Literature Books

I have all of the Princess School books and all of them are great! I liked If the Shoe Fits because it tells about 4 friends who are princesses and are just like other girls. I love it!!!!!!!

This book is so good. I'm 12, almost 13, but I like reading fantasy books. I found this book in my school computer lab and started reading it. I hope to read the others. It looks like a book for 6 years old, but it's not. It's great for all ages!

This book is about a girl, Cinderella, who has to deal with her evil stepsisters and stepmother while attending a school, called Princess School. Her two stepsisters attend the school and try to make her life and her classmates' a living hell. Luckily, she meets 3 other girls, Snow, Rapunzel, and Rose, who are the only nice girls from her class. They help her get through her classes while Ella must do all the dirty work at home. Plus, I love the ending!

This was an awesome book. Like most people, i wish Ella was brunette. I guess disney made her blonde in the movie. My favorite character is Rose, though. They didn't have a whole ton of her. I've read the first three books, but I've started the fourth. When i picked it up, i though i was too old to read it, but i was wrong. It's great for all ages!

I've read every book in the series and am impatient for 'Thorn in Her Side'. This one is my favourite because Rapunzel's my favourite out of the four girls, and it has a lot of Val/Rapunzel moments. :-)

I'm 16 and loved this book. My sister (age 10) was reading it and the title caught yy eye so I picked it up. It's really cute and it stresses great values such as indiviuality and friendship. I found that this book made the princesses more like real girls and gives them the opportunity to relate to them better. It was good and I recommend it really for anyone who is a princess at heart.

Heavy/Light book - hard to explain. There is a realness to the characters that made me say "Hey, I know that person!" and sometimes even, "Eeek! Too like the self I don't want to be!" This ain't no fairytale collection. This is life, complete with trips to the toilet. Not exactly anti-heros, the main characters show their flaws unknowingly as they search to move forward, often even unsure what direction is forward or which way to up. Some do successfully navigate towards up. There is some hope. But some also stagnate and a few slide further down. The stories hang in my head weeks after reading them. Thankfully, Bannan has a wonderful dry wit that helps us do more than muck our way through human exposure. We can wade along splashing, enjoying the lightness of the weight that reveals our world to us and makes us think.

Keith Banner, just reviewed in the New York Times for his "Smallest People Alive," also from Carnegie Mellon University Press, says on the Inventing Victor back cover: "Jennifer Bannan's Inventing Victor is a sharply written collection of funny, unnerving short stories that never settle for easy answers. Bannan's characters, self-reflective losers negotiating their ways through life with the low-volume enthusiasm of pro-bowlers, narrate each story in deceptively simple voices. But the stories themselves are never simple or deceptive. Bannan is after a kind of truth most literary writers try to avoid: brutal honesty in the face of all the bad things human beings do to each other. The title story alone is worth the price of admission. Fast-paced yet creepily intense, hilarious and very sad, it tells the story of a 15-year-old girl who can't stop lying, even while she knows this lying is slowly destroying her life. As you read this story, you start questioning all the lies you've ever told in order to impress people, all the ways in which dishonesty is sometimes all you have to keep yourself interesting, and maybe even aware of who you are."

This is the kind of book you want to give as a gift to all your friends. In fact, I did that. It's a beautiful collection of witty and moving stories, with characters who are so vividly drawn they seem like people you might have known once. It's the kind of book you'll read more than once; the kind of book that makes you remember why you love short stories. I highly recommend it.

We've all read stories that wipe out any trace of energy by trying so hard to be profound. And then there is gorgeous prose that doesn't manage to say much of anything. And then there is Inventing Victor. With pitch-perfect language, fresh takes on familiar insecurities and fantasies, and one wicked sense of humor, this one stays with you long after you're turned the last page. A really stunning debut.

