Williams Books

I have been giving this book as a baby shower gift for many years! I consider it a MUST read--especially for dads--- and for parents of baby boys. It's such a good, gentle lesson for both sexes.

If you have boys, you should have this book. It is just as much for us parents. Explains in such a simple way why it is important for a little boy to have something to take care of. We love seeing our little girls pretend to be mommies, why shouldn't we want our boys to feel proud of pretending to be daddies?

This story literally brings a tear to my eye every time I read it. If you have a little boy that ever showed interest in a doll this is the book for your entire family. I also recommend Zolotow's book "Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present".

As a children's librarian, I wander through the children's book section on Amazon quite often. When I found William's Doll, I knew our library had to have it. The day I brought it in to share with second grade, one sharp boy spied the book with, "She has William's Doll. Hahahaha." Then boys surrounding William (I deliberately picked this class because "William" is in it) began to laugh and call him names. Immediately, I squashed the teasing. We talked about dolls, the various kinds, what dolls are for, and why William wanted one. We talked about whose daddies changed diapers, put babies to bed, and so on, and why they did these things. We talked about maturity and immaturity. I asked if second grade could be mature. One boy blurted, no, we're just kids. So we talked about maturity again.

William wanted a doll because he envied the neighbor girl who had one. He wanted to change it, sing to it, coo with it, put it to bed. His brother and brother's friend walked in while William was acting out these emotionally charged moments. Of course, they laughed and called him names. His daddy gave him a basketball and goal, and a train set. William mastered layups, goal throwing, then beat his brother and friend. He used engineering (guy) skills to build stations and storage areas. Finally, granny bought him a doll, exactly the one he wanted with eyes that went blink and clicked when they closed, and told the worrying dad that William wanted to grow up to be a good father who helped with the tending of a baby.

My second grade class took in the entire story without once snickering. They were totally on William's side in acquiring a doll. Books cause adventures. Magic happens. This book is highly recommended!

There's a wonderful musical segment of "William's Doll" on "Free to be You and Me." My mother in law got the movie for my husband when he was in elementary school because it had open and affirming messages, and when it came out on DVD, my husband picked it up for our girls. They love it--it's funny, thought provoking, and even though it was made in the '70's, it's timeless. If you like William's Doll, pick up Free to be You and Me.

A repressive shadow looms over the destiny of these men of all age, beliefs, and ranks ... insidious terror creeps into those innocent minds and their lives ends before they know it or before their hearts stopped beating. Some vainly fight back, some don't, but all are hopeless.
The implacable and revengeful wave of the Soviet rotten bureaucracy destroys the life of innocent men. When tyranny and deception shutters the greatest hope of and for humanity, one ought to question if it had to be that way.

I can only echo the five star reviews already on this list. I first read Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" 40 years ago and it made a profound impression on me. I re-read it this year for a book club and still found it powerful if somewhat dated. "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is a greater book. I have read a fair amount about the early Soviet Union, including Stephen Cohen's brilliant biography of Nicholas Bukharin and Bukharin's own fiction written in prison. Victor Serge ranks at the very top of European writers. No one who is the least interested in this era can afford not to have read him. He is the equal of Vassily Grossman, who's "Life and Fate" is also essential 20th century testimony.

Serge penetrates in the most vivid manner the society in which the purges took place and the outward behavior and inner workings of the players' minds and their rationalizing philosophy. Highest possible praise for one of the heros of modern Russia and a truly great writer.

