Clubs Books

This book is for anyone that wants to escape to his or her youth. It is a great book for a weekend. Cuddle yourself on a feather mattress, with a goose down comforter snuggled around you. Lying your head on a feather pillow that is covered with a soft cotton pillowcase. Are you in heaven? No! You are in the South in the 1950's. You will awake when it is all over. There has to be more to come. Dear Author is there?

A tasty tale to be read with a super sweet iced tea and the smell of homemade biscuits baking in the oven.

D.H. Eaton wrote a lively novel in an engaging style that keeps the reader eagerly flipping pages. The central character, a recently widowed Southern lady, recounts her youth as it relates to recipes in an old fundraising cookbook she finds at a used bookstore in Central Florida.

Do the characters from the narrator's past match the recipes they submitted? Read the book and judge for yourself. The accessible language, varied recipes, advertisements from the cookbook, and quaint drawings make "The Osceola Community Club" a delight to read.

Leslie Halpern, author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies and Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science.

When I first heard about D. H. Eaton's novel, I thought it sounded like a fantastic idea. The novel wove stories of the residents of a small town by means of recipes culled from a cookbook. The narrator finds the book in a store that sells used books.

I'd met D. H. and through various conversations, felt quite a kinship with her. Our Southern upbringing coupled with the fact that we were both writers made for a broad stretch of common ground. She'd invited me to two different literary events, even featured some of my poetry at one of them. On both occasions, last minute problems with my younger child kept me from attending. My opinion of D. H. was based entirely on a social assessment. She's one of those women who has a natural grace about her. She has an energy that is contagious. She looks good in hats. And she is never, ever dull.

I had no idea what to expect of her novel, however. I'd never read anything she'd written. She'd been kind enough to send me a copy of her book. If the author is known to me, I try very hard to be objective, to look at the work with an even keener eye than I'd apply to the work of a stranger. Of late, I've been preoccupied with a manuscript deadline and other projects. But a few days ago, I was having my lunch and needed something to read. I read a few pages and was immediately put out with myself for picking the book up.

I found I could not put it down. In truth, I had too many things to do to get involved with a book, particularly a novel. But I was drawn into D.H. Eaton's novel in much the same way a bee is drawn to clover.

Within the pages of her book, an entire town comes alive. Each recipe in the fictitious cookbook is listed with the name of the contributor. Using the cookbook as a literary device is very effective. We see Charmaine Mosley's "Banana Salad" recipe, and the chapter it introduces relates the story of the Mosley family. In addition, each recipe builds into a composite whole that draws a picture of a culture, the Southern culture I knew and now recall with the same bittersweet emotions the narrator, Cassandra, carries to the end of the book.

I do not think it an accident, the choice of name for the heroine in the book. Cassandra, in some versions of ancient mythology, received the gift of prophecy from the god, Apollo. In Ms. Eaton's novel, Cassandra offers a historical account of Southern life that begins around 1958 and continues to the present, and within that account, the history of a small town, like so many, that, through growth and change, became quite a different place entirely. Just as the mythological Cassandra's warnings were ignored, so are the warnings of many, including the narrator in the novel, who caution that the culture we value will in time be lost.

As I read the book, each recipe, like the little cakes in Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, propelled me backwards, to my own upbringing and coming of age in a small Southern town. Food is a primary component in any culture, and using that as a means to move the plot works wonderfully.

D. H. Eaton writes in an unpretentious, staccato style that immediately engages the reader. As each family's story unfolds, there is a flavor of oral history-for what family below the Mason-Dixon line is without this exceptional legacy, from the poorest of us to the richest? She recreates a culture that put women on a pedestal and religion on the table, one that took care of its own, that tolerated those less fortunate and viewed the rich with a cynical eye. A sub-setting in the book is the front porch, that wonderful place where so many of us sat and took in summer evenings and stories spun by our elders, where philosophy and poetry were dispensed in plain language that shaped our hearts and values.