Ms. Bannan's style defies categorization in that her stories are seemingly unrelated and there is no recognizable theme unifying them, which makes for each story its' own unique read, and makes for a small book packing an assortment of refreshing voices. She also embodies a literary style that is both masculine and feminine, vulnerable and pragmatically caustic. She is a fine teller of stories, less focused on melodic writing than on luring you in with the guts of the story itself, with the guts of the characters' thoughts and actions, and thus you are anxious to know what precisely is going to happen next. Written with a good deal of assurance, confidence and downright moxy.

This book is great for boys and girls alike, but especially poignant for young boys who still want their sleepy pals but also want to be thought of as grown-up! If you can get them to read it with the attitude of the characters, you'll smile the entire time you're reading. Dont' let this one get by you!

These books are perfect. His ear for spoken language is dead-on. It's a joy to read aloud.

This is one of the sweetest bedtime stories, getting kids ready for sleeping over with a reassuring message. Best of all, it features two little boys. There's not a lot of gentle message kids books out there that feature little boys.

This is timeless kiddie lit story: Ira is invited to his first sleep over. Ira's older sister, however, casts doubt in Ira's mind. Will Reggie laugh because Ira sleeps with a teddy bear? Should he go with or without his beloved teddy? His parents are supportive and Ira makes his decision, only to change his mind once again.

Jim Trealease, of Read-Aloud fame, read this story, with appropriate voices to a group of teachers. I was so enchanted with it that later, when I taught high school, I asked permission of my seniors to tell them Ira Sleeps Over. They loved it!

Not having read the book nor able to check it out from a library, I relied totally on reviewers 5 star comments when deciding to purchase this book. Just about 1/3 the way into the book my parental radar piqued at the conversation between Reggie and Ira concerning ghost stories, "scary, creepy, spooky ghost stories." To my sorrow, no mention or even allusion of this was in any of the reviews.

My youngest 3 children (two 5 year olds and a 7 year old) are from a culture that emphasizes ghosts, the boogie man, evil spirits, etc. in a demonic fashion. Prior to becoming part of our family, ghosts were used as a form of disciplne to terrorize them to comply and obey. Even after having them in our family for a year they still struggle with the memories of these demons. Since the ghost story is the climax in Ira Sleeps Over, I do not recommend this book.

An outstanding book, kept my interest waiting to see what happened next. As a frequent visitor to Aruba, it was hard to tell what was fact and what was fiction. I can't wait until the next time I see Charlie (Nov/Dec) to get on the invitation list to one of his parties!!!
Daniel is a gifted writer and I can't wait until the sequel is published.

Mr. Putkowski has created an engaging drama about three very different souls whose lives converge in Aruba. He has cleverly developed their characters into the reader's new simpatico literary "friends." As the story developed, I could not put the book down, wondering what would come next. All three characters come to understanding of "who they really are." There are unexpected twists. The descriptions reminded me of Steinbeck, the drama and humor recalls DeMille. I would recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a fresh new story from a brilliant new author. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a novel to as much as this one.

A riveting story is woven out of the very well developed characters that live in or come to the non tourist part of Aruba. Hard to put down. Best read under a palm tree overlooking the water, but if this is not convenient, the author's vivid descriptions of the scenery and the "vibe" will transport you there and make you want to return.

I am a huge fan of Aruba and loved this book beginning to end. Definately a keeper that I will read again someday and I anxously await the sequal!

The author capture me immediately with this book. I was pulled to Aruba and the characters and felt as if I was there and knew everyone. One of the best books I have read in a very long time and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel now. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

When I was in 5th grade (25 or so years ago), our teacher, Mrs. Smith had a reward system where if the class got enough checks, we could redeem them for various treats. Time after time, once we got enough checks, we'd beg her to read to us from this book. I don't recall our class ever asking for anything else. I'd strongly recommend this one to parents of kids of any age. This, to me, is as good as American fairy tales get.

This book is very dear to my heart. The stories told in this book came from my family, R.M. Ward. I grew up hearing my grand parents, father & Richard Chase tell these tall tells. I read them to my kids now and I hear my relatives in my head so I begain tellin-um like they told me.My hope is that these stories live on through the generations of my family as well as other families.I love hearing my daughter ask for just one more just like I did.

