Michigan Books

The story is over-the-top, but very enjoyable. In fact, the story is very enjoyable because it IS so over-the-top. A fun read with crazy characters. Highly recommended.

The most striking aspect of this book is the vivid descriptions the author comes up with to describe the characters and events. The story itself is disjointed at times but my overall impression was positive due to the colorful imagery and imaginative plot twists. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us in the future!

A great book, full of suspense....Provides a look into the other side of politics!

This is one of the most intriguing novels I have read to date. This author doesn't think about industry norms. He has written an intelligent, intriguing page-turner that keeps your interest. An easy read and an amazing story. I reccommend this book to anyone looking for an escape from the dull boring modern novel.

I don't read alot, but a friend recommended this book to me and it was really good. Some of the sex was very explicit, but I didn't mind. The author is really young and doesn't seem to care about adhering to industry norms.

This is a "behind the scenes" look at the half the Solidarity story which has never been told. Important for history buffs, feminists and anyone else who wants to know about the inner politics of one of the most fascinating and high profile revolutions during Communists times.

What an amazing story! I can't believe that I've never heard about
these women. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that history and
patriarchy consigned this story to the remainder's bin. For a book from
an academic press "Solidarity's Secret" is very readable and lively.
Just imagine how many similar secrets there must be throughout history,
the old "power behind the throne" tale. Come on journalists and historians! Look below the surface!

The basic premise of Penn's book is very important. Contemporary political science tends to regurgitate a few unquestioned premises. Many books on communist cultures rely on facile answers to complex phenomena. Few account for gender in an integrated fashion. That's why Penn's book makes such a valuable contribution. Hers is the best sort of revisionist research. At a time when our own American journalists are being both spoon-fed and censored, it is refreshing to see a writer who goes to primary sources and digs beneath the received conventional wisdom. I found this book to be clear and thought-provoking. It should be taught in a variety of fields, such as political science, sociology, and media studies, and of course, gender and Slavic studies.

This is an amazing story and a great read. Like many, I have known of Lech Walensa, the Solidarity movement in general and marshall law in Poland in the 80's; but it's really interesting to learn how the movement was kept alive underground by a remarkable cast of women. Shana Penn's book combines aspects of Rosie the Riveter, underground intrigue and an intimate look at how history really unfolds. It is a many layered story.

What an amazing story! I can't believe that I've never heard about
these women. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that history and
patriarchy consigned this story to the remainder's bin. For a book
from
an academic press "Solidarity's Secret" is very readable and lively.
Just imagine how many similar secrets there must be throughout
history,
the old "power behind the throne" tale. Come on journalists and
historians! Look below the surface!

Weighing in at a mere 131 pages, Douglas Bauer's book is the Cassius Clay of my craft shelf. And though I am tempted to take this boxing metaphor farther, tempted to say things like, "it floats like a butterfly stings like a bee", and draw parallels between its eight chapters and the eight fast rounds Ali went with Sonny Liston in 65', I'll check myself and simply note the elements of the book that I found most helpful.



The language is so wonderfully straight forward and the examples so clear that I used the chapter on dialogue with a group of high level 8th graders who are working with me on an independent study. We were able to have a wonderful conversation about "TV Dialogue" and how we can best to avoid it in our writing. They were quick to point out how rampant this sort of mundane dialogue is in adolescent and young adult fiction.



Along with clear language, the chapters in Bauer's book are concise. Despite their brevity they draw on a wide range of other craft books and essays. In the dialogue chapter, Brauer mentions Dillard's "Notes for Young Writers." A few of my young writers became curious about Dillard and her work. They expressed an interest in this book, and if I wasn't so personally biased against Dillard's other essays I might have taken it on myself.



This anecdote points to the fact that Brauer does not shy away from the words of others on the subject of craft. To the contrary, this book excels at pairing down those words to essential ideas. He draws from Booth's "The Rhetoric of Fiction" and E.M. Foster's "Aspects of the Novel." He quotes from Gardner's "The Art of Fiction" and Joy William's "Why I Write." I am sure that there are others that he mentions, but those are the ones that I personally underlined in the text.



The two most useful chapters for me, the chapters that answered questions I have long harbored concerning fiction, were chapters 5 and 6. These two chapters examine the issues of what Bauer calls "High Points" and "Sentiment versus Sentimentality."



