Authors Books

It may be just me but I love her works, and there are many days I wish she could have written more for us readers. The Aggar series is great and how I first became aware of her, but she speaks to the romantic in me in both Bitter Thorns and Annabelle and I. If you liked her writing style in this series, I strongly suggest you check out her other 2 books that were published as well.

Diana n'Athena is ready to go home. An "Amazon" from the all female planet of "dey Sorormin" (which Wolfe translates as the Sisterhood), Diana is a sociologist employed by the Terran Intergalactic Empire for the last 20 years as a Cultural Liaison and Feild Operative. Approaching forty, Diana has served the last five years on Aggar, a patriarchal, pre-industrial, semi-feudal planet located on the Empire's border. Over six foot tall, lean, strong and brown-eyed, Diana must pass as male to work effective on Aggar. Such a charade is not uncommon for Amazons serving on "primitive" planets, but it does wear on their spirits. Facing her last mission before she can return to her home world, Diana must locate and rescue a Terran pilot. He carries information that may mean the salvation of the Empire which is on the brink of war.

After years of working alone, Diana is not pleased when Aggar's ruling Council of Ten assigns her a native "Shadowmate." Shadows are individuals trained for years to act as guides, protectors, linguists, trackers, companions and whatever else is needed to aide the individual whom the Council has determined is important to the future of Aggar. Such assignments are one of the ways the Council "tips the balance" of fate for pivotal individuals and gently guides the planet's future.

Diana's Shadow, Elana is particularly special. In addition to her training and expertise, she bears the rare "Blue Sight." This extrasensory gift (genetically linked with blue eyes)allows her to read people's intent via their aura and create illusions. For years Elana has been training to become a Shadow. For the last five years she's been experiencing dreamlike visions of the Amazon that she is to Shadow.

"Shadows of Aggar" is a classic heroic quest. As such, the journey itself, what happens to both women during the trek and what they learn from the various encounters, is as important as the result of the quest. -- Although having the end of the empire as it is known hang in the balance does build the suspense! -- There are some similarities between Aggar and some other fantasy realms. Yet these parallels reflect cultural archetypes and Wolfe, who died in 1997, created some interesting, unique details and characteristics for three cultures: Aggar, Amazon and Terran. For example, imagine a race of humans whose skin color changes with excitement or exertion, thus making the racial differences we know, moot. Furthermore, Wolfe created the basics of a language for the "dey Sorormin" and provided a glossary of words from Aggar and the Sisterhood in the back for reference.

"Shadows" was originally released in 1991, and this reader has returned to it at least twice in the last decade. The story and characters hold up to re-reading. The same is true of Wolfe's second Aggar novel, "Fires of Aggar." Happily, the publisher has made a commitment to keep Wolfe's titles in print. The new covers of both titles are disappointing and distracting. Yet, to coin a phrase, don't judge the book by it's current cover. If you like fantasy stories with strong female leads that explore complex issues of gender roles, societal pressures to conform and their impacts on the individual -- not to mention a good old fashioned adventure with a touch of lavender romance -- you'll enjoy "Shadows of Aggar." Pick up a copy of it and its companion book, "Fires of Aggar."

This is definitely one of those books that will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning - you just can't put it down! This so reminded me of the Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley (which I LOVED). Like MZB, Wolfe has created an exciting and interesting new world in which two technologically separate cultures meet...with one big plus. The relationship between the two women is protrayed in a more intimate and central way here than in MZB's books. This well written book was a throughly enjoyable read - do yourself a favor and buy it! :)

Many of us have found this dense book daunting, printed in tiny type with almost no white space for relief. However, for those who pick up the book after first laying it down in disbelief at the number of words, there awaits a well crafted world of Amazons, psychics and bad guys. Wolf has created a very believable world that mimics what most of us know about the medieval ages. Her imagination is rich and detailed. You will believe in Aggar before the end of the book.

I was annoyed by Di'nay's ability to be obtuse about her lovely "shadow" bonded to her in their attempt to rescue a downed Terran pilot. The world of Maltar was satisfyingly ominous and the Maltar was sufficiently evil. Once you get past Wolfe's inability to write straight forward dialog, you will enjoy the page turning excitement of the adventure. You will also enjoy the romance. Wolfe writes loving romance which hints joyously at what transpires between the two "shadow mates."

I could only find the most recent edition of this book. The cover should be punished as a crime against the author and the type setting is very bad. One wonders if anyone read the galleys.

I read any science fiction and fantasy novels that have lesbian characters that I hear of or stumble across. Most of what is out there is written for mainstream audiences and often by straight authors. There's nothing wrong with that, one of the attractions of the SF and Fantasy genres is that authors explore a vast array of character types and cultures. But there is a definite lack of fantasy novels written by lesbians for lesbian audiences. What's worse is, most of what is in print is mediocre at best and not worth the space on the bookshelf at worst. In desperation, lesbian fantasy fans end up buying and reading the dreck anyway.

Shadows of Aggar is a rare exception. To say that it's the best lesbian fantasy novel I've run across is true, but defining it that way is a disservice to the book, since that isn't really saying much. It holds up on its own merits within the fantasy genre as a whole, not just within the sparse lesbian fantasy subset. Shadows of Aggar contains most of the elements that make fantasy what it is; a unique world and culture, swords and magic, and imperfect characters on a heroic quest. The icing on the cake is that the lesbian romance is good too.

