T Books

...please accept my sincere congratulations and thanks for an absolutely fabulous baking book, where every recipe is delicious and never disappoints. I'm from a family of German baking women -- you know how fine an art baking is in Deutschland -- and have shared your recipes and books with them along with best friends. This afternoon I made your scrumptious lemon bars, which my husband and I enjoyed with a small glass of white wine. Truly heavenly. Thank you, Jim.

I bought this book in the late 80s and have used it steadily through the years. The book was out-of print but recently made a comeback as a paperback. By today's cookbook standards, this isn't a very sophisticated work - and that's fine by me. The recipes come under the heading of "comfort desserts" and the dozen or so that I have used have always turned out well. The Oatmeal Cake with Crunchy Oat Topping is my favorite - a great old-fashioned cake to take to informal gatherings. The Irish Soda Bread, Russian Tea Balls, Applesauce Cake, Cardamom Cookies, Date Crumble Bars, and Pecan Pie are all delicious. Think elementary school bake sales.

The recipe for Cardamom Bread (Nisua) is huge and unwieldy (five braided loaves!) - unless you're the proud owner of an equally hefty Viking 7-Quart mixer. Fobel said he was not able to successfully reduce the recipe to a more mangeable size - perhaps he just didn't try hard enough. My own recipe for Swedish Cardamom Bread makes three braided loaves - as much as anyone would want to handle at one time in a home kitchen. The "1933 Glory Cake" is tooth-achingly sweet and the "Maraschino Cherry Cake" just isn't appetizing - but I prefer sour cherries for baking.

These are easy recipes delivered in a straighforward and friendly manner - and the price is right. Comparable to Marilyn Moore's "Wooden Spoon Dessert Book" and Lee Bailey's "Country Desserts". I give it 3.5 stars.

The format of the cookbook is simple and without airs, like the old-fashioned American desserts represented throughout. There are no elaborate photo spreads of artsy kitchen-work, just the occasional black and white photo from Fobel's family album. The font is reasonably large, so you won't have to squint even if your vision is getting a little fuzzy. Ingredients are set apart visually from instructions, and instructions are divided into short, convenient numbered steps that make the recipes easy to follow.

And as for the recipes--oh, my, the recipes! There's a marble cake that's hardly any more difficult to make than a boxed cake mix, yet infinitely more moist and delicious. There's a raspberry cream pie that we picked up the ingredients for on the spur of the moment (the raspberries looked too good to resist that week), and I can still taste its exquisite sweet-tartness. You'll find recipes for traditional favorites such as coconut cream, pecan, and pumpkin pies, but you'll also find things like banana meringue pie, Mrs. Paasanen's cheese pie, and a glazed strawberry pie. Cakes range from a golden fruitcake to burnt butter cupcakes, chocolate coffee cream roll, and a maple layer cake.

There are coffee cakes, sweet rolls, yeast breads, cookies of all kinds, and of course cobblers, crunches, etc. Whether you want something simple that mostly uses dry ingredients and a few things you probably already have around the house, or you're in the mood for something that uses the best of the season's fresh fruit, you'll definitely find it here!

Mr. Fobel started from a pile of crumbling, yellowed recipes that inevitably left out changes and whole steps that his family members knew by heart, and recreated the nostalgic wonders of his childhood for us to enjoy in our own kitchens. These are painstakingly tested recipes that come out beautifully and result in absolutely delicious foods, and this is a cookbook well worth purchasing!

I received this book as a gift in 1989. It is the BEST baking book I've ever owned. I need a new one because it is falling apart. The "Almond Ring" pastry is the best - it has been a Christmas morning tradition in our family since I first made it in 1989. The "Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting" is the most incredible chocolate cake I've ever made. If you want to learn the basics about baking from scratch, this is the book for you. I will buy this book for each of my kids when they move out - they have learned to bake from scratch over the years by making recipes from this cookbook. Anyone who loves old fashioned baking needs this book!