What strikes me about D. H. Eaton, besides her charming personality, besides her abundance of civic contributions to literature and history efforts, involves the fact that she is incredibly endowed with talent as a writer. The book deserves critical attention from serious quarters, and I certainly hope such attention will be given. For a writer to establish such a strong voice with a first novel is quite a feat.

This book is a valuable contribution to history, for it creates a metaphor for all the small, dusty towns throughout the sunbelt that fell on hard times when textile or lumber mills closed and the best and brightest left for big city job opportunities. For anyone doing research on life in the South in the decade after World War II, this novel is an incredible resource.

By the end of the novel, we have bonded to the families in Osceola in a manner that makes us sad the story is over. If we are Southern, we have journeyed to our own childhoods, and recalled the summers, the winter holidays, and the family reunions this author brings to life for us. And as a reader, we come to realize that the real character in the book is the very Southern village of Osceola. In a particularly poignant passage at the end of the book, the author writes:

"And don't forget Nanny Ellie's spices-her lighthearted expletives that mixed with her Confederate cooking smells and traveled from her kitchen outward, making us giggle, causing Mama to feign being shocked.
Nanny's kitchen. Impossible to duplicate. Impossible to recapture."

All I can say is, "Bless your heart, D.H. , you certainly did recapture that kitchen. And the one I grew up in as well. Most splendidly, I might add."

I've read many sensory stories in my time, but I can think of only two that made me hungry: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and The Osceola Community Club. Remember all those delectable dishes in Irving's "Legend"? Those "heaped-up platters of cakes"! Those "dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with honey"!

Well, Darlene Eaton gives us equally tasty fare in The Osceola Community Club. "Hoppin' John," "Bird of Paradise," "Copper Pennies," "Sweet Potato Muggin," "Lazy Gal Brunswick Stew," "Poverty Chili"----just a few of the down-home delights in this novel! No, I won't give away any recipe. Read the book; enjoy the cooking and much more. This much more includes an extraordinary variety of story food served up by Cassandra Burquette, Eaton's main character/narrator.

In 2002 Cassandra arrives in Osceola, Florida, with a group of clubwomen for a day of antiquing. She barely recognizes this time-forgotten village where as a child she spent many hours visiting her grandmother Nanny Ellie and her cousin Della.

In "a hole of a bookstore," Cassandra finds Osceola's Favorite Foods Compiled by the Osceola Community Club, 1958. This "fundraiser of a cookbook" arouses memories of an unforgettable summer when Cassandra was 12 and felt her first womanly stirrings. As she relishes the cookbook, Cassandra also recalls later experiences, like her "Take Us Back" speech at the reunion of her 1964 high school class. Some of her memories stand alone as delightful stories like the "Civil Defense" tale (featured on the Fresh and Ripe page of this web site). Others sparkle as vignettes, like this one: 

"Christmas Eve morn. 1958. And colder 'n bare babies' butts hangin' downside in an outhouse. Granddaddy indulged my Nanny Ellie with the luxury of a nighttime burr pot beneath her bed. But the rest of us had to hustle our shivering butts to the outhouse, flashlight in hand, cold be damned. Don't never let anybody tell you it don't get cold in Florida. There's more to Florida than Miami Beach, folks. Wind could evermore rip snort up and down Nanny Ellie's hill, I'm here to testify...."

Eaton gives us Southern characters we've seen before and endows them with her own fresh vitality: For example, the no-nonsense grandmother, tough and straight-talking on the outside, loving and caring on the inside; the extra special childhood friend you told your secrets to; the stupid, self righteous preacher; admirable eccentrics; snooty girls; horny boys; gossipers; racist Christians; devious aristocrats; segregated blacks with deferential masks for whites; Atticus-Finch-like whites who defend the downtrodden; and others-all of whom give us vivid insights into small-town Florida of the 1950's.

On just about every page, Eaton puts a picture, drawing, or icon. These devices plus the recipes complement and underscore setting, characters, and action.

