Away

This is the only book I've read by Kimberly Cates and it will be the last. I was disappointed in the lack of horse content and
the barrage of emotional analysis that was unending. It seemed to me that Ms. Cates had no faith in my ability to make inferences or draw conclusions when it came to the characters.
She wrote repetitively and tediously about feelings and motives, yet her descriptions of the Irish countryside and other scenes were very weak. I've been to Ireland to ride horses and it really is quite magical. This book isn't.

FLY AWAY HOME is the perfect book to cozy up with as the days are getting longer -- Kim Cates has created interesting characters whose reactions are totally believable. Loving Ireland the way I do, it was easy to imagine the setting for Eve's castle and the neighboring horse farm. I hope Ms. Cates has more contemporary Irish settings for readers in the future. I loved the way she resolved the relationship between mother and daughter. Highly recommended!

In abject poverty, from the time Tori was born till she was four, Eve Danaher raised her by herself because her lover rejected the child. For some unknown reason, when Victoria turned four, Chad Tollivar claimed his daughter and with tons of family money behind him destroyed Eve in court. Not allowed Eve to go near the child over the next fourteen years, Chad also hid Victoria from Eve. However, Eve saw her beloved Tori's picture in the paper as valedictorian of her high school. Eve attends the graduation, but Tori rejects her.

Needing to finally escape and regain her lost spirit, Eve flies to Kilrain, allegedly a home of an Irish ghost. While healing, she meets Michael Hallochan. As Eve and Michael fall in love, they argue over whether a child is always better off with his or her parents, especially the mother. Her previous relationship leaves the American unable to trust in the love of a handsome charmer like Michael.

Relationship drama fans will want to fly away with this warm contemporary romance with a bit of the supernatural sprinkled onto the plot. The story line is filled with angst, as readers will empathize with Eve's plight. Eve and Michael are the epitome of the walking wounded while the support cast adds depth from both sides of the Atlantic. Though slick Chad seems to have unravelled too easily after almost a decade and a half of perfect smoothness, Kimberly Cates provides her audience with a stirring tale of love.

Harriet Klausner

One chapter was completely missing from the copy that I purchased from Elliot's in Sacramento, CA. I felt that the book concentrated too much on RA, and not enough on OA. I suffer from OA, and the book did not offer me any hope at all. Please send another copy since quite a bit of mine was missing.

A good common sense book, with great advice about diet, but not enough about osteoarthritis. I believe that diet is extremely important but would like more detailed information about what else -- besides diet -- one can do to alleviate OA.

This is the best book I have ever found for people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which is why I rate it 5 stars. I know 3 women who have placed their rheumatoid arthritis in remission following the elimination diet methodology explained in this book. If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you should consider following this diet under the guidance of a healthcare professional (preferably a Naturopathic Doctor) who understands its methodology, its potential benefits and the potential health complications of fasting.

'LOST AND FOUND' is a very thorough biography of Heinrich Schliemann but the insightful discussion concerning "Priam's Treasure", post Schliemann's lifetime, would have been better suited for an extended newspaper editorial. The intricacies of Schliemann's archaeological methodology are not explained adequately and that is a shame. Moorehead mentions Schliemann's innovative use of ceramic analysis (potsherds) but fails to adequately define how revolutionary and important it was at the time. Moorehead does a great job explaining how Schliemann's initial foray into archaeology resembled the work of grave robber. If you are interested in Heinrich Schliemann the man, then read this book... now. But, if you are interested in the evolution of 19th century archaeology or in-depth archaeological validation of the Trojan War, then there are much better books on the subject. A good example of a better book on the latter two subjects is: 'FINDING THE WALLS TROY: FRANK CALVERT AND HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN AT HISARLIK', by Susan Allen.

Caroline Moorehead's Lost and Found (the 9,000 Treasures of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann and the Gold That Got Away) is basically a biography of Schliemann with a long epilogue tracing the travels of the gold from Troy in the twentienth century, taking in its journeys through Nazi Germany and, ultimately, Soviet Russia. This section of the book is fascinating but the real meat is the story of Schliemann himself. The author can be a bit of an apologist for Schliemann but considering the vitriol that has been heaped on him in his own time and the following decades, a little defense is not inappropriate. The story is well told and quite exciting. Schliemann may be a hard subject to like but he is always fascinating to read about and this book tells his story very well. A short, interesting read for those with any interest in the peculiarities of nineteenth century archeology.

