I Books

I agree this book is wonderful. I haven't seen a single clinker by Mo Willems yet. Love these readers and the Pigeon picture books. Very well done and so kid-friendly!

My first graders LOVE this book! Last year there were fights over the book so now I have three and I am not sure if it is enough. Mo Willems simple messages reach the heart of all and Piggie's positive attitude is infectious. The Piggie and Elephant books are excellent for text to text connections to Willems' Pigeon books.

This is by far the best book we have read yet. My son cracks up laughing every time we read it. He will even flip through the book by himself and laugh hysterically. I love Mo Willems' books, he is great!

As parents of 4 years old girls, we are reading books constantly. Since we often read the same books over and over and over again, I try and find books that my husband and I enjoy reading as well as ones that our girls will enjoy. This series by Mo Willems is GREAT! Good starter books for our girls to start reading but hilarious as well. We all laugh. Mo Willem's other books are just as fantastic. You should check them all out. Clever, smart and the illustrations are perfect. All children books should be as good.

I am 27 years old, have 0 children, 1 Master's degree in Speech Communication, and love to read books by Mo Willems. I find his books to be inspiring, philosophical, witty, interesting and visually enthralling. This is my current favorite book, although it's hard to claim a favorite when you know that with Willems- the best is yet to come!

This book is a waste of money - it claims to be by eddie vedder - the fist page is written by him - the rest is "sick" pictures of another band. Waste of money

For those of us who somehow can't seem to get enough of this stuff (you all know the "G" word), this book is perfect. In the wacky world of late 80's/early 90's Seattle, Peterson's photos are absolutely iconic.

Absolutely awesome book of photographs from a period of music I had the pleasure of being part of. If you like music; especially the artists in this book. Then this is your new coffee table book.

Unlike the other reviewers of this work, I was not there. I just love the artful quality photos in a book that is a collection item. The detail of the photos and the quality of the printing make this a work to savor. This is a forever book, should be on all shelves of collectors of fine photography.

When I close my eyes and think about the early 90's rock scene, I see Charles Peterson's photographs. I remember going to record stores and buying albums solely on his cover shot - blurred arms, swooshing lights, flailing hair. The cover photographs were so powerful that I could almost feel the greatness of the music inside the sleeve. Nirvana, Mudhoney, L7... fantastic bands captured live in amazing black and white.

In "Touch Me I'm Sick" you get some of the famous photos we all know and also tons that have never been released. These are the ones that had me in awe. Seeing ten year old photos for the first time of bands I love, it's like a treasure trove!

I am so happy that Charles Peterson took these photos and that he continues to share them with us. If I could give this book higher than 5 stars, I certainly would.

While Chris Tomlin does go over his story and how he got where he is, that is just the top layer of the book. The deep heart of it is what he learned through those different occassions in his life: discovery of his passion, the desire to pursue it, the times of humility, going to the mountain top and helping others to get there too. While it is some what directed to "worship leaders," it can be applied to anyone who wants to seek God's face while they worship. Whether the worship be at a service or concert, pursuing what God created you to do, or how you live out your life day to day. Because we were all created to worship God with everything and by the world standards, that does make for an unusual life, but what an amazing adventure it is too! An adventure that makes me incredibly excited to be on, even if I don't know all of the details right now. But God does and that's all that matters!

I first picked up this book when I was reading Praise Habit: Finding God In Sunsets And Sushi by David Crowder. Because Crowder's book was so refreshing and enjoyable (due to his writing style and stories) Tomlin's book seemed a little dry when I browsed through it.

Fast forward one year. I encountered The Way I was Made and had the opportunity to read through it. It was refreshing to see the progression of a worshipper and songwriter and realize that successful people are made over the long-haul not overnight.

Mr. Tomlin shares many insights into his songs, past and worship style. He also gives lots of excellent tips for building a solid spiritual foundation that should benefit any worshipper or worship leader.

Very, very helpful information as I am a new worship leader. Chris Tomlin is the best!

Chris Tomlin put many of his own stories in the book, which I learned a lot from. It is also very helpful that Chris put some guidance about how to prepare to lead a worship session. Recommand to all worship leaders.