I do have to say here, I have NO idea what in heck the current publishers were thinking with the new book covers. I don't get this trend of putting photographs of real people on fiction. Part of the allure of written fiction is that our minds supply the images. To be blunt, the new covers are tacky and ugly. (I also note the editor's review said something about a trilogy, but there are only two books with those characters.)

One final note, as I noticed a previous reviewer mentioned hoping for more from Chris Anne Wolfe. Unfortunately for us, she lost her battle with cancer. So I highly recommend collecting all of her works currently in print if you enjoy her writing, as there won't be any more. Shadows of Aggar is by far her best, but the others are all worth a read.

I thought the spoken word cd along with the book was excellent I saw Tonya perform in Chicago in the Summer of 2001 at Romains Gallery in Oak Park, Il. She definitely writes from the heart. The poetry is so powerful and uplifting. I would recommend any one to purchase. My favorites are I will tell myself and shine. The whole cd is wonderful and its nice to be able to read the book as you listen to the cd. I think I have it memorized now. I have had people stop me and ask what are you listening to and where did you get it from. I tell them with a smile. If you are into poetry and would like to have a taste of some true talent I would suggest purchasing the shine deluxe edition.

Tonya Marie Evans' talent is a bright, steady light. Her Shine! Inspirational Poetry with Companion CD was my first introduction to the Spoken Word genre and I believe our "acquaintance" was meant to be. Not only did her expressive and melodic voice captivate me, but the messages in poems such as "I Will Tell Myself," "Angry Doesn't Live Here Anymore," and "Find Your Own Shine" inspired me to "begin again." The CD was so awesome that it got my creative juices flowing and I've returned to writing poetry. Tonya Marie Evans's words will affirm, encourage, and help you to turn your shine all the way on!

Shine provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my personal resilence. With pieces such as "I Will Tell Myself" and "Find Your Own Shine", I remembered a strength and determination that can only come from within. As I listened to Tonya Marie's words, both in the written form and on the accompanying CD, I was reminded that I am not alone in experiencing the trials and tribulations that Life can sometimes bring. I was also reminded that with each breathe and through careful reflection we can overcome these life experiences and "begin again" (taken from "A Villager Speaks"). I thoroughly enjoyed Shine and have found myself buying it for gifts, referring to it in the classroom, and using it as a teaching and therapeutic tool. I believe that Tonya Marie has a beautiful and powerful voice that soothes, heals, and inspires you to regain your life and be true to your real self. In other words, just as Tonya Marie as recommended, her work inspires and gives you the courage to "Shine".

This is not your ordinary spoken word material. Tonya Marie Evans along with her co-horts Stephanie Renee and Damon "Dizzy Fingers" Bennet brew up some seriously groovy tunes, with styles ranging from house to progressive soul to acid jazz. Tonya Marie's voice is smooth yet commanding and when coupled with Stephanie Renee's own phenomenal voice the result is truly wonderful. My favorite's are "I Will Tell Myself" the danceable, deep house track and "FYOS" a groovy acid jazz track worthy of recognition. This companion cd is truly worth a listen. Unlike most music today it is soulful, inspirational and enjoyable!!

Inspirational and Finding My Own Shine are not words I
associate with poetry. I thought poetry was rhymes
like, Roses are red, violet are blue, sugar is sweet
and so are you. I am truly grateful that the author
has given me another view of poetry.The poetry in
Shine encourages you to look inward.

Shine is a divine influence. After reading these 48
pages it is my ambition to be 100% of me. A favorite
of mine is titled I Will Tell Myself, I plan to read
this poem whenever others try to define who I am. The
fourth paragraph of I Will Tell Myself read: "I am not
confused - I am convinced that I have greatness within
and I am Superwoman able to leap TALL DECEPTION in a
single bound", wow is all I can say to that.

This author doesn't stop there, she has included the
spoken word as well. This CD is one you do not want to
be without, complementing her poetry is Neosoul and
funk. This blend of music fits perfectly with her
words. Angry Don't Live Here No More is "Da Bomb"I
would love to ride to Philly and be a part of the
audience where she "melts the mic" with her poetry.
Evans' multimedia book is for the whole family. I plan
to read from it at my Black Light Open Mic this month.

Reviewed by Missy

This is the quintessence of Tolkien's work and my favorite short story. There are writers that craft a good tale and then there are others who have actually been there. This book proves that Tolkien is among the latter.

In the little town of Wootton Major, they have a wonderful tradition where a special cake is baked every twenty four years, and eaten by twenty four good children. But, when a magical Faery star is slipped into this year's cake, it is eaten by the local smith's son. And so the life of the younger smith is changed beyond anyone's imagination - he is marked by beauty of face and voice, and (unbeknownst to anyone) he can even visit the land of Faery whenever he likes. It is a life of magic and giving.

I have long been familiar with J.R.R. Tolkein's famous books - The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings - but, this cute little book shows that just about everything that he put his hand to he did beautifully! This is a most wonderful little book, one that is sure to charm anyone who believes in beauty and wonder...and maybe hopes just a little that that land of Faery is a real place after all!

This new extended edition, edited by the estimable Verlyn Flieger, is a must-have for students and admirers of Tolkien. Of course, most of you will already have Smith of Wootton Major on your bookshelves, either in its own volume or in one of the several collections in which it has been reprinted -- so why get another copy?