I bought this book several years ago and still use it weekly. It is my absolute favorite cookbook! The recipes are easy to use and kid friendly. My entire family loves the sweet treats I bake using Fobel's recipes. What a wonderful cookbook. Thanks for sharing Jim!

Excellent book. I am not a golfer, but admire Phil Mickelson because it has always seemed to me that he has his priorities straight. His wife and his children are uppermost in his list of what life means to him. Must confess that I merely skimmed the details of the hole to hole play in the Masters tournament being described since I had purchased the book to read about his personal life. However, my husband, who IS a golfer, very much enjoyed the "play by play" in addition to more information on the personal side of Phil. This is an athlete children can look up to and admire without parents fearing an ugly, hidden side. That simply doesn't exist in this athlete. I have always enjoyed watching him play; now I will enjoy those tournaments even more.

This was a very personal book that brought you very close to the life of Phil Mickelson. When he describes his final round at the 04' Masters you feel like you were there with him every step of the way.

It was so good I got a audio copy for my husband.

i find this book very good , iam a golf player and i think that every golf player will enjoyed to read this book , phil mickelson biography is very interesting for a golfer , phil teach : thinks can do when you work hard .

If you are a golf fan, this is a must read. My wife read it too and she doesn't even like golf but she loved it too. Great insights into Phil's personal life, family, and values. Definitely worth the read.

I just read this book and thaught it was really cool. I liked the way the two CIA agents had so many obsticals. The author gave me a signed copy which I thank him for. Operation Stagecoach Red was a really neat book mainly because when I read it I couldn't put it down. Every chapter was full of intence action and excitement. It was like you were there with courage and Thao as they went through the jungle with the small team infiltrating the North Vietnamese defenses. I think every one should have a copy of this book! for a 14 year old I thought this book rocked!

I just read the book and I think the book is great! I always loved spys and military things. I also liked the way the men had to sneek into the country and all the opsticals that got in their way. One of my favorite parts was when they got bombed by thir own country's bomber and survived with some wounds. well I don't want to give away too much but for a 14 year old this book is how should i say..... oh I know DA BOMB!!!!
P.S. J.t. Thanks for the autographed copy this is Gary's son.

Finally, a novel written by a guy who lived it. Courage(the main character) is very believable as he takes you along on his mission behind enemy lines and through enemy camps. Historically accurate, interesting, and exciting from cover to cover. If you like Clancy and Coonts, you'll love J.T. Fitzgerald!

This book is amazing! It was so easy to read and understand! There also is a glossary at the end of the book for any hard to understand terms. The author is very good at describing terms that only a certain few would understand. Operation Stagecoach Red undercovers the real truth that the liberal media had covered up about what really went on in Vietnam.

i'm not an avid reader, but when i recieved this book, i couldn't put it down. this book is very well detailed on the area in vietnam. this book was also very easy to read. i would recommend this book to everyone because it has plenty of action and was written by someone who was in vietnam and know the area and what went on there.

...and not in the sense of fantasy. This book is the real deal, a thinking person's da Vinci Code (though the analogy doesn't do "The Parchment" justice). Page turner, engrossing, intelligent, etc., all the usual shibboleths apply. This is simply a terrific piece of work.

A page turner. Following an ancient parchment as it resurfaces in the last days of a present pope, threatening to upset a papal election. The parchment is picked up during the fall of the Jewish temple (62 ce), and we follow it re-emerging through the middle ages, the crusades, and the present Israeli - Palestinean crisis. Great action sequences. Subtle papal intrigue. Romance and adventure. I couldn't put it down.

This book is a true page turner for anyone interested in historical fiction. This story is plausible and believable, and the author is very skillful in the way he skips back and forth in time to tell the tale.

It is also far more enjoyable (and believable) than the De Vinci Code, probably the best-known work to deal with similar subject matter (and in my opinion the most over-rated book in recent memory).

Unlike most other works of this kind, McLaughlin's story works without straining credulity, while still being challenging and interesting. It's simply a shame that this work has not received more exposure.