I remember reading an earlier version of this book as a child. The collection of folk tales is as enjoyable to read as an adult as it was years ago. In fact, I can now bring my children the tales of the Appalachian Mountains and let their imaginations run wild with giants, witches, talking animals, and a witty little scoundrel like Jack. The tales are preserved in a very close "mountain vernacular" language. There is a noticable difference between some stories in the use of terminology, but this helps me to envision another storyteller spinning the yarn in his/her own fashion, which is part of the fun of listening to folk tales. My only complaint is that the collection is not larger.

I had this book as a child, and loved it so much that I bought it for my own children and read them a story out of it every night until they had heard all the stories it offered, and they loved it, too.

I heard about this book from a teacher who used to sub. in inner city schools. She said kids always remembered her for it. It's a compilation of short stories that are supposed to be told orally. They use HEAVY Appalachian dialect and I had thought that might be a problem for my second language learners, but THEY LOVED THEM. The stories tell of how Jack (from the beanstalk) outsmarts giants in different situations. His tricks often have a violent description, but because he's doing it to giants, it's not very traumatizing. A terrific oral language developer, and a whole lot of fun!!

This book explains math in a way that is easy for young girls (and boys) to get a more thorough understanding of Algebra. It builds off of the fundamentals learned in her first book. My daughter loves it and I do, too! Danica, you rock!!!

My 13-yr-old daughter struggles with math and doesn't apply herself. With this book, she enjoys learning and it sticks with her. Great job, Danica!

This book is written in an incredibly easy and fun format that will engage teenagers and provide lots of creative ideas for anyone trying to take the fear and mystery out of algebra. Even the most math phobic person will understand the concepts and probably even discover that math truly is fun. I use it for both my own children and my students. Well worth every penny and so is the companion book "Math Doesn't Suck"!!

Both of Danica's books are incredible! My daughter absolutely loves them! She's always had a hard time with math but with these books it's amazing how much they help!! If your girl has a hard time with math, don't wait, just buy these books!:-)

I'm reading this book with my 12 year old daughter and it's as fun as a fiction book. She is learning (and it's a good review for me). I highly recommend it.

This novel is great. I have loved it since I was a little boy. My father read it to me and my brothers every night for a few months. And when he finished, I read it again.
When I pick it up now I am filled with fond memories of those months. And I must say that this book is one of my favorites.

I, with all due respect, disagree with one of the other reviewers who reviewed this item and said it was not for kids. This is the perfect book for kids, and is perfect to read aloud. The drama is engrossing, but is not too intense for youngsters. It is the perfect dog book.
A dog-lover myself, I have read a great many dog books. And this tops the list. Never before or since has an author captured so poignantly the affection between a boy and his dog. And never before or since has an author tried that affection with so many difficulties and set-backs. But, as we all know, in the end Lassie is there to greet Joe by the school gate. It's in the best three endings I've ever read (the other two being TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and A TALE OF TWO CITIES).

This is a classic, and it's one of my favorites. I honestly cannot even begin to understand why a person would give this book anything but five stars. HIGHLY recommended.

Everything runs smoothly in the Carraclough household when Lassie, their wonderful Collie, is around. But when desperate times takes desperate measures... it minuses Lassie out of the family. While everything is going hay-wire in the Carraclough home, the Collie is on a thousand-mile trek to get back with her family again. Lassie will come across many unbearable situations and obstacles, but the calling to get home overrides anything she may run into.

I loved everything about this book! The dedication of the homebound dog, to the quaint villages of England and Scotland, and all the characters within... I savored every word! It is one of my all time favorite books, and I'd recommend it to any dog or book lover!

Other than the language being like in ancient times, "Thy, thee" this book was excellent and a good savory book. It is not a fast read though.

Why has it taken me so long to read this excellent book! It is not just a "children's" book. One of the best books I have read in a long time!

Still an interesting, emotion-provoking and relevant read for the 21st century's jaded youth. It's about the most basic kind of friendship and loyalty, where an animal exhibits more of both than do the humans. Some of the Depression-era references and rigid class distinctions probably aren't as relevant today, but the core of the book, the love of and for an animal, remains. Highly recommended.

