Wood Books

John O'Hara wrote "A Rage to Live". Author Peter Wood lived the rage. It fueled his left hook to the finals of the New York Golden Gloves and is just as potent in his first-person prose, making his memoir, "Confessions of a Fighter, " a corrosive, unsparing, compelling read - a 213-page primal scream.

Mr. Wood is a muscular storyteller.

What Wood's books are screaming for is the prequel, revealing more about how he, exploding with anger, jumped into the ring to wrestle with phantoms, real and imagined. Confessions of a Fighter asks the yet unanswered question, "what drove this guy to the ring for redemption?"

Told with compassion and honest insight, such stories need a telling in this time of so much legitimate anger at leaders who are plundering time and resources that need be put to addressing the environmental catastrophe that is in process. The planet needs the care from us just as we need it from each other, if we are to survive. In the personal struggle for survival can be the roadmap for collective survival.

The powerlessness that so many of us feel in not seeing done what must be done is anger-making squared. A more extensive Wood narrative of his youth would be a microcosmic tale of similar frustration and futility, shedding greater light on what drove him to slam fists into the bodies of brothers. However violent, ironically it stands as an act of hope, a desire to break through. It is both a cautionary tale and a story of redemption, as the earlier books bear out. A would-be great trilogy, for sure.

Read the Wood books in print already with a broad eye toward a universality that embraces larger and very contemporary challenges from which none of us can escape. A ring we must all step into is beckoning. Come on, Wood, where's the prequel?

This is a great book about mood and atmosphere, a book for boxing junkies and spectators, a book about smelly gyms and tense suburban dining rooms, a great read for anyone who has suffered the ups and downs of adolescence and ached for the wonderful release of revenge. The prose is exacting and unexpected - witness the mood that liberates the author on the brink of the first round, when " [the bell rang and]..the icy snowball in the pit of my stomach burst and my mind floated away serenely, like a butterfly." Muhammad Ali's rhymes have been downgraded accordingly. The characters are drawn but never overdrawn. The fight preparations and realities are elaborated in painstaking detail. The reader learns the psychology of the boxers as well as their physical and tactical weaknesses and strengths. The protagonist is all but unique - not from "Hell's Kitchen" but from the seemingly well-protected middle class world of Robert Redford's "Ordinary People." This book surprises continuously, never allowing the reader to settle in comfortably, just like a good fight.

I enjoyed your book as it took me back 35 years to Buffano's gym, you had me fooled Pete, I thought you were a tough Jersey City street kid, well you fought like one anyway. Your book reminded me of being a part of the boxing family;it's funny how boxers can beat each other up, but at the same time share a brotherly bond. In your book you spoke of praying for yourself and your opponent, that it would be a good fight for the fans and that neither would get hurt. I prayed the same prayer before each of my fights. God always came through.
Keep punching,
Willy Capuano

Confessions of a Fighter: Battling Through the Golden Gloves is the autobiography of boxer Peter Wood, from his turbulent home life amid a stepfather who verbally abuses him and half-siblings who compound his misery, to his decision to literally start training to fight back in a crumbling local gym, to his astonishing ascent to the finals of the New York Golden Gloves Championships in 1971. A visceral, tell-it-like-it-is view of the rigors of training, the heart-stopping fear of losing a fight, and the moment of truth and clarity experienced before tens of thousands of riled-up spectators, Confessions of a Fighter is an absorbing read from cover to cover. Especially recommended for boxing fans, and also for anyone contemplating the long, hard, and painful road to fighting championships for themselves.

Of all the books (other than the Japanese) available on this craft, I have to say that this is the best. For those of you interested in, or wanting to create a Temari this book will give you clear, concise instructions along with diagrams and designs to inspire. From easy to the more advanced, and all in colour. Thinking of trying Temari? Then you'll certainly need this book.

Enjoy!
Ginny

i own four other temari books. for me, margaret ludlow's has the best instructions and anna diamond's some wonderful pattern ideas. but for variety and inspiration, this is the best.

instructions are given for the most basic form of each design. the photos, which are very good, give examples of more elaborate variations of each design, of combinations of designs, and of possible filler stitches. patterns are shown in more than one color scheme, which nicely illustrates the difference color can make.

i have two minor complaints about the instructions. i think the author should have shown more pins used for some of the designs. i am an experienced stitcher, but i can't trust my eye to find the right spot to stitch on a curved object without a marker, and accuracy is essential for these designs. and i would have liked to have seen a bit more instruction on the herringbone stitch for beginners, as well as pointers for keeping the thread flat and even in the spindle design.

those minor issues aside, this is an excellent book for design ideas.