Having recently read a number of books on worship, I found Chris Tomlin's to be concise, extremely relevant, and well-written--kind of like the songs he writes, I guess.

I think the biggest strength of this book is that Chris is so real. He doesn't try to come across as a saint, and so he makes the ideal of living out worship seem attainable.

And it didn't hurt that I kept laughing aloud at his stories.

By writing this memoir detailing her own experiences, author Gina McCabe has taken a huge step forward in breaking the silence that all-too-often surrounds childhood sexual abuse. Even when McCabe herself finally admitted her history of sexual abuse to a therapist when she was in her 30s, she remained somewhat in denial, blaming the many problems in her life--insomnia, extreme anxiety, and more--on her marriage rather than on the abuse. As the book continues, however, McCabe offers an extremely candid portrait of her gradual realization that the abuse did in fact have a long-term, traumatic impact, and she slowly begins making her way through the painful process of healing.

This book is written honestly if not always expertly (I did notice quite a few punctuation errors). McCabe allows the reader to truly understand how devasting the effects of childhood sexual abuse can be; readers with their on abuse histories are likely to feel a strong sense of kinship. I would definitely recommend this book as a glimpse into the perspective of a sexual abuse victim, and my overall rating is 4 1/2 stars.

Your sub-head could be: brave, eloquent, compelling-- I'm proud to be your friend and colleague. Keep up the writing Gina!

What if I Tell is an unflinching look at child abuse and its effects and consequences. Sexual abuse plagues societies around the world but seems to always stay a level below people's radar, allowing it to continue to flourish and inflict pain on innocent victims. For such a pervasive and devastating problem, it is so rarely acknowledged, recognized, or understood.

McCabe provides a first-hand account in a style of writing that speaks to both adults and children alike, allowing her deeply personal and piercing account to be accessible to everyone who suffers from (or knows someone who suffers from) this particularly egregious form of abuse. Her clarity is refreshing, as is her honesty. McCabe holds no bars, pulls no punches, and shows every aspect of the prism of child sexual abuse and how it renders its victims.

McCabe breaks taboos in a revolutionary way in her memoir that shows, in a bright and profound light, the courage and virility of victims of abuse and their ability to transform themselves from victims to survivors with resoundingly courageous voices. McCabe blazes a trail, with candor and eloquence, for other victims who have been silenced and need a light to show them along the path to speaking out and enacting change.

A must-read not only for victims and those around them, but for all.

In "What If I Tell," Gina McCabe tells us her story of overcoming childhood sexual abuse. In Gina's case it was an uncle who was the abuser. She spent years of her life engaging in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder behaviors and keeping herself in a hyper vigilante state as a form of self-protection. In her younger years, she blocked out her memories about these horrendous experiences. As other survivors of abuse began to tell their stories to her, she slowly regained her memories. When she was getting married, she dreaded having this uncle attend her wedding. Later on, when her marriage was hitting some rough spots, Gina went into counseling. It was during this time that she began to regain her memories and gain an understanding of her behaviors and feelings. She also had to start making choices about empowering herself.
"What If I Tell?" is a fascinating story. It is a must read for all survivors of childhood sexual abuse, incest victims, family members, and people who work with these victims. Gina's story is one of the most comprehensive stories that I have seen written on this subject. By reading about her life, you will gain an in depth understanding of the fear and shame that is experienced by people who have been victimized in this manner. Even though, each person's experience is different with this type of abuse, it still will hold an incredible degree of value to the survivors of this abuse.
"What if I Tell?" will help survivors to recognize behaviors and patterns that are occurring in their lives that are a result of experiencing this type of abuse. It will give them a better understanding of themselves. It will also empower them to move on with their lives, get help, and to see the value of looking outside themselves to help others. The author has reached out to survivors with this book. She has also taught us about an organization called "Stop the Silence," whose mission is to stop child sexual abuse. This book is also a valuable tool for counselors and family members of survivors because it will give them a clearer understanding of the pain and damage that a person who has experienced this must go through before the healing begins. The more that you understand about what is happening to the person close to you who is trying to heal, the better you can help them with their recovery, and avoid making mistakes, such as trying to pretend that the abuse never happened. Ignoring it, pushes it deeper inside the person, it doesn't make it go away.
Ms. McCabe, I am so grateful to you for writing this book. I appreciate your willingness to share your story. I know it could not have been easy, yet in doing so you are truly touching lives. Thank you.