The amount of treasure looted durning World War II was staggering. Moorehead describes convoys of 150 trucks, trains and wagonloads of Europe's artworks carried to and from Germany by avaricious politicians and soldiers alike. The damage done is enormous, but at some point, the description of the cost in human life in Berlin alone eclipses the loss of artworks. As a treasure story, it needs more. As a bio of Schliemann it presents an interesting man, and possibly the greatest catalyst for archeological discovery.

Okay, first things first...I have a major confession....this was the first historical romance i've ever read. Secondly, this is the first book I've ever read by this author. But everything considered, i had a wonderful time! I liked the story a lot, and plot, twists, and characterizations were remarkable. The story is about a young woman named Julia who is out for revenge...by seduction. Lord Stonehaven is the unlucky fellow who is the target, after blaming an embezzlement on Julia's brother, Selby. If that wasn't bad enough, Selby's suicide makes things worse, and Julia blames the whole death and break up of her family on Stonehaven.She makes good plans for revenge, and is even admirable in all her endeavors, but she forgot something...she didn't take her attraction for him into account. The book is humorous while intriguing, and I just couldn't put it down. The characters were amazing, and it was so good that I read the whole book in one stretch...it was THAT good. Just a small drawback...I didn't find it that far behind in time. Though it was supposed to have taken place in 1811, it somehow seemed modern, and I didn't have a sense of being displaced in time. But overall it was an extremely good read.

I have only read one other book by this author and I enjoyed this one a little more. I got it from a used book store and recommend doing the same.

Julia Armiger has set her mind to bring revenge on Deverel Grey, Lord Stonehaven. He brought to light the embezellment of money by her brother Selby. Julia and Phoebe, her sister-n-law, don't believe Selby took the money and want to prove his innocence to clear the family name of the scandal that resulted. Julia has tried to get Lord Stonehaven before, but when all attempts fail she sets out with a new plan, a plan of seduction. She believes she can seduce the truth out of Lord Stonehaven. The truth being he embezzled the money, not Selby.

Swept Away was a thrilling book to read. The characters were well developed and well written. Lord Stonehaven is quite enchanting and Julia is a very independent thinker. When she sets her mind to something there is no stopping her. The chemistry between these two is like fire jumping up off the pages. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is romance, humor, mystery, and lots of passion. The characters of Phoebe and Geoffery really added to the story. And Dev's mother Lady Stonehaven was a very likable character. There are many twists and turns to this story.

I have never read a Candace Camp story that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. This book met all my expectations of a Candace Camp novel. I was able to read this book in practically one day. It was so easy to get into and to keep reading. A must read for any Candace Camp fan or anyone new to a Camp novel.

The first three quarters of this book are excellent, if a bit difficult to follow due to time changes and information that is left out for later. But overall I liked it. The last 1/4 is a bore. The same emotions repeated and the same family interactions with no one really growing or changing. Everyone resigned to the status quo. The mother is particularly unlikable. No way for me to know if the WWII stuff is accurate. I wasn't alive.

This is the kind of novel that may challenge a reader's investment. It is a book worthy of reading, but one that may take deeper reflection and patience for the story line and time period to assimilate. For some one that lived in this time, I imagine it could be an entirely different experience. O'Nan has obviously researched the era; the references to war events, the battles in Alaska, the names of songs and radio stations could bring back potent memories to the right persons. Even though it is not a time period I am intimately familiar to, I did feel caught up in much of the storyline.

The novel is subtle. Unlike many war stories, it concentrates on the family left at home. The war did not stop people from living their lives, making mistakes, having affairs and coping with the usual events any family must deal with. The investment the reader must make is to be patient enough to allow the characters to reveal themselves and for the gentle ambience so well presented by the author to enhance the story.

The story may not be as gripping as is the feel of the book, the emotional and crystal reminisces of the characters and the incredibly unique years of WWII.

The young men go away to war but family and life still goes on.
The story shifts from one era to another to give the reader an idea of how a veteran feels while at war and again when they are back at home, many years later.
This is a story of the effects and the memory of war and the lost innocense of young men. The sadness that stays with a war veteran during his daydreaming of fighting and fear.
A very worthwhile book to read.
A lot of different emotions and outcomes are entwined through this story of family, love, and war.

