Running Books

I first read this book about 20 years ago, and I consider it a classic of the type.

Michael is kept in bondage and punished severely by his caring but aloof wife, Hilda. His excess of love compells him to assist in helping her to take a lover to enjoy in front of her imprisoned slave. Hilda also tempts him with her new, young maid, who in turn seduces him (causing him extreme punishment), possesses him, and finally suffers with him under the bondage and punishment of the passionate but cold, Hilda.

This very well written novel has non-cardboard characters with depth and emotions, an unique story line, and graphic corporal punishment, scatalogical, and bondage scenes. The reader is swept up into the forboding mystery of Hilda's character, and the slavishly devoted and tragically needy character of Michael

I first read EXCESS OF LOVE by Jac Lenders over twenty-two years ago. I was very pleased to see it reprinted in 1996, then again in 2000. EXCESS OF LOVE is a novel that takes a bold look at a form of love that was seldom discussed out loud in public twenty years before. Things are a little more opened in this day and age. That I would call this book a classic in the field of "erotica" is surely an understatement. Few other novels have been written which depict the subject of "Female Domination" with such clarity, honesty, and even perhaps such love. Written as a diary, EXCESS OF LOVE is the story of Michael and Hilda Mansell. They are a couple that lives in England and have a rather unusual marriage based on the belief of female domination. Michael, a novelist, is the slave of his beautiful, but cold wife, Hilda. She is the Goddess that he worships, and his role is to submit to whatever demands are made upon him. The top floor of their three-story home is Michael's prison, and he is never allowed to leave it without Hilda's permission. In fact, the door leading up the third landing is kept locked at all times, and Hilda is the only person with a key. To test the love of her submissive husband, Hilda will at times cruely punish and humiliate Michael in ways that would seem depraved to those outside of such a relationship. To Michael, it is simply another way for his wife to demonstrate her love for him. Though occasionally fearful of the things Hilda does to him, Michael also finds himself sexually excited at the same time. When Hilda takes Peter as her young lover, Michael is tied to a chair in his quarters and forced to listen to their lovemaking on the intercom system. He finds himself to be both jealous and excited at being cuckolded by his lovely wife. Over a period of months, Hilda begins to mold and shape the relationship between her and the two men, much like a skilled director, bringing the two of them closer together, until each is able to completely accept the other. Peter eventually becomes comfortable enough to accept the husband being tied and bound in the same room as he makes long, passionate love to the Mistress of the house. There is also the new maid, Olive, who not only has to clean the house, but assists Hilda in dominating her husband. As Hilda tells Olive, "There are men who want to cry with pain, some who want to feel that there is no mercy for them. Some can only live happily as slaves. They are told what to do and what not to do, and they get punished all of the time, and the men love it." Olive soon learns the power of the whip and how ecstatic it can be to control another human being in a sexual manner. Over time, however, Olive and Michael develop a close relationship with each other that leads to jealousy on Hilda's part, and it isn't long before tragedy unfolds. Whatever one may think with regards to the type of marriage Hilda and Michael have, the one thing that stands out in the book is the strong love both have for each other. It doesn't matter what Hilda forces her husband to endure, there is never a doubt that she truly loves him, or that he loves her more than life itself. EXCESS OF LOVE was certainly written by someone who has had personal experience in a relationship of this type. Of that, there can be no question. The author clearly understands the psychology behind the actions and never for one moment looks down upon his characters in the book. He has written them as flesh and blood...as people the reader can care about, no matter what their sexual preferences might be. The only difference between the Mansells and other folks is how they choose to view the nature of love and express it between themselves. Certainly this novel was written for a very small, select audience. That it has continued to be reprinted over the last twenty years says something for the quality of writing and how the subject matter is treated. The reader should be warned that this novel is sexually graphic and will be offensive to a great many people. There is only one other novel that I have read over the last two decades that comes even close to the quality and truth of this book and it is titled, MY DARLING DOMINATRIX. Written by Grant Antrews, readers can still purchase this and EXCESS OF LOVE through Amazon.com. Finally, I don't know if Jac Lenders is still alive or not. To my knowledge, EXCESS OF LOVE is the only novel which he wrote. If by some chance Mr. Lenders is alive and by some strange twist of fate reads this review, perhaps he will consider writing another novel. I would love to see how he'd deal with the same subject matter in today's opened society.