What is even more stunning is that the Parchment appears to be McLaughlin's first work of fiction (I understand that he is a legal scholar of some note and has previously published academic papers). It's been a couple of years since this book has come out, and I sincerely hope that Mr. McLaughlin is working on another historical fiction novel for us, his fans.

Excellent writing about papal transition, consipracy, political suspense and church history. From the Knights Templar to the current Mideast tensions McLaughlin ties it all together. Because of the recent papal transition, it is a must read and a great deal of fun.

I read this book in just two sittings, it took that strong a hold on me. The author's imagination went far beyond the research he must have done to ground the story historically, so that suspense and excitement prevailed on every page. And the final twist to the mystery is masterful. I would recommend The Parchment to anyone who enjoys a well-told tale that comes out of history but is solidly contemporary, uncannily right out of the news.

I dare anyone to read this book and not be changed.

No one has Hilton's power of drawing a reader into the mind and heart of an ordinary bloke. I don't know how he does it; why do I care so much about his characters? He knows how to help the reader to sincerely CARE ABOUT a character, and therefore even his fellow man.

The twist and twist of the plot and timeline can be challenging at times, but well worth the effort.

And I thought the book was absolutely great BEFORE I read the last page!

(BTW, don't confuse this great book with the mediocre chickflick movie of the same name, and I don't recommend watching the movie first, as it might spoil some of the suspense.)

I had first seen the wonderfully sentimental movie, which is one of my favorites.

The book is not so sentimental. In reading the book, I was unprepared for how well-depicted would be the pain of the protagonist's psychological plight, how thought-provoking this book would be about society, and how much an individual could realistically be shown to be at a loss - no matter his external circumstances.

This is very much about someone who senses that once his life had meaning to him, and he had happily occupied a niche in the world - and can't rediscover it. The author is so wonderful in conveying this desperation.

Mr. Hilton also wonderfully conveys the highs and lows of both the well-born establishment, and the utterly displaced, of inter-war England.

And amazingly, he brilliantly evokes the wonderfully dreamy feeling of being in love. The scenes in which Smitty finds the small town, climbs up to the small lake in the hills, what he sees when he awakens, and the following several days, must be among the most moving in fiction.

I also love how the author shows the differences in personality between the earnest, sweet, easily alarmed, humble Smitty and the somewhat cynical, immensely able, practical-joking, self-deprecating Rainier - much of the difference seems engendered by the way they're treated and their places in life.

I love how subtly the author shows Mrs. Rainier's reaction to Rainier's discoveries - it's just brilliantly done. And the book's ending could not be more satisfying.

This is a more thought-provoking book than Goodbye Mr. Chips - and as much as I enjoyed that, this is a better one. I loved this as much as Hilton's So Well Remembered - which is high praise.

This completes the trilogy of classic James Hilton novels (the other two being "Lost Horizon" and "Goodbye Mr. Chips") which were all made into movies during Hollywood's Golden Era. It is the lesser known of the three novels, although Random Harvest is his most complete work.

The story is a romance, a mystery, a critque on England's class structure, and a parable. Hilton uses the lost years of Charles Rainier as a methaphor for the lost years of the 1920/1930's when England failed to prepare for the next war. Told in flashbacks and bookended by World War I and World War II, the resolution is only revealed in its final sentence that will shock you and change everything that you have just read & thought you understood. You will go back and re-read the book as your perception of all the characters are altered by the surprise ending.

Two cautions: First, see the 1942 Ronald Coleman/ Greer Garson movie AFTER reading the book to see how the ending is handled. Second, the opening few pages are set in an England and of a time that will be unfamiliar to most Americans, but if one continues on, the reader will be deeply rewarded. The ability to be surprised is a rare gift and Hilton delivers.

Random Harvest is my all-time favorite story. It might well be called The Wonderful Story or The Beautiful Story. Who hasn't read James Hilton's Good-buy Mr. Chips or Lost Horizon? This book, in my view, is his best work. It was this work that convinced me Hilton had to be a mystic although I don't know that. I do know that on one level, the earthy one, this is the best romantic novel I've ever read. On another level, social or historical, the work is a bringer of hope- written during WWII about WWI and ending on the eve of WWII the story speaks directly to our own uncertain post 911 era. But most importantly this is a work of spiritual completion. It can be read as the story of two people, or for Jungians in particular the coniunctio (union of opposites), the reconciling of the male and female within each of us, and in another context the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb"... This is, indeed, "The Wonderful Story."

