance of oral history in understanding the life experiences of older adults, and it allows a means of informally testing formal theories of aging by comparing and contrasting those formal theories with the actual life experiences of real people.

Studs Terkel captures in this volume what few children of the new millennium will ever learn about or experience: how our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents grew up, grew old, and left footprints on the twentieth century. His vignettes of life throughout the century, focused on the lives of amazing Americans from coast to coast, are quite profound. Terkel did not profile famous athletes, politicians, and CEOs; his interviews capture the lives of those who have made - and continue to make - an impact on our local communities.

It did not take very long to become addicted to this book. Terkel captures some of the most valuable American minds at just the right moment. The interviews give a first-hand look at history while capturing pearls of wisdom for the future. I recommend this volume as a gift and as a textbook for students. What Studs Terkel has captured here is worthy reading for any generation.

Pulitzer Prize winner Studs Terkel, widely known for his oral histories on World War II, work, race and the Great Depression, here offers an oral history of the twentieth century. The 70 people on record range in age from 70 to 99 and represent a wide variety of endeavors from labor organizers to CEOs, cops, lawyers, philanthropists, doctors, environmental crusaders, artists, clergy, farmers and more.

In addition to a zest for life, which they all share (few, despite physical infirmities, consider themselves "retired"), a few common themes emerge in these recollections. Whatever their background, almost all were affected by the Depression and World War II and a surprising number felt the blight of McCarthyism.

Yet most view the young today as facing a tougher road than they did. And while they all claim to find younger people invigorating, most deplore the modern lack of community feeling, the emphasis on self, the ignorance of history and unwillingness to learn from the struggles of the past.

The Catholic priest who was a gung-ho soldier in World War II, learned about race in a poor southern parish and went on to join the Berrigans in protesting the Vietnam War, says that what's "lacking today is a national cause in which all can join." You could say he spoke too soon or those were the days.

Jazz musician Milt Hinton's grandmother was a slave of Jefferson Davis. He recalls the apprenticeship of his youth, sitting in with the greats. When prompted he cites the more absurd of racial indignities faced touring the south but prefers to dwell on the good times, voicing regret that those opportunities don't exist for today's young black musicians.

All of these oldsters have strong convictions about what's wrong with the world, although surprisingly few sound cranky about it. "I'm deeply accustomed to giving advice that is not heard," says economist John Kenneth Galbraith, a long time critic of "private affluence and public squalor."

Many of them find a new freedom in old age. "Young people don't have this liberty," says environmental activist David Brower. "They can't alienate themselves too much from the system."

Some seem to live almost wholly in the present. A Nisei school teacher who spent World War II in an internment camp spends her entire interview enthusing about the young children she teaches and the future before them.

An admiral who directs the Center for Defense Information, a whistle-blowing group, was a model naval officer. "My fervor and dissent has increased....as you get older, you realize that whether it be a justice of the Supreme Court or the president of the United States, he's just a human being subject to human foibles."

Terkel, a feisty fighter himself, has naturally picked a large proportion of social and political activists - people who see the world as imperfect then and imperfect now - but always worth fighting for. This is an invigorating and thoughtful collection and a fine perspective on the last century.

American society suffers from collective Alzheimer's, says Studs Terkel, "and the young are suffering from it the most severely. We don't know anything aboout the past and we don't seem to want to know." The author of widely-praised, bestselling books like Hard Times, Working, Race and The Good War, Terkel interviews 70 strong minded and outspoken Americans, the youngest of whom is 70, the oldest 99. Nearly every page is mesmerizing. Particularly delightful are his interviews with art critic Katherine Kuh (at age 89) and Sophia Mumford (at 94), the widow of Lewis Mumford.

A host of compelling stories marks COMING OF AGE as one of the top efforts from oral historian Studs Terkel. We hear from dozens of outstanding senior citizens, each one giving their personal remembrance of American life in the 20th Century. The mostly liberal interviewees range from ordinary citizens to baseball activist Marvin Miller, Congressmen Henry Gonzalez and (the late) Charles Hayes, and Chicago medical director Quentin Young. Readers get a strong personal sense of major events like the Depression, World War II, McCarthyism and Civil Rights - something one seldom gets from dry academic texts. The book also lends credence to tales many of us once heard from older and often now-departed relatives.

I gave COMING OF AGE just four starts because Terkel's increasing rigidity in sticking with liberal interviewees deprives readers of an honest cross-section of views. Despite this flaw, COMING OF AGE remains a moving effort.

this book is ESSENTIAL to feminists everywhere. The subject matter in this book opened my eyes about where I am lacking in my woman-lovin' ways, and gave me courage to bridge the gaps.

With the precision of neurosurgeons, Midge and Kathy cut into our minds and expose to the light all of the prejudices, notions, beliefs, etc, the White and Black women have about each other, from the skin we're in, the hair we wear, to the interracial dating thing (OUCH!!!). Both authors weave factual information with personal stories and accounts from other women of both races, and the book is an all-over good read: it's a brave endeavor by 2 races of women to form new bridges of understanding over very, very troubled waters. If you have a friend of the opposite race and there are "issues" between you, perhaps this book can break down the reasons and solutions and let it be known that women need other women, period, in this "man's world." Insightful AND essential.

I always thought that as women, we stuck together against a male dominated society. However, as we approached the twenty-first century, it is sad to say that all women don't stick together. Divided Sisters proves just that. Historically, black women and white women have been divided not only by race, but by gender and class. However, black women are three steps behind by the black man, white woman, and white man.

From the perspective of a white woman engaged to a black male, (and a woman who has had a racially diverse group of friends throughout life), I found the book very informative -- in terms of understanding the lines that have been forced between white and black women. It does a great job in explaining the attitudes of black women -- attitudes that white women do not normally understand. It is a must read for the woman who wants to change the racially divided society that we live in today.

I found this book accidentally while searching the shelves at the public library. It is an extremely important book that deals with a lot of issues most people would rather not talk about. Being a black woman it was helpful to read that other black women have the same feelings as I do. I enjoyed learning about the history of women in America. It opened my eyes to many things I never considered before. I have recommended this book to my white friends in hopes that they'll understand why I get angry and frustrated in a country that worships white women. It also helped me to see what goes on in their heads too. This book should be required reading in the high schools. Midge and Kathy did a wonderful job collecting data - this book is awesome.