To begin with, Victor Serge (1890-1947) is an anomaly. He is a Russian revolutionary and political agitator who just happened to be born in Belgium and who wrote most of his books in French. He is not widely read today because most of his books fall under the heading of politics, yet he wrote seven novels of which THE CASE OF COMRADE TULAYEV is perhaps the best known. He comes from a family of socialists, one of whom was involved in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. During the Russian Revolution, he took part in the siege of Petrograd and knew Lenin personally. (His wife was one of Lenin's stenographers.) He ran afoul of Stalin, who had him arrested for being a Trotsykite. After years of imprisonment, he was one of the few writers ever released by Stalin in response to international pressure from André Gide and other European cultural figures. Later, he was also "excommunicated" by the exiled Leon Trotsky as an anarchist. Always on the edge of poverty and now on the outs with the Communist Party in all its many flavors, he wound up in Mexico after Trotsky's assassination and worked on a biography of the slain leader. In the end, the high altitude proved too much for his heart, and he died in 1947 while in the back seat of a Mexico City taxicab.

THE CASE OF COMRADE TULAYEV has been reprinted in the excellent Willard R. Trask translation by New York Review Books, with an introduction by Susan Sontag. Although there have been other novels about Stalin's purges of the 1930s--most notably Arthur Koestler's DARKNESS AT NOON--nothing comes close to Serge's treatment. His story begins with two bachelors in Moscow who share adjacent rooms in an apartment building. On a sudden whim, one of them, the fusty Romachkin, buys a pistol and takes to carrying it around on his nocturnal rambles through the city. One day, just outside the Kremlin, he is shocked to find himself within a few feet of Stalin himself. Realizing that he could have taken out and shot the dictator before his bodyguards could intervene, he goes home and hands the gun over to his neighbor, Kostia, who also takes to walking around at night with it. When Kostia sees one of the more repressive members of the Central Committee, one Comrade Tulayev, getting out of a chauffeured limo to walk the extra few blocks for a clandestine tryst with his mistress, he shoots and kills him and gets away.

In the chapters that follow, the murder of Comrade Tulayev, whom we never really get to know, extends like a ripple through the upper levels of the Russian leadership. It is said that the character of Tulayev was inspired by Sergei Kirov, who was reportedly murdered at the instigation of Stalin. As in the case with Kirov, Stalin puts unrelenting pressure on his political bosses to find the culprit or culprits, even if they have to manufacture them:

"The case ramified in every direction, linked itself to hundreds of others, mingled with them, disappeared in them, re-emerged like a dangerous little blue flame from under fire-blackened ruins. The examiners herded along a motley crew of prisoners, all exhausted, all desperate, all despairing, all innocent in the old legal meaning of the word, all suspect and guilty in many ways; but it was in vain that the examiners herded them along, the examiners always ended up in some fantastic impasse."

Each of the major figures thus framed gets a chapter to himself in Serge's novel. Some of these chapters, such as the ones on party boss Artyem Makeyev ("To Build Is to Perish") and the character known only as Deportee Ryzhik ("The Brink of Nothing"), almost rise to the level of poetry. Makeyev is one of those talentless people who rise to the top through sheer consistency and brute strength. One day, he is visited by an old comrade, who for the first time plants the seeds of doubt in his friend's mind:

"Artyemich, I have been thinking things over. Our plans are 50 to 60 percent impossible to carry out. To carry them out to the extent of the remaining 40 per cent, the real wages of the working class will have to be reduced below the level they reached under the Imperial Government [i..e., the Tsar]--far below the present level even in backward capitalist countries... Have you thought about that? I fear not. In six months at most, we will have to declare war on the peasants and begin shooting them down--as sure as two and two makes four...."

As he goes backstage at a Moscow theater, Makeyev is picked up by the security services and whisked off, uncomprehending.

At the beginning of his chapter, Ryzhik is a prisoner in exile in a tiny hamlet in a godforsaken part of Siberia:

"Incomparable dawns rose for Ryzhik from the profound indifference of desert lands. He lived in the last of the five houses which made up the hamlet of Dyra (Dirty Hole), at the junction of two icy rivers lost in solitude. The houses were built of unhewn logs which had come down in the spring drives. The landscape had neither bounds nor landmarks. At first, when he still wrote letters, Ryzhik had named the place the Brink of Nothing ... He felt that he was at the extreme limit of the human world, at the very verge of an immense tomb. Most of the letters he wrote never reached any destination, of course, and none came from anywhere. To write from here was to shout into the emptiness which he sometimes did, to hear his own voice...."