A magnificently engrossing story that takes place over several years and including many twists and turns that make it difficult to write a review that does not give away too much of the plot. It starts with a war injury that brings amnesia induced loss of identity to our main character. The life that he builds from scratch is washed away when a car accident brings back his earlier memory, while losing the memory of his most recent life and identity. The two identities are quite dissimilar making it most difficult for the love of his second life to trace him once again to where he has built an entire life upon his early roots. The clash of his two identities and what he does with the women from both his lives is the crux of the book. Both his lives are truly worthwhile and if only there were a way to combine the best of both parts - but impossible to go back . . . the eventual answer is one of the most breathtakingly satisfying conclusions of all time.

James Hilton's (Goodbye Mr. Chips, Lost Horizon) greatest novel. A romance for the ages. If still possible for you, this is one time the book should definitely be digested before the movie (also great but substantially different).

This is another great book from Pat McManus, he was the only reason I used to read Outdoor Life. Pat's ability to take outdoor situations and put a clever dry twist to them is the best.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

Wow!!! This is the funniest book I have ever read. The way McManus writes is so unique, subtle humor along with out right hiariousness (if that's a word). Both men and women, country and city will enjoy this outdoor humor. I liked the fact that it was a bunch of short stories that you could read like a novel. It had the same main characters so you didn't have to always learn new people, but you could set the book down for days(if you could last that long)and not get confused. This is my first book of his and I cant wait to read more.

'Pass out laughing' funny

I have always thought that Patrick McManus is the funniest writer on the planet. I read his stories when I need to laugh or relax. Sometimes I irritate my wife by reading it in bed. I try not to laugh out loud, but I only succeed in sounding like I am trying to muffle continuous sneezes.

However, not everyone gets it. I have been shocked by watching people read McManus without so much as a smile (though most start snorting like wild pigs on acid) . My only guess is that getting McManus requires a couple things. First, it requires some understanding of his experiences. He absolutely nails all of the stupid things 'outdoorsmen (outdoors people)' do and think, but don't want anybody to know about. Second, you have to see the self-deprecating aspect of his humor. Third, you can't look for great literature in integrated books. Patrick McManus is an excellent writer, if you see these as independent stories simply collected in a volume. They are meant for adults who want to laugh at themselves. So, If you are willing to or already meet the above three criteria, you will love this book.

By the way, I am a professor of clinical psychology and (other than worrying a little about McManus) I sometimes recommend this and other McManus books. I do this with people who have racing thoughts and anxiety at bedtime, and when I believe they have the necessary experiences to find it funny. It often works quite well. I think of his stories as little pieces of happiness. (Oh, that even makes me sick to hear. Sorry)

A great resource on an important topic. Most investors don't realize that Self Directed IRA is the real key to generating the highest return for your retirement. Kudos to the author, I haven't seen much written on this topic. If anyone is looking to open a self directed IRA, I suggest visiting www.celerityplan.com. The author should include this as a resource in the next book. Wonderful results and very "snazzy" model!

From the moment you start reading Nora Peterson's book, Retire Rich With Your Self-Directed IRA: What Your Broker & Banker Don't Want You to Know About Managing Your Own Retirement Investments, you cannot help but feel at ease. It is clearly arranged in a very orderly fashion and very easy to follow. The use of her fictional character Jo, made it easy for you to follow along as if you too were walking along with Jo in her journey to financial stability after retirement. This book offers great insight into a world that many are afraid to even venture near, myself included. The step-by-step approach with the aid of the IRA Primer would help even the most common person with no prior knowledge or understanding of finance. It forces one to think about their goals in a long-term sense. The discussion around estate planning is one that is seldom addressed when planning for the future. It is necessary for a person to understand the tax codes and laws governing IRA's and other forms of retirement investment, especially when trying to avoid penalties and other losses to future income. The non-traditional forms of investing using the self-directed IRA were also very clearly explained and encourage the reader to think for him or herself. We are the arbiters of our own destiny! I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has questions or have not previously thought about preparing for their financial future.