I especially liked his treatment in the chapter, "High Points," of television violence, "the sort of violence with no accompanying long-lasting emotional consequences." It in some ways resembles television dialogue in that it draws the reader's attention to something that has no real importance to the characters or the story. It is interesting to me, as somebody who has not lived in a house with a television for over a decade, to see how television affects the way people write. I also cannot help but to think that it also changes the general public's expectations of stories.



The chapter on sentiment versus sentimentality, cleared up very nicely the differences between the two. I had always thought of sentimentality as something I could recognize, but nothing I could clearly define. I believe Bauer makes a comparison to pornography--we know it when we see it. But he does not stop there; he gives clear examples of how sentimentality can be avoided and points the reader in the direction of people who define this boundary.



"The Stuff of Fiction" is not the end all and be all of craft books. But it is for me at this point one of the most valuable books on craft I have read. It is a book I can draw from as I teach my students about some of the elements of fiction. It is a book that answered some fundamental questions I have had for some years now. Lastly, it is a book that points the reader in the right directions, bringing into view not only some of the great writers and storytellers of the West, but also the great works by others on craft.

This book picks some of the finer points of story/novel writing and analyzes them with great elegance and insight. It does so in light of specific in-depth examples. For instance, on the issue of pinpointing exactly where to end a story, it discusses alternative stopping points and the emotional impact they are likely to have on the reader. What you learn is inspiring but also eminently practical, both in the narrow and broad senses. It is not as comprehensive as "The Art of Fiction" by John Gardner or "Getting the Words Right" by Theodore Rees Cheney. It is, however, just as inspiring and satisfying.

What a beautiful book! I can't remember when I've read such an eloquent work about the craft of writing, making me wonder why any of us pay any attention to advice about writing which arrives in less artful form ("the long half-life of sorrow" is one of the many well-turned phrases which clings to memory). This essay collection (nonfiction writers have as much to gain as fiction writers from reading the book) is elegant, compelling, succinct, and breathtakingly clear without being condescending. The author (who also writes gorgeous fiction) covers all of the most important aspects of craft--openings, dialogue, character, high events (dramatic moments), sentiment vs. sentimentality, and closings, and includes advice from the best of the other writing "gurus" and wonderful passages of first-rate literature to illustrate points made. The Stuff of Fiction is truly a book for writers at all levels. I felt an immediate need to underline when I began reading; the book made me seriously re-think a novel on which I'm currently working. What more could a writer ask.

If you want to understand more about how a good piece of realistic fiction is put together, read this book. It provides both rules and the wisdom to make it clear that if a writer is on the right track, he or she can go ahead and break those rules.

*The Stuff of Fiction* explains to ordinary readers what has gone wrong when a book suddenly turns unsatisfying (for example, when it doesn't know when to end), the book gives new writers a set of guidelines to keep in the back of their heads while they are slaving away, a kind of frame to check the day's work against, and the book offers experienced writers a welcome articulation of the things they have been trying to do since they began this strange line of work.

The book explains how to start a story (maybe at the beginning, maybe not), how to write dialogue that doesn't thud or crawl on the page, how to create characters with mixed blessings and curses (like a human being in other words), how to give drama its necessary subtlety, how to create sentiment not sentimentality (a discourse on how to write with taste, which is kind of like explaining how to play jazz, but amazingly it really works), and how to end a story. Bauer uses examples effectively--taking apart work from Denis Johnson, Toni Morrison, Alice Munro, and yes Wm. Shakespeare--and writes directly but also elegantly.

Douglas Bauer is the author of three novels, each of which I loved (he never does the same thing twice, but since the prose always contains the same steely twists, you know it is the same guy), and teaches at the Bennington MFA Program.

Writing programs, take note--instructors can cut to the chase by judicious use of this handy and straightforward volume. I won't say it's the Strunk and White of contemporary realistic fiction writing--only time can tell that--but it's as close as I can imagine. Full disclosure requires me to say that I know Douglas Bauer personally, but honestly, I would say all of this if I didn't know him. It is a terrific and useful volume.

For the beginner or the serious amateur or anyone serious about writing fiction, this is the book to read.