To my mind, the author's shining achievement is Cassandra Burquette. Perky, loquacious, sensitive, funny, keen, nostalgic, Cassandra shows traces of some of the most memorable women in Southern literature. Mostly, though, she is an original who galvanizes Eaton's vision of Osceola into a microcosm of the last days of the Old South.

Robert B. Gentry, Coeditor, www.writecorner.com

What a tirrific surprise to be invited to come back to Kate's dude ranch, The Bar None!! Only this time they will do more than just hang out, their going on a pack trip with three riders that they don't know. When all was said and done it was time to head for the trail. Moutain trail that is. The bar none's horses(that they had last time) are there and their old friend, Eli, is their wrangler! What can go wrong! But wait maybe something can go wrong. Carol and Stevie have to find a way to save Lisa from her new "friends" fast, but how? While trying to figure this problem out another one quickly pops up. How are they going to make it? how can they get rid of the pesky twosome? and how are they going to get Lisa back? I found it so exciting that I couldn't put it down!! I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've always wanted to write and ride. Bonnie Bryant's books are completely inspirational and I don't even read that much. I pick this up and well let's just say that the overwhelming pile of Saddle Club books, doesn't look like enough any more. I learn quite a bit, have a really great story to read, and I never get bored! These books are great! So, ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! BUY AND READ!!

The Saddle Club is going on a five day trip with Eli, Jeanne, Kate, Christene, and some others. Amy, one of them, is reckless and dangerous, and her older brother Seth is going down with her. And her "broken ankle" puts them all, the horses, and herself in danger when a deadly forst fire chases them down. A night of a wild trail ride puts them out of danger and a full day ahead of plans. They spend their fourth day enjoying themselves.

This was a pretty good book. I did find it a little far fetched, though. I don't think that jumping in Western was very realistic even if you were caught in a raging forest fire. Also,I found one of their companions portrayed as a little too snobby. I think this book was definently worth reading.

The book I read was very good because it teaches you about horses, and how to take care of them. It's an age appropriate book, and I think other 12 yr. olds interested in horses would enjoy it. The characters in the book are on a pack trip in the mountians. This book also has a moral, which is never try to do a book report, and be in the wilderness at the same time.

The Saddle Club, Stevie, Lisa and Carole are invited on a five night wilderness ride with Kate, Eli, Jeannie, and three others, John. Amy, and her brother Seth. From the beginning of the trail ride, everyone except Lisa can see Amy is dangerous. She gallops a horse down a hill, nearly injuring him, dives into an unfamiliar lake, and more, including almost getting Stevie, Lisa, Seth and herself lost with a "broken ankle". Lisa, however, is convinced that Amy's problem is her parents. Every time Amy does something, Seth comes running, with Lisa on his heels, convinced that she's the one who can make Amy's world right for her. It takes nearly getting killed by a forest fire to put Lisa's mind straight. A night filled with smoke and danger leads Lisa to see how foolish she was acting. A must read. Buy it, and I can guarentee you will love it.

I work with children, after school, and they are excited about painting on rocks. Product is perfect for their projects. thanks

Fun & cute. Have inght eyes to bring the rock to life. Step-by-step detail instruction & ill. Fine publication.

It was in great condition and arrived in a timely manner.

We bought this book for our four year old Granddaughter for Christmas. She absolutley LOVES this book. She loves rocks and loves to paint. It is an excellent family activity also. We got the rocks at our local garden center although, we live in the country and have gathered rocks from the creek too which added to the fun. We've painted on both and they are wonderful. The first time she came over after Christmas is when we used the book. We spent hours painting and she felt really good after seeing what she had created. We even got her Uncles (ages 18 and 19) involved and we all had great fun with this. I would recommend this book for all ages!

This is a great book for people who aren't really very good at painting. Of course the ideas, patterns and methods would work for anyone, but it also shows you step-by-step which color to use, what to draw on the rock, etc. The little rock cars and rock town are darling and the lizards are cute and very realistic. This would be a fun summer project to do with your kids!

