Clubs Books

The Beach Club, Richard Poloma's first book, reminds me of Joesph Wambaugh's early police novels.

The swing shift at the Eden Valley police department, while actually highly functional, is at the mercy of a back-stabbing lieutenant, Alex Santos. The Beach Club is the nickname given to the swing shift, and refers to disciplinary time off given from Santo's, and spent cooling their heels on the beach.

The story begins with an attack by a serial rapist with a changing M.O. As the story begins to flow, Richard has developed a cast of characters with excellent results.

There is the usual dysfunction within the police department, and the lives of the characters. No story would be complete without the local after-hours hangout, the womanizing, and tension between staff officers and detectives, and the police management.

Richard has spent over fifteen years in law enforcement in San Francisco and the San Joaquin Valley. If you're a fan of Wambaugh, you would probably like this book.

Richard's website is http://www.richpaloma.com
Published by Helm Publishing

Excellent reading, Mr. Paloma's book grabs from the begining and keeps you until the end. Very informative on the conflicts and camaraderie of fellow officers. You feel like you are actually "there" Very tastefully done.

It is always interesting when a story is based on the experiences and knowledge of the author and Mr. Paloma has done an outstanding job in
using his to bring his storyline to life.
There is a sexual predator loose in their fair California city and the swing shift, known as "The Beach Club" is heading the investigation. The city is afraid, the Mayor is up at arms and they are being hindered by a Lt. Alex Santos, an administrator who is pursuing his own interests in future promotions and plans to find this predator and take all the credit, no matter how he has to do it.

The story takes you into the heart and minds of several of the officers; it shows the inner turmoil that often plagues them in their personal life and also in their line of duty, giving you an inside look into the workings of the department, the unity and disunity of the officers, and the stress that is put on their families. It also allows you to take a seldom glimpse into their minds and helps you realize the part they play in helping us live in security. Thank you!

I enjoyed this work, not only for the informative value, but also for the great mystery storyline that it has. It held my attention and I was surprised at who the culprit was. The ending was excellent, heart thumping and moving at the same time. All in all a great read and I recommend it.
Shirley Johnson/Reviewer

In the style of Joseph Wambaugh's classic novel, "The Choirboys," comes "The Beach Club" by Richard Paloma. As a member of the local Writers Group, I was thrilled with the opportunity to review an advanced reading copy.

Paloma's novel is an intriguing police ride-a-long through the fictional East Bay city of Eden Valley, California newly plagued by a serial rapist. More than a look at department politics and procedures, readers are invited into the investigations, antics and lives of the swing shift officers, affectionately dubbed "the Beach Club."

Officer Vincent Patrone, Detective Ray Depietro, and fellow swing shift officers are endangered not only by the perils of the street, but by departmental politics and their choices for on and off-duty activities. Personality and depth are displayed as they clash with "The Regime" of aspiring chief of police, Lt. Alex Santos and his henchmen while searching for an elusive sexual predator.

Throughout the book, Officer Patrone has to contend with his personal demons; sympathy for victims after the attacks, feelings of helplessness after responding to a suicide attempt, an escalating affair with a woman he met on-duty, and the of guilt of adultery. Navigating this rocky terrain and looking to understand his feelings, Patrone, befriends Father Tony, a local priest.

Lightening the harsh realities of being on the job with slightly twisted humor, the shift finds amusement at the mishaps of a canine unit, the hilarious drug testing of a suspicious substance, a miscommunication of international proportions at a ball game, and a final prank on arch nemesis, Santos. Yet the "Beach Club" officers tackle incidents of fleeing felons, auto theft, arson and the vexing pursuit of the rapist like a championship team.

Powerful action scenes combine with strong displays of police wit and humor. Paloma effectively ties in anectdones and subplots leading to a fast paced and surprising conclusion.

It's a quick and enjoyable read.

By the way, a sneek peek at a chapter of his next book promises another page turner.

Valerie Yow has done it again. I was absorbed by her biography of North Carolina writer Bernice Kelly Harris; now, with Betty Smith: Life of the Author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, she has given us another fascinating, highly readable and meticulously researched and documented biography of a major woman author.
Since I first read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--at about age thirteen--it has remained one of the books that have remained bright in my memory. Valerie Yow has brought me into the world and the writing life of the complex and determined woman who was its author, and the author of many other memorable works. Yow is herself an excellent writer. She gives us a story that is a true pleasure to read, and which also demonstrates her strength and professionalism as an historian. This biography deserves wide readership. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in Betty Smith's work, as well as in the writing process and the writing life during a period when the way was not often easy for a woman writer.
Joyce Allen

Fans of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) will find a rich treat in Valerie Yow's biography of its author, Betty Smith. Smith is best known today for the largely autobiographical Tree, but she was celebrated in her day as a prolific playwright (she wrote some 60 plays), and three other popular novels that, like Tree, drew from her own life: Tomorrow Will Be Better (1948), Maggie-Now (1958), and Joy in the Morning (1963).