Because Verlyn Flieger has included several additional (and essential) pieces to the Smith puzzle that have never been available before. These include: Flieger's introduction and afterword on Smith; Tolkien's Note to Clyde Kilby on the Genesis of Smith; his draft preface to a proposed new edition of George MacDonald's The Golden Key, from which kindling the story of Smith was struck -- though the preface was abandoned and the edition of The Golden Key never published; a long essay by Tolkien on the internals of Smith; a timetable and cast of characters with never-before-published details; and most interestingly, the entire draft of Smith, in both typescript and manuscript, reproduced in facsimile.

This is invaluable material for anybody interested in the development and meaning of Smith of Wootton Major. Prior to this edition, Verlyn Flieger quoted from some of these unpublished pieces in her 1997 volume A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faërie, and even Tom Shippey (in The Road to Middle-earth) acknowledged the advantage she had in having seen this material. Now, it's available to all of us.

My one complaint about the book is that it is poorly produced (by HarperCollins, Tolkien's British publisher). The production quality -- and sadly, this is typical of British-made books of the past several decades -- is rather low. The spine is glued, rather than sewn, and it creaks and cracks, threatening to break any time the book is opened. The paper is like stiff newsprint and has a tendency to smudge. Terrible. But unfortunately, this volume has not been printed in the U.S., and the content is important enough to overcome the lackluster production quality.

J.R.R. Tolkien's short work, "Smith of Wooten Major," which he wrote late in life, has already appeared in several fine editions, both by itself and in combination with other pieces by Tolkien, and most of us Tolkien enthusiasts already have it on our shelves. So why another one now, and why should we buy it? There are several compelling things about this book that make it highly attractive to those seeking a deeper understanding of Tolkien as a writer and thinker, and I'll only mention four here. First, this extended edition includes an important never-before-published essay by Tolkien on the story and on Tolkien's views of the nature of Faery, of its importance to him, of faery tales, and of the role of allegory in stories of this kind. It is a fascinating piece that provides new insight into Tolkien's thought as an artist trying to capture glimpses of Faery in his writing. The essay is in some ways an echoing companion piece for his famous earlier essay "On Fairy Stories," in which, among other things, Tolkien outlines his theory of sub-creation that he executed so successfully in "The Lord of the Rings." Second, the book contains never-before-published early notes and draft manuscripts for Smith, several pages of which are reproduced in the book itself in their original hand-written form with helpful transcriptions on the opposite page. These papers not only show Tolkien actively creating and revising his story and the history of its characters, but they also show Tolkien's working methods as a writer and so demonstrate, in a microcosm, the methods he used on such a large scale for "The Lord of the Rings." Third, Flieger's editorial contributions are very helpful. She provides an afterword that discusses the critical treatement of Smith, its genesis as a story, and outlines the new material which, as she says, allow the reader to follow "the authorial progression from explanation to inspiration to formulation to painstaking revision." Flieger's notes are also very helpful, for she points us to relevant matters in Tolkien's other works and illuminates puzzling aspects of Smith. And fourth, this is perhaps the first edition of Smith that takes Tolkien's statements that it is not a children's story seriously. He called Smith "an old man's book, already weighted with the presage of bereavement." Previous editions of Smith have ignored this statement and dressed the tale up as a children's book, presumably based on the unquestioned assumption (which Tolkien questioned very sharply in "On Fairy Stories") that because this is a faery tale, and because it is short, it must be for children. This edition honors Tolkien's view not only of Smith but of the importance of Faery and faery stories in general by beautifully reproducing the tale and the lovely Pauline Baynes illustrations, which were made for the first edition, and by setting them within a handsome hardcover text that Tolkien readers will prize very highly. This is a must have.

People who know anything about the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien know that he disliked allegory. That makes "Smith of Wootton Major" a bit of an oddity among his writings, but not an unwelcome one. It's a sweetly fantastical little fable that drips over with Tolkien's love of real, deep fairy tales.

It takes place in a little town "not very long ago for those with long memories, not very far away fro those with long legs." The Master Cook of that village takes a vacation, and returns with an apprentice in tow. But something odd happens at the Feast of the Cake -- the cook stirs in a "fay-star" with little trinkets in the cake, and it's accidently swallowed by a boy there.

The boy (later called Smith) is changed by the fay-star, which sparkles on his forehead. When he grows up Smith ventures into Faery itself, and even meets the Faery Queen herself. The message she gives him is for her mysterious, missing husband, the King -- who turns out to be the last person anybody in Wootton Major would have expected.

"Smith" is a fairy tale in the best sense. Don't expect cackling witches or convenient loopholes in spells here; Tolkien was too skilled for that. Instead we have majestic fey and sparkling magic, woven with a tidy medieval town. (Not to mention the custom of naming people after their jobs -- Smith, a smith, capisce?) Never once does it become precious or cutesy.

It's among Tolkien's simpler writings. In fact, it's so simple that it barely has a plot -- the vanishing King is the closest thing it has. But Tolkien's writing sparkles with little details of the fey, with only a minimum of description. His glimpses of Faerieland are too brief, but they're also reminiscent of a few passages from "Lord of the Rings."

A sweet, fantastical little story, this is one of Tolkien's lesser-known but still deserving stories. Charmingly symbolic.