I purchased this book because I felt nervous having all of my retirement money tied up in the stock market. I knew that other options were available. This book explores those options and alerts you to the pitfalls that await you if you are not careful planning and implementing your strategy.

Written simply, easy to understand, after 3 other books, this is the one! Just do it! You can buy and sell real estate, etc and put the profit back in and not pay taxes - follow the rules!
You can do it!

One of the main goals of author Nora Peterson, in the publishing of this book, was to share information in an easily understood format to increase the awareness of the multiple options available to retirees and future retirees when considering how to invest and protect hard-earned money accumulated over a lifetime.

The book addresses a wide range of critical aspects to be considered when planning for a long-term retirement. It touches upon subjects we have heard about, some that we haven't, and yet others that should be considered when planning for our future and those of our heirs.

Taking control of our financial future
* Movement of retirement funds into a self-directed IRA
* Understanding the roles and responsibilities of an IRA custodian, trustee, and administrator
* Creating a team of professionals to maximize income-producing opportunities while effectively managing risks - especially as it pertains to unnecessary tax penalties which can and should be avoided

Non-Traditional IRA investment options
* Real Estate
* Purchase and sale of mortgage notes
* Owning a business within an IRA or participating in a business partnership
* Buying precious metals

Managing distributions from our IRA
* Circumstances permitting withdrawals prior to age 59½ without paying a 10% tax penalty for early withdrawal
* Withdrawals to pay for health insurance when unemployed, without incurring a tax penalty
* Withdraw $10,00 to purchase a first home for a child, grandchild, or parent without penalty

Asset Protection and Stretching Your IRA
* Designation of a single beneficiary; and
* Designation of multiple beneficiaries to minimize tax risks

Getting to the "point" according to Nora Peterson:

"The point is getting through this life with the maximum comfort and security you can arrange and ending up with at least a little left over when you're finished."

That is our intended goal, isn't it?

Excellent book. One of the few that focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement. Because the authors base their recommendations on the extensive research they have done, it adds to the credibility of their recommendations. This book is a must read for anyone beginning to plan for retirement, who just retired or have already entered retirement. They include a great tool (retirement quiz) that provides a way to monitor how effectively you are adjusting to and enjoying this phase in your life.

As I read Retirement RX, I learned more about my own strengths and weaknesses in creating the retirement adventure I began 2 and a half years ago. The basic research by Drs. Fritz and Jim gives rich, rock solid evidence of how important the 8 traits to a highly successful retirement are andhow they work to create the life we desire. I enjoyed the "test" and felt pleased with scores that make me know I'm headed in the right direction. Having read and enjoyed the book so much, I intend to use it as a reference and guide to keep my priorities where I want them to be. I strongly recommend reading it for those getting ready to retire and those already on the path. I have given copies to friends to help them enjoy a "happy, rest of their lives." Thanks docs, its a winner.

This is a great primer on retirement, though retirement is truly a misnomer as the authors indicate. This period of life is less about leaving a career behind and more about transitioning to a new phase in life. The two Dr's view retirement as a "second career" and should be viewed as the "business of living well". This period of life demands just as much planning, forethought and implementation as your first career. The 8 Traits of Successful Retirement help articulate the process and enables one to develop their own plan for the golden years. The book is realistic and looks at the 4 phases of retirement. As you age and your health and abilities diminish, your attitude needs not when you have a plan and purpose. I really appreciated the emphasis on engaging your spouse in the process and tackling the future as a team. A great book, well researched, insightful anecdotes and helpful in creating a game plan for the 2nd half of life.