The latest Niven book 'The Burning City' looked interesting, and having heard that 'Magic..' was a prequel-of-sorts, I decided to read it first.

This was my first experience with Niven and if it's representative of his body-of-work as a whole, I can see why he regularly collaborates with others...he's not very talented with the written word.

Most of this book was stilted throughout. Topping that off, it's just not horribly interesting. Perhaps we can give Niven a little credit for being one of the forerunners of the modern fantasy boom, but calling this book a classic isn't something I'll ever do.

The fact that other reviewers have remarked on its similarities to a popular children's fantasy game speaks volumes.

Here's an overview: Four magicians and a Greek soldier combine forces to find new sources of mana. Mana is what allows magicians to perform magic but it is a resource in limited supply and magicians in the past have squandered the supply away. They use the last bit of mana they can find to travel to northern Europe to find the last living god and steal its mana.

I read this book a number of years ago when I was younger. I decided to read it again because my memory of it was good. I can't say the book was bad, but it wasn't great. There were some interesting ideas about magic and the scene of travelling on a cloud still gets me excited (it sounds like fun). If you're into fantasy and magic this book is for you. It's a quick read and the version I have has fantasy drawings on almost every other page. It's almost like a fantasy comic book.

Most of Larry Niven's considerable oeuvre takes the form of the Heroic Quest,but using the vocabulary of hard science fiction. In "The Magic Goes Away", he leaves the space ships and gravity generators on the shelf, and addresses the Quest directly.
In doing so, he reveals a level of poetry of language and sensitivity of characterization that is rare in any genre, and unheard of in science fiction. "The Magic Goes Away" is in a class with "The Circus of Doctor Lao" and "Green Mansions": Small, easily-read fantasy novels that will stay in your mind forever.

I forced myself to ignore the poor writing style and poor editing of this book and endured as much as I could take of it and finally about half way through I gave up. The only things I learned in this book is that the writer has no desire to look at anything honestly and that publishers should be required to buy back books when they are this bad. I realize that the "publisher" is basically a vanity press but really they ought to have a little self respect.

This book was so accurate and blantantly truthful that I cried almost the whole time reading it. I could picture exactly what Susanne was talking about. I was a resident there in another other generation than Susanne and I can tell you that things weren't much different from what she describes. Susanne, thank you for putting it in print and letting the truth be told. Thank you.

This is one of those books that you either love or hate. I hated it for what it revealed, I loved it for the courage that it took to write it! There is nothing more controvercrsial than child abuse except of course when it is done by someone entrusted to care for children. This book made me sick to think about what happened to children. I understand that some people will find the book offensive as it will make light shine through the holes of their comfortable world. This book is important. It is also important to remember not to shoot the messenger!

The concept of Carried Away was humorous, but when it came down to the delivery, it was barely amusing. The romance seem to come out of nowhere. Nothing significant bound the the hero and heroine together except a set of circumstances from a will. All of a sudden, though, the hero was fighting his attraction to the heroine. When the heroine "thought" (for the sake of getting back at the hero), she often thought about such things as "skinning him alive," or "turning him into dog food" or other such physical funnies. I notice the author uses this same thought-pattern with other heroines in other of her books. It's not amusing to me. The book was a disappointment.

I have enjoyed Brown's books in the past and while I didn't dislike this book the romance between the two main characters was luke warm. The idea for the story was great. It's about two people who inherit a house on the condition that they both live there and write a book each within 6 months then throw in a couple of ghost's (a regular feature of many of Brown's stories) and lot's of relatives. All this makes for a great read but this book just lacked the humour of her previous stories. If you have enjoyed her work previously still read this book but don't buy it new.

I just finished Carried Away this morning, and the book left me with a smile on my face, warmth in my heart, and the sadness of having to leave the world of Dani and Silas. This book had me hooked from the first page. I couldn't put this book down! This novel combines the elements of a mystery, a romance, and a chiller all into one extremely interesting story line. I developed a particular fodness of all the characters and their unique traits, especially all of Morris's ex-wives. The idea of ghosts and psycic phenomena seemed a bit far-fetched and unbelieveable to me at first, but as I continued reading, Sue Civil-Brown fit those unique elements into her novel in such a way that it made so much sense and enhanced the novel all-around. This is such a wonderful read!