Though Smith's dramatic work (King Cotton, 1937; So Gracious Is the Time, 1938; The Desert Shall Rejoice, 1941, with Robert Finch) is little-known, Yow examines it thoroughly, and shows that Smith first found her voice in theatre - a lifelong passion.

Yow portrays Smith as a complex individual, at home in the lively, combative streets of Brooklyn as well as its quiet library. She had a fine intellect, nurtured by study at Yale and a circle of literary friends; but as a writer, she did not seek the companionship of the intellectuals of her day. An introvert, she immersed herself in raising her family through three complicated marriages and years of poverty; and in writing polished, sometimes controversial, plays that explored the dark corners of contemporary life in the mid-twentieth century. With success came the stressful glare of public life; but with the accompanying money, she was able to afford weeks of solitude at Nags Head, on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the diminutive, city-bred author rose at dawn to revel in the sunrise and fish for hours in the Atlantic surf.

Much of the revelation of Smith's character and life in Yow's book comes through well-chosen excerpts from her correspondence and published personal interviews. Yow, an oral historian and psychologist,also conducted lengthy interviews of Smith's surviving family, friends and associates; spent years ransacking obscure archives for information on, and photos of, her subject; and thoroughly immersed herself in the places that Betty brought to life in her semi-autobiographical fiction: Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Nags Head.

Yow's excellent analysis suggests Smith's enduring appeal arises from her realism, for in her fiction she developed the full, flawed humanity of her characters - most famously, Francie Nolan's beloved, alcoholic father, Johnny Nolan in Tree. At a time when "literary" fiction was expected to have an overt social and political agenda, Betty Smith explored more personal terrain, though nonetheless gritty; for her characters pick their way through messy personal relationships that both nurture and thwart their hopes and dreams.

Yow points out that Smith's wise studies of individuals struggling in the barbed embrace of family and community remain compelling more than a half-century after she wrote them. Despite critics who dismissed her books as "sentimental" because they dealt with the personal, rather than the political, Smith's realistic approach has survived seismic cultural changes, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has become what few of her contemporaries can claim to have produced - a classic.

Having loved "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn", I picked up Ms. Yow's biography of Betty Smith with curiosity and a measure of trepidation. I expected an academic treatise but what I discovered, to my delight, was a rich, full-bodied, insightful account of Betty Smith's life.
Ms. Yow is a skilled story teller and this talent combined with her keen research skills and her expertise as a psychologist, yields a book that is not only informative and perceptive but a great read, as well. You won't be able to put this one down.
Anyone who has read and loved "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" will enjoy this biography. Ms. Yow helps the reader achieve a new understanding of the genesis of Francie Nolan and her family through her compelling analysis of Ms. Smith's own story.

In Betty Smith: Life of the Author of a Tree Grows in Brooklyn, author Valerie Yow has done a masterful work of making a non-fiction biography read as entertainingly and engrossingly as a well-written novel. Using a compelling narrative style, Yow tells the fascinating story of this little-known woman writer of mid 20th century. Amazingly well researched, this biography never feels moribund by facts. Instead they are used to paint a compelling picture of a writer's life and the times in which she lived. Yow provides a telling analysis - both literary and psychological - of Smith and her work. From her impoverished beginnings in Brooklyn to her turbulent life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Smith's story is even more compelling than that of the character Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. After reading Yow's biography the relationship between author and characters, between author and the people in his/her life becomes even more understandable, as is the relationship between an author and the times in which he/she lives. This book is more than just a great read, it is an invaluable resource for writers and historians and anyone interested in literature.

The BFF sisters are a really great bunch. My daughter loved this book. She related to Jennah and her friends right away. We cannot wait for the next book!

The BFF sisters are a really great bunch. My daughter loved this book. She related to Jennah and her friends right away. We cannot wait for the next book!

WOW!! I must say that I was very impressed with this children's book. I originally bought this book for my nine year-old daughter on a tip from a friend. However, once I began reading it, I couldn't stop. This comedic, yet touching, portrayal of a young Muslim girl's life in the US is precisely what we need in our changing world today. The language, situations, and issues which the protagonist encounters gives an inside look into a culture that is often misunderstood. I was happy to find a new kind of literature to share with my daughter. I highly recommend this book, and all the future titles in this series, to both young and old readers. What a great find!

As a mother of two children I recommend this book for both Muslims and non-Muslims. The book is great for entertainment as well as learning basic knowledge about Islam and cultural diversity. It teaches essential qualities such as listening to elders and respecting others of different nationalities. I would even suggest this book as an entertaining read-aloud piece. I can't wait to buy the next book in the series.