Southern Fried Women is a fun and heart-felt book. I look forward to more from this author!

A very well written book. Very easy to follow. Her explanations and details make it easy to "see" what each character is doing and going through. They are short stories, so its a great book for people who do no have a lot time during the day to read. But each story will pull you in and you will not want to put it down. There are several stories in there that I wish were books in and of themselves. She is a fantastic writer.
I am pleased to have been able to meet this author recently. She is every bit as honest and passionate in person as she is her book. A true Southern Bell with a great talent. If you have not bought this book yet, you really ought to give it a try. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Southern Fried Women is a beautifully written piece of literature. I savored each and every page and really hated to see the end of the book. I wasn't insulted by silly stories with juvenile plots and situations. It was mature writing that made me think she is a person who has experienced life and has become better, stronger and more resilient as a result. I was so inspired that she shared her wisdom with the world in such a moving and touching way! Her characters reminded me of Steel Magnolias and the women of the old south in Gone With the Wind. I can't wait to see future works from this wonderful, southern fried author. She's a keeper!

Yes, what a wonderful ride! There may be people who do not care for the use of photos at the beginning of each chapter - they are obviously wrong to think so. Sometimes I found myself studying the photos, even after I had begun reading the story - often going back and looking again - imagining how this story might truly have wrapped itself around the people and places in the photographs.

Also, the use of simile and metaphor is filled with imagery and life; painting with words what most people can only hold in their imaginations. "Cry" is so full of painful reality and "Coal Dust on my Feet" broke my heart. "Beach Babies" is probably my favorite - Bertie is a tragic character, but one that has so much to teach us.

Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your gift with the public. Sometimes as I read your words, I heard my own voice. We share many of the same beliefs, attitudes, joys, and heartaches in our observations of the world. Reading your book was like sitting down and spending an afternoon with you in conversation. Thank you.

Debra Thomas

Unlike most of the current "Southern Belle" books, this one shows a darker side. It took me by surprise and made a deep impression, especially since all of the stories are based on true incidents. But don't expect cutsie women secretly manipulating their men, or recipes for hush puppies. The stories in this book will stay with you for a long time.

I like the way the author brought the Jordan and Starris together. The love between the two was evident for eveyone to see. The story was well written with enough drama and romance to keep you turning the pages.

This book is great. I have read it over and over again. This is one of my favorite books.

I am a true romance reader and I consider this book a wonderful addition to my collection. Subtle Secrets by Wanda Y. Thomas is a nice read with a light taste of mystery added to the mix. Starris Gilmore is looking for steady employment so she can adopt Danielle Kathryn Carter, a beautiful little girl who was left on the doorsteps of an orphanage when she was just an infant. After leaving behind a verbal abusive marriage, Starris feels she has truly found peace and love with Danielle, which she affectionately calls Dani. Starris interviews for a position with ROBY headed by Jordan Banks, but is turned down. Though she is perfect for the job, she is left with seeking employment elsewhere to ensure that nothing stands in her way of adopting Dani.

Jordan Banks is executive director of ROBY, a mentoring and job opportunity program for young males from the inner city. Jordan is still recovering from a marriage gone bad from the very beginning. His ex-wife is found murdered by an unknown suspect, and he soon learns he has a daughter who was left in a home for children in Atlanta. After bringing his daughter Jolie Kathryn Banks home, he vows to himself that he will never love or trust another woman again. Starris and Jordan become more aware of each other when they both find out that their daughters are best friends. The sparks begin to fly and the girls begin plotting ways to bring their parents together. What stands out is the fact that the girls not only get along well as if they are sisters, but they look similar in features.

Leaving the suspense right there, you are in for a wonderful romantic and intense story about people who are afraid to love again; afraid to face their "demons" and move on; afraid to forgive and forget, and afraid to love each other. As Starris and Jordan soon learn and reveal through a plotting siniser employee working for ROBY, and who holds a key connection to the girls' past, their love is finally tested.

Ms. Thomas does a wonderful job of staging every detail of emotion that anyone could endure after being hurt and so afraid to try again. I especially enjoyed her character development of Jolie and Dani, they will make you relate and smile several times throughout the story. As that famous saying goes "out of the mouth of babes comes much wisdom." I also recommend that you read the author's note in the back of the book. You will learn that this storyline is very dear to Ms. Thomas. Thank you for making us understand and the continued awareness of parentless children needing to love and be loved. I highly recommend this for the romantic reader, you will not be disappointed. I applaud Ms. Thomas and graciously give Subtle Secrets a rating of 4.