Gina McCabe is a young woman in her thirties who has experienced things that most of us wouldn't wish upon our greatest enemy. For years, she lived in fear and shame. She often experienced negative, irrational thoughts. She was depressed and often suicidal. The problems stemmed from experiences in her youth and they were tearing her up inside. Her problem was childhood sexual abuse, and she carried the experience with her throughout her young life and well into adulthood. The trauma caused tremendous anxiety until McCabe finally found the courage to confess her past and begin the healing process.

Most of the author's young life was spent living in fear and anxiety. She was never quite certain whether someone was lurking in her bedroom, behind a door, under a bed, or in a closet. She realized that her fear was irrational, but she could not control the flashbacks. Friends and family might have noticed that something was strange, but no one ever connected the dots. Even though it is widely agreed that extended family members are the most likely to commit this type of abuse, most never suspect that anything like this is taking place. This is exactly what happened to the author. Her uncle and grandfather were committing the acts of abuse, but no one ever suspected that anything was going on. And since young Gina was so scared and overwhelmed by anxiety, she never offered any hints to those around her that anything so ugly was taking place.

This book is written in an honest, effective way and I like the fact that the book includes the author's actual thoughts as she converses with different people. She includes many conversations with important people in her life and, inserted between the quotes, she includes what she was thinking at different points in the conversation. She separates the thoughts from the actual conversation through the use of italics. Often, McCabe would be saying one thing while a completely different and sometimes contradictory thought was passing through her mind. It is interesting to read these points of contrast between her thoughts and her speech. Everyone does this to an extent, but McCabe seems to do this with great frequency; a direct result of the trauma she experienced as a young girl. I also like the way the book slowly builds suspense. You know something is wrong, but the book doesn't come forward and say exactly what it is. The book keeps you guessing for the first several chapters.

Another interesting aspect of this book is the number of people in the McCabe's life who also had experienced similar forms of abuse. Some of her friends, associates, and even her own brother confess to episodes of the same type of abuse. As I read all of these confessions, I began to wonder if those who have been abused naturally attract the friendships of others who have been abused, without even knowing it. A substantial percentage of McCabe's acquaintances and family were also victims of abuse, and the number is so great that it makes me wonder if these types of victims attract each other without even realizing it.

Overall, What If I Tell is a very good book about child abuse and a young woman who finally found the strength to face her problems and begin the healing process. The author now devotes part of her time to activist activities in order to help eliminate this type of abuse. Child sexual abuse is more commonplace than people think, and Gina McCabe should be congratulated for having the strength to face her demons, improve her personal life and mental health, and work for positive change in the world.

My daughter received this book (along with I Can Draw Animals also excellent!) for Christmas (which was 2 days before her 5th birthday) and she LOVES it! Very easy directions she can follow all by herself and something she uses over and over again! Great book for little artists!

My 6 yr old gets this book out and starts drawing lots of things from it.. Good book to have.

This is a great book. I went to not being able to figure out what my 6 y.o.son was drawing in school. With this book it has helped him draw things all by himself. We absolutly love this book! My 4y.o enjoys this book also.

Although, we seem to use I Can Draw Animals and I Can Draw People more, this book is also great. My 4 year old daughter and my 4 year old nephew received these for Christmas. They both use these books for hours and we also do it as a family. These (I Can Draw Animals, I Can Draw People, What Shall I Draw Today) are the only ones we have so far, but they are super. Not only are these books teaching my little girl how to draw, but reinforcing time alone drawing, group activity, sharing and "Please pass the yellow", etc... Every child should have these books.

This is a great book to start to learn with. Colors are nice and small children like it.