This is a simple, no-frills book, but is great for reading aloud to pre-schoolers. The active dialogue between the frog and the various animals, is ideal for young children, with their typically short-attention spans. The book also introduces rather unusual animals to children, such as the possum and the emu. In short, a hilarious book, with an interesting twist at the end, and great value for money.

The book that I read was a fiction book. It is called The Big Wide Mouthed Frog. This book was by Ana Martin Larranaga. The main character is the crocodile and the frog.
When i read this book I found that the main event was about the frog and him going to different animals and saying who are you and what do you eat? Also when I was reading I found that when you read the end you will get scared. I promise.
Last but not least I would recommend this book to Alexandra because she likes frogs and she also likes to read funny stories.

This book is a book that will make the whole family laugh histerically! My husband is not a book reader and HE read the book outloud and we laughed and laughed. We read the book 10 times before we got to our destination and we laughed with tears streaming down our faces! The illustrations and how you read the book also make the book a hoot! I want more books like this one!

My son is 21 months and he also loved the easy rhymes and fun words in this book. It's good for many giggles. I read it out loud to him 100 times and we both enjoy it.

However, the binding on this particular paperback fell apart within two days. Our day care has a copy that is from a different publisher (perhaps a previous edition) and it hasn't fallen apart. I was very disappointed because a book for toddlers needs to have some strength. A board book would be excellent.

This is the only book that I have read about Parker. So I can't compare it to other works. BUT it is a very enjoyable read. As the cover states there are extensive interviews with people who knew him best, including various ex-wives. Various incidents that are in the movie are described here, so I assume Eastwood, or whoever wrote the script, probably consulted this book. But, what is interesting is that the Book states that Chan and 'Bird' were never legally married. Don't think that fact was in the Movie.

This book is less acclaimed than Ross Russell's book, but is far better than the latter. Reisner knew Bird well and he interviewed most of his associates. It's Bird in the words of those who knew him. A great piece of work!

this book was about an epic struggle of a jazz musician in a New York city life.Im 16 and i play a lot of jazz and parker was a geat influence on me and my playin i worship him as a mucican and a jazz ico

This book shows the life of Parker through the eyes of many of his collegues, friends, and family. Robert Riesner should be commmended for his work on this material because it's informitive and gives views of Parker through people that were in his life. This book is a must read for all "true" Bird fans.

I actually hate to read, and I am extremely picky about which books I like to reread, but after reading this for the first time I am sure that there will be a second, as well as a third and fourth. Ricardo is a masterful storyteller, and the world he creates is so vivid and well-conceived that it is easy to lose yourself in his stories. The only fault I can find is with me, for not reading it sooner. --

I'm not much of a fantasy book reader, but a friend of mine who is a fantasy book guru suggested I read "The Blood of Kings" by Ricardo Flores. So I ordered a copy, and when I received it started scanning through the first several pages, and immediately got hooked. "The Blood of Kings" is a very creative tale which captivates the reader from the first chapter. The urge to find out "what happens" compels one to read without pause; indeed, I completed my reading within just a few sittings, and am now wondering how soon to expect the next installment from Mr. Flores. I heartily recommend this book, both to fantasy connoiseurs, and to "first-timers", such as myself.

Ricardo Flores is truly a gifted story teller. I first heard of him when I read some of his short stories on the Internet. I enjoyed them so much I had to buy his novel. It is a wonderfully crafted fantasy story. I highly recommend it!

Ricardo - Keep up the good work!

A refreshingly imaginative fantasy work. The Blood of Kings gets back to basics in the high fantasy genre. I recommend it to anyone who craves fantasy with a literary twist.

I have read heaps of these type of books and wasn't expecting much but this is a CLASSIC. Very funny. Unique concept, original. Very cleverly written. can be chauvanistic in parts and is definitely NOT politically correct. One for the boys.

Go Sammy Slapperelli!!!

Well done Mr Blue, whoever you are.
Lock up your daughters. This is huge. The cover is pretty average but don't judge the book by it! This is pure gold. It is like a funny Kama Sutra
Website is good too

http://www.blueridersclub.com

What a classic!!!

They should make this into a movie. So much better than all those other pick up guides out there. There is nothing like this one. Some of the best lines I have ever read - Tarantino should make the movie. The best description of fellatio and cunnilingus I have seen

Awesome!

When I bought this book I expected it to be a straight how to pick up women guide. It is soooo funny! There are heaps of how to tips, but it is very cleverly done. Lots of references to famous people. And get a load of some of the characters. Sammy Slapperelli is my fave. He has "Super Sleaze Clinics"
There is also a lesbian character. And watch out for the old master Frankie Cabana. Probably one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is based on a true story.