Don't sleep on this one or you will regret it. The author is bringing it to you fresh from the Wood, Inglewood, California. If you didn't grow up as an African America Girl in Los Angeles, but you want some idea of the influences, read this piece of work! This author takes you on a journey, visual and verbal through her poetry and essays that is so real, you will be entranced and unable to put the book down. Leave no page unturned as you feel the Passion, Pride, and Politickin of Ms. Shariff, an incredible writer, with a mind STILL developing with fresh new thoughts.

I am scared of you Ms. Shariff aka Supa Sister. I'm out!

Okay people, there's a new Sharif in town -- Jamal Sharif. Anyone caught flipping through the pages of her book "Passion, Pride and Politickin': Homegrown Poetry and Essays," will be sentenced to her 'n-yo-face brand of poetic justice. Ms. Sharif's "Public Service Announcement" about the "Consequences of Pussy Politics," or her insightfulness of "Why Good, Black Women End Up Alone: As Response to Joy Jones," will arrest your metaphoric senses. These are just a few of the titles from her book with powerful messages regarding self-love, self-pride, cultural diversity, and the Black experience seen through the eyes of a Black woman not afraid to speak her mind.

As Ms. Sharif so profoundly states in her Preface: "In every person's life, and especially every woman's, there comes a time when one must have the courage to define herself, herself." Each poem and essay in "Passion, Pride and Politickin'" candidly defines the real Jamal Sharif and the world she lives in. From cover-to-cover, Ms. Sharif holds no punches and makes no apologies for her outspokenness. If you're looking for a reference book of life's lessons, with a touch of inspirational healing messages, then "Passion, Pride and Politickin'" is definitely a must read book for those sentenced to a life lacking confidence and facing one's fears.

I'd like to hire Ms. Sharif to write my life story. Perhaps, she already did!...

Jamal Sharif paints pictures with her poetry that keep you grounded and lift you into a higher mental state all in the same sequence. I enjoyed the essays immensely as well as the poetry. If you don't have this book I'd suggest you do it now!

This past weekend at the 2nd BWRC in Dallas, TX, I heard Ms. Jamal Sharif recite one of her poems from Passion, Pride and Politikin': Homegrown Poetry and Essays, and was impressed by her "in your face", "tell it like it is" manner. Her message was clear, and I was feeling every word she so eloquently delivered. Afterwards, I had the pleasure of meeting this talented young woman and was impressed by her poise and character. That being the case, I purchased Passion, Pride and Politikin': Homegrown Poetry and Essays and read the entire book during my bus ride to and from work a couple of days ago. This sister's gift for expression is to be highly commended. Keepin' it real throughout, Ms. Sharif took me on a trip back to my neighborhood, back to my girlhood, back to relationships that failed because of me and in spite of me. She made me recall games played joyfully as a child, made me ponder the state of our children and the world they're growing up in right now, made me remember friends I've lost through violence and drugs. Her commentary on love-for others and for self-is insightful and will make you think, as well as, incite hours of serious self-examination. For one so young, she has a wisdom beyond her years and I have a great deal of admiration for her and her work.

Take time out of your day to travel with this intelligent and gracious sister. Passion, Pride and Politikin': Homegrown Poetry and Essays is a must read for poetry lovers and truth seekers alike.

This book had me laughing out loud because of the frankness expressed in these poems and essays. It is very refreshing to see written many things I have thought about: romance, politics and the Hip-Hop community. Ms. Jamal and her collection of "in yo face" words make you stand up and take notice.

Ms. Jamal touches on your fears, accomplishments and fantasies. On page 10, she introduces Ghetto Poem, my interpretation of this poem is about how close we all are to being homeless. Looking at someone else's backyard could easily be my own one day. As scary as some of Jamal's work is, it is our reality, and the world we live in. I challenge you to take the plunge and delve into Passion, Pride, and Politickin. It's a wonderful experience.

Reviewed by Missy

This was the first Victoria Clayton book I read, and I didn't want it to ever end. She writes intelligently, so hers aren't really 'fluff' reads but yet they are relaxing and enjoyable. If you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend that you start. The biggest problem is finding them at a reasonable price in the U.S.!