In the tradition of the best English embroiderers Mary Wood provides examples and inspiration for this fascinating type of needlework. Particularly helpful are the variety of examples of the design possibilities, inspiring one to try out different colors and design variations. I was able to copy a complicated pattern from an advanced Japanese book on temari by the understanding of design elements I gleaned from Mary Wood. This is not for those who need to be led through each step of the process, but a continuing source of inspiration, the book I keep coming back to for ideas.

Beginner or more experienced, this is by far the most useful and inspirational English language Temari book. Rather than teaching a pattern as a titled project, Wood teaches the basic pattern and presents several pages of photos using the pattern... you are limited only by your imagination. Multiple color photos along with clear diagrams support the text; Wood presents traditional techniques and methods so that you can stitch projects from the book, apply them to other designs, and also have the foundations to create your own designs. Wood writes in proper British English, but it's a clear and smooth flow, quite delightful. This is the book that most commonly gets recommended through the TalkTemari/Temarikai.com discussion list, and if you can only afford one Temari book, this is the that will do you best.

I'm new at Temari and found this book very helpful. The diagrams and pictures are great. Everyone should buy it if they have an interest in Temari.

This book was required for a theater class. It came within two days and was brand new.

Ira Levin is a master of the novel and the stage play. He has brought us ingenious classics like The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, A Kiss Before Dying, and Veronica's Room to name just a few. Most of his works have translated brilliantly to film and are fun, clever, engrossing reads.

Deathtrap is a wonderful comic thriller, which I wish I had a chance to see play out on stage. It's a fun mystery that is as twisted as a pretzel with a fun and suspenseful climax. The first act ends with the big twist, one I did not see coming, leading the way for a completely different, but just as fun second act. Not many surprises in the second act, but it is just as fun.

To talk about this any more is to give away all the delicious things in store, so I will let you see for yourself how wonderful this play truly is. Read Deathtrap, then do yourself a favor and buy everything Ira Levin has written. You might thank yourself in the morning.

Deathtrap is so much fun to read, I would just love to see it done as a play. It would be so fun to be in it, too! There are rarely thrillers anymore, and this one manages to be twisty, funny, scary and even not seem dated. Ira Levin has crafted something clever and cool here, and I hope I can see it done well someday, so that I can be one of the people screaming in the theater, or one of the actors causing them.

Having played the part of Clifford Anderson in a local production of Deathtrap, I was fortunate enough to hear the audience's reactions to the plot's twists and turns night in and night out. This show combines terror and humor in a way that really keeps people on the edge of their seat. I very highly recommend this work, and if you have a chance to see it performed live, do so, or if that's not possible, rent the movie. You won't be disappointed!

What makes this play superb is captured right in the title: "Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts." This is because the thrill of the first act is replaced by a twistedly different thrill in the second act. In Westport, Connecticut, we find playwright Sidney Bruhl and his loving wife Myra. Unfortunately, the well has run dry for Sidney who desperately needs a hit play and come not come up with anything. But then Sidney shows Myra "Deathtrap." It is, he explains, "A thriller in two acts. One set, five characters. A juicy murder in Act One, unexpected developments in Act Two. Sound construction, good dialogue, laughs in the right places. Highly commercial." With that blatant self-description author Ira Levin gives us the first of many nudge-nudge, wink-winks. You see, the only problem with "Deathtrap" is that Sidney did not write the play. It was written by Clifford Anderson, one of the "twerps" from Sidney's playwriting seminar. But maybe Sidney can find a way of making the play his own, even if it is over young Mr. Anderson's dead body.

Of course, Levin has already told us what is going to happen in the play, but as to who will be the victim of the first act's juicy murder, well, that is just the beginning of the fun. After all, there are still two other characters to be met and one of them is a Dutch psychic. "Deathtrap" is a roller-coaster ride that alternately amuses and terrifies, which is exactly what you want from a thriller. Best of all, you never catch up to the twists and turns. If there is a lesson to be learned here, then it is simply that nothing is more dangerous than a good idea.

Needed this book for a class and it would have ost $50 MORE if I bought it from our bookstore...

We used this in our Timber Design class and it was fantastic. It covers both ASD and LRFD effectively. We also used the NDS as a course supplement in order to find stress values and other important design factors that are not in the textbook. Another supplement that would help is the Minimum Design Loads for Buildings And Other Structures (ASCE 7-05). All in all, a great textbook for students or reference guide for any practicing professionals.

