Virginia Books

I have listened to JC since 1986. He and the Breakfast Club were always my favorite morning show. Everytime he would get fired from one station or another I would get ticked off and swear never to listen again....but I always returned when he would magically reappear. The books explains the firings and confirms some of the stories I had heard of the firings. I now have a strong dislike by those mentioned in the book that transgressed against JC. Go beyond the arrogance and read it, then try to listen to those two rednecks (with out a strong dislike) that were a source of a lot of JC's outbursts.

As always, J.C. tells it like it is!

J.C. Corcoran first went on St. Louis radio in 1984 at a well-known St. Louis rock station. He immediately took over the town with his prank phone calls and other radio high-jinks. Most damaging to him was his insistence on calling a spade a spade, even if the spade was radio titan Bob Hyland. Through the years, his detractors took aim at him by way of lawsuits, name-calling and complete lies. This book is J.C.'s attempt to set the record straight, and the result is riveting.

J.C. never ducks the questions raised by his controversial actions and even apologizes for his behavior when necessary. However, most of the goofiness that made J.C. a St. Louis household name can be summed up by the words a judge used to dismiss a lawsuit filed against him - "broadcast journalism at its best." He may have offended, but he also made us laugh.

The most disturbing section of the book discusses a physical assault against J.C. by the intern of J.C.'s most aggressive competitors. (These competitors had previously stooped so low as to spread vicious rumours that J.C.'s child was a mongoloid.) What a relief to learn that J.C.'s ensuing lawsuit ended with a large jury award and the offending intern being reduced to tears on the witness stand.

J.C. gives us a honest account of his headline-filled days in St. Louis that are still going strong. After reading, one feels compelled to shout at the competition the question asked by J.C. himself - "Instead of taking cheap shots, why don't you give it your best shot and I'll give it my best shot and we'll see what happens? Or is that what you're afraid of?" It's because they know they'd lose.

I could not put down this book. JC really captured what has happened in his radio career in St. Louis. From his early days at KSHE to KLOU, you feel like you are at those meetings or you followed along to surprise Mike Bush by reporting from his basement. A must read for anyone interested in St. Louis radio. Believe me, JC leaves no stone unturned. Great, fun book.

I can't wait to pick up my very own copy of this GREAT book by Virginia Kantra, so I can re-read whenever I want. THe characters are intriguing and sometimes it just AMAZES me the way an author can describe things!VK shows such a gift with words, and I don't want to give much away, but on pp. 14-15, part of her description had me LOL: "...his masculine charge lit her screens up like incoming missiles over the desert."

I just LOVED this book! What's next from this talented new author? I can hardly wait!

Virginia Kantra has created one terrific romance, and an equally terrific hero. Ms. Kantra creates characters that linger in your mind long after you finish the book. Don't miss this one!

that pulls at your heart. Virginia Kantra weaves a magic with her pen, creating characters that truly come to life. Clare Harmon is a woman who's known loss, but is strong enough to risk her heart again when she meets Matthew Dunn. Matt is a man who's seen society at its worst, but in Clare he sees only the best. Asking her to take a chance on him seems too much, but he doesn't take into account that Clare's not the type to wait to be asked - she just gives her all. This book isn't just something you should read - it's something you must read.

Clare moved into the "bad side of town" when her prosecutor husband was killed in the area while interviewing a witness. She's fighting to save the neighborhood children from gangs and crime by hiring them to work at her neighborhood vegetable gardens. Matt moves in because the police department is starting a neighborhood policing program and since he's a still-recovering wounded hero, his high visibility and limited duty make him perfect for the job.

He's not looking for romance. Neither is Clare, especially not with someone who gets shot at for a living. But Kantra makes the whole thing smooth as silk. It's believable, involving, emotional, action-packed, and just generally all-round wonderful. No wonder this book won Romance Writers of America's 1998 Golden Heart Award for Romantic Suspense before it was published.