Reviewed by Kalaani

I loved it! This was my first book written by Wanda Thomas, but it will definitely not be my last!! Ms. Thomas has not only been added to my book list, but her books have become some of the top priorities. "Subtle Secrets" is not only about the love of a man and woman, Jordan Banks and Starris Gilmore, but it is about love of family. Life has dealt some hard blows to both Jordan and Starris, but each has been blessed with the love of a child -- Jolie Kathryn Banks and Danielle "Dani" Kathryn Carter. Ironically their lives are entwined in more ways than one.
Starris first encounters Jordan at her friend's home. Then, later meets face to face when Starris applies for a much needed job at ROBY, where Jordan is the director. From there, they discover that their daughters are best friends. Starris and Jordan's relationship at first is bumpy, but soon the bumps began to smooth out as they are constantly thrown together and can no longer deny their mutual feelings.
"Subtle Secrets" also gives the reader insight into the welfare adoption system. Dani may not be Starris' biological daughter, but Starris has all the love for Dani that a natural mother would have for her child. Dani's and Jolie's lives are entwined with similarities that cannot be ignored. They both were abandoned as infants at an orphanage. However, Jolie was blessed with the love of her father, Jordan, and his wonderful family. Dani was not so blessed until Starris came into her life, then all the love that Dani has kept bottled inside came pouring out to the only mother she had ever known - Starris.
"Subtle Secrets" is a touching, heartwarming, loving story about family, faith, trust, and caring. It's also about overcoming lack of trust and the old hurts from the past. Not only are the adults affected, but the children are also embroiled in old wounds from the past. However, true love will outweigh all ills and bring new joy.
Great read and I look forward to reading the other books written by Ms. Thomas. My next one to read will be Shelby's and Nelson's story, "Truly Inseparable."

This is my second book by the author Wanda Thomas. I love the way she writes a love story and also inform you about life matters. Her latest novel involves Starris Gilmore and Jordan Banks.

Starris has come from a terrible marriage and believes that she is unlovable to a man. Her ex-husband got a kick out of abusing her emotionally in front of their guest. In the process of healing she volunteered to help children. This is where she met a little girl that she now wants to adopt. In order to adopt she must have stable employment.

When Starris walks into Jordan's office for a job interview he knew that he could not hire her because he was sexually attracted to her.

Jordan has also come through a bad marriage. Jordan learns of a daughter that he didn't know he had until after his ex-wife is murdered. He vows never to give his love to another woman again. But once his path crosses with Starris, he vow is tested.

Will they get together? I love the way the author has all the characters playing a big part in telling this story. The girls were very funny in their schemes to get their parents together.

You will truly love this page turning story. I hope to see a story on Jordan's sister.

Poe, Doyle, Christie -- none of their stories is better than "The Stolen Cactus," "The Crime at the Post Office," or "Footprints." This collection of crime stories had all the twists and clever resolutions I could ask for. Unexpectedly, it also has quite a few insights into human nature and coping with reality. I read "The Man Who Couldn't Sleep" after a night of disturbing dreams and felt as if Capek were writing to me from the grave.

I found this book in the English-language section of a bookstore in Prague, during my first visit to the Czech Republic, which is a surprising and wonderful place. I didn't know the first thing about Czech culture or history before then. I didn't even know that one of Capek's contemporaries in Prague was Kafka, who was Czech, not German.

Reading Capek convinced me that Kafka was -- like Capek -- a humorist; unfortunately humanities professors in the U.S. don't get the joke. In other words, Capek is Kafkaesque and Kafka is Capekesque. Both drew quirky little images, too. That's right: Kafka drew pictures in his manuscripts. A few of Capek's illustrations are reproduced in this book, as well. (Karl Capek's brother Josef was a member of the little-known and very odd Czech Cubist Movement, a group that abhorred right angles.)

The prose in this translation is a bit ponderous, though, so I recommend that when your first open this book you temporarily abandon your requirements -- if any -- that crime fiction be terse and gritty. Remember that you're reading a translation from a Slavic language written a decade after WW I. In addition, the stories are first-person narratives, a form that is little used these days.

I'm eager to read more Capek. And it would be great if the publisher would create a Kindle version of his work.

A superb collection of stories told in a simple, yet very descriptive and captivating language, each a different nugget. Some are very funny, others reach a quiet conclusion, others make you think, but not enough to rob you of your sleep. Nice to read just a few at a time, otherwise it's hard to remember them all. Can be read completely out of sequence. Enjoy!

"Tales from Two Pockets" should have a special place in the minds of its readers. That's the place reserved for works which are entertaining without being trivial, consistently amusing and delightful upon re-reading, and which appear to have been written effortlessly and on the spur of the moment (this latter characterization is probably an illusion, since even a rapidly written piece by the right writer incorporates a lifetime of craftsmanship and professional skill). The stories in this collection, which combines two different but related sets of stories ("from one pocket, then the other"), were written for Capek's newspaper columns during 1928-1929. Czech readers responded enthusiastically to these stories, which started out clearly enough as detective or crime stories but soon overflowed the boundaries of that category to become something very different: reflections on the human mind and character under duress and meditations on the nature of crime, punishment, and, most especially, justice. The difficulty of judgment which is fair to both the victim and the perpetrator is a theme returned to several times, leaving the question an open one, even in the most gruesome cases, e.g., "The Ballad of Jura Cup", in which the motive is highly personal and bizarre, or "An Ordinary Murder" in which the motive is routine but the results are unsettling. Also related to this idea is the story (from the first set of 24) entitled "The last Judgment", which seems to be the prototype of the stories in a completely different collection,"Apocryphal Tales", stories that veer off in the direction of "alternate reality" parables (this may be the story which Capek himself thought of as "the turning point" within the whole collection of 48 stories).