Even so, the long arm of Stalin's prosecutors reaches him as a possible person to frame for the Tulayev murder, and he is whisked off to Moscow. He escapes having to admit his guilt only by cleverly going on a hunger strike unknown to the guards. He slowly feeds all his meals to the toilet until he is too weak to confess to anything and escapes further interrogation by his suicide.

In the end, three of Stalin's former associates are framed and executed. After a candid confrontation with the whimsical Stalin, one suspect is assigned to supervise a gold extraction operation in Siberia. As in the French Revolution, even the prosecutors and their stooges are picked off one by one and ground up in the mills of what passed for justice during those perilous times.

You will not find Victor Serge filed under Russian literature. You will not find him under French literature. You are not likely to find him at all unless you are extraordinarily fortunate. Reading The Case of Comrade Tulayev has whetted my appetite to hunt down other works by this most elusive of writers.

A voracious reader I thought I finished the Russian classics when I completed Cancer Ward and the First Circle having devoured Crime and Punishment and War and Peace years before. Not so . Victor Serge has it all :the prose of Tolstoy, the impending doom of Dosteyesky and the currency of the Stalin era. Don't miss this one. FPB Ann Arbor

This book is amazing for its ability to communicate the intimate thoughts of the characters and employ beautiful prose to describe the physical settings in which the action takes place, without abandoning the larger narrative. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Soviet history or literature. I read it after reading several other books on the period, and felt that they were an excellent preparation for this one (The Unquiet Ghost - Hochschild, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar - Montefiore, The Gulage Archipeligo), but even without the background this is a fantastic read.

I love doing Celtic Appliqué and Beth Ann's designs are my favorites. She has a number of lovely designs in this book that I've made into wall-hangings, pillows and even patches that I then sew onto clothing. This is actually my second purchase of this book. I know the original copy is in my house somewhere, but I couldn't wait to start a new project!

This would be a five-star review if I were a machine-worked fan, but I love to do handwork. The author states on page 23 (too late; it belongs in the introduction) that projects can be hand appliqued and gives brief tips for the method, but the book focuses on machine work only. Readers are directed to use bias bars for making bias tape; no mention is made of alternate methods. That said, the book is an excellent resource for Celtic designs, with a variety of beautiful examples of the technique and patterns that can be reduced or enlarged. I have read several books on Celtic design; this is by far the best I have seen for its application of design to quilting.

This Celtic Book is a excellent choice for celtic quilting, From start to finish .Its great for beginners to advanced.
I Recommended it to my Quilting friends.
Thank You very much


Hilda wareham

This quilt book is so stunning with all the examples. Not only that, but being a beginner, this books spells things out pretty well. I did go get the other book she recommends as well. It's called Hand Applique. But that's if you want to know how to do Hand Apllique, and I wouldn't say that it deserves 5 stars.

Great source of information and inspiration for Quilters looking to think outside the box and or learn basic techniques in creating quilts with a Celtic theme.
Instructions are easy to follow and organized with easy tips to assist the Quilter in planning out and completing the project
.

Rosenberg demonstrates the extraordinary ability to reveal a nation's history through an anecdotal tale of one of its citizens. She begins with these individuals to show you the end product _ then retraces the steps of Latin America's dark, recent history to show you how a nightmare became real. Rosenberg not only tells the story of the downtrodden and displaced, but also the story of the "victors," or the elites. It would be difficult to sympathize with anyone responsible for the murder and torture that has plagued Latin America this century, yet Rosenberg reveals the fears of the persecutors, valid or not, with the same perception with which she portrays the persecuted. In addition to nightmarish governmental indifference and inhumanity from all sides, Rosenberg sums up each country's recent history in a brief and concise two or three pages. As a student of, and journalist in, Latin America, "Children of Cain" remains my most worn and dog-eared reference book. I see the faces Tina painted everywhere I go. Neophytes who yearn for a basic understanding of Latin America and seasoned scholars alike will come away with a better understanding of these national histories that seem so foreign. Reading "Children of Cain" will put everything you read afterward into context.