The book came in great condition, looked like it hadn't even been opened. Very fast delivery. smooth transaction

This book is easy enough to understand for beginner and detail enough for experienced engineer. Well structured, cover not only ASD but also the LRFD design. As a complement, reader should also pick up the NDS manual for reference of timber property. And also the ASCE 7-05 for design load.

Excellent. Very well organized and numerous examples. I have followed this author from 3 of his previous editions of this book.

Ernie's Ark by Monica Wood could not merely be a great book, but possibly great literature were there just a bit more depth to it. I state this to differentiate this fact from the typical lower case `great' that adorns the book covers of every piece of schlock the publishing world wastes pulp on. The great I state is with a capital G. That this book ever got published, by Ballantine Books, must be a testament to randomness, for I seriously doubt the author's agent, editor, and publisher knew what they had, and, if one can read between the lines on the author's website, and an interview printed in the book, after the work, neither, perhaps, did the author....This idea- of merely stumbling into greatness, applies to the author herself, for it seems that Ms. Wood may very well be one of those writers capable of stray greatness, but not its replicability, nor knowledge of how that greatness was achieved. As I said once, in a sonnet, `Greater than transcendence is its recognition,' for to know how to achieve greatness is greater than achieving greatness, just as knowing how to fish is greater than having a fish to eat. Two things point to the possibility Wood is a stumbler, although I hope I'm wrong. The first is that, in scanning her website and looking through her book, she seems to consistently praise writers demonstrably inferior to her own accomplishment- a fact that is unfortunately not uncommon amongst writers of merit seemingly obsessed with those that have little or none (imagine Hart Crane longing to be Henry Darger!). The second is that she seems wont to giving very generic and non-specific advice that is of, at best, specious merit for such can often lead to writers becoming very dogmatic in their approach to art, rather than being pragmatic as to the needs of each work.

That said, these are minor concerns, for one need only compare her writing to the insistently PC tripe put out by a Jhumpa Lahiri, or the `risky, innovative' crap published by a Rick Moody to see that Wood's comparative `classicism' is not subject to the stultifying repetitions of the former, nor cornucopia of clichés that define the latter, for the writing does more, itself, and pushes more boundaries than either of those two dominant trends in fiction, which damn character, shun narrative ingenuity, and stultify true imagination. In short, contemporary published writing shuns risk and ambition- this book does not. And unlike the postmodern posing of a David Foster Wallace, which, taken in either excerpts or a whole, is garbage, the writing of Monica Wood, as I've shown, is not. It is great in fractal ways- in the brief or in the main, and it survives rereading, which all great writing does, for it is loaded with things that connect in differing ways in differing moods of the reader.

So, let me end where I began: this is possibly great literature. I know, from personal experience, that great literature is still being written. This is proof that it is still being published, however randomly. If you do not believe me then I say, trust your senses as you read the book, for it will feel real. Fiction that you know is fiction is rarely great; it's only when you unconsciously fall into it that greatness has been breached. Yet, paradoxically, it feels normal, ordinary. But, it's a different sort of ordinary. Buy this book, recommend it to friends, and do so knowing the difference between merely liking a work and recognizing its technical greatness. I do, even though I would have liked to see a different ending, and would have preferred each tale to be a little thicker and richer, and to have done a little more overall, as a book. But I recognize this bias, and understand that a critic's job is to evaluate, not translate, nor judge a work by what it isn't, but what it is. I do this exceedingly well, and know that Wood has done enough to be accorded a just accolade of greatness for some of her work, and will happily settle for such an addition to the canon, even if I would have liked a little more. Would that such `disappointments' all went as well.

Mesmerizing

Ernie's Ark is a joy to read and reread. Unforgettable characters and the seasons themselves weave in and out of these nine connected stories. Author Monica Wood clearly knows small-town life, but the stories reach well beyond geographical boundary. A paper-mill strike defines the fictional Maine town, but all of the characters, even the CEO, have a distinct story to tell. A youngest brother, darling of the family, who must choose between crossing the picket line and defying family loyalty. One "heartbreaking eighth-grade girl" and a grieving widower who form an unlikely alliance. A young man reaching for a lifeline that will enable him to break away from the father who has simultaneously controlled and ignored him.