The second set of 24 stories is a continuous round-table conversation, organized along the lines of the Decameron. One story ends, and a thematically-related one begins (or a story is based on a stray remark or characterization in the immediately preceding story), something like a baton that is passed from one relay racer to the next. Often there is a smaller story within the larger one, recruiting another member at the table as a second narrator. From the formal point of view the most interesting of these is "The Confession", in which a priest, a lawyer, and a doctor are all told the same story by the same man over several decades - he has done something terrible (his deed is never specified) and must talk about it or implode, though he feels neither contrition nor guilt nor remorse, while he has a specific desire to avoid retribution (which is why he picks men professionally and ethically bound to keep his confession a secret). It's a large and eclectic collection of narrators that Capek creates - including policemen, businessmen of various stripes, a doctor, a priest, a "jailbird", a journalist, civil servants, and men of unidentified callings. Based on their names and their vocations they are meant to be a representative sample of inter-war Czechoslovakia's polyglot mixture of ethnicities, nationalities, religions, and social strata. This is the "social undercurrent" of these stories, an idealized picture of a hybrid, pluralistic society created by an admirer and strong advocate of T. G. Masaryk and the political system of the First Republic.

The translation by Norma Comrada is excellent, colloquial and fluent. As is her Introduction, which gives the background of the stories' creation and of Capek's familiarity with the detective-story genre in the literatures of France, England and America. On a light note, the musings of the lifelong bachelor, Police Captain Bartosek, on a kidnapped child (which I think of as "Bartosek on Babies") should be required reading for new mothers and new policemen as well. And it is in his portrayal of policemen that we see the breach that separates Capek's time and place from the grimmer post-World-War-II world of Czechoslovakia. We meet Captain Havalka who sympathizes with the inner turmoil of Jura Cup, and, more than once, we see at work the squirrel-toothed Inspector Pistora, whose unprepossessing exterior houses a first-class deductive brain that rivals that of Sherlock Holmes. Then there is Detective Holub, who, when recovering the funds that the confidence-man Plichta has defrauded from widows and lonely women, allows Plichta to deduct his "operational expenses" from the restitution he makes and admires his strict system of accounting (it is Holub who says,"We like ordinary criminals, not mysteries"). You can't imagine such empathetic portraits of policemen after 1945, though P. Kohout has tried his best to endow even State-Security policemen with admirable streaks in their characters.

The stories were written during the "calm years" of the First Republic, after the difficulties of setting up a new state had been dealt with, and before the Depression and the encroaching threats of international power-politics had arrived. This allowed Capek a respite to write as he pleased without an eye looking over his own shoulder at the political excitements of the years before and the years to follow. As Comrada points out, it would be incorrect to call these works "detective stories" or even "crime stories" (in many of them there are neither crimes nor solutions). However the reader characterizes them, it should be obvious that Capek displayed a relaxed freedom of spirit as he wrote them and took a great deal of pleasure in doing so, both of which are strongly communicated to the reader.

The fourth Earl of Chesterfield once admonished his son to "wear your learning, like your watch in a private pocket: and do not merely pull it out and strike it; merely to show that you have one." The stories contained in Karel Capek's "Tales From Two Pockets", unlike Chesterfield's watch, are worth taking out and reading again and again and again.

Karel Capek played a pivotal role in Czech arts, literature, and politics in the years of the first Czech Republic. He was a playwright and, with his brother, authored "RUR", the play that introduced the word robot to the world. His novel War With the Newts remains today one of the great pieces of dystopian fiction. His life and work during this period was inextricably linked with a strong belief in the newly born Czechoslovakian Republic. Capek's devout faith in democracy and his aversion to both fascism and communism was well known. His intimate socio-political relationship with Czech President Tomas Masaryk served as an inspiration to Vaclav Havel the artist who became president after the Velvet Revolution.

The 48 stories in Tales From Two Pockets first appeared in print in 1928 in a Prague newspaper. They were known as pocket tales because presumably the newspaper could be folded and placed in ones coat pocket after getting off the tram. Immensely popular the first 24 stories were published in book form as Tales from One Pocket. The remaining 24 stories were originally published as Tales From the Other Pocket. This edition, published by Catbird Press (which has done a marvelous job of publishing English editions of Czech masterpieces) and excellently translated by Norma Comrada, contain all 48 tales.

To call the first 24 stories detective stories would not do them justice. They do tend to involve a murder or a crime of some sort but Capek stands the genre on its head. They involve more than the solution of a crime. Capek tends to work around the crime to look and spin small stories that tell us a little bit more about human nature than about the crime business. Each story contains a snippet; they are too short to be an exegesis on humanity. But each snippet is worth reading and after you read one or two you can put them in your pocket and start all over again.

The second 24 stories each flow from one into another. Think of a group of people sitting around a table in a bar. One tells a story about a crime or some other foul deed. After one story is finished someone pipes in and announces, "I can top that". They stories flow seamlessly one to another. Again, no single story packs a huge `message' but cumulatively they are thought provoking and provocative. It should also be mentioned that the stories are also just fun to read. Capek was one of the first Czech authors to write in colloquial Czech. His writing style was not formalistic and stilted. He wrote the way people talked and his stories are all warmly told and engaging.

So, put these tales in your pocket and pull them out whenever you'd like to lose yourself for a little while in the world of little mysteries created by Karel Capek.

great stories to read a few at a time, not necessarily in order. they are like a whimsical sherlock holmes with a definite eastern european bent. i had never read any Capek before and I think this has been a great start.

That Summer Place: Old ThingsPrivate ParadiseIsland Time Debbie Macomber always provides a great story. This was a great introduction to two writers I had not previously read (Susan Wiggs and Jill Barnett). Now I can add them to my "favorites" list.