Who would have guessed that such a simple, straightfoward musical would be the longest running show in New York history? Read this copy of the libretto, and you'll know why. The show is very simple and very honest. It has drama and lighthearted comedy in just the right amounts to create what is, in many ways, the perfect musical. This volume also contains lots of extra information about the show, including the lyrics to a new song written for the show in its later years, and a number of photos. The music is missing, of course, but even without the OCR to the show, you get a great sense here of what makes The Fantasticks so, well, fantastic.

It never fails to amaze me that Jones & Schmidt were capable of such powerful poetry while still studying for their masters degrees. This thesis show is a powerhouse of simplicity and a panorama of minimalism. Sound oxymoronic? It is. The show is so disceptively simple, but the stories it tells are universal, and they are guaranteed to ring true for even the most tarnished audience member. One read, and it won't be hard to "try to remember" this show for a long time!

This is one of the most wonderful musicals ever. It has a wonderful story and plot but the best part about it is the music. The music is absolutely FANTASTICK! The musical contains a wide variety of songs, each with its own mood and purpose. There are funny and amuzing songs, ominous songs, loving songs, wishful songs... there's something for everybody. I first saw the Fantasticks in New York and fell in love with the music. I have almost all the songs completely memorized and I am working on putting a few of the song into my audition repertoire. This is music that every true musical fan should have. Its brilliant.

It has been two years since I was first introduced to The Fantasticks. Ever since I saw the show I have been captivated by its remarkable story, lyrics, and music. It was only recently that I read this 30th anniversary edition and truly found out how amazing this show is.

Tom Jones' personal account of The Fantasticks shows the reader what exactly goes in to a show before it actually debuts. The first section "Try to Remember" is well set as the first chapter of the book. The reader will benefit more from reading this chapter before the show.

The third section (the second was the libretto) is a look at the actors really shows you the life of the longest running Off-Broadway show.

I know my words cannot do justice to this amazing book. I would recommend this book to any die-hard Fantasticks fan, or to anyone interested in getting to know the best musical ever written.

.... "It has seventeen new essays and 37 new book lists added to the second edition mentioned here. Forty six essays describe how individual groups are organized and portray thier strengths, weaknesses, and unique characters. Special-interest groups, groups with professional leaders or sponsors, new groups, and groups that have been meeting for decades are all represented. Readers discover what makes a good group tick, from how to organize meetings, select members and books, and stimulate discussion to turning a flagging group around. More than three dozen reading lists supplied by the groups themselves help to provide insight and inspiration for all who currently belong to a book group or are tempted to start a group of thier own....

From Fall 2000, but Amazon does not carry it yet. Hopefully soon. "It has seventeen new essays and 37 new book lists added to the second edition mentioned here. Forty six essays describe how individual groups are organized and portray thier strengths, weaknesses, and unique characters. Special-interest groups, groups with professional leaders or sponsors, new groups, and groups that have been meeting for decades are all represented. Readers discover what makes a good group tick, from how to organize meetings, select members and books, and stimulate discussion to turning a flagging group around. More than three dozen reading lists supplied by the groups themselves help to provide insight and inspiration for all who currently belong to a book group or are tempted to start a group of thier own. This book replaces 1-55652-246-0" catalog

I was looking for information about starting a book club when I found this book. At first I thought it would be useless because I was looking for guidelines, and this is a collection of essays. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the essays here not only provided the information I was looking for but were enjoyable reading in their own merit. The collection reads like a book of short stories. The compiled book lists are also very helpful.

A Thoughtful Guide to Forming & Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group with essayss written, often collectively, by members of many & varied groups together with a What To Read section. With a foreword that only Margaret Atwood could write, this collection of quirky, humorous & serious essays gathered from book groups around the country, enchants, entertains & had me plotting how to start a group out of our local library. A really neat read. ................

i highly enjoyed reading this book! the characters were well thought out and you felt as if you knew each one like a neighbor. the book takes a different approach to history. all of the events have actually happened, but alfred himself is a creation. you felt sad when he hurt and happy when he rejoiced. there were a couple of slow points in the book, but if you push past them, you will find the overall finish totally rewarding!

As a student of Black History of the Post Civil War West I can reccommend Mr. Smith's book highly. Although he has taken some liberties chronologically(which, in his forward, he apologized for) the events are correct.

Hopefully Mr. Smith's book will inspire other such studies and accounts of a long forgotten and neglected part of our history.

A great book. The story is full of historical detail, but it reads completely like a novel. I thought the main character, Alfred, was very believable. There is quite a lot of variety in the many adventures he has in the story. I learned a lot about the time period. The book has not just one main character, but a number of interesting figures. I highly recommend it.

This book is well worth a readers time - it educates, informs and makes you think - leaving a lasting impact in your life. The central character (Alfred) illuminates what conditions must have been like as a slave, a civil war soldier, a free man, a buffalo soldier - all in a manner that is very believable. Well done! I look forward to reading more of this author in the future.