Wood's prose is golden: "A SIMPLE REQUEST FROM A NEIGHBOR GIRL, THE FIRST REQUEST FROM ANY HUMAN BEING SINCE MARIE'S BREATHLESS 'HOLD ME, ERNIE' WHEN HE'D FELT WHAT WAS LEFT OF HER LIFT FROM THE EARTH." And succinct: "WE USED TO BE A CLOSE FAMILY. BARBECUES AND BIRTHDAY PARTIES, LOTS OF BAD JOKES AND BELLY-LAUGHING, EVERYBODY'S KIDS MARCHING IN AND OUT OF ALL THE KITCHEN." And full of discovery: "HE STOOD ALONE FOR THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES WATCHING THE OWL IN THE COLD. AT ONE POINT IT RAISED ITS PONDEROUS WINGS AND LIFTED FROM THE EARTH, DRIFTING DOWN A FEW FEET TO THE WEST. 'STAY, STAY,' HE WHISPERED, WHOLLY BELIEVING HE'D BEEN SUMMONED TO THIS PLACE BY A DEAD MAN TO WITNESS A MARVEL IN HIS STEAD."

Tempered with humor and moments of high suspense, the stories trace the multifaceted paths that lead to forgiveness and redemption. Wood explores the human heart in all its complexity. Throughout the book the ark stands tall, suggesting a myriad of subtleties as varied as the characters themselves.

ERNIE'S ARK is an astounding book. This collection, like the ark of the title story, is built one piece at a time, one story on top of the last, until the reader is left with a magnificent monument to its characters. Set in the town of Abbott Falls, Maine, during a lengthy labor strike, the stories focus on those struggling to make connections with their loved ones during difficult times. In the title story, Ernie, a striking pipefitter who was days from retirement when the strike began, tends to his dying wife, Marie. In an uncharacteristic moment of artistic vision, he begins to build what he calls an "installment", a large ark in his backyard that gives him hope during a time when he should have none. In my personal favorite, "That One Autumn." Marie, on her deathbed, reflects on a frightening incident that solidified her marriage and which now allows her to leave it, loved. "The Temperature of Desire" explores the grief of the union man Danny when his beloved younger brother crosses the picket line. "Solidarity Is Not a Floor" follows Francine, the eighth grade daughter of an errant father and professor, who loses her right to an honor because hers is not a union family. When events take an unexpected turn, Francine is given a glimpse into the adult world, thus giving her the strength to confront her father.

Wood explores lives that touch each other, sometimes briefly, introducing the main character of each story as a cameo role in a preceding one. These stories are about making human connections, about love and confusion, about betrayal and faith. Taken separately, the stories would be admirable, but together they acquire an ever increasing power that resonates long after the reading.

I can't recommend this collection highly enough. I became a fan of Monica Wood's work when I read MY ONLY STORY, but this collection of stories, both heartbreaking and triumphant, shows the maturing talents of a writer just now hitting her stride.

This work compares very favorably with Richard Russo's Pulitzer-winning EMPIRE FALLS and covers much of the same territory. Like Russo, Wood is intimately and intricately familiar with the people she characterizes so well. Some of these stories could happen anywhere; some only in smalltown Maine. The stories are loosely connected and characters overlap in what in the hands of a lesser writer, might seem a contrived structure, but which here adds a depth of patterning to the already complicated relationships between these entirely lovable, if foible-full creations. You won't find Abbott Falls on any map of Maine, but towns and situations of similar ilk about everywhere, especailly in the smalltown Maine of the human heart.

I *discovered* this writer when I read "My Only Story" which I absolutely loved. I then followed up with "The Secret Language", an entirely different but equally rewarding read. So when I heard about "Ernie's Ark" there was no doubt that I would read it! And it was a joy.

I always enjoy reading books of connected stories and this was one of the best. Wood created a foundation with the first story and proceeded to build on it until she finished constructing a marvelously detailed structure. I loved how each story started anew but then incorporated some character or event from a previous story, creating one of those "a-ha" moments.

Abbott Falls, Maine could have been Anytown, USA and showed Wood's familiarity with this kind of environment and with the effect that a mill, a union, and striking workers can have on the town. The wonderfully developed characters are people we have met before in our lives. Perhaps we did not know all their secrets, but we have known them, I am sure.

This is a book of life, death, love, hate, fear, anger, joy, and most of all, about redemption. I cannot wait for her next!

I loved reading this book aloud to my second graders. It is delightful to see how Flossie outwits the fox. Have fun reading it to your children at home too!