This is the second book by Tina Rosenberg I have read. The first one was Haunted Land about Eastern Europe after the fall of communism, which I also highly recommend. I'm so pleased with Rosenberg's style that I'm after her book on South Africa as well.

For almost a decade Rosenberg traveled through Latin America not shying away from really messy situations trying to make sense of a history of violence and very little respect for human rights. Tina experienced many of the situations herself such as being soaked with diluted acid by the police in the streets of Santiago, Chile, during marches against Pinochet or taking a nightmarish truck bed trip through guerrilla infested Peru. The Latin American economic, political and military elites also had their points of view captured by Rosenberg resulting, as far as I can tell, in a very well balanced collection of personal perspectives on the problem - violence in Latin America - intermingled with background historical information.

Rosenberg is very competent in summarizing the recent history and the roots of violence in Latin America. The author brings the historical review to life by interviewing perpetrators and victims. Violence in Latin America as viewed by Rosenberg emanates from a history of inequality. The native populations and the unwillingly imported black slaves and their descendants have been for five centuries exploited and victimized by greedy white Europeans. The resulting instable societies in turn fall prey of guerrilla groups, organized crime, drug lords, or the old fashioned military economic and political elites. The victimized population looses faith in the state and became passive or takes matters on their own hands solving social problems or even threatening or overthrowing governments. To tip the balance back the oligarchies can inevitably count on the CIA for supposedly counter insurgency help.

It's a chilling book with no solution on sight and Rosenberg didn't even include some remarkable facets of violence in Latin America such as domestic violence in a notably sexist society and the petit and not so petit common crime. Colombia is the first market worldwide for bulletproof cars - Brazil is the second.

It's an important book mainly for American readers since it shows the impact of American interference. Sadly it offers no solution - maybe there isn't.

Leonardo Alves - Tucson, Arizona - June 2002

I'm so glad someone recommended this book to me because I will never forget it, It's wonderful insight into latin America and it's societies. Great interviews and vivid desriptions of life in a place where life means so little to so many people.

GREAT BOOK, the best at capturing the feel of what it is like living in many of the Latin American countries. I do wish she had gotten the opinion of teh peasants more thought. She seems to interview ONLY those in power, while it makes sense since many poor people are scared to talk about the real situation due to the consequences it might bring. A must read for all those who think the Monroe Doctrine and US intervention are a good thing. A bit disheartning thought, leaves you with a bit of a feeling that many of these countrie are without help.

Not only has Ms. Rosenburg done a spectacular gob in writing an extremely readable book, she provides her audience vivid decriptions using a very personal approach that employs the use of specific people, their experiences and dilemmas. She also provides her audience with the neccessary historical and enviromental (social, politial and economic) information to put these personal and organizational accouts into the cotexts neccessary for reader to truely appriecate the psychology of the forces driving these extaordinary historical events.

Moreover, Ms. Rosenburg provides the reader with six different cases from six differnet countries. From Escobar's Medellin to Argentina's "Dirty War", she examines and analyzes different types of violence motivated by unique sets of circumstances.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN; A MUST READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN LATIN AMERICA!

The Arkangel Shakespeare is one of the best investments I've ever made. Both the dramatic and technical quality of the recordings are excellent. Buy the collection yourself and discover why listening to Shakespeare is so much more rewarding than merely reading Shakespeare.

It's great to listen to each of these cds with lots of well-known artists. I have now listened to 36 and loved each. If you're a Shakespeare fan, this is a must!