I thought this was a very interesting book, full of funny, poignant, and scary stories of a beautiful young woman trying to make a difference in a foreign country at war. She could have taken a number of approaches to sharing her stories. I liked that she chose her relationships with the women she met and telling the stories from her own and from their perspectives. Very clever approach. Her perspective as an older adult looking back at her youthful adventures held good wisdom. I highly recommend it.

This was a memoire of a young Southern Belle who joined the Peace Corps in the early 90's. She spent 2 years in Guatamala! Although there were bets that she would not complete her tour of duty, she did it!!

Elen(a) and her dog, Cali, endured some rough turrain and characters, but more remarkably, they found friendships and trust in a (third)world country that generally lives life full of suspicion and superstition.

Ellen's unique approach to story telling was such a treat. One chapter - Elena's voice/view, next chapter - a native woman's voice/view. Seven women in all, each one sharing similarities, but all very unique. Guatamala through their eyes, opened mine!

Ellen's memories are bitter-sweet. She is relfective and honest in her expressions and portayals of the life and culture of a third-world country - which is not always a pretty scene!

This story educated me on the customs and life of Guatamala. But, it was also an inspiration for women, young and old, to perservere and take risks. To make a friendship where one is not always expected, and do something to make a difference in someones life. Wether it be locally or globally.

An excellent story and a must read!

This is a rare book and one that I will continue recommending to others. This book surprised me as I read through Elena's encounters :how well Elena grasped the possibility of drastically different perceptions on the part of her female friends in Guatemala. I think she is brilliant in her ability to weave this intercultural tale (where cultures intersect), and ultimately achieves grace and humility as she paints these various truths. Hats off to this wonderful writer!

This is one of the finest, if not THE finest book I've read. If I were to have the opportunity to name and teach a college-level course--"The Rest of the World does not Live on Hardwood Floors with Oriental Carpets; they Eat Beans 3 Times a Day if Lucky, Once if Not"-- this would be the textbook. Ms. Urbani Hiltebrand's gift to the indigenous back-country people of Guatemala is greater than any government program could possibly imagine; she went there and threw away the manual on how to do Peace Corps (maybe only part of it) helped them with survival, and gave those women and children in her story a glimpse of what dignity and self-respect feels like, and put meaning in lives where there was none. When you think about it, that's a lot. The author can write.
We, in this country, have a tough time getting our arms around the mind-numbing morally-bankrupt chaos, that after you've been robbed, enables one to wait in line-- to get a permit-- to file a report-- of a robbery--that will never be investigated. If you ask why the line never moves, and no one gets a permit to file a report, the answer will be, "Because that's the way it has always been." But, if recent events are any indication, maybe we are getting there too. It's helpful to understand that this is the way the rest of the world works. This book, I think at its core, is about being of service to others in spite of the good, the bad, or the ugly that happens to be playing out on your particular day--the very antithesis of the hubris we see in the mantra adopted by some elected officials. I am sure those incredible characters in the book will never forget the time that, "the Gringa, Elena, with her dog Calixta, she came to our town."

I loved this book. The writing is smart and gorgeous. The storytelling is equal parts sad, funny, insightful, and surprising. I was inspired by this book and also riveted. In it we get the story not only of Elena--the daring, hilarious, kind-hearted Peace Corps worker--but also that of the many women Elena came to know during her years in Guatemala. It's a bold approach, to tell the story of women so different from her, but it works wonderfully and I was as deeply engaged with each of these women as I was with Elena herself. I found myself thinking about each of these women in the hours throughout the day when I wasn't reading their stories, anxious to get back to the book to see what happened next. I highly recommend When I Was Elena.