A very cool appraisal convincingly indicating that Freemasonry provided a social cement for the post-revolutionary era.

Steven Bullock has added a great deal to the study of Masonry with this book. If nothing else were accomplished he makes clear to the Freemason the true difference between ancient and modern Masonry. This book is also a fine study of the social history of the United States in its early years. Often overlooked by historians, the importance of the Freemasons in the early republic is finally looked at in depth.

Freemasonry often claims a large role in the advent of the Revolution which according to Bullock does not seem to be the case. On the other hand its importance to the American cause during the Revolution can hardly be overstated. Southern planters like Washington and Lee had little in common New Englanders such as General Greene, a Quaker from Connecticut. They had even less in common with the likes of Lafayette and von Steuben. Their one common link was Freemasonry. It seems that the officer corps of the American army forged its strong bonds around the fraternity. Not just the generals but many officers of all ranks seem to have bonded through Masonry. Military lodges spread the fraternity through out the army and soon some regiments actually marched with the officers wearing their Masonic badges of office.

Freemasonry as the title of this book suggests seems to have been important in the transformation of the American social order after the war. Masonry acted somewhat as a school for democrats but the fraternity itself began to grow into an elite order of "nobility" that almost became a new aristocracy. This status would help bring on the antimasons as the brotherhood which had helped mold early America's social order failed to change with changing times. The more open democracy brought on by the age of Jackson made a seeming aristocracy like the Masons seem out of place. In an odd twist, the father of this age was himself an active Mason. Jackson in fact served two terms as Grand Master of Tennessee.

There are only two small things about this book that I can fault. The writing style as is often the case with history professors is just a tad dull. The wealth of information to be found tends to make up for the style though. The more serious problem is the manner in which Bullock decides the Masons grew out of the stone masons guilds. There are many ideas about the origins of Masonry that deserve more attention. Bullock may well have taken the true path but he fails to document his conclusion in the way he documents his other insights.

Finally, this book which was written as a history offers important warnings for today's fraternity. As the brotherhood failed to change with the times during the antimasonry frenzy and almost died the changes in society today are also slowly killing Masonry. The fraternity must take the warnings given us in this book and learn from our past mistakes. Change is hard but sometimes necessary.

As the first third party in an American presidential election (1832) the Anti-Masonic Party has usually appeared suddenly in the story of the Jacksonian Era with little explanation except that the Masons were suspected in the murder of one William Morgan, who threatened to reveal their innermost rituals and secrets. The prosecution of the case was hampered by the fact that Masons dominated local and state government, which came to be seen an secret, elitist plot against democratic institutions. Steven C. Bullock traces the history of the Masonic movement from England to America and demonstrates how Masons were critical to the success of the American Revolution and the creation of a new nation under the Constitution of 1789. As such the Masons were not a sudden a aberration in American history but a group central to the early history of the nation. Masonic meetings gave members a place to learn how democratic government worked, how to socialize, how to argue without resorting to force, and how to participate in establishing a concept of national interest, or virtue, in the language of the times. Bullock's volume is one of the most critical interpretations of this period in American History. Do not be put off by its academic style or philosophical tone, especially in the first chapter. It really moves along afterward and demonstrates how an organization that boasted such diverse members as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism), and Andrew Jackson came to be seen as a conspiratorial institution that needed to be curbed for the betterment of an egalitarian American democracy. It also illustrates how the Masons sprang back from near destruction to be the charitable organization better recognized by Americans living today. It's well worth while!

This is a "must have" book for the person wanting to add a solid, well researched, and reliable study of the history and role of Freemasonry in these United States.

A poignant and touching story woven together from journals and notes. It speaks of true Christian faith, love of family and sacrifice for others. It is rich in desription and brings back many memories of living in a small town and attending a local Methodist church.