I can't say enough about this collection. This is an absolutely astounding collection of all of Shakespeare's play, uncut and unabridged, performed by some of England's most talented actors an actresses, as some of the other descriptions and reviews speak of.

What I have found invaluably rewarding as a Shakespeare devotee and as a actor is to follow along to Shakespeare's text while listening to these incredible recordings. I did this for a Shakespeare course in college. We'd be assigned a play to read within a week, and within 2 hours, I'd have it all read, while hearing it performed on these amazing recordings. To hear Shakespeare's words spoken as they would have been originally heard nearly 400 years allows for a greater understanding of the composition and the rhythm of the dialogue and verse. It simply does not get any better than this.

I'd highly recommend this collection. The producers of the Arkangel Shakespeare have obviously taken great care in preserving the text of the play and by employing the best of classically trained actors, the greatest works of English literature, filled with characters and words will blossom in your mind's eye. I cannot imagine any library being complete without this collection, and it is nothing short of a delight to have for your own personal library.

Do not hesitate to consider purchasing this collection for your public or collegiate library, or for yourself. It is a hallmark in the canon of comtemporary presentations of Shakespeare's complete works.

This was my Christmas present this year, and I can't stop looking at it. It's almost overwhelming to decide which play to grab and listen to in the car on my drive to work. These are wonderful productions with clear, crisp sound and excellent actors. The classical training is obvious, and many will recognize the names of actors, espcially fans of BBC television. Ciaran Hinds as Antony in Antony and Cleopatra is wonderful. He's also in The Winter's Tale. For any fan of Shakespeare this is a terrific investment. For teachers of British literature it is also a wonderful classroom resource.

This is a gorgeous production that is indeed a treasure. I listen with a Creative Zen Vision player and every word is delicious. I have enjoyed the first seven plays, thru Hamlet, and every nuance, every word, every inflection, pause, sound, background music theme and all the audio panorama makes every minute an absolute delight. I am now in a quandary about whether to continue listening thru the series or begin again to search among the endless audio treasures for gems I might have missed. This Arkangle series is a gift from the gods and worth many times its price. This kind of talent, dedication and flawless performance beggars description.

This was a fairly easy book to follow. Nice and concise, just like the title says. A nice concise bible to have around. Could have possibly gone into deeper explanations of the muslces. Very thorough for a small book.

The Concise Book of Muscles not only illustrates with great detail but the Latin name of the muscle, along with the action involved are a great tool.
Also, The stretching exercises on the side, are a plus!

I bought this book to assist with my anatomy course, and its the best aid I've had ever. I highly recommend it.

This book was easy enough to read in one sitting with very clear pictures and text. I have a (rusty) scientific background but I think it was readable regardless of one's scientific knowledge.

This concise book is a model of simplicity and clarity. It presents an effective way to locate and identify specific muscles along with exercises to strengthen and stretch them. It highlights muscles that are heavily used and therefore subject to injury in a variety of sports and activities. A first rate resource for athletes and massage therapists.

The book is fantastic! I traveled to Cuba as a student for six weeks in 2003, and I am always looking for photos and literature that capture today's Cuba in the truest light. This is one of those...
(FYI: It is only very recently that almost all travel for US citizens to Cuba has been restricted, and many people still manage to go illegally. Like I said, I went in 2003 as a student with permission from the US government...and now I search constantly for a way to go back, but so far I have not had any luck.)

Hey, how is it that all the reviewers are from the United States, where it's citizens are not allowed in Cuba? Just curious from someone in Canada who's been there.

As a traveler who has been mesmerized by Cuba through literature and film, I am filled with images of the country's idiosyncratic, seemingly incompatible mix of a totalitarian regime and a life-loving people. Editor Terry McCoy has done a superb job of capturing the precarious balancing act pervasive in contemporary Cuban life with this coffee table tome of photographs and essays. She thoughtfully organizes an intensely complex subject into themes relating to the country's art, music, ethnic makeup and local customs. Contributors range from novelist Russell Banks and playwright Arthur Miller to Cuban poets like Nancy Morejón and Reina María Rodríguez.