Little Red Riding Hood is essentially a British folk tale. Flossie is a quintessentially American product. She's smart as a whip, cute as a button, and clever without being obnoxiously sassy or brash. She minds her manners while protecting her basket of eggs. She lives in the rural south of sometime past. Big Mama sends her to take some eggs to a neighbor because a fox has taken all the neighor's eggs. Big Mama warns Flossie to watch out for the fox because they surely do love eggs, and off Flossie goes in her pigtails and pinafore. She does meet up with the fox, and she cleverly outsmarts him, but you aren't sure she's going to do it until the last page, when she reveals what she's known all along. Patricia McKissack says this is one of the stories told her as a child. I can't find the source, but I read something else this gifted author wrote once about this 'black Little Red Riding' story. As best I recall, what she said is that this isn't a 'black Little Red Riding Hood story," it's a Flossie and the Fox story, and there's no need to have 'African American' substitutes for the traditional tales which we all should know, because we all should know them. She didn't write this story as a substitute- it's just another really good, ripping yarn that we *also* all should know. I hope I'm not misrepresenting what she said, but that's how I remember it. At any rate, I agree that this is a really good story for all children and their parents, and it stands boldly on its own merits, and Flossie is a little girl I'd be proud to know.

Flossie Finley, the smart and feisty heroine of this book is one of my favorite characters in all of childrenÕs literature. The story is an African American variation on Little Red Riding Hood, but Flossie is no wide-eyed innocent who has to be saved in the end by the big, brave woodcutter. She can save herself, thank you very much. The way she tricks the fox who wants to devour her basket of eggs is delightful. Every little girl (and probably every boy as well) ought to be introduced to this brave and resourceful child.

And Flossie is not the only great thing about this book. Patricia McKissack based it on a story her grandfather told her and she tried to reproduce the way he told it, in "the rich and colorful dialect of the rural south." The language is lovely, musical and poetic Ð a joy to read aloud. And the illustrations are equally gorgeous. The pictures of sun-dappled wood remind me of Impressionist paintings.

Great story, great writing, great pictures, great character Ð this is one of the best childrenÕs books IÕve ever read.

This has become my favorite children's book! I bought it for my "almost" three yr old son and he was captivated by the story and the beautiful pictures. Flossie is so innocently sly! She will not be out-witted by some ol' fox! The idea that this regal creature is being insulted by a mere child is absurd to him, yet he can't get past his own ego to see he is being out-foxed! I adored everything about this book.

Flossie And The Fox is a story that is absolutly loved by my children, one you will be asked to read again and agian. When flosie is asked to run an errand for her grandmother, the curios girl runs into a fox on her way, yet not the typical fox. In order to keep her eggs from being eaten she must keep the fox's mind of those eggs. Through her journey in the woods she is able to use her qaint childlike cleverness to entertain the foxes ego. Great story! Brilliant plot! Should be made into a movie! Exellent anti bias story as well, flossie speaks as a young african american girl would growing up in the country in Tennese, The fox uses proper Engish, and the narrator uses the language of the day. Highly recomended!

The Forgotten Covenant has something for every one. Simple enough for those unfamilar with the Bible to understand and deep enough for those well versed in Biblical prinicple to gain new insight and revelation into the heart of the Father. This book will change you . It is the kind of book you will want to keep and read again and again. I consider it a must read.

This book makes simple the profound truth of Holy Covenant and truly engages the heart. It is a MUST read for seasoned believers and new believers in every denomination, as well as for those who are seeking reality and genuine relationship with their Maker. Begin your journey today!!!

This book makes simple the profound. It's a must read for the seasoned believer, the new believer, and those who are searching for reality and genuine relationship with their Maker.

This book sheds light on what it truly means to have a deep, personal relationship with God. All rules, regulations and religions aside, this book shows you God's heart and the very depth of His love. You cannot read it without it tugging at the very fabric of your soul and drawing you ever closer in your walk with Christ.

I know God as my Father, Lord and Savior, but it wasn't until I read The Forgotten Covenant by J. J. Woods that I came to the heart-stopping discovery that God is also my Covenant Partner. Wow! Talk about name-dropping -- I'm in a covenant partnership with the God of the Universe! With simplicity and skill, J. J. Woods explores the depth of God's unique covenant relationship with His people, its history, meaning and benefits, unlocking the door to abundant life for His covenant partners. Whether or not you are in covenant relationship with God Almighty, this book will change your perception of Him -- and your life -- forever.

Author Steve Niles used to live in the D.C. area and then moved to L.A. Like author, like character. Cal McDonald experiences a wake up call after battling a crazed killer and the possibility of a new case drives him to relocate to Los Angeles. His ghoul friend Mo'Lock is not around so Cal sets off on his own to visit the home of another monster hunter.

The City of Angels also seems to be the city of monsters as Cal has to deal with all sorts of unusual activity while waiting for his West-Coast counterpart. But if werewolves and vampires aren't enough, Cal finds out that a predicted and feared Day of Monsters might actually be about to happen. Most of the world does not know about the strange things that also inhabit our world but they are about to get a dose of reality if Cal can not figure out what is going on and put a stop to it right away.