This book offers the reader hope, understanding, and how the Robertson's faith saw them through so many hardships. The Robertson's suffered pain, sorrow, and adversity, but their steadfast love and abiding faith in the Lord always prevailed throughout the turmoil in their lives. Even though it was a simpler era of time, the hardships that they endured then is still prevelent today. I would strongly suggest that anyone suffering these adversities to read this book in order to gain a stronger appreciation for what we have and to gain faith and understanding for tomorrow.

Shadow Dawn is a one-year diary/journal kept by a pioneer "steel magnolia" during the mid-thirties. Mary Adelaide Webb and her Methodist minister husband, Doctor Webb, take the reader on a journey of faith of the shadows before miracle drugs or bypass surgery as well as the joys of their "holy vow" kept throughout a forty-year Christian marriage. The reader is swept up in the optimism Mrs. Webb exhibits even under dire circumstances and the grace she imparts through her thoughts and actions. I wish I could have known Mary Webb; what an inspiration she is!

This is a truly inspirational book and extremely well written. It focuses on the life of two people after the Civil War and the struggles they endured and gives the reader hope and encouragement for a better tomorrow in the world we live. Those principles applied at that time as well as today. The book is a comfort to the hurting in today's world.

Carol Van Atta's debut novel, Slaying the Shadows, is a welcome addition to the faith-based supernatural thriller genre. With a story line that will keep you turning pages, twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the final page, and a theme that is as relevant for today as yesterday's news, Slaying the Shadows is a book well worth the time invested to read it. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something new and intriguing in Christian fiction.

What an enjoyable time spent reading this captivating story! It was very hard to put it down for even a minute! I now have a new clearer perspective of the spiritual world around me and the affects I can have on it! Can't wait to read the next one!

Once I opened this book it was a good thing I had a day off because I could not put it down. It was riveting.... I loved it.

Wow! What a thrill ride. This book captivated me from the first page. Cults, murder, angels, demons, and several twists and turns that were totally unexpected kept my attention throughout this adventure of good versus evil. I haven't read a book like this since Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness. Anyone who is a fan of the spiritual warfare genre will absolutely love this book. Incredible!

I cant add anything to what the other reviewers have already noted. It's a compelling story. This is how youre supposed to write!

Greetings,

As an avid reader of true crime books this one rates really high on my list. I loved every minute of it as the book was well written and really held your attention. Once I started reading I could not put it down. I liked it because the author told the entire story without adding endless pages of scientific termonology that would go over the average reader's head. I would recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the criminal mind.

which satisfied many of my long-standing questions & concerns regarding the tragic death of one of Mr. Spencer's victims. My interest in this particular crime is personal because I knew her. We worked together & interacted on an almost daily basis. I'd describe her best as a "jackie-of-all-trades" (architect, attorney, photographer, adventurer). She was also perhaps our office's Einstein equivalent, for she was so intelligent & bright. I continue to remember her most for her many eccentricities, some endearing & some perhaps not (depending upon whom you happened to ask). She was a gentle spirit who always remembered to live for each day & to be thankful for its many gifts. There was truly no one else quite like her!