Some essays are memory pieces, while others are more objective observations. Yet, all add up to a vividly rendered tapestry complemented by the stunning photographs. Among my favorite sections are Pablo Medina's "A Brief History of Exile", in which he discovers his Cuban identity, and Carrie Mae Weems' combination of poetry & photos, "Ritual and Revolution". This book has a particular resonance given the ongoing effects of the U.S. trade embargo on the Cuban economy. For over forty years, Cuba has had to make do with native ingenuity, a powerful sense of life affirmation and a quiet but palpable sense of desperation. All these elements are captured with acuity in this evocative book, probably the next best thing to being able to visit. I recommend reading Richard Gott's "Cuba: A New History" as a complementary piece to give you a fuller portrayal of this endlessly fascinating country.

I bought this book for a Cuban friend of my, who is very knowledgeable about his country. He loves Cuba but is realistic about it as well. He was so thrilled with the amazing pictures in this book, he still thanks me. An as a photographer, I agree that the life and passion of Cuba is conveyed beautifully. As for a previous review: Just because people currently live in the US doesn't mean they haven't lived and traveled elsewhere.

If you look at something from enough different angles, you begin to sense what it is truly like. That is the overarching strategy of this wondrous book. Multi-faceted Cuba is seen through the eyes of greatly gifted writers and photographers, each with his or her own unique relationship with and idiosyncratic take on the island. The strategy succeeds brilliantly. Paradoxes and trade-offs are subtly explored, for example, between the blessings of free education and health care versus constraints on the ability to pursue dreams. You get not only to understand but also to feel the sensuous physical beauty of the place and the strains of Cuba's love/hate relationship with the U.S.. After spending time with this book, I feel as if I had actually been there and am left with a longing to go.

While so many clergy are running from this wild fire that is destroying so many souls, Dr. Williams chose to suit up in the Armor of God and attacked this problem head on. This book is very timely for a world that is caught up in its own devices, seeking to fulfill its desires at any cost. Dr. Williams' book is written so plainly that from the person that doesn't know God to the person that is elite in his status with God will know that this life style is wrong and it will kill you and those you love. Thank you, Dr. Williams for being bold in your presentation but gentle in providing the solution to this life style.

Finally we are speaking as we should. BOLDLY. Pastor Williams only God could have directed you to write such a direct and meaningful book. The concept has been greatly overlooked until now. You have faced the issue in the way God has asked, we as Christians, to face all of life's issues. With HIS WORD. That is the only True answer. Romans 8:13.....God Bless

Pastor Dr. Gary L Williams Sr's book is both timely and tenacious in dealing with this horrendous issue! It not only deals with this awful epidemic infecting the minds of men trapped in this lifestyle, but it also offers solid solutions to help anyone struggling with this stronghold. Whether you are caught up in this lifestyle or just wish to help someone that is, this book is a must read. No library is complete without it!

In today's society, it is common to hear or see particular behaviors that truly do not line up with the Word of God. The "blind-eye" notion must become a reaction of the past. As a true Christian, we must all stand on God's written Word. Dr. Gary Williams, Sr. has directed our attention to a very serious demonic underground epidemic that is completely sweeping this nation. In his book, "Deliverance from the Down Low", he outlines a very pragmatic prescription for "deliverance". Praise God for a man of God who takes a stand on righteousness! "Deliverance from the Down Low" is not only educational but shares biblical scriptures that confirms God's plan for our lives. Definitely a must read!

In a sea of opinion and propaganda it is often difficult at best to find the unadulterated truth. But God promises that He would never be without a witness. Dr. Williams with this book serves as that witness! He stands on biblical truths and practical real life applications, to masterfully weave together a strong life line with this book,that can and will serve as the life line of deliverance to any and all who struggle with their sexuality or any habitual sin. This book is more than just another book that highlights the alternatives to bisexuality, homosexuality, or even sinful living. "Deliverance From the Down Low" exhalts God as the ultimate healer of all of mankinds deepest ills; therefore it also servers as an indictment before God for all who ignore it's message!