After reading Gebhard's book, I decided to see what others thought about the book. I was quite surprised to see one reviewer give the book only one star. But, then I read the review and realized that this person had not actually read the book. He simply decided that he did not like the book because he thought the author had friends write the reviews. His review without reading the book is like not liking a person because someone told you a few things about her.

I like Gebhard's book because he does not claim to know the best way to teach. Rather, he wants us, as ESL teachers or future teachers, to learn how to make our own decisions about what to do in the classroom. He gives lots of examples of things we can do as teachers. (I especially like his section chapters on teaching skills -- conversation, listening, reading, writing -- and his chapter on culture and teaching.)He also provides real problems that real teachers have, and gives multiple examples of activities and materials that experienced teachers use. But, he does not tell teachers how they should teach.
The book is full of ideas and easy to read. As an ESL teacher, I can highly recommend it.

This is an absoulute work of superb scholarship. Dr. Gebhard is obviously speaking from years of both research and real-life experience. In an area filled with dull and lifeless preachings by secluded scholars tucked away in ivory towers, this work stands out as a testament to thorough reaseach complimented by understandable and readable conclusions. A must read for anyone in this field!

Excellent resource. I teach ESL to the Hispanic Immigrant Population in Anniston AL and have found this book full of useful suggestions and techniques for the classes we teach.

Have you been asked what TESOL is? This book gives you all the keys you need to understand teaching English to speakers of other languages. It works as an introductory texts for those majoring TESOl or will work in the ESL EFL arena.

This is a book on language teaching for language teachers. The book takes the view that language teachers must be responsible for making the ideas in the book real for their own particular contexts. The book starts with self-development as a theme and then moves on to teaching skills. Jerry Gebhard is careful to point out that he is not providing a bag of tricks as each application is backed-up with a sound theoretical perspective. The references in each section are excellent if the busy teacher has some time to read in more depth. Also, each chapter has activities that teachers can explore in order to apply the chapter information to their own particular context. What I especially like is that these activities encourage teachers to talk to other teachers and colleagues. This is where real self-development starts. This book, then, is a welcome user friendly addition to the field of English Language Teaching. If the user is a teacher, you have found the right book!

This book is the best memoir by an enlisted cavalryman I have ever seen, and I read a lot of Civil War books. At the end of the book, I felt like I had just finished a long conversation with Avery. Buy this book and enjoy it.

No matter whether you're a Custerphile or Custerphobe, don't let the title fool you. Under Custer's Command has very little to do with the "Boy General" and a lot to do with the every day life of a Union Cavalryman during the Civil War. James Avery describes life in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry with frankness and honesty, and without concern for the feelings of those who failed to pass muster.
The book details the part the Wolverines played in such famous battles as Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Cedar Creek, and Yellow Tavern, from the perspective of one who actively fought at the front lines, and brings a breath of fresh air to the Civil War narrative. I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to explore the facts of life for a Civil War cavalryman.

This book is the best memoir by an enlisted cavalryman I have ever seen, and I read a lot of Civil War books. At the end of the book, I felt like I had just finished a long conversation with Avery. Buy this book and enjoy it.

George Armstrong Custer's fabled Fifth Regiment fought with great distinction throughout the American civil war and suffered the third highest total of men killed in the entire Union Calvary. James Henry Avery, a 24 year old farmer from Hopkins, Michigan was on of Custer's feared "Wolverines". He eloquently described his personal war-time experiences in journals and postwar reminiscences, providing uniquely detailed descriptions of Civil War cavalry movements, and presents the only known account addressing the escape of elements of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry on the first day of the Battle of Trevilian Station. Other battles described include Gettysburg, The Wilderness, Yellow Tavern, Haws Shop, Tom's Brook, Cedar Creek, and Trevilian Station. Under Custer's Command: The Civil War Journal Of James Henry Avery provides an astute perspective on the life of a Union cavalryman in the Civil War and is a "must" for all Civil War buffs and civil war studies reference collections.

As editor Eric J. Wittenberg expands his library of Custer-related works, they continue to improve on the already growing collection of first-person accounts of the "Boy General's" Michigan Cavalry. As the preeminent biographer of Brevet Brigadier General James Kidd, Wittenberg provides readers with a sense of "being there," and inescapable feeling that they are sharing a fireside chat with a living, breathing veteran of our own Civil War.