This is a short book made shorter by having a number of adventures. It is a little more disjointed than the first novel but it reads better. The action and pacing are fast. While Cal complains about not getting a chance to take a breath the reader may feel the same way as the action races along. Fast, furious, and a lot of fun. Check it out.

Loaded with clever plot twists, witty dialogue and awesome monster on monster battles this is sure to please

This is the best in the Cal McDonald series. It had some great action sequences, some truly funny and well-worded dialogue, an interesting plot and great characters including our old friends Cal and his partner Mo' Lock as well as Sam Burnett a fellow monster hunter and old friend of Cal's, who spends most of the story as an understandably PO'd animated severed head who spends most of his time screaming obscenities, and a new love interest of Cal's a women who runs a Magazine called Speculator (mentioned once or twice in Savage Membrane) from her apartment. For villains we have a big boss Vampire named Dave, a werewolf duo and a satanic teenager.

Like Savage Membrane this is a great quick read. The short chapters hold your interest and make it easy to read the whole thing in one sitting.

Overall this book has allot of clever twists and turns allot of over the top and interesting characters allot of cool action sequences allot of smart witty dialogue and last but not least allot of crazy monsters. Sure to please fans of cal McDonald, fans of monsters and fans of noir.

Guns, Drugs, and Monsters isn't going to place among this century's "great" novels--it just doesn't aim for a mainstream audience. What the book does have, however, is more creativity, wit, and charm in one chapter than most books have in their entirety. Steve Niles has one of the most high-energy and witty writing styles I've ever encountered. I found myself savoring every page of this book, often turning away to laugh and collect myself after being stunned by the incredible energy of the prose. The creative turns of phrase, and the sheer quantity of fun ideas make this book something special. It's as if Steve Niles just decided to compile a book full of nothing but the "good stuff."

This may sound like hyperbole, and not everyone may have my reaction to it, but just trust that Guns, Drugs, and Monsters reads like nothing else you've encountered. I had already picked up the trade paperback of 30 Days of Night, also by Steve Niles, but have yet to read it. Now that I've read Guns, Drugs, and Monsters, not only am I positive that 30 Days of Night will live up to its hype, but I fully intend to check out as many Niles creations as I can find.

I am now a full-fledged Steve Niles fan, and sincerely hope that this second entry into the adventures of Cal McDonald will not be the last (at least I still have the first book to enjoy, Savage Membrane).

Steve Niles wrote a hard core novel that I just couldn't put down for anything. Guns, Drugs and Monsters is full of creativity, energy, wit and charm in every chapter. I found myself savoring every page of this book, often turning away to laugh and collect myself after being stunned by the incredible energy of the prose. This book was filled with nothing but "hardcore super stuff."

Not once I could of put the book down, it got my attention and held it in. (Guns, Drugs and monsters, A Cal McDonald mystery.) Cal McDonald has made a career helping and hunting the dark creatures that haunt the world and has made as many friends as he has enemies. to some he is friend and protector. but to most- those who prey on innocent humans lives- Cal is a sworn enemy.

I recommend you read this book because once you have a taste of Steve Niles style, you never want to get it out of your system.

Though Niles does not write great literature, he does write a great satire. This book is filled with hilarious characters, weird monsters, and some great plot twists. Cal McDonald is a lovable anti-hero who is not afraid of getting himself arrested, maimed, or even transformed into various unholy beings. The book is fun and a great read, especially is you have read Dashal Hammet or Raymond Chandler. If You enjoy this book, I also recommend "Savage Membrane" (the first Cal McDonald book), "Dial M for Monster" (a collection of Cal McDonald short stories), "Criminal Macabre" (Cal McDonald's first graphic novel, illustrated by Ben Templesmith), and "Love Me Tenderloin" (The new Cal McDonald comic currently on issue #1). I hope you all enjoy this wonderful adventure in the supernatural underworld of Los Angeles.

If your interest in gay literature is just starting (and there is no need anymore to explain why) this book will give you a head start. You can find here information on a vast variety of books which you may pick up to expand your knowledge, curiosity, or simply spend you time reading for pleasure. Woods draws an interesting panorama of homesexual themes in literature from the Antiquity to the Present.
However, if you are quite far in the subject, you may find this volume a little bit too simplistic and disagree with some of Woods conclusions - e.g. the use of the word "gay" in the title may be quite disputable in the context. But still you may find many pieces of information you haven't yet heard.