Stephen Jay Gould had a gift for raising popular science writing to the level of literature. He is by turns profound, humorous and insightful. If you have never read any of his essays, you have missed the fun of a brilliant scientist writing engagingly about what he loves most.

Once more, with feeling! Damned if Dr. Gould didn't do it again, or, more accurately, kept right on doing it. In this eighth collection of his monthly essays from Natural History magazine, Stephen Jay Gould continued his exploration of how science works (and doesn't). His reading and comprehension of history, both natural and social, produce delicious juxtaposition, insight and humor. Month after month in what became the longest running science commentary series ever to see print. Gould is adept at finding the particular instance which illustrates the general, and discerning errors of presupposition which stymie or paradoxically further scientific inquiry. In one of the title essays of this collection, for example, he demonstrates that Leonardo Da Vinci's motive for analysis of fossil clams -- a study which appears in retrospect to be marvelously modern and ahead of his time -- was offered in defense of an extremely antiquated and fallacious view of the earth as a living body. In other words, Leonardo got the right answer for the wrong reason, and though he knew his view of the earth was flawed, he never got beyond his backward bias. So, while we tend to view Da Vinci as a prescient wizard, he was perhaps more of an obsessed antiquarian, albeit a brilliant one. Great stuff in here about dodoes and Irish elk, neanderthals and missing links, princes and principles, with the arts, artists and religious texts thrown in for good measure. As I have said before ( see reviews of BULLY FOR BRONTOSAURUS, W.W. Norton & Company, 1991, and QUESTIONING THE MILLENNIUM, Harmony Books, 1997), Gould was one of our greatest modern essayists.

Gould's eighth collection of essays from his long-running feature in "Natural History" magazine explores the human history of scientific discovery; the use of observation to bolster preconceived notions and theories, and mistaken, sometimes humorous interpretations of fact.

Gould organizes the book in six broad categories: "Art and Science," "Biographies In Evolution," "Human Prehistory," "Of History and Toleration," "Evolutionary Facts and Theories," and "Different Perceptions of Common Truths."

With his customary eloquence and classic organization, Gould opens each essay with an intriguing anecdote leading to a brief discussion of his subject, then a clear statement of his intent. In the opening piece on Leonardo da Vinci's paleontology (the book's best and the one Gould himself admits to being "most proud of") Gould acknowledges the "truly prescient character" of Leonardo's observation. He then raises "two questions that expose the early-sixteenth-century context of Leonardo's inquiry: first, `What alternative account of fossils was Leonardo trying to disprove by making his observations?' and, second, "What theory of the earth was Leonardo trying to support with his findings?"

Leonardo's startlingly modern observations were employed forcefully to disprove that Noah's flood was the cause of fossil distribution or that fossils were some mystical outgrowth of rock itself. Leonardo's theory, shored up by his accurate observation, argued that the earth was a macrocosm of which man was a microcosm: "as man has within himself bones as a stay and framework for the flesh, so the world has the rocks which are the supports of the earth." Painstakingly, Leonardo proved his quaintly elaborate analogy with a wealth of breathtakingly accurate fossil detail.

This fascinating contrast of fact and human interpretation joyfully engages the reader in Gould's humanist views. While many of these myths have become famous for revealing cultural prejudice - women are inherently non-scientific, the best cave paintings must necessarily be the most modern, the dodo was an inferior evolutionary design - Gould's approach celebrates the vigorousness of human intellect in misguided pursuit.

Gould, who was evolutionary biologist and professor of zoology and geology at Harvard, makes his arguments from many sources, educating the reader on lesser known scientists and theories and revisiting favorites such as Darwin and the persisting misconceptions about the theory of evolution.

His elegant, stately prose conveys his own fascination and amusement and celebrates intellectual accomplishment, however mistaken.