I read this book with new thoughts on looking at our retirement objectives. It gave me new ideas on how we could use our time but more important it was very emotionally supportive to enjoying life. It also reduced my fear of facing our older years especially fear of getting ill. THEN- using our strengths to fight illness and possible disabilities.

Excellent book. Very wise; filled with excellent advice and opportunties to self-assess preparedness for retirement.

Not the easiest book in the six Lymond Chronicles, but The Ringed Castle more than rewards the reader, and anyone who has made it this far in the series will undoubtedly persevere. These books are so awash in swashbuckling one is unaware of how much history one is learning. I can hardly wait to re-read them all to pick up some of what I've missed. Dunnett is a superb writer of entwined fiction and history.

This is the fifth book in a series which you will either love or hate. It is also one of those multi-book series which must if at all possible be read in the right order, which is

1) The Game of Kings
2) Queen's Play
3) The Disorderly Knights
4) Pawn in Frankincense
5) The Ringed Castle
6) Checkmate

The Ringed Castle has one of the more memorable opening lines in historical fiction: "Not to every young girl is it given to enter the harem of the Sultan of Turkey and return to her homeland a virgin."

After the shattering events of book 4, "Pawn in Frankincense", Phillipa Somerville so returns to England while Francis Crawford of Lymond goes to Russia and takes service with Ivan the Terrible.

There are two reasons why this series, and indeed the author's similar "Niccolo" series, should be read in chronological order. The first is that the plots are incredibly complicated and if you read them out of sequence you have no chance of understanding what is going on.

The second is that many of the characters meet their deaths in ways which are exceptionally unpleasant both for themselves and for the characters who survive them. If you read the books out of sequence, advance knowledge of how characters are going to die, can have a significant impact on the pleasure you would otherwise have had in reading about the earlier events of their lives when you do get around to reading the earlier books.

Like the books, the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, is brilliant, violent, and extremely complicated. Unlike the books he is very flawed. Lymond is a mercenary with particular interests in Scotland and France, and gets involved in nefarious deeds all over the world as 16th century Europeans knew it. Dunnett brings the splendour, cultural ferment, and violent cruelty of the Renaissance world splendidly to life.

In this book Phillipa Somerville, who was scarcely more than a girl when she first appeared in the stories, becomes a more important viewpoint character, developing as a heroine and counterweight to Franci Crawford.

If you are at all squeamish, or do not like having to make your brain work overtime to follow a book, leave this series alone. Lymond's story is neither "chewing gum for the brain" nor a comfortable read. And even if you prefer flawed heroes to knights in shining armour, Lymond may infuriate you from time to time. But if you can put up with these features, these books will richly reward the effort you make in reading them.

There is no middle ground: you will either hate the Lymond series or recognise these books as one of the greatest works of historical fiction ever written. Or very possibly both !

Volume IV of the Lymond Chronicles shows a marked improvement from the somewhat draggy Pawn In Frankincense, if not quite climbing the storytelling heights of the first three episodes.

Ringed Castle spins two riveting tales, Lymond's attempted remaking of Ivan the Terrible's Russia and Philippa's rise into the upper reaches of the English Royal Court. Vivid supporting characters abound: explorer Diccon Chancellor, chess afficiando Tsar Ivan, astrologer John Dee, and Margaret Lennox, Elizabethan femme fatale. The evocation of the Kremlin is gorgeously detailed, as are Lymond & company's adventures in Russia's unforgiving winter and the heartstopping voyage back to England -- Dunnett's uncanny ability to recreate the exotic past with such force you feel yourself there is in full flower. The book's first two thirds are excellent.

But as in the previous volume, Ringed Castle starts to feel like work down the backstretch. Dunnett's authorial sleight of hand in hiding much of Lymond's viewpoint until the final pages begins to frustrate in its familiarity, this ruse particulary trying given the ongoing story regarding his mysterious parentage.

One hopes for less of this in the final volume...

Most reviews of the Lymond series focus on Francis Crawford of Lymond, the enigmatic, often-tortured central character around whom all the other characters revolve. This isn't surprising because he is the central player on the stage. But my favorite character is Philippa, not just because she is genuinely good, but because whenever she enters a scene, it simply begins to sparkle.