Democrat-Republican,Liberal -Conservative,Left-Right,Socialist-Capitalist are all labels we attempt to apply to the political aspirations and ideas of people within society.And they are only broad descriptions.To those,we have can add an endless number of terms we apply to special interests ,such as; Free-Traders,Pro-Lifers,Bleeding-Hearts,Hard-Liners,Appeasers,Self-Reliants,Fundamentalists,Libertarians,Fascists,Secularists,Isolationists,Enviromentalists,Freedom-fighters,Nationalists,Patriots,Dissenters,Free-Speechers,people who believe in big Gouverment and those who believe it should be restrained,and Activists of all descriptions;just to name a few.
However;all these philosophies ,more or less fall into two broad categories;namely Socialist or Conservative. While;at times, there are some overlappings. Nor is it possible for any one person to agree with either of the two main camps on every issue.Political expediency is an everpresent force and for that reason some people tend to alter their political party affiliations over the years;while others hold to their party of choice;regardless of issues.
The Author has done a magnificient job of defining what a Conservative in America ,and in fact,the whole western world,really is at these times in history. In other words ,if you believe in the ideas professed in this book;you are a Conservative thinker;and if you don't ,you are by default, not.
Rather than write a ling disertation,the author has chosen to approach a large number of Conservatives and have them write short essays of a couple of pages,to explain what being a Conservative is all about.
In all,we can read what 54 well known Conservatives have to say about defining Conservativeism.
Personally,I came from a very staunch Liberal background and considered myself one for many,many years, However as the 60's came to an end,I found there were many things that changed the way I thought and I no longer felt compfortable with that side of the political spectrum and for the last two decades have moved to the Conservative philosophy.
What I found startling is that so many of the people who wrote the essays in this book went through the same prosess as did I.
This has always concerned me and I think the words of Ronald Reagan pretty well explains things when he said ;"I didn't leave the Democratic Party;they left me".
Another thing I liked about this book is that it stays with defining what it is to be Conservative in a positive manner and is virtually free from negativism towards other points of view.
I really believe even someone who is not a Concervative could enjoy this book,they may well not agree with the philosophies of the writers.That is all well and good because the book does an excellent job of informing without being insulting,dismissive or disparaging to other points of view.

This little book is a collection of 54 essays on the subject of "Why I Am a Conservative." Each essay was written by a well-known member of political or media class, ranging from Bob Dole and Bill Frist, through Michael Medved and P.J. O'Rourke. Overall, I found them to be quite interesting and quite often a lot of fun (especially P.J. O'Rourke, naturally). So, if you want to understand the Conservative movement more, you really should read this book. I highly recommend it!

This book contains synopses from several figures on what it means to them to be classified as a Reagan Conservative. Great book. A really fun read if you're on the go. Read a chapter or two in the airport at Atlanta, read another on the plane, read another when you arrive at JFK, read another in the cab...
Well composed! I was very happy with this book!

This book is a collection of short essays from different politicians, activists and writers that claim to be Reagan conservatives. It's a truly entertaining, uplifting and colorful compilation; most of the essays are only a couple of pages long and will reveal personal stories - and the message of each of them is beautifully obvious, yet thought-provoking. Don't expect detailed academic papers - we have enough of those in other books. The miracle of this one is actually its modesty and simplicity. You'll get several up front, honest, extremely hard to argue confessions that might "satisfy the skeptic as well" - as it says on the cover.
As of today, it's undoubtedly one of the greatest tributes to the man whom history books are likely to be going to call the greatest American President of the 20th century.

Edited by Michael Deaver, this is a series of essays by prominent Republicans who are remembering Ronald Reagan. Reagan will probably go down in the history books as one of the better presidents during this time period. After all, at the beginning of the period we were in the midst of the Cold War and at the end it was over, the Soviet Union was no more. Untold fortunes spent, tremendous risks of nuclear war, all were gone, the Cold War was over.

Note that this is concerned with Ronald Reagan conservative views. This is not necessarily the same as the George W. Bush views. Mr. Bush seems to have taken the conservative agenda re abortion, affirmative action, and other issues much further than did Reagan.

The present day conservative Republicans would have you believe, would like to believe themselves that the country has made a major turn to the right wing. They view the past election as confirmation of this rightward shift. I believe they are ignoring the fact that a couple of week candidates in the form of Kerry/Edwards, and good fundamental politics on the part of the Republicans (especially the Ohio grass roots effort) enabled a victory.

It is at their risk that they forget that the country isn't as right wing as the stalwarts of the Republican party. Nor is it as liberal as the hard core of the Democratic party. One thing about our country, there's another election coming. The country votes for the one considered the most center oriented. The country doesn't want gun or abortion control.