Readers of Gould's other collections of science essays will be delighted with most of the material he presents here. With his usual scope and fine prose, he presents us with carefully researched and captivating subjects. All his essays are stimulating exercises in challenging traditional ways of thinking on a wide spectrum of subjects.

The opening essay on Leonardo da Vinci provides a picture of a thinker challenged by mysterious evidence, expertly addressed. Da Vinci displays more humanity here than revealed by viewing his works. Fossil seashells at mountain peaks were puzzled over for centuries. Leonardo's vivid analysis might have enhanced scientific inquiry greatly if his ideas had not ran counter to church dogmas.

The remaining essays span the usual gamut of resurrecting the reputations of scientists now often lost to view. While restoring some scientists in our estimation, he manages to erode that of others just a bit. Huxley, having been knocked off a high pedestal by an earlier essay of Gould's is subtly chided here once more for racist opinions. Richard Owen, who used some truly underhanded tactics in responding to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection, is given more leniency. Racism is a durable commodity, as Gould himself readily admits in describing his own feelings about taxing pedal-powered vehicles in Africa. It behooves him to grant Huxley a bit of leeway. Huxley, 'Darwin's Bulldog' in his unqualified support for natural selection, must necessarily be besmirched a bit in keeping with Gould's own efforts in evolutionary revisionism.

Having addressed NOMA in comments about Gould's bizarre work ROCKS OF AGES, dwelling on the essay here would be inappropriate. Suffice to say, the concept verges on the irrational, a rare circumstance in Gould's otherwise fine collection. Far more impressive are the two essays, As the Worm Turns and Triumph of the Root-heads are among his best work. Every new discovery in biology raises our consciousness of our place in Nature. The description of the bizarre parasites inhabiting the body's of crabs is a superb challenge to rigid thinking about evolution's methods. We're frequently reminded that evolution never works 'backwards', but this essay confirms again how unpredictable life can be in adapting to new environments. Keep this book where the children can reach it. It will provide hours of delightful reading - not just one reading, but many.

As Stephen Jay Gould's writes another book of thought provoking essays, here he toys with us with the title to this book.

The title is about two seperate essays and they are well written. Understanding nature itself is what Gould is doing here... making a point in his customary brillance. There are short biographies, puzzles and paradoxes, all the time Gould is leading us through his thought prossess and reasoning.

This is a very good collection of essays and well worth the time to read.

Read and enjoy.

I just got the book but am thoroughly impressed with this work. Each book is broken down pretty much by paragraph and the relevant information and background, and history is given. I look forward to exploring more with this book, and would definitely recommend this to any fan of LOTR.

The Lord of the Rings - A Readers Companion

I remember when I was at college, struggling to read Ulysses by James Joyce. I had a book of annotations to my side and was struggling to understand chapter 3 of Stephen Dedalus's adventures on the Sandymount Strand in Eire

This book is rather like that book, but I think its more of a joy to read. Although this book is not for a person who has never read the Story (it will probably give away the ending for a start!) I think its pretty worthwhile for a person whos read the "trilogy" (of SIX Books! in three Volumes!) more than once

If you've read Lord I think you'll really enjoy this. Its engrossing, and (to be honest) too much in depth (I don't really care to know what words mean in Elvish!)

So this book works well but you don't have to read EVERY bit. Tolkien was in love with words, names of places and people had to mean something. His pose was as a translator of the work into Westron, the Common Tongue, so you get (for example) Samwises real name in the original text as Banizir

So I can think the attention to detail can get overwhelming (what Samwises name is in Sindarin, etc).