Woods' phenomenological journey through literature, in which he examines a plethora of perspectives that are aguable "gay," is far more than a literary survey across epochs of history: It asks the question philosophers ask: What is gay? For the most part, that question may never be answered, except in the most biological of terms. Same-sex affection and eroticism. Human diversity is truly extraordinary, and all efforts to achieve a definition, identity, and distinction beyond this expansive single feature only limits what "gayness" subverts. But such an indefinite state is difficult to maintain, if only because erotic longings draw us together in concrete ways. In every age, we need more to hold onto something more enduring, if only because our unique sexuality, standing against the grain, finds such indeterminancy intolerable, if not terribly lonely. After all, men who desire men need love, too. Or at least many of us do.

Beginning at the beginning, and traversing millennia and cultures, Woods selects representative examples of homo-erotic literature, enormously exhaustive, acknowledging at the outset that his representative samples may not reflect what many today suppose to be "gay." The post-Stonewall moment heralded an intolerance of concealment, an unwillingness to be persecuted, and a new narrative that may occurred (forced or natural) in the Seventies was hardly emblematic in history. The so-called Castro Clone, hairy men in masculine garb with well-defined features and perhaps a little excess of macho bravado, might have been the dominant craze at the time. But what did this species of same-sex orientation have in common with the pederast (boy-crazy) male of antiquity? According to literature, not much.

But the Castro Clone has already passed into history, and Queer Theorists are bent on a new narrative. The effect, perhaps, of AIDS. Certainly, a little microbe has changed the same-sex dynamics considerably; a latex sheath now invades our love, and it seems to have changed our narrative and created distance among us. But we're all stronger and more open than all our historical predecessors ever imagine. The "closet" has ever been the refuge of adult gay men, and after millennia of persecution, we're no longer content to dwell in darkness. And perhaps the re-emergence of political homophobia requires a new story. Perhaps the militant subversion of the Other needs to experience what true Others have felt for ages. Whatever the impetus, more gay men are understandably reacting, often with unparalleled defiance, which may be more adaptive, but it seems foreign to me. Whatever excesses occurred in the Seventies, and they are legion, for the first time in recorded history adult male love, however elusive, was boldly believed.

Few books on a "gay" theme have touched me as deeply as this one, because none, despite its failings, has been bold enough to admit that our narratives change to fit the situation, and few narratives reflect the same story. In the final chapter of this otherwise non-polemical inquiry, Woods deliberately casts off his "impartial narrator" and engages in the polemics of paradox (a frequent theme among post-modernists), a variable in the deconstructionist "play" of differance, and one of Foucault's subversions of power. As my anger at his apotheosis of paradox grew (another Pope John Paul II, I thought), he slid home safely. "Paradox," he writes in the final sentences, "may be subversive, but it makes unsound political discourse if ever required to move the very public it defies. Beware of orators bearing paradox: they are unlikely to be democrats" (388).

For many, being "gay" is an act of defiance, an act of being ostracized as well as ostracization, and another act of being compromised as well as compromising. In my defense, I lived wherever the margins took me, and disregarded the consequences (and in my case those margins were far and few between). But those days when the love that dared not speak its name (and those days have been interminably long), when paradox and defiance spoke for us as staples of survival (however clandestine), came to an end with Stonewall. However small our numbers, we were liberated by a simple act, not of defiance alone, but of truthful pride. For all the angry contempt heaped on our persecutors, there was a time when we simply did not care to give them any notice. My only hope is that the new wave of persecution does not jade us to love's possibilities, but alas the video record suggests love is a commodity we can consider if we survive.

But we've always survived. We're an intrinsic part of nature, for heaven's sake. The Stonewall liberation, however, was truly unique; it allowed us to love openly and passionately, perhaps indiscriminately, and we'll always be open to love, unless the hate of our antagonists prevails. Very, very sadly, I see hate in our own eyes, so virulent, so understandable, and so self-defeating. "They" have already won, because we accepted their binary terms of opposition. In our anger, however justified, we've become one of them. Hate can conquer love, and once again "they" have proved it. What narrative follows next I know not. I only thank Fate for allowing me to experience an extraordinary moment in time. It may never pass again.

Gregory Woods, in A History of Gay Literature, The Male Tradition, has written a comprehensive examination of gay male literature through the centuries and around the globe. It looks at text and subtext and context to find the gay meaning or the meaning for gays in the annals of historical literature. Along the way the reader will learn new aspects of literature (such as the chapter on African poetry, to name one example from my own ignorance) and new ways to look at familiar books and poems. For all its breadth, it is wonderfully readable and somewhat addictive. It had me searching out various books to read them for myself. The writing is so good that I was equally fascinated reading about the books I had not read or did not even know about as I was reading about the others. This is a very good survey and a fun read.