"Stalking Justice" is a very good book. It is the story of the arrest, conviction, and eventual putting to death of Timothy Wilson Spencer for a series of gruesome rape/murders in Virginia in the 1980s. The murders took place in Arlington and Richmond. The book focuses on Arlington Detective Joe Horgas' investigation. This was also the first murder conviction that hinged on the breakthrough forensic science of DNA fingerprinting. This not only lead to the conviction of Spencer but helped free a man who had been convicted of one of the murders.Paul Mones does an excellent job of recreating the horrific crimes and crime scenes. Spencer was also linked to a series of break-ins/rapes that had been committed by a masked man. He was truely an evil person. Mones takes the reader step by step through Horgas' investigation. He shows the reader the right things that were done and also the errors that were committed by others. I grew up in Richmond and remember the panic that shook the city to it's core during the "Southside Strangler's" 3 murder spree. The number of murders may not seem large by serial killer standards, but there was a genuine fear in the city, especially by women who lived alone. I also knew one of the victim's mother. She was a teacher of mine in elementary school, so I always remembered the case. A whole other book could be written about the psychological aspects of the killer's makeup, but the bottom line is this was an individual who ritualistically tortured his victims and kept them alive for long periods of time before killing them. Luckily, he was stopped.I have a few complaints about the book. First, Det. Horgas is depicted as a one man wrecking crew while all other investigators are depicted as pig-headed or incompetent. I don't believe the entire Richmond PD was that inept. It was pointed out that several people involved had reservations about how Horgas came up with Spencer's name. While the evidence shows that Spencer undoubtedly committed the murders, the question of how Horgas pulled Spencer's name out of thin air is a curious one. I have no doubt this can happen in an investigation, but it is very coincidental that it happened this way in such a high profile one. My only insinuation is that maybe there was more information not privy to the reader. Also it was mentioned that animal hairs/fibers were found but the author never gave resolution to this. Did Spencer have a dog? Maybe I missed that in my reading. These complaints are minor as the author overall did an outstanding job. My only major complaint is that no picture of Spencer was included in the photo spread in the book. All major players were shown including the man falsely accused, but not Spencer. This was an error in editing. My last observation is in regards to the DNA analysis. The author mentions another case involving Barry Sheck, where DNA analysis was thrown out when the lab's quality control came under fire. DNA fingerprinting is revolutionary in crime fighting but it is only as good as the people analyzing the samples. Spencer was undoubtedly guilty, but for the sake of innocent persons accused the labs doing the tests have to be closely monitored. The Spencer case is also mentioned in John Douglas' "Journey into Darkness".

This book is very helpful for gaining an understanding of investing. The layout is clear and interesting, and there is a lot of useful information packed into this small guide!

As a financial advisor I've read a lot of books about investing; Recently my little brother asked me for a book to get started. This is the one I truly recommend above all the rest. A truly professional yet simple read.

This book describes the basic ways to invest your money. It covers markets and currency, stocks, bonds, indexes, mutual funds, ETFs, options, futures, and other alternative investments (briefly).

The format is very easy to read - there are lots of diagrams and pictures, which actually provides a good break from the large amount of dense information provided. One thing I liked (but that some may find annoying) is the frequency of repeating definitions. Between various sections, concepts are often defined multiple times. I found this useful, since it reminded me what a certain concept was without having to go back and find it earlier in the book.

In general, the information is pretty accurate and up-to-date. However, I noticed 1 error on the idea of fluctuation in currency value (International Investing in the Money & Markets section, p. 21), which gets the concept of a "strong dollar" during an international equity trade backwards, but then follows with an example diagram that gets it right. I was frankly surprised to see such a glaring mistake. I e-mailed the publishers, but received no response.

Another thing that I didn't like is the fact that, for some numbers in some of the diagrams, there is no mention at how the numbers were calculated/derived. I personally like to see/try all the formulas, so that was slightly annoying. But for the most part, I was able to figure out the formulas myself.

In conclusion, the book does an excellent job introducing various investment opportunities. It covers general information on each investment vehicle and describes the risks associated. It does not, however, teach you any special strategies (other than the obvious "diversify your portfolio" and "use strategies to minimize risk" ones) on investing - this is not the purpose of the book.

While I was initially put off by the brochure-like format and the clip-art-like pictures, I was pleasantly surprised by the content and the ease with which the information was presented. I certainly recommend this as an entry book for someone who does not understand the different ways to invest in various markets.