"Under Custer's Command" is sure to please any readers of his previous collections of James Kidd. The latest book, a well-preserved and edited anthology of the personal journals of Sergeant James Henry Avery, an enlisted man who served with Custer during his formative years, continues Wittenberg's efforts to detail the wartime activities of the Michigan 6th Cavalry. One of the most successful mounted commands during the war, the "Wolverine's" received far less acclaim and few of the accolades enjoyed by cavalry units led by men such as Jeb Stuart and Stonewall Jackson.

"Under Custer's Command" is a rare jewel among surviving first-person accounts. The language is frank, yet simple: the work of a man interested less in impressing than in preserving his personal observations of history. Avery's journals offer an invaluable glimpse into the mind and soul of a man fighting for his country, his values, and his family. This wonderful book is a fantastic addition to any serious Civil War Custer library.

This book is an awesome read, especially if you're a Michigan native. I learned a lot reading this book; there were lots of things I never knew happened in my great home state. I go back and read my favorite stories over and over. A must-read for all Michiganders!

I have lived in Michigan all of my 70 years and I learned so much from this book. The 70 stories are well written. They writer does not gloss over any event or occurrance. He lays the facts out before the reader and the reader can draw their own conclusions. This book will be on my gift list to give to friends and family.

This book is an excellent one. I really enjoyed it. This book isn't just about ghosts and hauntings, but all sorts of mysterious happenings that have occured across Michigan. I love ghost stories, but it was cool to read the other stories in this, such as the one that may or may not have been spontaneous human combustion. Excellent book, and I recommend anyone who enjoys these stories that lives in the state of Michigan read this book.

Mr. Barfknecht's book is pretty entertaining. It's especially interesting when you know you've been to an area that is mentioned as a site of supernatural occurrances.

This book is one you won't be able to put down! If you like Ghosts, Paranormal, and a host of other unexplained mysteries...you will love this book especially if Michigan is home to you. Be sure you're not alone when you start your journey into the pages of this book. Author Gary Barfknect, in an interview I conducted with him while writing this book, explained the painstaking research that was involved in documenting the accounts he relays. One specific story about the Watersmeet Lights (aka PAULDING LIGHTS) I, after reading the book, experienced myself....incredable!

The writing and the photographs in this book are excellent. I have always wanted to visit "Frenchman's Pond" and now I feel like I have been there. The vivid photographs capture so many little details of John Voelker's life at the pond that a visitor would never see. The outstanding essays give insight into how much he loved this place. Out of respect for John Voelker and his family, I no longer feel the need to trample the bushes and snap a few tourist photos. My appetite is satisfied and I will leave Voelker's pond well enough alone. Instead I am left with a deep appreciation of John Voelker's favorite place and a desire to find one of my own.

This book injects new life into the nationally-acclaimed stories of Voelker (aka Robert Traver) as told in "Trout Magic," "Anatomy of a Fisherman" and various periodicals.

John Voelker camped & fished in the rugged basin of the East Branch of the Escanaba River, just upstream from my grandmother's house in Gwinn, Michigan.

My own first big trout fishing experience was on Green Creek, up M-35 from Gwinn and in the same "neck of the woods." One of the nicest brookies I ever caught came from Warner Creek, just south of Palmer on the edge of the Empire Mine and yet closer to the mystical "Voelker's Pond."

Makes you wanna grab your pole & seek out a few speckies for yourself, hey?

While focusing on the legacy of Robert Traver, a famous Michigan statesman, novelist, and fisherman, this book manages to also capture the soul and unique philosophies of fly fishermen everywhere. Wonderfully photographed throughout the book, James McCullough, through his series of essays, recounts his memories as a young man meeting the famous Traver on Voelker's Pond and his experiences years later returning to the pond after Traver passed on. Simply a peaceful and entertaining book to read through, with glimpses of the secret solitude of the fly fisherman's world with lessons of life that extend beyond the rod and pond.

Trout fishing is not for the impatient. Whether you come to trout fishing, especially fly-fishing, with the requisite patience, or it teaches it to you, I'm not certain. But I am certain that the legendary fly-fishermen have it. I am also certain that patience doesn't guarantee success. Or else I would do better.