I did not want these books to end. I now want to visit the Pacific Northwest.

The San Juan Islands in Washington State come alive in That Summer Place, an anthology set on fictional Spruce Island. In "Old Things" by Jill Barnett, California divorceé Catherine Winslow seeks to recreate the magic of her childhood with her two daughters on the island where her family spent many happy summers. She has no idea that she is about to revive a teenage romance as well.

In Debbie Macomber's "Private Paradise," widow Beth Graham is invited to stay on an island with friends. But when a last-minute accident keeps her friends from the island, Beth and her son end up sharing quarters with a handsome single father, John Livingstone, and his teenage daughter. Close quarters cause tempers to flare, but Beth and John just may manage to find love before the trip is over.

"Island Time" by Susan Wiggs finds workaholic Mitch Rutherford and Dr. Rosalinda Galvez busily conducting an environmental impact study of the island, although Mitch wonders if he will ever get anything done with the beautiful doctor around.

Barnett's trademark humor, Macomber's poignancy, and Wiggs's expert storytelling all combine to create the perfect summer beach book.

I was very pleased with the book. All of the authors presented a good story. The book arrived when it was promised. All in all it was a very pleasant experience.

This was a nice book. Three very pleasant stories without much depth--but they were novellas so that's to be expected. The setting was glorious.

A very funny,entertaining,and well thought out book. A great collection of stories by a wide variety of talented authors. Highly recommended!

I became interested in reading this book because I had read something about the controversy between the anthology titled THIS IS CHICK LIT and the one titled THIS IS NOT CHICK LIT.

I decided to read the anthology, and form my own opinion.

What I found was an engaging collection of stories with a wide variety of subject matters, themes and styles, that shared only that they were of interest to women. These stories were great-- funny and varied and well-written.

I especially enjoyed "The Infidelity Diet" and "Nice Jewish Boy". I also really enjoyed reading the introduction by Lauren Baratz-Logsted where she traces the Lit-chick divide back to Bronte and Austen... It's a terrific introduction to chick lit for someone who hasn't read much of it before.


I would highly recommend this book to fans of chick lit but also to readers who are interested in sampling a wide range of new authors.

I agree with many of the other reviewers: If you already read chick lit, you'll like this. It provides a selection of interesting stories, lets you get to know a little about the authors, and may introduce you to the work of authors you don't already know.

If you don't read chick lit, or don't think you want to, you'll be pleasantly surprised, I think. It's a quick read, and it can't hurt, so why not?

It's time to get mad, make a stand, and buy a copy of This is Chick Lit


Earlier this year, This is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writer's hit the stands. As the title suggests, this book wants to set itself apart from chick lit writing. In the introduction, editor Elizabeth Merrick claims that the huge popularity of "bubbly" and "fluffy" chick lit novels is obscuring the writing of "some our country's most gifted women." She goes on to say that chick lit "numbs our senses" and "reduces the complexity of human experience."

When Lauren Baratz-Logsted, a seasoned chick lit author, heard about this collection she got angry. And then she got motivated! Baratz-Logsted without delay rallied the troops, quickly compiled eighteen stories by loud and proud chick lit writers, and This is Chick Lit was born.

Straight off the bat, the book proves that chick lit and its authors are far from mind-numbing or fluffy. In her fantastic introduction, Baratz-Logsted hits the nail on the head when she considers the publication of Merrick's This is Not Chick Lit and wonders, "What next: These Are Not Mysteries? This is Not Science Fiction? This is Not a Literary Coming of Age Novel?"

What Baratz-Logsted understands - unlike so many literary critics, book reviewers, and many supposedly smart writers - is that chick lit is a genre. And thus like all genres - mystery, sci-fi, literary fiction - chick lit has its own features and style and concerns. It is not better or worse than any other genre, it is just different. Baratz-Logsted demonstrates how it is basically sexist to single out chick lit, a hugely popular genre by and for women, as the one genre to attack and malign.

Baratz-Logsted's smart introduction is followed by a whole host of intelligent, funny, sad, ironic, entertaining, and very real tales about women. Jennifer Coburn's "Two Literary Chicks" wryly captures the whole standoff between a literary chick and her chick lit writing enemy. Deanne Carlyle's "Dead Man Don't Eat Quiche" is a mystery set in France and is as hilarious as its title suggests. Heather Swain deals beautifully with the trials and tribulations of postpartum life in "Café con Leche Crush." Baratz-Logsted's own story, an eloquent satire called "Shell Game," is a must for any successful and independent career girl heading for marriage, the suburbs, and potentially the loss of identity.

Many people are going to love This is Chick Lit. However, true to form, the literary world and the press are putting the boot in. In its review of the book, Publisher's Weekly says the stories in the collection are marred by "ho-hum dialogue" (and you're telling me Hemingway never wrote a ho-hum exchange?), "clichéd characters" (uh, and Dickens didn't have a few stock villains?) and "may pander to female audiences" (oh my god, what a crime!). The Village Voice described the stories as "glib and goal-oriented and focus on well-dressed women afraid of being 30" (hello? Can you read?).

To snoots like these, I say, "Go read what you want to read and leave the chick lit writers and chick lit lovers alone!" And to everyone else, I say, "Buy This is Chick Lit. You wont just make a purchase. You'll being making a political stand!!"