This book was such a joy. I'm an Anglophile and I have an old house that I use as a bed and breakfast so I enjoyed the circumstances but what moved me the most was the trials that women of an age feel. They are not usually the subject of novels and this one with it's warmth and heart touched me deeply.

I have now read, I believe, all of Victoria Claytons books. The latest one was Running Wild which was every bit as good if not better than the earlier ones (well, perhaps Past Mischief is still my favourite - but only just). Once again I can only say that I hope Ms. Clayton is writing another book - we (my friends, my mom and I) are all waiting!! Many thanks and congratulations on another MASTERPIECE! Such fun to read. Regards, sonja falkenberg (Toronto, Canada).

I can't say enough good things about this book - I sat up until 3 am today to finish it. I guess the traditional elements of a romance are here, but the book seems just so much more than that. It starts with the death of Miranda's chronically unfaithful husband - and proceeds to show how the life and death of this selfish, ugly man(soul-wise, not physically) is like a pebble in a pool - the ripples of effect go on forever. There's pain and humor, and not all of the ends are neatly tied up - just the ones that matter the most to you at the end. The subplots and supporting characters are superb - wonderful book!..

Miranda Stowe's life is turned upside down by the apparent suicide of her constantly unfaithful husband, Jack. With little in the bank, and a growing number of mouths to feed, she decides to take paying guests into her somewhat dilapidated manor house, meeting a cast of colourful, and sometimes eccentric, guests in the process. Liberated from her marriage, Miranda finds that she and her new business bloom and that, unfortunately, all the wrong types of men seem to be attracted to widows...

Past Mischief is a delicious social comedy, with an endearing selection of characters. But there is nothing overtly sugary about Clayton's blend of love, sex, friendship and the trials and tribulations of life. The novel is a pleasure to read and will have readers returning to thumb through its pages time and again, eager to reacquaint themselves with the characters and plot contained within. I really enjoyed this book, it's a great summer's read with an unusual amount of charm, dash and verve.

This book is wonderful!! It tells the story of Mr. Lou and his jorney from South Carolina sharecropper to owner of the Challengers Club in South Central Los Angeles. I am a teacher in Baton Rouge and this books makes me want to do more in my job. I think anyone who wants to know how to help kids should invest 5 hours of their life and read this book.
It shows that alll you need is dedication, love and patience, and you can make a difference in any childs life. I signed up to volunteer to be a mentor because of this book.

It was my privilege to recently read the autobiography of Lou Dantzler, founder of the Boys & Girls Challengers club in South Central. This book is called "A Place to Go, A Place to Grow."

This is seriously one of the most motivational, inspiring and important stories I have read in several years. This is a story you need to read, and a man you need to know about.

Lou was born and raised a sharecropper's son, in the time before the Civil Rights Movement and the Sexual Revolution. When his father passed away he was expected to run the family business and help provide and care for a large family. His mentor at this time was a soldier who escaped the cyclical poverty of the sharecropper life, only to gain respect for his achievements in the military where work was rewarded according to merit. This guidance was just the beginning of Lou realizing that what a child needs is discipline and inspiration; that there is more to life when you respect yourself and all you have to offer the world.

When Lou moved to LA he worked several odd jobs as he helped support and raise his own family, and was saddened by how many children in his neighborhood would spend their time out in the streets with nothing productive to do. He decided to truck a group of boys to the park to play, many of whom were afraid to do so unchaperoned, because of the dangers of gangs and drugs. Lou and the boys had so much fun that this small gathering eventually lead to converting an abandoned VONS shopping center into what is now an amazing facility that provides job training, dental care and a full basketball court!

What I love about this true story is that is shows the love and dedication of just one man can truly change the world. Lou never lost hope and just kept on trucking, literally, and it payed off big time! He helped inspire several generations of youth growing up in South Central to aspire to greatness in self respect, education and family.

Recently Lou passed away, but his legacy truly does still live on! I think you will love this book. It is not only a time capsule about the turbulent 20th century, but it is also very vital to our contemporary issues with poverty and street violence here in LA and what we can do as a community to turn the tide.