John Voelker must have been a patient man. He knew what it took to catch a brook trout with a fly and he was good at it. He also knew how to write about it, which he did with great skill and precision, as if casting a fly to a wary trout. In fact, he was famous for his writing, at least in fly-fishing circles, where he has achieved the status of a legend.

Voelker is probably better known to the general population by his pen name, Robert Traver, under which he wrote the 1950s best seller, Anatomy of A Murder, which in turn was made into an award-winning movie of the same name. (But for a little movie called Ben Hur in 1959, Anatomy of A Murder might have been one of the biggest Academy Award-winning movies of all time.)
He also was well known in Michigan as a Supreme Court Justice, but he gave it all up in his prime to fish and to write. "To paraphrase a deceased patriot," he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give to my fly-fishing."

Voelker, a simple man with a quick wit and a love for nature and a good drink, would have turned 100 at the end of June. He died in 1991. A new book by photographer Ed Wargin and writer James McCullough, both near-Petoskey, Michigan, residents, celebrates his life by exploring his secret fishing hole somewhere in the middle of michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Wargin's photos are crisp and clean, simple and celebrative at the same time. They seem to catch Voelker's demeanor as they show his favorite places and things, his secret pond, his fly rods, flies, and reels, his small, rustic cabin. A display of Wargin's photos at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette in June was impressive, but had nothing on the book, which seems better with each reading.

Part of the book's charm is the writing of McCullough, who now teaches English and education at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey. As a 15-year-old, McCullough had the chance to meet and fish with Voelker at his secret camp, and he uses that event, and his own fly-fishing experience, to infuse his narrative with an understanding of Voelker's take on life and living. This is fine reading and will make any non-fishing day a better one.

Voelker probably wouldn't have been too keen about all the hoopla surrounding his birthday. I suspect he rather would have been fishing. But he would have been patient. And he would have liked this book. And anyone who has found peace on a stream will like it, too.

This book is an amazing delight for those who love fly fishing, as well as those who simply love Michigan, great photography, and beautiful hidden places of nature. I learned things I didn't know about John Voelker, who wrote under the pen name Robert Traver, and through the stunning images, I felt as if I were right there at his beloved pond, fishing with him, something many of us flyfisherman have dreamt about for years. This books gives that dream new meaning. Thank you Mr. Wargin and Mr. McCullough, for capturing this place so beautifully!!!!!!

I first heard about this book at an event that John Rich attended, and spoke about the book, in 2006. I'm glad I bought this book - it is superb. I've admired Rich for many years, as the crown jewel of comedy directors. He worked in the biz for fifty years, and did and saw everything in this crazy town. He had a reputation for being one of the most forceful of directors, who demanded nothing but the best from his actors - and "Snake" is a wonderfully frank text. He directed the early years of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "All in the Family", which contained some of the greatest moments in comedy. But this book is far more than just a relay of anecdotes about those shows - it is a bonafide biography that covers Rich's entire career and relations with other showbiz actors and producers...and one helluva career it was. This book was especially welcoming for me because these times are adorned by schlocky producers and directors, who are less concerned about quality and more concerned about making money for themselves and the studio. Rich wasn't about that...and the world of television is all the better because of it. Five stars.

I found this book to be a mini history of the television industry peppered with personal stories from Mr.Rich.The behind behind the scenes antidotes alone make this must reading for anyone interested in "the business." I wish that I coud have read a book like this prior to my working in the TV industry,it would have saved me a lot of time and given me a leg up on the competition.Perhaps the most important thing that John Rich said was at the beginning of the book referring to a recent job interview with some young TV executives-"people Don't hire legends"-"they threaten the rookies." In a nutshell that's why TV is in such a bad state of affairs today.People don't hire legends but they should.Jim Cox

'Warm Up the Snake' is a Hollywood thing. But I'm not going to go into its meaning, for that you need to read Chapter 13.

This is a story of working in Hollywood during the Golden Age of Television. As you would expect, it is full of the most interesting little tidbits about what happened during the filming of numerous of the favorite television shows of the time.