This is- no way around the word- a lovely read. Bayer has a style of character developement that is elegant and fluid. Try his two books under the pen name "David Hunt".

Several decades have passed since a wealthy socialite and her young lover/teacher were gunned down in the Midwest: now forensic sketch artist David finds himself returning to the scene of their crime, investigating other murders and discovering a new circle of intrigue and danger. Bayer's is a strong suspense story which moves at a different pace and provides unexpected twists of plot and excellent tension.

I received "The Dream of the Broken Horses" as a birthday present. When I first started out I wasn't quite sure where it was going ... about 100 pages in I realized that it had crept up on me and I was "caught up" ... I mean I was enraptured ... I couldn't stop reading ... I read till 3AM. The next day I couldn't wait to get home ... the characters haunted me ... I was "in and in for the whole ride" and I rode that "horse" all night and enjoyed every minute of it. If there was one fault ... It was the fact that there is no city in the midwest this "cool" ... beleive me I know ... I'm from the midwest.

Typical of Mr. Bayer's books, it takes a dozen pages or so to really get into the story and then you are hooked. I have read every book that he has written, in both names, and I have never been disapointed, he is a master. The story just builds on itself and he has just the right amount of violence, sex and mystery. Not rauncy sex but a part of the story. To tell more would give plot away. Try it you love it.

Since his childhood, forensic artist David Weiss has been obsessed with a society double-murder that implicated his father and drove the man to suicide. Now, Weiss is back in his childhood home of Calista (a mythical midwestern town) and intends to use his time to discover the truth. The murder may be decades old but Weiss is certain that the easy explanations are wrong--that something more profound remains to be found.

Weiss's investigations lead him to stories of sexual obsession, child pornography, and blackmail. There are plenty of motives for murder--and even after all the years that have passed, some still living are willing to take action to stop the investigation and protect their secrets. With the help of a case writeup by his father and one of the victim's intimate diary, Weiss learns a great deal about the people who were killed, but nothing points a certain finger at the actual killer.

Author William Bayer's strong writing makes THE DREAM OF THE BROKEN HORSES something special and something far stronger than the story that underlies it. In some ways, the actual story is frustrating and important loose ends remain. Bayer's use of diary to develop character and reveal clues would normally be a cheat. Somehow, however, Bayer pulls it off. The powerful character of Barbara Fulraine (one of the victims) dominates the novel and the lives of many of the survivors. Her dream of broken horses may have been a psychiatrist's wish fulfilment, but it is also a sad reflection of the painful life Barbara endured.

THE DREAM OF THE BROKEN HORSES is a hard book to put down. Although most of the action takes place in back story, Bayer's writing is so compelling that I found myself reading on compulsively. Very fine.

First, I do not like mystery novels. No way - don't read 'em...not interested, thankyouverymuch (this to anyone who tries to loan me one). I vastly prefer (I thought) theological treatises. Tomes. You know. Dry as old bones? (What was I thinking?!)

I couldn't put these books down. They will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands before I give them up. I operated on just a couple of cylinders for a few days, thanks to staying up all night two nights in a row, reading them. Readers, beware! Before you sit down to read them, make sure you have meals pre-cooked & your laundry caught up. You'll need to call in sick to work, too :-). Homeschoolers - might as well give your kids the day off - you won't be in any shape or mood to teach!

Our Traditional priest went nuts over them, too, and HE operated on fewer cylinders than normal for awhile, the poor dear. These books are just...well, in Father's words: "PERFECT!" "Treasures!" and so on... He will be carrying them in his little Catholic book store.