This book made my heart leap with the beautiful juxtaposition of inspirational quotes and breathtakingly lovely stained glass windows. The art print colors are vibrantly rich and glowing. The windows and text span a broad historical and geographical range. They include windows from diverse places and times; 13th century French and English cathedrals, modern works by Marc Chagall, and windows from 20th century cathedrals in South America. The quotes are equally broad from Louis L'Amour to Leo Tolstoy; St.Francis of Assisi to Pearl Bailey. The text creatively intertwines with the art work to stop and make you marvel and wonder. This book is a perfect aid to meditation It warms the soul and spirit,it makes you contemplate and wonder and ultimaltely give thanks. It is a hope renewer in both art and faith and their wonderful ongoing connection.

This is book for those moments of quite contemplation. When the world seems chaotic and despair seems to be the order of the day, and there seems to be no remedy, this book will provide you with joy. As you reflect upon the quotes from the people of diverse time periods and backgrounds you will see the common thread throughout history; faith , hope and light. Each page has a beautiful stained glass window from some house of worship, museum or private collection from various corners of the world. The colorful illuminations are magnificent and date from early Christendom to contemporary art all reproduced in exquisite detail. On the opposite page are quotations in big bold letters. The sayings are thought provoking,concise reflections on our purpose on this planet and our relationship to the seen and unseen. The themes are organized around the title of the book with the exception of love replacing light. The art work from the stained glass windows is only half the treasure of this book as the sayings are at times profound. Some of the simple examples from the book are as follows: from Love; "Love in its essence is spiritual fire," Emmanuel Swedenborg(1868-1772), from Hope; " Laugh and grow strong," St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), from Faith ; "People see God every day, they just don't recognize him " Pearl Baily (1918-1990). These are some of the shortest quotes and very typical of the diversity . The sayings come from the unknown and known figures of time. I would recommend this book to you , to share with a family member, to give as a gift for a special person in your life, to spread the interchangeable terms of light and love. This is a good book to have near and read often, to look at the wisdom and common thread that binds all mankind.

I am a fan of all of Joni Hilton's work and this book is no exception. It has fun ideas to do with your family that don't cost much. Alot of the activities you can do with the things in your own home. I really like it but it doesn't take the place of Five minute miracles which still tops my list of her books and is no longer in print.

The ideas in this book are easy to do, not very expensive and for the most part, don't require anything exotic. There are suggestions for trips to take, things to do on trips, holidays, and more. There are ideas for making every day special, seasons, games for the whole family and more.

If you can remember to look over this book at times, you will find a wealth of ideas for just about anytime (hospital stays, new baby, hot days, rainy days etc.) Our family will probably not even come close to doing half of the things in this book. However, everything we have done has been fun.

We made the sugar eggs for some of the kids in the playgroup and they were a big hit.

This book is sure to help you enjoy the time you have with your children. IT has helped our family to explore new things and try new ideas.

Enjoy.

Extremely readable story of how Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt came to write "The Fantasticks," the longest-running musical in history. Full of interesting back-stage stories and details on how the famous songs and lines came to be written. It's about the show, but it's also about the people who made it happen. It's a little portrait of life among theatre people and beatniks in late 1950s Greenwich Village.

There are many reasons America has fallen in love with this play. The most obvious being the story. It is a play bringing simple innocence into a seemingly scandelous love affair. It is a heart-warming musical not quickly to be forgotten. Yet, what i love most about the play is who Luisa is and can be made to be. Her monologue preceeding "Much More" has served me well in audition after audition and this play will go on as a classic in musical theatres everywhere. A must-read for play lovers.

Review Summary: Fathers and Sons profiles 30 fathers and sons (and occasionally grandfathers and grandsons, as well) plus describes Mr. Richissin and Mr. Graham's relationships with their fathers. The examples look at the famous and the unknown, the heroic and the fallen, the typical and the unusual, and the traditional and the nontraditional relationships. These connections are exposed in the context of both soaring success and tragic loss . . . and everything in between. What speaks loudest is that the sons want to be connected to the fathers, regardless of how the relationship started out. Most dads will get ideas for how to be there for their sons in more ways.