This book is worth reading as a view of what these particular party members are thinking.

I have already shared this book at my Book Club, at a women's retreat, and with friends. What a joy to read.

this book is so lovely I only wish I had the means to give as a gift to all my most cherished friends. Mary Oliver has certainly given it to us. I lived 7 years in Provincetown, read clips in the newspaper and NEVER knew she also lived there...somewhere, tucked into a niche of beauty. Ms. Charley Stites

I really don't know much about poetry, except that I like that it seems to be less fettered by rules. I like it for its rhythms and possibility and for its hope. A friend showed me a poem of Mary Oliver's this spring, This Morning I Watched the Deer, and I thought more people will read poetry if they are shown this poem.

It's Mary Oliver. What else can I say? Her poems, along with those of David Whyte, provide comfort, consolation, encouragement, and thrills as I meander through my days.

Savoring Mary Oliver's poems bring me joy, they are a respite from the news of our times and a balm to my soul. The theme throughout this book is to pay attention, to stop and watch and be amazed.

Look and See
This morning, at waterside, a sparrow flew
to a water rock and landed, by error, on the back
of an eider duck; lightly it fluttered off, amused.
The duck, too, was not provoked,but, you might say, was
laughing.

This afternoon a gull sailing over
our house was casually scratching
its stomach of white feathers with one
pink foot as it flew.

Oh Lord, how shining and festive is your gift to us, if we
only look, and see.


Last night I attended a talk at The Wisconsin Book Festival by Rick Bass and Terry Tempest Williams. Their theme was to not only pay attention to the wonders of nature, but to pay attention to what is happening to it, local warming, the lack of water in the West, the disruption of migration patterns and habitat. Pay Attention.

David Homsher's book made me want to explore the AEF's battlegrounds around Chateau-Thierry. He has created a very tidy scrapbook of personal accounts and period photographs that provide snapshots of the doughboy's world. His organization is geographically shrewd: he begins at the Paris airport, and identifies AEF and Great War landmarks as a traveler would encounter them along the route to Chateau-Thierry. Through an eclectic treasure of first-hand accounts, you see the towns and fields as the doughboys and leathernecks did in 1918. The progession of accounts builds a sense of impending drama, recreating the essence of the unfolding crisis of the Chateau-Thierry fighting. The book culminates in a highly detailed description of a small but significant engagement between the 7th Machine Gun Battalion and the German attackers in and around Chateau-Thierry. For serious historians of the AEF, Mr Homsher's guidebook neatly complements the crusty but important military histories of the these battles. To get the most from Mr Homsher's book, plop down in a French cafe the evening before you visit the battlefield and let the wine & words bring you back to 1918.

Subtitled: Chateau Thierry--Then & Now

It is unfortunate that many of us fail to remember the efforts put forward by the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in bring the Great War of Civilization, better known as World War I, to a close.

Without much doubt, France and Britain were on their last legs. Germany had what proved to be better tactics and a slightly stronger will to see the conflict thru to the end.

It wasn't until General John "Blackjack" Pershing and the men of the AEF landed in France in 1918, and finally made their way to the front, that the conflict slowly began to swing in the allies favor.

Chateau Thierry was what could be considered the linchpin of the Germ salient that was moving inexorably toward Paris and the ultimate capitulation of the French Army.

Davis Homsher has produced a welcome addition into the current library of non-fiction accounts of what took place in and around Chateau Thierry and how the AEF was able to move into the line. With fresh troops and fresh momentum, the allies pushed the German lines back to not only the spring front lines of 1918, but ultimately handed them such a thorough thrashing as to make the cessation of hostilities a reality.

This book is replete with maps, photographs and personal account from the men that were there. American Battlefields of WWI Chateau Thierry--Then & Now is what I hope is the first volume in what should be many and a necessary addition to any Great War Library.

Armchair Interviews says: This book will prove to be a wondrous testament to the men and woman that saved the world from the first German aggression of the past century.