[...]

Remember a portion of the profit made on the sale of this book goes back to Challengers!

*I hear they are always looking for donations and volunteers! :)

I have heard about this book for four years, because Kathleen Felesina, the co-author, and her sister Laura Peterson, who plays a prominent role in Lou Dantzler's story, are longtime family friends, daughters of longtime family friends. The Peterson/Felesina families should be very proud, as, I'm sure, Lou Dantzler's beloved mom Narvis would be of him.

Lou Dantzler is "a marvelous man," a true American hero who doesn't grandstand and for much of the book thinks of himself as just a sharecropper's son, which is like saying that George Washington Carver was just a gardener. In a time when Bill and Melinda Gates are crusading to overhaul the school system and Bill Cosby is raising a furor over African-American children's futures, this book needs to be promoted and shouted from the rooftops, as does Lou Dantzler's work--which thankfully President Bush Senior did in the wake of the 1992 riots when, like Laura Peterson's USC, Lou Dantzler's Challengers Club wasn't touched by gang violence. The story of this club and its remarkable, brave founder is a must-read for every educator, parent, youth leader, pastor/rabbi--in short, everyone who cares about at-risk kids. Adults can share this book with kids too! Kudos to Lou Dantzler, and to Kathleen Felesina for this uplifting, motivating book.

This book shares the essential characteristics that a youth development professional must possess in order to make an impact on the lives of today's youth. The dedication, commitment, yet the simplicity of the concepts behind empowering and motivating today's youth to reach beyond the physical surrounding is embraced in this journey from the cotton fields of South Carolina to the urban inner city of Los Angeles. The determination to achieve by holding a community up to a standard of commitment to its youth is demonstrated in this epic story that shares how hard work with compassion along with sheer determination can change a community initially through its youth, then it parents, and bring forth the common good from mankind from all walks of life to help in changing a community. Anyone working in the youth development field would be inspired by this book as well as educated on simply methods to achieve change through parent engagement, establishing clear enforceable standards, and holding everyone accountable.

Anyone who has devoted their life to one cause or another will find inspiration from Lou's first hand account of how he started Challengers Boys and Girls Club. Each page is filled with pieces of wisdom and advice he gained from people who understood his mission and wanted to help. You get a total understanding to how the club grew from a few dozen kids and trips to the park into a beautiful, sprawling oasis in the middle of South Los Angeles. Lou's gentle nature and natural curiosity are also evident throughout the book, as he describes in great detail how strangers latched onto his desire to help children and chipped in with advice, money, and perhaps most importantly, support. Now, 38 years later, the reader will become so entranced by what they read, they to will want to lend a hand. As the expression goes, Only Time Will Tell and Lou's time at Challengers has told at least 30,000 kids that his committment and conistency to their well being is paying off in dividends.

Poppy reaches out to everyone and anyone. Regardless of whether you are religious or not, this book will connect with some part of you like nothing else. It is an inspirational story of a former movie actress who loses faith after a life full of heartache and loss, only to gradually find it again in an unexpected and quite mysterious vistor in her darkest days late in life. It took me by surprise how much I enjoyed this book, and I'm sure it will surprise and touch you, too.

Such a powerful story for such a small book. I was truly impressed with the messege this story had to give. I can only hope that when I am old I have a little angel to help me along the way. This story will touch your heart and uplift your very soul.

Poppy, Angel of Love is a well crafted and inspiring story of love. I do believe that people come into our lives for a reason and I believe there are angels out there watching over us. This story shows that miracles do happen and that we are not alone. A must read for inspiration and hope.

"Reading POPPY is an experience that will remain with you forever. I loved it!" Og Mandino

"A very special book, unique in my experience...Barbara Larriva has given us a great gift of love." Lawrence Block

"A touching story for all ages. POPPY's magic leaves a lasting impression. I smiled through my tears." Danny Thomas

When is the movie coming out? This is a touching story of multi generational proportions, and the little child shall lead her. A great book to take on a flight, or snuggle up on the couch with a hot cup of tea. Where positive triumphs over negative, where smiles will heal tears. Get it, enjoy it and tell others.