'The Dick van Dyke' show was his. And 'All in the Family.' He had a long stream of solid hits. And with them an association with a lot of the biggest names in the business. This was a time when television was experimenting. Black actors were beginning to appear in shows and no one knew what to expect. The sponsors who paid the bills were leary and occassionally refused to sponsor shows. No one knew how the shows would play in the Southern states.

This is not a weighty tome on the television industry, but it's a very interesting read on how things are done from the directors point of view.

John Rich's story is not to be missed by any fan, student, or, for that matter, teacher of film and tv. This is one of the great generals writing about war - the biggest battles, the most intricate strategies, accounts of gruesome casualties, and, of course, hilarious battlefield mishaps and blunders. It's an easy read, as Rich, with a style that is funny, bombastic, and at times reverential to the business he truly loves, "talks" to us as though we're having a drink at the Polo Lounge, or, more accurately, in his den, in front of a roaring fire. This book has a special place on my shelf!

John Rich set Hollywood on its ear with his refusal to accept the status quo. If you want an unpretentious view of the Hollywood system, this is the book for you. Mr. Rich's ability to find the humor in any situation, and his ability to laugh at himself, pulls you into the story from the very first page. His career was spent defining the purpose and power of television with such ground breaking shows as "All in the Family" and "Maude" and made us laugh with "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Barney Miller" and "Newhart". It would be hard to imagine television without John Rich's contribution to the medium. As someone who works in the entertainment business, this book holds a special place on my bookshelf and I consider it a must read. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I wasn't all that fond of the first 3 Brett Higgins mysteries. [...] seemed to be included just for shock value, and the mysteries themselves were forced. The love relationship between Brett and Allie didn't ring true. They seemed all physical and no emotion.

This installment seems like its almost written by a different person. Perhaps moving to a new press made the difference, but When Evil Changes Face was both a fast-paced, well-scripted mystery and a complete character study of Brett and Allie. For the first time I felt as if I knew them. Even the [...] seemed like an extension of their characters rather than just tacked on for reader titillation.

Suspend your disbelief that Brett and Allie can pass for high school students. Just believe, and then enjoy the story. I also got a little tired of how "beautiful" and "good-looking" a woman had to be to interest Brett. A woman can be attractive without being beautiful and Brett's too smart not to know that.

After the very disappointing When Some Body Disappears, I was going to give up on Brett Higgins, but When Evil Changes Face complete restored my interest. I look forward to the next installment with great anticipation.

The fourth Brett Higgins' Motor City Thriller by Therese Szymanski, "When Evil Changes Face," is both gripping and sexy; Szymanski fans will be delighted to join Brett and Allie on yet another adventure. This time they are going back to high school. . .as students. The interwoven elements of the plot, a writing style that Szymanski is known for, keep the reader guessing, and glued to the pages. The main theme is evident, but there is much more to discover under the surface in this fast-paced, action-packed, high school sting.

Something sinister lurks in a small Michigan town outside St. Louis at Alma High School. A dedicated teacher at the school, Leisa Kraft, is duly worried about her students. Leisa hopes to find out what is going on before someone gets hurt. . .or worse. She enlists the help of her friend Madeline; together they come up with a brilliant plan. Leisa and Madeline ask Brett, who made her money in organized crime but is no longer in the biz, and Allison, a ex-cop who has experience as a detective, to pose as high school students in order to solve the mysterious change in the students. Brett and Allie are reluctant to get involved at first but they relent. Madeline and Leisa convince Brett and Allie to go undercover as brother and sister.

Brett does a very convincing imitation of a delinquent teenage boy and Allie joins the cheerleading squad. Once enrolled in the school Brett and Allie fit right in-but can a thirty-three year old and twenty-seven year old really pull off the charade and discover the truth about what is going down in Alma High?

Brett Higgins was twenty-three when she met her lover Allison Sullivan, who was seventeen at the time. Brett and Allie have a wonderful relationship. Allie has no problem when Brett flirts with other women since the bottom line is that Brett is hers-all hers. But for how long and under what circumstances can even Brett's resolve to be faithful withstand the test?

I highly recommend "When Evil Changes Face" to anyone who enjoys good mysteries, juicy love stories, and hot steamy sex. It is fun revisiting high school (from an adult's perspective) with all the raging hormones, turf battles, sports, dramas, and teenage angst. The story is more than just erotica with its multi-faceted plot and complex characters; it keeps the reader guessing all along. The author does an amazing job of tying up the loose ends while setting the stage for the fifth Brett Higgins' Motor City Thrillers, "When Good Girls Go Bad."