I think its a great book, but it can get overwhelming. Tolkien created a history for the work, and as great a book as this is (its the best book I've read on Tolkien, up there with Lord of the Rings actually) it might be best if you just take it in small doses. Listen to the Lord of the Rings on audio cassette and read along with this book

Again, it helps if you're intimate with the Lord of the Rings. Its not unusual for people to read Lord every year. If you have read it a few times, I think you will really enjoy this book, as its an intelligent, in depth study of the work

I mean, its 900 pages of annotations, and it has a nice "dip in" quality, and it is an absorbing read

Just make sure you've read the Lord of the Rings a few times first though, otherwise you might end up throwing the Companion aside in frustration, just because of the attention to detail

See, Tolkien worked out phases of the moon, dates, and so forth; after Books 1 & 2 (which comprise The Fellowship of the Ring) it becomes convoluted, with Book 3 starting off with Aragorn speeding up the hill of Amon Hen (on February 26) and ending with Pippin riding with Gandalf to Minas Tirith the night of March 5/6 - with different characters at different times throughout that particular Book. By contrast Book 4 (with Frodo and Sam's Mission to Mordor) starts in median res (in the middle of things) at February 28 and ends with the capture of Frodo by old Sauron on late March 13th, a full week later than the end of Book 3 (so the time periods to each book are not always concurrent - that is, starting at the same time and ending at the same)

So to keep track of moon phases, dates, meanings of words in one huge tome is quite something. Clearly the Lord of the Rings is a matter that got out of hand rather quickly (original drafts of early chapters of Book 1 had the Black Rider originally being Gandalf, comically surprising the hobbits in the Shire - in the comic vein of the earlier book The Hobbit, to which Lord was a sequel; this incident became much darker with Gandalf turning to a Black Rider STALKING the hobbits before they even left the Shire!)

This book keeps track of events, words (lot of archaic words need to be defined - and not everyone knows that a league is 3 miles!)

As brilliant a book this is (I've read it once thus far, all the way through) I do have to wonder who its for... As I've said, you can't just pick up this book if you're not really familiar with the Story as you'll get rather cross and fling it aside because you'll be confused about references to Westernesse (aka Numenor) and so forth

But I think it would help if you had a familiarity with The Silmarillion, even if just reading about it in the excellent Tolkien for Dummies book

I think reading the Silmarillion might be too much for some people (I found it tedious and not as engrossing as the Lord of the Rings). I do think it would help that you read the Lord of the Rings a least a few times before picking up this work, because it really helps if you know the Lord well. Otherwise this work might be too frustrating a read, and you won't know the world

This comprehensive work consists of bits of information derived from everything that ever had anything to do with Tolkien, his manuscripts, letters, and works, and it is astounding. Every annotation is explained in depth and with accuracy.

I will not belabored this point, I have read all the previous reviews and I can say with total certainty that they are pretty much on the mark. This book will definitely give you a greater understanding of Lord of the Rings and the author's intentions. I would have to say that its just about mandatory supplemental reading material in truly understanding Tolkien's work. It will amazed any reader how much, how far and from within, Tolkien gathered his materials to write his masterpiece. It will also surprised any reader how Lord of the Rings had been altered bit here and bit there over the various publications. So please read many of the reviews written before me, some of them are quite insightful and informative. Then if you are truly interested in Lord of the Rings as a literature, buy this book.
(This book probably could be read side by side while reading Lord of the Rings but reading the book as a whole could be bit difficult. After all, there are hundreds upon hundreds of pages, nit-picking and explaining Tolkien's words, phases and all that. Nice place might be your bathroom if you take my meaning.)

.
"...has left the path of wisdom." -- Gandalf

If you'd like to ruin Tolkien's beautiful and exciting story for yourself, I can't think of a better way than this excessive scholarship.

Lest "ruin" seem an extreme term, it means, in this context: remove the LotR from the realm of great story-telling, and enter it needlessly into the superfluous arena of pedantic academia.

I admit that I only got through a few pages before disposing of it, and that I fail utterly to understand what's meant to be gained from turning a tale that's merely meant to be enjoyed (for reference to this, I highly recommend The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien) into "study."

The only reason I'm writing a review in the first place -- I can't be bothered to add one for every volume of the baffling collection of rough drafts called the History of Middle-Earth -- is to counter, for curious minds, the other reviews that call this book "indispensable." It is not. By all means, dispense with it, and retain your sense of wonder for the story itself.

Those who would argue in favor of literary critics (and the like) accepting the LotR as worthy of "merit" because of publications like this should ask themselves: "Who cares? Do I enjoy Tolkien's stories or not? What does the approval of my tastes by others matter?" Seems a rather superficial aim to me.

