Quarter Mile Books

unbelievable shots of big time problems on the drag strips. quarter mile chaos is truely the perfect name for this book. Reyes worked all over the country and got all the great shots of kaboomers from coast to coast.Loved it!

I ordered Quarter Mile Chaos as a birthday gift for my boyfriend. We attended a drag race last year and it was awesome so I couldnt wait to get the book. When it arrived, I read it cover to cover and was really impressed with the pictures. I didnt realize the pictures were from years ago and I was worried my boyfriend might not relate to them but I was so wrong. He knew so much about almost every picture in the book. It was a pleasure watching him look through the book. Thank you.

I enjoyed this book very much. I collect a lot of drag racing books and I belive this is one of the best. The photos are very good, and it is enjoyable to read. I belive the late 1960's to the middle 1970.s are some of the greatest times in drag racing history. The funny cars looked great , like the muscle car of the days. cuda, mustang, challangers, gto, camaro.javelin .corvette plus many others. Bob McClurg did a fine job.

I'd love to see more color shots, but there's some great rare black and white pics that still make the book worth a look.

I actually have not gotten this book yet, but I don't even have to see it to know that it's an amazing collection of images from the most exciting days of the sports' history.

I grew up loving both drag racing and photography, and in fact, I shot for Leslie Lovett of NHRA occasionally in Englishtown and Indy back in the late '70's. Steve Reyes was my hero back then for his unbelieveable ability to be in the right place at the right time and his artistic skills to capture the visceral qualities of the sport...the massive power, the pure display of American virility as seen in beautifully designed and adorned race cars (much more important in drag racing than in NASCAR or even CART), even the seductive smell of burning nitro are somehow imbued in Reyes' images, especially his night images from OCIR. To me, many of his images seemed to transcend the simple recording of the SoCal racing scene...they were created with a deep appreciation and love for the titanic, mythical qualities that defined the sport. I don't want to gild the lily here, but I think some of his images are works of art of museum quality.

I'm so glad to see his work resurfacing in this book, and it's on the top of my wish list for my upcoming birthday.

How long would YOU fight to make your dream come true? Can you put a value on your dream? When fighting for your dream, how far would you go to make it happen?

Jennifer O'Reilley has had a dream for going on two decades. Because of the nature of her dream she not only doesn't make it come true...she gets form letters rejecting her and her dream. She is TOLD she has failed..she doesn't just "know" it.

You see, Jennifer wants to be a best selling author. At last count she has six novels completed. Very special novels these... Jennifer wants to change the world and getting her books published and on the best seller list is crucial to changing the world.

You can approach this book as an odyssey of a woman and her dream... or you can see it as a meticulously drawn anatomical study of the publishing world.

Either way...watch the character of Jennifer. She is central to this because it is through her eyes that author Linda Gail Shelnutt masterfully reconstructs the publishing world. I doubt you could possibly find anywhere a more concise portrayal of the impact of a dream on a woman and her family as you will here.

You follow Jennifer through several days, learning her habits and foibles...learning her tastes and moods...learning her view of marital obligation and devotion. Husband John works at a coal mine...he works at several mines. They move...you follow Jennifer as she sets up house wherever they need to go. You learn to love her and root for her, for alongside the world through which she must struggle to realize her dream Linda Shelnutt ALLOWS THE READER to construct a character study...who is this woman? what does she want? and why does she want it?

I realize that there are many other levels on which to appreciate this book...even adore it. Me I like people...what makes them tick...their struggles, their ethics, their strong and weak points. You couldn't ask for a better literary work in that genre than this one. From start to finish I was fascinated with this woman, and I was both amused and admiring of the way she pursued her dream, pursues her happy second career as the wife of John O'Reilley and faces and copes with months of rejections such as "you cannot get published without an agent and you cannot get an agent unless you are published..."

I've been following Jennifer's exploits since MORNING COMES. Full Moon Rising and New Moon Blues came next, followed by this one. You can read it independently of the others or, like me, in series. I'm glad there are more Jennifer books around and I am off to read the next one...more of the woman and her dream... More of the Books of Gem. Five Stars for sheer engaging plot interest. John W. Cassell

John W. Cassell is the author of seven novels of life during the American Cultural Revolution of the 1960's and 1970's. His Crossroads: 1969 is one of the books featured in the London-based ARTS ON THE UNDERGROUND FOUNDATION'S publication for 2008: "Piccadilly Land". Cassell retired from a career in law enforcement in 2006. Since that time he has been a regular contributor to the Amazon-Connect Blog and has published several guest editorials in Israel National News.

Quarter Moon Dues (The Books of Gem)

Does this review title make sense? As a metaphor yes! At 7:30 a.m. on an island blissfully enjoying sub-equatorial winter YES! As a rye comment on a bomb story Y E S !

They teach young people to DREAM! Not too much mind you...for there are chores to be done. But yes, dream. Probably to keep us off the streets.

This is what has to be a true life account of the continuing dream of Mya Jennifer O'Reilley. It HAS to be true to life...because it feels so UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. Just like the previous instalments in Jennifer's adventures we get the day to day feel of what it's like to have a dream...and go after it....

Yes, you will find Jennifer's pursuit of her dream very real...and who can better comment on that than a 20 year old who knows all about dreams. Really great letters Jennifer writes to publishers and magazine people and relatives and TV news people and TV WEATHER people...anyone...anywhere...who could maybe help her realize her dream...or maybe just sympathize now and then.

Short stories, long stories even a bomb set of articles on the planets! In the foreground, in the background, is that supporting husband of hers. They have their ups and their downs but this story is TRUE TO LIFE, which I have seen all along as a primer on how to do it right. Not necessarily correct...but right. As I've said before, these stories have taught me a lot of good things about marriage. Things you can't read about just everywhere.

From that great American truck stop food I miss to those great American motel rooms I miss. From her Gemstar to one of greatest dogs you'll ever want to meet.

Anybody following Linda Shelnutt's really bomb forum posts on the publishing world will not help but be able to see where she learned all that and how. There is nothing about this story I don't like. Except that it is over. This is a story about adulthood...yes the joy of being able to buy Vailima all nice and legal. The REAL story...In Jennifer's own words:

>>>>>>A painful monsoon of self doubt overwhelmed and filled the exhausted, empty space of later evening.
Hemorrhaging energy.
Was that what she was doing?
Was her work good? Was it worth publishing? Was she deluding herself?
Was it time to quit?
She didn't know any longer if her work was good or bad. She didn't know if she was deluding herself when she felt it was good. During the evening emotional Monsoon it had seemed very likely she was fooling herself very badly and sadly to think her writing was good enough to publish. But, she wasn't ready to quit.
What else could she do?<<<<<

This is a really great true to life story. I can't wait to start the next instalment.

It is always that conclusion with the Gem books.
I can't wait to start the next one.

This is the third book by Mr. Davis about, "doorslammers,". They just get better and better!

Larry Davis has another great book out as a follow up to Super Stock - Drag Racing the Family Sedan. This one mainly covers the factory built stockers and cars that made places like Woodward Avenue famous. Good clean photos (wish they could have been bigger though) of a lot of stockers. The focus is on the Midwest/Ohio are where Davis grew up. Great book, highly recommended!