This is a book about fighting men, infantry men whose world was often limited to the view from a hole in the ground, told in their own words.
This is the story, told by those who were there, of the men of the American Expeditionary Force of 1917-1918.
It is the clear and engrossing story of the first battle in America's first European War. It is also an illustration in prose and pictures of life as it was then; a world that is long gone both for the French and the "Sammies".
The "then and now" photos are useful and interesting, as are the town and street maps. Altogether, this a book that will be very useful in exploring the battlefield of Chateau Thierry. It will tell present-day Americans very clearly what Grandfather did in France nearly 100 years ago.

Christina Holstein, author and battlefield guide.

Reviewed by Joe Graham for Reader Views (8/06)

David Homsher has created a guide book for the American battlefields of World War I around the village of Chateau-Thierry. The book is a remarkable accomplishment and it operates on several levels.

First, if the reader is interesting in actually visiting the battlefield sites, Homsher gives the reader detailed instructions on how to reach each location up to how to find the location, where to park, and what precautions to take and what to do once the reader is on the site. And his directions start with the arrival at Charles De Gaulle airport and how to get out of the airport and onto the correct road.

Secondly, if the reader is an armchair traveler, they can enjoy the written text along with a wonderful collection of photographs of the area with pictures of the same buildings or locations before and after the war. The photographic collection also contains many pictures of the German and Allied forces, French refugees and other pictures taken during the war. Homsher also includes maps so the reader can accurately pinpoint the locations of the area in France.

Finally, Homsher has included first hand accounts from the participants in the war. The accounts range from descriptions of field hospitals and battle formations to diaries of the combatants. This material lifts the book above just the casual guidebook. Reading first hand accounts of an event brings an immediacy to the reader that can not be achieved any other way.

A good example is this quote from Pvt. Leo J. Bailey, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division, who wrote in his diary:
"Eighteen hours of marching hip to hip with a seventy-two pound pack, dry
throated in a cloud of dust, had wearied them. Most men lay in full equipment on the cobbles and slept, but some scroungers with keener nose smelled brandy."

This book should appeal to a wide range of readers. Scholars and teachers will appreciate the first person accounts that give a more complete picture of the action than is typically given in the dry accounts of battles that relate who attacked who, and with what results.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the battles of World War I. The book is in a coffee table book format that the reader can pick up and refer to easily. This is a wonderful book because Homsher gives you an actual guidebook to the area, then pictures and maps of the area both before and after the war and then finally the first hand accounts that bring the action of the war to life through the words of the participants.

I want to express my feelings about this book. It has been many years since I read a book so compelling. I took it from the mailbox a little after noon yesterday and save for the time I took to eat dinner, read straight through till 12:30 am, then finished it the next day.
I don't anticipate that I will ever travel to France, but David Homsher's book makes it seem that I have been there already. It has been really an emotional experience - running the gamut from humor, to sorrow to anger and to bursting with pride at the actions of the American troops there. The many descriptions put forth by various people "in their own words" results in a more thorough understanding than could ever be given by just a straight narrative from any single author. I also found so many little "nuggets" of information in Homsher's book that I was unaware of before. By the time I finished the book, I felt that I not only had a thorough picture in my mind of exactly what took place, but that I understood it well enough to explain it to others in detail. I congratulate David on doing such a fine job and highly recommend his book. As a former schoolteacher, I wish it could be a part of the education of every American so that they could truly appreciate what was done by this country in World War I.

Artifacts is well written. The setting is interesting and vividly described. The main characters are quirky and multi-dimensional and represent the kind of people that I would like to know. The author apparently knows about the field of archaeology and knows how to weave this knowledge into a good mystery. Based on this book, I bought the second in the series and enjoyed it, too.

A rivoting mystery about a strong female lead character with a problem: money. The story keeps you turning pages and leaves you satisfied while avoiding caricatures. Yes, Faye is a loner, but what detective worth his or her salt isn't? She's a scofflaw with morals, and her supporting cast is finely and sympathetically drawn.

Evans weaves in a multi-generational plantation history of Faye's home, Joyeuse Isle (cleverly named from a Debussy composition), perched on the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast of Florida.

Satisifying to feminists, history buffs, those with an interest in archeology and meteorology, and just plain old mystery lovers.