Dorothy Dunnett obviously feels a great love for Philpipa because she gives her the best lines and gave her a marvelous sense of humor. She is a wonderful character, both funny and wise. But her greatest attribute is her strong moral character, her desire to do the right thing. In the prior novel, her desire to save Lymond's son caused to her to risk everything--not everyone would become a member of a harem in an effort to save a life. In Ringed Castle, her desire to reconcile Lymond with his family causes her to place herself at great risk.

With regard to Ringed Castle, I didn't find it as consistently compelling as Pawn in Frankincense, but it is still a wonderful book, particularly the haunting and tragic voyage back to England and the last 100 pages at the English court.

I have a tinge of sadness in the realization that I have only one more installment to see how it all ends, to see if Philippa can ultimately tame Lymond.

Luckily, this series is so strong on many levels I can look forward to many productive and enjoyable re-readings.

"Not to every young girl is it given to enter the harem of the Sultan of Turkey and return to her homeland a virgin." Now that's what I call an attention getting opening! The Ringed Castle begins book #5 in the series as Philippa returns home to England a very self assured young woman and Francis has hitched his wagon to the mysterious Guzel and heads to Russia to bring Tsar Ivan and his army out of the dark ages with the aid of Francis' highly trained mercenary corps.

As Francis treads the treacherous waters of the Russian court and political intrigues, there is a traitor amongst his troop who has been hired to kill him. At the same time, Philippa is called to court to serve as lady in waiting to Mary Tudor and the delightfully evil Countess Margaret Lennox continues her intrigues against Francis and Philippa. Eventually Francis is ordered by the Tsar to leave Russia, and after a harrowing sail through the dangerous waters of the northern seas Francis comes to London as part of Russia's trade embassy. There he is reunited with his wife, Philippa, who has stumbled across a long hidden mystery regarding Francis' paternity.

As with the first four books in the series, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I didn't find it as fast paced as the previous four, particularly the time spent in Russia, although necessary to set up the rest of the story. What I very much enjoyed was the maturation of Philippa and she has become the perfect foil for Lymond, she matched word for word in all their verbal battles and was the highlight of the book. I am dying to read the last book in the series, Checkmate: Sixth in the Legendary Lymond Chronicles and anxiously await the answers to just who fathered Francis Crawford of Lymond. Five stars.

I love the way Keith Brown captures the essence of mother-son relationships in the African American family. It portrays the values that are developed between mothers and sons to produce strong black males. Each story is an example of encouraging motivation and hope for future generations of mother-son relationships.

This wonderful collection of stories to read about the bond between mother's and son's.

This book is so moving. Within the first few pages, I was so captivated by the warm feelings that are shared. This mother to son bond is unexplainable. I immediately told my family and friends that they have to read this book if no other.

This is to the response from Gloria Alibaruho dated 25 December 1999.

I just read your review of the book, Sacred Bond: Black Men and Their Mothers. You said in your review. "All of the mothers are acquainted with life as a journey rather than a destination." I think that is a very profound statement - your focus on "journey" implies a continuous activity as opposed to "destination" which is a fixed point in time. Too often, whether we set the stage or someone else does, we focus on a fixed point in our lives, the time when the journey is completed. We forget to celebrate the activities that brought us to our goal. This celebration serves to strengthen us and provides inspiration for the next day. That is why some goals are never reached - the preparations for the journey are not made and then we loose sight of our destination. Metaphorically, it is like taking a hike in a dense forest and forgetting to bring a map or compass.

I have a notebook of quotations that give me inspiration and I have just included your quotation in the book. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

Sincerely,

Susan Lightfeather lightfeather@exotrope.net

As I read this book, I could see myself in every one of the mothers. I laughed, I cried, and I was blessed to be touched by their experiences. As a mother, it was reassuring to read that I am on the right track. Through their trials and tribulations, the bond strengthened. To the authoris: Thank you for capturing these magnificent stories. To the mothers/sons: Thank you for letting us into your life.