Pros:
+ nice introduction to markets and exchanges, and how they are regulated
+ covers all of the important investment vehicles used today
+ lots of useful information - good reference
+ lots of diagrams and pictures to break up the text

Cons:
- a few mistakes
- relatively dense - don't expect to blow through it if you want to retain the information

I have been reading a bit about investing for a decade but still felt I lacked a clear and comprehensive understanding of the previously overwhelming world of money and investing. NO MORE! I have found nothing that compares to the clear, concise and highly readable format of this book. The color coded and cearly defined sections helped me digest the well-organized and very readable material. However, the author's far exceed the abilty of most to clearly and concisely explain the most difficult and complicated of topics. This little book is a gem.
I feel like I've had a brief course in economics and investing and am now able to knowledgably and confidently discuss investing with the most savvy of finanical experts, agents, and those know it alls one often encounters. I will most certainly be looking at other Lighbulb Press materials.

This is fantastic book. An excellent story accompanied by some of the most delicately beautiful paintings. Flanagan is surely at the lead of contemporary artists. His paintings offers the most magica details and provide, not only a beautiful piece of artwork, but a strong emotional response that touches the heart of even the most jaded reader. There should be one in every home.

It is a tragedy that this book did not have the success it deserved. However, it remains an esoteric pleasure for those who are aware of it. With some of the most beautiful illustrations of any book I've ever seen, and a fully imagined landscape of a past America, Michael Flanagan creates a fictional world that crosses tracks with our own. In addition to the narrative, which is fine, one can enjoy the story just by flipping through the many pictures -- bent and torn "photographs" of decaying and dying old towns along a railroad line. This book works on several levels and is unlike any other book I've encountered.

"Stations" is a work of art that is an intense, exquisite expression of longing. It evokes a sense of place and time that is half remembered, close by yet out of reach, and infused with sweet loss.

For Model Railroaders, especially, this is a meaningful book that conveys a lot of what the hobby is about: the desire to hold fast to that which must dissipate. (Of course, the hobby is about other things, too, such as: Fun!) A character in "Stations", Virgil Ross, is modeled after the Eminent Model Railroader John Allen. What a beautiful irony - a character that is a model of a Master Modeler.

The support of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the development of "Stations" provides another special aspect to this book that adds to its allure. It is engaging to contemplate the interest of our suave, cosmopolitan, precious Jackie in the expression of longing embodied within the likes of a Virgil Ross, and captured so beautifully by this book. Yet another example of how we hardly knew her.

I keep going back to this book, to re-read random paragraphs, to gaze longingly at its illustrations, to re-capture the emotions, the sadness and joy, it summons. When I hold this book, I want to somehow caress it.

Flanagan doesn't just tell a story in this marvelous book. He creates a rich, vivid world--layered with multiple generations, multiple cultures, multiple landscapes--and he does it in fewer pages than lesser novelists would use for throat-clearing. Along with being a writer, Flanagan is a painter who has illustrated his story with dazzling paintings that focus on the train stations of rural Virginia. More than mere illustrations, however, these pictures play the role of recently-discovered heirlooms. As illustrations, they beautifully depict the sad, vanishing life of the people that inhabit this bittersweet world. As palimpsests, they also tell a story of their own. Flanagan has done far more than write a magnificent novel. He's merged written story and visual artwork into a powerful new medium. Truly a tour de force

Summer MacCleary is an indentured servant on a plantation in 1749. Then her masters daughter accuses her of stealing a ring. To find out what happens, read this book. It is very good.

Thirteen-year-old Summer MacCleary is an indentured servant. Although she misses her parents that died and the aunt and sisters she left behind in London, she works hard for the day seven years into the future when she will have at last earned her freedom. But strange events start to threaten Summer's future. Why did her master's daughter, Letty, appear one night, distraught and weeping? Why is Letty accusing Summer of stealing a valuable ring that has dissapeared? Summer doesn't know why, but she does know that she must find the thief and expose him or her before her master gets angry enough to sell her to a master that could be truly awful. But can Summer find the courage to do this?