Apparently this book was born out of a sense of high dudgeon; a retort to the publication of the volume This is Not Chick-Lit; an assemblage of the leading authors of the centuries old genre now going by the name chick-lit; a defensive call to arms. As contributing writer Jennifer Coburn exclaims: "an author recently commented that the term chick-lit sounds as if the writing is about, for, and by women, nothing more. Nothing more?! Why isn't that enough?"

Enough, indeed. This savvy little collection of eighteen short, delicious stories showcases the tremendous variety, voice, and appeal of the oft-maligned, but also well-loved chick-lit authors. It should quickly disabuse the reader of any notion that chick-lit is somehow not representative or worthy of today's reader of popular fiction. So although the origin of this book may be found in a fit of pique, the result is a marvelous assortment of tales of the modern situation. Can we state more (or less?) of Jane Austen? If the Bronte sisters were writing today, would they be doing book tours on the Bridget Jones circuit? Would Mary Shelley be signing at ComicCon?

Always entertaining, frequently funny, occasionally wistful, this is the cream of the crop. Infidelity, fashion sense, husband hunting, girlfriend trauma: it's all here in this candybox sampler of morality tales, fables, and small encouragements. Dig in.

This was actually my first experience with Doris Lessing, tho I've heard of her for years. Her picture of the So. African experience was quite revealing but I got a little tired of the analysis of those who joined the communist movement. It seems that though she worked as an activist, she never really
'bought' the doctrine, to her credit. But she seems to have a need to over analyse the motives. It seems to me that most of the people were just trying to improve the social ills of the time and were taken in by the communist rhetoric. The writing was good enough to keep me reading even though I wasn't too happy with the her bohemian attitude; abandoning her children, taking successive lovers.... I respect her intellect but not her morals.
I am not inclined to look for the second installment.

Doris Lessing has led such an interesting life, and writing a diary all the time. She writes of a time completely foreign to me, living a history of the changes in Southern Afica. I find her autobiography a great read, and prefer it to her novels. Interesting and moving, and explains much about her!

This is a hard-hitting piece of autobiography. Lessing looks at her parents and their world of colonial mastery from the point of view of her younger, increasingly disenchanted self. Lessing was gathering steam in those years, to emerge as one of the prominent novelists of the post-war era. In this, the first of a two-volume autobiography, she is beginning to grow critical of her parents, colonialism, white supremacy, men - her husband in particular - and just beginning to flirt for a short time with the great experiment in group-think of the period known as Communism. She falls for it for a time, but not for long. It will take her a while, but she finally emerges along with George Orwell as the most articulate critic of this mindless, toxic form of self-imposed mental slavery. She writes of her fellow-traveling, communist-sympathizing friends as silly people, which strikes me as as good a way to think of them as any. Lessing provides, along with her political autobiography, a lovely evocation of Africa, the landscape and people, about whom she wrote as a young novelist and to whom she has continued to refer throughout her long and continuing career as a writer.

This is a candid autobiography with as main themes love, sex (good sex, as Doris Lessing calls it, is a right for everybody) and politics in South-Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) ruled by a blank minority.
It is a gripping, moving and realistic picture, wherein the author tries to find answers to personal and more general human questions: why was she so outspoken rebellious and, on the contrary, so strictly loyal to the communist movement?
Why are people fighting relentlessly each other, and on the other hand, striving for happiness?
Are the people of her generation all children of World War I? Why was her father a freemason?

This book is written like an irresistible waterfall. Not to be missed.

Under My Skin

Doris Lessing's autobiography traces her political and emotional development from her earliest childhood memories to her growing, overwhelming, disenchantment with provincial (as she saw it) small town life. "Small town" life for her was pre-WWII Salisbury in the (then) British colony of Southern Rhodesia. Salisbury was a complacent capital city of 10,000 white settlers in a country the size of Spain.
Lessing is quick to debunk the myth of the prosperous, close knit, white farming community - poverty was a real fact of life both for blacks and whites. Her most vivid childhood memories are of escaping from the family home and off into the limitless veld. The emptiness of the veld parallels her youthful emptiness and her growing convictions that the communist party represents a real hope for the world.
The book, a masterpiece of autobiographical writing, is brutally honest in parts and wilfully obscure in others. Some of her emotional mistakes are hardly glanced at (leaving her first two children, for example) but others (the joys of being part of a fast, hard drinking sect, embracing radical politics) are wonderfully engaging. Reading her thoughts you could be forgiven for thinking that the "party" was the only opposition to conservative white rule in Salisbury. This is what makes her book so appealing, her supreme skill as a novelist allowing us to enter the heady world of rushed meetings, leftist newspaper deliveries, drinks on the sports club verandah and back in time to find the cook still waiting to prepare supper. Naturally it couldn't last and Lessing is far too intelligent to think that that is all there is to life. The book ends in 1949 as she arrives in London, apprehensive and hopeful in the capital city of her parents.
This is more than a `who-did-what' from a long time ago, times and dates are (probably deliberately) rarely mentioned. It is the personalities and the ideas - most of all the ideas - sliding from youthful enthusiasm to mature realism which fuse the book with life and vitality. `Under My Skin', published in 1992, is that rare thing, a candid autobiography written by a consummate novelist with skills to spare. Doris Lessing is a national treasure.