It has been a few weeks since I have recieved this book and I believe that this will be a great tool for anyone looking to start a business. The books has many hints and tips that, im sure will make you business profitable. This is a must have for anyone wanting to open a resturant, bar or nightclub. Very impressive.

Bought this book, very detailed info for operating you bar. The only down side is the size of the font. The font is huge compared to most other books and that makes it a little difficult to read.

The Professional Bar and Beverage Manager's Handbook is a hefty hardback, and serves as a comprehensive guide to the successful management of bars, pubs, and night clubs. This volume comprises nineteen chapters that cover diverse topics such as how to make a gin and tonic, hiring and firing employees, to tips on how to recognize fake IDs.

A unique and useful feature of this book is the clear state-specific legislation that regulates bar operation in each area. For instance, in Arizona, Happy Hour Laws dictate that no free drinks may be given to patrons, and that bartenders must be age 19 or over in order to pour, sell, and serve alcohol.

Easy to reproduce sample forms include the most common forms used in restaurant management, such as a Receiving Checklist to a Pour Cost Chart form, but also include unique and useful forms such as a robbery description form. A handy companion CD-ROM is included in the volume, and provides forms critical to any successful bar operation, including a sample business plan.

Other useful features of this book include a glossary of bar and management terms, as well as a reference list of manufacturers and service providers. The Professional Bar and Beverage Manager's Handbook is highly recommended for anyone involved in bar and night club operations.

The Professional Bar and Beverage Managers Handbook has the look and feel of an encyclopedia on the outside, and the contents of a detail oriented bar entrepreneur on the inside. It's a large book, with large print, which leaves plenty of room for margin notes. The book is quite comprehensive and covers end to end, everything to consider when opening and running a bar or nightclub.

The opening chapter provides an extensive overview of opening a bar. It suggests several questions to ask yourself, offers how to conduct market research and analyze your competition and tips on financial planning. This chapter also goes into creating a business plan and provides a 50-page sample business plan to model on the accompanying CD-ROM.

The depth and breadth of detail covered is quite impressive. Topics covered include laws of various states, how to properly prepare and serve drinks, controls, finances, and so much more. An example of the detail can be found in chapter 7, where a section goes into the process of properly pouring a beer. Additionally there are several web links sprinkled throughout the pages pointing the reader to a variety of suppliers and vendors.

Some information may seem over simplified, or common sense, such as the section on "The Qualities of a Good Employee," however this is offset by the overall thoroughness of each section and truly contains the level of information one would expect in a bar manager's handbook.

The CD-ROM is chalk full of forms and charts. The same documents that are contained in chapter 19 are conveniently stored as PDF files for ease of printing. These documents range from alcohol awareness charts inventory control reports and more. My only qualm with the CD-ROM is that the forms are not stored in a format easily edited by end users.

The book is a little pricey, but considering all that's packed into it, there is no question that you'll get more than you pay for, and something you'll want on your shelf. You'll find it at Amazon.com. Bottom line, if you're already a bar or nightclub owner, you could gain some new information, and if you're thinking about opening a bar, you'll have a better idea of what it takes.

This is no casual companion, but a professional bar manager's handbook which was over two years in the making: as such, it goes far beyond the usual focus on recipes to cover all the basics on how to set up, operate and manage a successful beverage operation. All kinds of bar operators receive tips on trends, marketing, equipment and products, and more. Professionals seeking a comprehensive manual to the business can't go wrong here. And yes, it does include recipes - lots of 'em. And a companion cd-rom packed with information.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book was rather dull near the beginning. It got interesting half way through. I would have liked it more if I didn't hate clowns. I HATE CLOWNS!!!but it was worth reading. If you don't like clowns in purple bathing suits then don't read this book.