After her parents died, seven-year-old Summer MacCleary left her home in London to become an indentured servant in the Virginia colony. Six years have gone by, and Summer is now thirteen. She counts the days until her twentieth birthday, when she will be free to leave. But although she longs for freedom, she has a fairly good position that she is grateful for - she cares for her master's infant son, and does some household chores. But her position is in jeopardy when her master's daughter, Letty, accuses Summer of stealing a valuable ring. If Summer is to avoid having her contract sold, she must discover what really happened to the ring. This was a highly enjoyable story about a resourceful young girl determined to clear her name, and in addition, it was filled with many details of colonial life.

Summer has arrived from Ireland as an indentured servant. She has conflicts with one of her new owner's children. Summer is afraid that her contract will be sold to a new owner. After she helps solve a mystery, she feels that her life will be better. This is a very good historical book and I highly recommend it to students 5th through the 8th grades, and for teachers, as well.

Given that the book begins with the admission that its co-authored by the Deputy Director of the IBO means it is going to be slanted toward IB. What I found incredibly interesting was the notion that IB found its roots in US public schools in areas with challenging demographics. One might expect the private school clientel that dominated the early years of IB in the US, but the growth in a diverse socio-economic area of Virginia, the IB curriculum struck a chord. Admitting its bias from the outset, the book presents a moving picture of the motivating power of educational reform for the sake of children and challenge rather than reform itself. Moreover, Supertest supports its claims with evidence and historical narrative that creats a warranted composition in support of the International Baccalaureate curriculum and its merits. The book illustrates the trials and tribulations of beginning an IB program and the benefits of seeing it through. Its an incredible and entertaining, in a postitive way, read that should interest anyone concered with educational reform, particularly involving the IB.

Beginning to research the IB program for my district, I purchased this book plus a few others to help me better understand the program and the benefits to beginning IB in a rural district. With the history of IB and the case studies from a few schools, this book gave me a good understanding of what IB should look like. It also gave me an excellent understanding of where IB came from and how that influences what is done today. I would recommend this book for any person wanting to learn more. It is a very positive book but not influenced by the organization. It is also an easy, quick read to give the big picture in a few hours.

Jay Mathews & Ian Hill's Supertest: How The International Baccalaureate Can Strengthen Our Schools deftly assesses the statistics about the Baccalaureate, including its impact on student chances for success in college and life. Chapters provide a history of the IB, its increasing introduction in American school systems, and how it makes a difference in the transition to college. Sounds like dry reading: but the concurrent story of one American high school that adopted the IB adds a personal flavor and human interest touch to the statistics and discussions.

"Washington Post" reporter Jay Mathews extends his appreciation of challenge in our high schools by identifying the grandest and most challenging of them all: the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Jay created "Newsweek" magazine's Challenge Index, and his writing is always approachable and easy to follow. This book maintains that special style. He writes here very specifically about a local DC-area high school and its experiences with beginning and maintaining the rigorous IB curriculum. You come to really care about the students and teachers he profiles, and to share their trials and successes and occasional failures with them. The book features an extremely effective method of integrating chapters about the creation and operation of the IB program as a whole - written by a co-author from the IB Organization - with chapters about Fairfax County, VA's Mount Vernon High School and the people involved with getting IB up and running there. And of the battles in Fairfax County and elsewhere about IB and its rival, the Advanced Placement (AP) program. In my mind there is no contest - IB is far and away the better program, especially for exposing kids to what college will be like. And there is no better predictor of success in college (i.e., graduating) than having taken at least one rigorous course in high school, especially one from IB which teaches how to think and plan and lean. But read Jay's book and decide for yourself. He does an excellent job of iterating the AP proponents concerns about IB, some legitimate - most not, and of exposing as fools or frauds a few of the opponents and their methods for keeping this excellent program out of their schools. They won, but did their kids a real disservice with their victory.

If you have any interest in bringing out what is best in our high school kids - in ALL of our high school kids - then you should read this book. The IB program is the best high school curriculum extant today. And don't just take my word for it. Read the book and you'll see that those precise words are used by the MIT Admissions' Director.