The author's background as a scientist, musician, and mom help her create a believable and well developed world full of characters to care about. Fans of Sue Grafton, PD James, and Sara Paretsky will enjoy this book.

I can hardly wait to read Relics, Faye's next adventure.

Artifacts is one of those books that isn't written, it is crafted. It is Evans' first book and it is packed with descriptive detail, multiple plot lines, and interesting characters with lots of back story. This book is a page-turner as the reader gets sucked into Faye Longchamp's struggle to save her historic home, solve the murders of two co-workers, solve the mystery of the disappearing skeleton and... but I don't want to ruin it for you.

Faye is a fascinating character. She has a background in archaeology and knows that the illegal artifact hunting she is doing to generate cash and keep her historic home in the family is wrong, but she is desperate. She is without family and doesn't have much of a support group or a safety net, but she has a goal and she is determined. Evans has given us so much detail about Faye and her situation that the reader has a great deal of empathy for her and her plight. As events unfold, Faye has to make some hard decisions. Evans clearly plotted this book carefully and keeps Faye's choices true to her character - she doesn't take the easy way out and leads the reader down paths that are sometimes unexpected but feel right.

This book is a delight to read. It is a wonderful blend of the past and present and, along the way, you learn a little bit about archaeology, flint-knapping, historic homes, slavery, and the illegal trade in artifacts. This is the kind of book you recommend to everyone you know - and anxiously await the author's next book.

Favorite character? That is a hard one. Joe, Liz, and Magda are all friends of Faye, are great characters, and are all given great moments in which to shine. I think it has to be a three-way tie. Did I guess it? Yes - but that didn't detract from the book one bit. Will I read another? Just as soon as it comes out!

[...]

Archaeology student Faye Longchamp is struggling to keep her ancestrail home of Joyeuse on Florida's northern gulf coast by illegally digging up artifacts on federal lands and selling them on the black market. However, one day she unearths a human skull and it doesn't look like it's been in the ground for a couple hundred years, more like only three or four decades, so it's not fresh, but not an artifact either, and judging by the head wound, this woman met a violent end. She decides to try and find out who the dead woman was on her own, as she can hardly go to the police and confess that she'd found the skull by illegally pot-hunting.

Then the next day two students on a legitimate dig she'd been working on wind up missing, then their bodies are found in shallow graves and she has to wonder if their deaths are tied in with her own dead person. And, of course, there is a very bad guy out there who wants to keep this all quiet, so Faye is in a spot of trouble.

ARTIFACTS won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Mystery and it is easy to see why. This is a story that will keep any mystery buff glued to his chair till the reading is finished. A darned good debut, one you won't be able to put down, that what this book is.

As an archeology-phile, I was predisposed to like this first mystery by Mary Anna Evans. But there is so much more there than just archeology and mystery. Her characters are decidedly physical and real, the disparate elements of her plot, with the helping hand of Fate, dovetail perfectly to keep you reading until all the loose ends have been woven into place.

Faye Longchamp is a tough, smart, gutsy heroine who still savors her few chances to be feminine. Joe Wolf Mantooth, the simple-hearted Indian who shares her home, is a complex, realistic hero. It takes all the wit and strength that either of them has to get through what life throws in their way.

When the book opens, Faye has discovered the remains of a murdered woman while doing some illegal "pothunting" on Federal lands. She can't rest knowing the woman is alone and unavenged, but how can she report her discovery without sending herself to jail? By researching the "case" on her own, until she thinks she has the solution.

But almost immediately, two students working on a legitimate excavation with Faye are shot to death and buried in shallow graves. Does it have anything to do with Faye's find? While she works to make enough money selling black market artifacts to keep up the property taxes on her ancestral home, Joyeuse, she is dogged by the spectre of a man who has killed before, by the large-scale artifact thieves operating just a short distance from her, and by the outside world which has only suspicion for people who live without need of society or technology.

"Artifacts" is a smashing story, blending excerpts from the journal of several generations of former owners of Joyeuse with the contemporary occurrences which Evans weaves into a perfect, but never simple, tapestry of a story.