You will not want to miss all six books in the Motor City Thriller series. The sixth title, "When the Corpse Lies (2004)," is the latest addition to the collection. Check out Therese Szymanski's other selections as well including, "Once Upon a Dyke: New Exploits of Fairy Tale Lesbians (2004)," which has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in 2005. "When Evil Changes Face" is a worthwhile read and rates five stars.

I liked everything about this book, so much more than the previous ones in the series. Brett is a hard woman trying not to get hurt in a world that has knocked her around. She wants to play the field but has fallen in love. More than the mystery I like Brett's dilemma and how realistically she is pulled between her overt butch sexuality and her love for one woman. I can't wait to find out how Brett continues to walk that line.

I've read all the books in this series and they keep me guessing until the very end! Despite the problems with transitions and continuity (the jumping from one character's viewpoint to another with no warning can be a little confusing), Syzmanski's writing is fast paced and stark, and Brett always reminds me of a grownup Legs Sadovsky: tough, afraid of nothing, and when she loves it's with her whole heart. It's enough even to make a die-hard monogamist, anti-looksist feminist like me forgive the fact that Allie is the prototypical blonde bombshell and that despite Allie's good looks, intelligence, and strength Brett STILL has a great deal of trouble being faithful.

I also like it that Allie is a well-developed character in her own right, more than capable of dealing with Brett and not just some silly bimbo. When I first began reading the books I didn't think I'd like her much, but I did. She's smart and strong and not at all dependent on Brett for love, money or self esteem.

Yes, the idea that Brett and Allie can pass as teenagers requires some suspension of disbelief, but the action is so fast and exciting I was more interested in trying to figure out who the bad guy was than in seeing how realistic the story was! A great book to pass the time with!

Politically incorrect author Therese Szymanski strikes again with the latest Brett Higgins novel. In this one, Brett and Allie go undercover as a high school age brother and sister to get to the bottom of a drug ring. Szymanski is a master of creating suspense and full rounded characters. And her sex scenes rock. She is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated writers publishing today.

This book has incredible arial pictures of Michigan. We bought 3 to give as gifts to other Michigan lovers. What a hit!

I stopped in the bookstore and this book caught my eye with the tremendous aerial photo of South Manitou Island in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I've hiked there many times and was impressed by this beautiful view of the entire island.

When I looked through the book I knew this was one to share with friends and family. There are unique views here of many of the most beautiful spots in Michigan from Tawas Point to Garden Island. The views are all aerial photographs done with great artistry and perspective. There are views from on high of Manistee and the Lake Michigan Shore at sunset with the sky full of color and the lake spread out to the horizon and the lights of the city seemingly twinkling below,and others of green emerald forested islands settled in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron with a surround of aquamarine waters.

There are dozens of "coffee table books" full of beautiful pictures of the Great Lakes. It is not difficult to obtain pictures when there are so many scenic coastlines in the state. What sets this book apart and makes it by far the best photo book of the Great Lakes is the selection of the images, their color and the depth that the aerial perspective provides. You have probably not seen the Mackinaw Bridge as shown here from up in the clouds looking down across the span to the shore at St. Ignace and the eastern reach of the Upper Penninsula. I think anyone with an interest in the land and shores of northern Michigan would be enthralled with this book and would enjoy sharing it with others as I have.

I just received my personal copy of Marge Beavers latest effort ABOVE THE NORTH. If any book comes close to illustrating the beauty of Michigan,this is the one! She has combined her love of aviation with her talents in photography to produce one of the most beautiful "coffee table" books currently available. The color,detail and beauty of the state as show by Ms Beaver just hits you in the eye and is a book i definitely want to share with others.

These striking aerial photos show views of northern Michigan's most beautiful landmarks and terrain. The book includes many views of Michigan's beautiful lakes and scenery with seasonal photos from spring through winter. Not only are the pictures exceptionally well done from a technical standpoint, but it is evident that Marge Beaver has the eye of an artist as well. It was fun seeing all the places in Michigan I've visited, but also to find new locales in Michigan that I hope to visit one day.