This is a very readable book. However I was extremely astonished at the scantiness of space on Japanese same-sex relation. Since after ancient Greek, only Japanese could have enhanced male-homoeroticism to highly ethical valued SHUDO i.e. the way of male love and there is a great number of GAY literature,documents, arts etc. in Japan. I recommend two books for readers THE LOVE OF THE SAMURAI by Watanabe Tsuneo & Iwata Jun'ichi, et MALE COLORS by Gary P. Leupp. And I hope many people study Japanese culture, history and literature more.

Poet and author Gregory Lewis has given us one of the more readable compendiums tracing the birth and maturation of gay themes and styles in literature. Many authors have approached this task as a sensational "outing" of famous writers whose true sexual preferences will always be shrouded by the curtain of history. Lewis has chosen to deal with actual portions of writings in a scholastic method that creates a credible case for his choices of inclusion in the lineage of gay writers. Infused with brief descriptions of the social history of the times he is describing (Greek, Roman, Middle Ages, Shakespeare/Marlowe, Melville, Whitman, Wilde, Forster, Genet, Gide, Holleran, Leavitt, Monette, Auden, Rechy, etc), he lays the timely mores for interpreting the written word and in doing so does not preach to his readers. And though this book is heavily footnoted, researched, and extensive in its coverage of known and less known writers, it is eminently readable! Lewis is not afraid to let us know when his "opinion" versus "cold fact" is being stated; he allows us to grow to understand his method of decision making and is generous in his quotations of passages that support his claims. For the reader who wants a gossipy book of "Secrets of the Closeted Writers" this is not the resource. For those who want to examine the works of Thomas Mann, Shakespeare, E.M. Forster, Henry James, Plato, Socrates (the list is endless) in an erudite manner, welcome to the feast. Lewis is a gifted historian, social commentator, and gentle philosopher. And this book is one to read over an unhurried, extended period of time. There are riches here to savour as you read and for later as a reference volume of considerable significance.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, How To Get Kids To Eat Great And Love It! by practicing physician and nutrition expert Christine Wood is a superbly written nutrition guide for parents seeking to ensure their children eat properly and happily. Simple, step-by-step guidelines offer tips for teaching young children the benefits of good nutrition at an early age. Also provided is nutrition advice to lower the risks of common ailments such as allergies, asthma, ear infections, eczema, and ADD. In a world inundated with obesity-causing and artery-clogging fast food and junk food, How To Get Kids To Eat Great And Love It! is a very strongly highly recommended primer for parents and caregivers pointing the way to a healthier tomorrow their children and charges.

I was given this book after my wife and I had our first son. We read this book from front to back and still use it as a reference. By using what we read, our son doesn't enjoy a lot of processed foods, but loves to eat fruits and even vegetables! This is quite a change from my sister-in-law's kids who love chicken nuggest and MacDonalds. Also, because we have changed the diet for our son, my wife and I have found ourselves eating better. If you have friends or family with children, or who are expecting, I highly recommend this book for them.

Getting kids to eat well is always a challenge, but Dr Wood gives some great ideas for all ages. The book has easy to understand information on diet and nutrition and tips to help the whole family eat wiser. This would make a great gift for a new mom.

The book is a terrific guide and reference source for nutrition and creating healthy eating habits. It spans a child's needs from birth to adolescence. The sections on Environmental Bad Guys and the Antioxidant Good Guys are very informative yet not overbearing with scientific terms. It is so important to create healthy lifestyle for children and this book does it by teaching you the parent the fundamentals.

I bought this book shortly after the birth of my daughter, now 15 months old. My family has a history of weight & heart problems and I wanted to break this cycle. I don't want my daughter to face these issues as an adult. I read this book from cover to cover and continue to refer to it on a regular basis. My daughter doesn't eat sugar or processed foods. My family & friends can't get over the fact that she eats tofu, fruits & vegetables. They can't understand why their kids won't. As a result of establishing a diet for my daughter, my husband & I have had to make changes ourselves. My daughter is extremely healthy & happy. I have learned so much about the benefits of organic foods & a diet rich in fruits & vegetables. You'll also be amazed at what kids DON'T need in their diets (hot dogs, chicken nuggets, chips, soda!) I buy this book for all my friends that are expecting. If you truly want to give your child a gift, give them the gift of good health. This book will guide you, simply & thoroughly, in that process. I know my daughter has gotten a healthy start in life because I've applied this information to our lives.