Mr. Biersach is a FIRST-RATE story teller! "Move over, Rice" my foot (ala Mr. Rose). Move over, TOLKIEN, is more like it. Rose may've pegged the genre rightly, but the comparison between Bill's writing and Rice's is an insult to Biersach. I know, because I've read Rice.

The Endless Knot (TEK) and The Darkness Did Not (TDDN) books have incredible, intricate plots-within-plots, combined with characters so perfectly fleshed-out that I felt I knew them personally and by sight, long before I half-finished The Endless Knot.

This, combined with wondrous Traditional Catholic knowledge that I thought had been lost forever, and it's all wrapped up in ONE book! Well, two actually (TDDN being the 2nd offering). As Amazon doesn't carry all 4 books, they can all be ordered at TumblarHouse.com.

This is the first book in a series that I intend to read all of. This book is a fantastic murder mystery in the genre of the Rabbi Small books. For those of us who follow traditional Catholicism, this is an outstanding trip, however, anyone will enjoy the story and may even learn something.

A friend of mine to whom I had loaned my copy of "The Endless Knot" once noted how odd it was to get to know fictional characters so well that when the book is over you miss them terribly. I know exactly how she feels. The characters become like very dear friends to you and it is hard to lose them whe the book is over.

In "The Endless KNot" we are introduced to Father John Baptist Lombard, a former LAPD Homicide Detective turned Latin Mass priest. Lombard's stance has made him the mortal enemy of LA's vindictively liberal Archbishop, Morley Psalmellus Fulbright. Fulbright is so far gone that he considers death to be "an expansion of mind" and promotes Neo Pagans and radical feminists to high positions in his Arch-Diocese. Lombard is assisted by Martin Feeney, the arthritic gardener at St. Philomena's Traditonal Catholic Church. When Fulbright's cronies start getting knocked off one by one, the Archbishop has no choice but to order his most despised priest to get to the bottom of the murders. With the help (and hindrance) of Feeney and the cops he once trained, Father John Baptist goes on the trail of one of the most bizarre serial killers in US history. Along the way, William Biersach irreverently skewers the highly liberalized institution that the Catholic Church has become. As well as dragging Wicca, Neo Paganism, and Voodoo over hot coals. At one moment the reader is on the edge of their seat with suspense, at another they will split their sides with laughter. In closing William Biersach deserves a 26 gun salute. In addition, I should be very much interested to see Mel Gibson sponsor this book for PBS's "Mystery!"

WOW! The plots were so complicated that just when I thought it was all figured out, another shows up. The characters are so real that I want to visit them again. Hungry for more! Even though I have about 30 books on my shelf that are calling to me,I could not put the Endless Knot down. Every reading unveils more details. Still untying. Underlined a novel for the first time.MORE!MORE! I beggin for more. Ya hear?

Endless Knot starts out slow (okay, the first few pages are sluggish) but I stuck with it until page 52 and I'm glad I did because after that the book takes off like a roller coaster. You won't want to put it down. I read through lunch, dinner and stayed up late to finish it.

The mystery is complex. The characters are very good. Father John Baptist is calm amidst the whirlwind, whip smart and doesn't mind offending people if it means hiding the truth. His Watson, Martin the gardner, altar server, assistant cook, driver and leg man (despite a nasty case of arthritis) is loud mouthed, cranky as as wolverine and devoted to Father Sherlock. He's also a smart guy in his own right. The other characters, the hard drinking, party loving Knights of the Tumblar function as Father Baptist's Baker Street Irregulars. The cops are nicely written and so are the colorful, fiesty and sometimes crazy group of folks who make up Father Baptist's parish.

The villains are well done too and their particular vices were timely. About ten years ago I would've thought there was no way such people could exist in their positions. Today, nothing shocks me.

Endless Knot is a mystery in the Arthur Conan Doyle/Agatha Christie mold but it ends with a bittersweet note. The killer is caught but not without cost to the detectives. I'm off to find the next book in the series.