Review: This book is greatly enriched by emphasizing both photography and family relationships. Each exposition enhances the other. The expressions and body language of the pairs say a lot about their connections that an essay could not.

Fathers and sons who feel estranged from each other will find this book most valuable. They will see that there is always a way to start again, and they will eventually be welcomed.

The book will also be valuable to those who are about to face a family crisis, like an illness, death, or divorce. The examples here will give you ideas and courage for dealing with the inevitable in constructive, emotionally enriching ways.

In the introduction, Mr. Richissin indicates that he asked the men and boys for candor. He seems to have been pretty successful in that way. A number of the men describe what had to have been the most painful moments in their relationships. That made the book more meaningful.

Regardless of your interests, you will probably find fathers and sons whose occupations will be relevant to you. There are a number of sports star families including the McEnroes, Alomars, Mannings, Nicklauses, Graves, Lindroses, Pettys, and Esiasons. You also have performers like the Elliotts and Gebels. Journalists and authors are represented by the Keillors, Schapps, and the Wallaces. Business families are represented by the Mondavis. Politicians are represented by the Lockes.

The stories of ordinary families are moving also. You don't have to be a celebrity or father one to be an inspiring father. Some did it even through their hobbies.

The most touching story for me was about the Aycocks. Knowing that his grandson needed a kidney transplant to survive, grandfather Charlie insisted on being the donor. Going into surgery together and recoving forged an even closer bond than would otherwise have existed.

I was also powerfully moved by Mike Wallace's description of having a sense that something was wrong with his son, Peter, and catching the next plane to look for him in France. Mr. Wallace found Peter's body at the bottom of a 150 foot cliff.

The Lindroses inspired me by their strong desire to make choices that were good for the family in every circumstance.

The courage of the Farrell-Forsteins in sharing their nontraditional family impressed me very much.

After you finish enjoying this wonderful book, I suggest that you share what you learned from it with your father and son(s). Encourage them to read it, too. Then sit down together and discuss how you can make your relationships even richer.

Share your heart with your father and son(s) to fulfill yourself!

It's hard to capture those things that make the relationships between fathers and sons unique. This book is a well written and facinating acount of some of the most celebrated and well-known father and son teams along with some 'ordinary Joes' and their sons. The book is divided into stories of individual families of fathers and sons with photographs of each.

The book is very beautifully photographed in black and white, with interesting shots of the subjects. I got it as a gift for my father-in-law, and it is an impressive-looking book, which will be noticed on a coffee table or in an office waiting room. It has newsmen Mike and Chris Wallace on the front cover and quarterback Boomer Essiason and his son on the back. It was fun to show it to friends and ask them to guess if they recognized the photos of famous father/son teams in the candid settings shown in the book. I thought it made a pretty impressive looking gift that had a little personal touch, because it describes things that have gone right and wrong in some famous and not-so-famous father and son relationships. Overall, I would highly recommend it as a nice looking book that provides some thought-provoking stories about what a father/son relationship is and can become.

Are you serious? A musical, historically accurate retelling of the great fire in Chicago? Yes, Amy Lowe and Megan Wells are serious and yes, this is an entertaining story. It is well researched and beautiful to listen to. My kids ask to listen to it repeatedly. But when my husband started to listen, he too was mesmerized. The story itself, like all tragedies, is touching, but it is also entertaining and ultimatley uplifting as the people of Chicago face the devastation and rebuild. It also has been a good springboard for some important discussions with the kids, like why everyone continued to blame Mrs. O'Leary, even when the court found the fire wasn't her fault.

The duo brings to life various personae, including Chief Fire Marshall Daniel Sullivan, and Mrs. O'leary, who gets to challenge "the slanderous legend of her cow and her lantern." (it's geared toward kids, but adults would certainly find it bearable)

This is definitely a good collection, as it averages 3.67. From adjusted rating formula, and story qualities that suggests 4.25, so an actual line ball. Given the editor throws in a bit of commentary and insight, and not just author bibliographies, worth rounding up to 4.5.

Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Wilderness - Ray Bradbury
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Mars Is Ours - Alfred Coppel
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Crime on Mars - Arthur C. Clarke
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Purple Prestess of the Mad Moon - Leigh Brackett
Fourth Planet from the Sun : A Rose for Ecclesiastes - Roger Zelazny
Fourth Planet from the Sun : We Can Remember It for You Wholesale - Philip K. Dick
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Hellas Is Florida - Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford
Fourth Planet from the Sun : In the Hall of the Martian Kings - John Varley
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The First Mars Mission - Robert F. Young
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Last Mars Trip - Michael Cassutt
Fourth Planet from the Sun : The Great Martian Pyramid Hoax - Jerry Oltion
Fourth Planet from the Sun : Pictures from an Expedition - Alex Irvine


Will I stay or Will I go, now?

3.5 out of 5


East-West nuclear conflict, extended.

3.5 out of 5


Timezone tripup.

3.5 out of 5


Old time sacrifice.

3 out of 5


Martian mixing mission.

4 out of 5


Brain alteration badness.

4 out of 5


Martian life is odd.

2.5 out of 5


Local accomodations mostly plastic.

4 out of 5


Barsoom existence is rocky.

4 out of 5


Areolife assist.

4 out of 5


Wild space goose chase.

3.5 out of 5


Mars mission fishbowl celebrity isolation.

4.5 out of 5

It is rare that you can see a genre evolve in the space of a single book; this volume easily achieves that. In twelve stories collected from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, we run the gamut from space romance to modern "hard" sci-fi, all based around the theme of going to Mars. Seeing that progression of trends in a genre is enough to make this book reading all by itself.

But it's not that simple.

All of these stories, like all good sci-fi, are fundamentally about people. You don't have to appreciate what details are right (or wrong) about the tales to thoroughly enjoy them. There are stories from the masters of the genre - Clarke and Bradbury - the authors I obsessed over in college - Dick and Zelazny - and new writers I've never heard of before, but am deeply glad I've now found.

The tone ranges from almost whimsical to deeply serious. There is romance, science, social commentary... and most of all, there's deeply believable characters, whose adventures reflect on our own lives.

Let me summarize with the two highest bits of praise I can give to any writing:

Every one of these stories makes me want to read more by these authors.

All of these stories make me want to write more myself.

This is a wonderful book, about multicultural friendship, friendship between women, and also about the importance of loving what you do (and of course, it definitely puts being athletic and finding a sport you love in a positive light).

I really enjoyed this book when I read it -- and read it many times afterwards too. It's a pity it's out of print. I believe the author is R. Rozanne Knudson ???

Look for it at your library if you can't find it here. It's a very strong, validating book for young women.

This is a wonderful story of a young American Indian girl who is recruited to run for the Utah Utes. It soon becomes clear that she is extraordinaryly gifted. Through her coming to terms with competitive running, those around are healed and she herself is healed. It is charming and funny.

This book is full of the fundementals needed for those that need to get up off the couch and start moving in the right direction! Easy to read, humorous in just the right places, and totally honest. A book we can all relate to! I truly enjoyed it!

Highly Recommended! From Couch Potato to Baked Potato taught me the basics about improving my diet and exercise routine in a fun and interesting read. Through the easy to read story (not a typical text book type approach)you learn very valuable, common sense tools and techniques that you can use right away and stick with you (ie. enjoy your red meat, just keep the portion size to approx the size of a deck of cards). The author also writes a short daily "e-mail newsletter"/healthy living lesson for the day (no charge) that I find very informative and enjoyable. Well done Mr. Dald!

Walking is great exercise, and can be a great way to meet new people and see places one has overlooked before. "Fun on Foot in New England: The Best Places to Run, jog, walk around Boston and throughout..." covers various jogging paths for people to use throughout the New England area and all of the states throughout and point out points of interest throughout while explaining why the reader should choose a certain path over another. Deftly compiled, "Fun on Foot in New England: The Best Places to Run, jog, walk around Boston and Throughout" is highly recommended for any hiking or jogging enthusiast.

Warwick Ford in "Fun on Foot in New England" has presented the natural beauty and history of New England through a wonderful display of trails and routes through its cities, towns, seaside, and forested areas which runners, joggers, and walkers can enjoy. As a runner with over forty years of pounding the pavement over the same routes, this book has introduced me to some very interesting places to put my running shoes on. Runners love new routes and the challenges they physically and mentally bring, this book gives me all this and more. Mr. Ford definitely understands the mind of a runner.