This book was really good! The three girls stevie Carole and Lisa are near the end of their oregon trail ride and stevies competitive side is showing. She makes a bet with a boy who says he can outdo any girl! They bet that each one of them has to enter all five events in a rodeo and whoever loses has to do something terrible made up by the person that wins. Meanwhile Lisa and Carole get to be rodeo clowns! Though they are really worried about Stevie , they know she doesnt know the first thing about goat wrestling or cow roping. Stevie is also really worried about her boyfriend Phil who is on a rafting trip, she is sure that he has fallen in love with some one new! This book was really exciting , the ending was really good!

Quarter Horse was a book I really enjoyed! Right from the first chapter, it was interesting and original! When Carol and Lisa go to learn about clowning, and Stevie takes on all five events, it lets you see different the aspects of the rodeo. The book also keeps you in suspense, and is funny too. I definitely recommend this book to all horse-lovers!

This was very cool! I liked it how at the end it wasn't the girls who won, they both didn't win sorta(boys Vs Girls), so yeah since I am a guy I didn't want them to be sexist. But yeah, I liked because I learned some about western riding events, like barrel racing( i knew about it) but the Cow penning and the goat thing), and it was cool when Stevie saved Caroles life!

This book is SO good!! I read WAGON TRAIL, and that is good as well. This book is really exciting, really funny, and most importantly: about horses.

While I expected to find Queen of the Oil Club to be an educational read, I wasn't prepared for the page turner I found. Rubino's first person and you are there approach to Wanda's amazing life was riveting. So far,I've recommended it to friends looking for a lively summer read, writer friends, my graduate student niece who is pursuing Women's Studies and a friend who grew up in Saudi Arabia in the 1960's. There's something there for each of them.

The seeds of today's oil crisis were sown during the five decades that Wanda Jablonski reported on industry events and, through that reporting, influenced their outcome. To understand the current surge of oil nationalism on the part of both producer and consumer nations that will determine the future of hydrocarbons for years to come, we need to go back to the earlier rise of oil nationalism that led to the creation of OPEC. This book takes us there through the life of an extraordinary woman. Wanda, her first name sufficed to identify her whether in the court of the King of Saudi Arabia or the Exxon executive offices, had access to the boardrooms and bedouins that created the oil machine. She spoke the truth to their faces and told her readers what went on behind the curtain. In an all-male oil world, she earned respect and fear for the power she wielded as a journalist who knew as much or more about this crucial industry than the men who ran it. Anna Rubino captures Wanda, a strangely reclusive woman who quietly re-wrote the rules of business journalism and influenced the world we live in today.

Review for "The Queen of the Oil Club"
Anna Rubino takes us into the world of oil in the 1950's through the eyes of a remarkable woman, Wanda Jablonski. In this clearly readable book the reader is exposed to the personalities of the industry leaders, the look and feel of the Middle Eastern cities and the customs and concerns of its people. Filled with high drama, this book tells a fascinating and timely story, perhaps even more relevant in view of today's oil crisis.
Donald and Kathie Eppert

Anna Rubino was a brilliant scholar of history at Yale as she pursued her PhD. Now she has written a brilliant historical study, impeccable in scholarship but also timely and exciting. Five stars all around.
--William Lilley III, a Yale history faculty member when the author was a graduate student.

You will be sucked into the story from page one. How could a woman named Wanda Jablonski have climbed into the middle of the super secret, conspiratorial world of global oil and remain there for more than 30 years as big oil's top digging journalist? The author, Anna Rubino, lays it out in page-turning fashion.

Wanda broke all the stereotypes. She was on a first-name, trusted basis with Arab oil sheikhs. Her publication, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, became the must read for every global oil player. She broke all the big stories in a career that, as written in this compelling book, tracks more like a great work of fiction - except it's all true. If you want to understand the forces that have carried us into the current world of skyrocketing fuel prices, read this book.

It's a great summer escape - particularly if you can't afford the gas to get to the beach! You can sit under an umbrella on the back deck, grab a cool drink and get absorbed.

Wanda Jablonski - one of the most important journalists in U.S. history. Who knew?