I offer four stars nonetheless, because anything less strikes me as needlessly rude, in light of the sheer effort. The labor must have been massive.

But Tolkien would have been horrified.

This is probably one of the best lesbian characters ever written. The problem is we haven't had a Micky Knight fix in years. Where oh where are you JM??....Please give us more Micky Knight and Cordelia!!!

I have all of the Mickey Knight series and i am hungry for more. As an avid reader of true crime, authors like Ann Rule, Roy Hazelwood etc, i was surprised at how well written these books were. I couldnt put them down.
Come on Ms Redman when is the next one coming out ???
Mickey Knight is brilliant. The storyline typical of the deep south and its age old mystery and the book seems to drag you willingly into the depths of its darkened corridors. The women appear real, not wishy washy like most lesbian heroines. The plot seems to easily weave its way through the book yet it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see just what is about to happen next. I have spent many a sleepless night reading these books. I just couldnt put them down once i started reading them. Oh for the tardis to take me to New orleans.

I only recently discovered Micky and have devoured all 4 novels over a span of 3 weeks. I adore hard-nosed Micky with all her foibles and weaknesses. Add to that an amazing cast of characters and you can't go wrong with this book or any of the previously published in the series. I recommend them all! I only pray that Ms Redmann keeps churning out more Micky Knight adventures. I, for one, am hooked! Bravo!

Finally this book is back in print. I read a friend's hardback copy, thinking the paperback would be out in a year or two. That was over five years ago. I was introduced to Micky Knight when
I picked up a mass market copy of THE INTERSECTION OF LAW AND DESIRE about ten years ago and looked for more books. Since the first two books were out of print, I waited for the next book in the series.
This excellent book about mothers and daughters kept me reading until my eyes wouldn't stay open. I finished it the following morning. Micky Knight has been described as "hard-boiled" by some reviewers, but I think that tough-veneered is a better description. In fact, she is extremely vulnerable. what I like most about Micky is that she doesn't just tackle ordinary crimes and shoot people and kick butt. Yes she does shoot a time or two, but it is usually not an easy thing for her and is almost always in self-defense and when she kicks butt, she doesn't bother to take names. Without giving away the plot, let me say this book is about daughters looking for their mothers -- including Micky.
Redmann writes complex plots and well-developed characters. There is a cast of friends beginning with Micky's lover Cordelia, and her ex-lover assistant DA Danielle Clayton (and her life-partner, Elly) Police Sargent Joanne Ranson and her life-partner Alex, Micky's cousin drag-queen Torbin and his life-mate Andy. We were introduced to them in the first of four mysteries and we learn a little more about them as the series progresses. There are some less likeable recurring characters, especially Micky's Aunt Greta and her despised cousin Bayard.
Micky Knight is a complex, usually likeable woman who cares deeply about others. If you haven't already read this book,do so. And read the three other Micky Knight books.

and it's a crying shame that they are not kept affordably in print--for one thing, it deprives Redmann of some very well earned revenue. In many ways, this 4th installment of Micky's adventures reads like the natural conclusion to the cycle of investigations opened by the first volume in the series, when we were introduced to a tough and beautiful lesbian babe-magnet with a smart mouth and endless compassion for those in trouble. She's physical (and even promiscuous--but the series is about how she gets tamed), she's achingly vulnerable, she's noble, she's got demons. Only in Lost Daughters do we meet her settled into a proper relationship, so the angst quotient is considerably lower than in the other books. Still, the conclusion to her search for her mother is unbelievably touching, and handled with just the right measure of reserve. Much as I'd love to see more of her, I wonder whether Redmann (whose website, ominously, appears to have vanished from cyberspace) is finished with her adventures. If she is, I just pray that she has another heroine in reserve for us to cheer on. Like the Meg Darcy books, with their lovingly depicted St. Louis locales, the Mickey Knight stories set us in a believable New Orleans, with its social strata, its weather, its flavors and smells.