While Habegger does provide some original insight into Edward Dickinson, the majority of this book does not present new evidence or new interpretation. The documentation of sources is done terribly (it barely exists), which is not excusable in someone who is a scholar. I realize this book is not written for a scholarly audience, but with the recent problems Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin have had, Habegger should have been much more careful. For the reader new to ED and wanting to know about her, this book will provide all the usual information. What is troubling is that there is a fair amount of speculative commentary provided that isn't well backed up, especially when it comes to ED's relationships with her sister-in-law and her parents. Quite a few assertions are stated as fact but don't have the evidence to back them up. This is the problem with a lot of Dickinson biographies--biographers (most of them scholars) don't seem to feel that it's necessary to explain that a lot of what they say is speculation and not fact; most casual readers won't know this and take everything that's said as not only fact, but fact provided by someone who really knows what they're talking about. Habegger knows more than many, but his material is not presented in a way that is acceptable scholarship because it's mostly his opinion with some quotations taken out of context.

There are also several factual errors, but I'm told these are being corrected for the paperback edition which is due out next month.

I began this book with trepidation, for I find myself slightly suspicious of literary biographies finding them to be either too sensationalized or reductive or too academic to be interesting to the average reader. This is a well-researched volume that does not read like a doctoral thesis. But Alfred Habegger manages to discover a delightful balance between scholarly research and public readability.

I adore Dickinson and was impressed with the manner in which Habegger handled his subject. He presents her with the complexity and intellectual approach toward she deserves. Emily Dickinson appears as neither the bizarre recluse nor a misunderstood sexual being of some of her previous biographies. If, as some readers have found, the poet appears a bit unresolved and incomplete, it is only because Mr. Habegger wisely chose NOT to sensationalize his book with unsubstantiated presumptions as to her personal life. I enjoyed the author's scholarly, non-sensationalist approach to Ms. Dickinson and found that it did not prevent me from "knowing her" as a person or subject.

One of Alfred Hebeggar's greatest strengths is his realization that no artist exists in a vacuum. He presents to his readers the complex outer world that inspired the poets rich inner world allowing us to draw many of our own conclusions. Meticulously researched and gently paced, the book is a journey not merely a chronicle of a single life. Instead, it is an insightful look at the entire Dickinsonian world of family, academics, and petty town politics. Habegger introduces the reader to the poet's entire extended family and the emotional movement within it. He allows the reader to truly see the social and political environment in which the poet lived. And that is fascinating in its own right.

Overall, I enjoyed the book very much and appreciate Alfred Hebeggar's unique ability to strike a balance scholarship and authorship. He is never condescending, yet he explains thoroughly. He treats the reader as an intelligent person with a mind eager for historical details and biographical accuracy and he treats his subject with respect and intellectual dignity. His book is academically valid without sacrificing the art of solid writing.

Beginning with Habegger's inspired choice of the title, from one of Dickinson's poems, this book is a comprehensive, respectful look at an enigmatic woman. Habegger fleshes out well the cast of characters in her self-limited sphere, so that we feel we know well her family members and friends of that Victorian era so different from our own. The poet herself remains somewhat elusive, but I thank Habegger for refusing to reduce her to psychological cliches. His book is refreshingly free of five-cent analyses, however tempting Dickinson's character might be for such dismissive summaries.

There is no doubt that Dickinson ranks as one of the greatest American poets, due to her concise, spare, whimsical, and cerebral approach. Personally, I have never warmed to her poetry as I sense something lacking. She elevates feeling above all, as do all the poets of the romantic period. Unlike her Puritan ancestors, for whom the greatest love was the love of God, her energies and attachments all flow both from, and toward, her own feelings. Like a moonstruck adolescent, she prefers her dreams of love to the actual presence of the loved one. From her decision to withdraw from the necessary order and balance of the outside world, comes this outpouring of intense feeling expressed in the large body of her work.

As a Lay Carmelite whose spiritual life has also been informed by Puritan ancestors, I praise the beauty of Dickinson's poems, but I cannot deny what seems to me their essential, self-referring shallowness. I know many will disagree with me and I do not disallow her position in the American canon.

For whatever reason Ruth Schumann decided to attack the reviewer from Spokane is beyond me, but it only confirms her amatuerish motives for being involved in the project. It appears she is seeking applause for her contribution to this book. What she fails to realize is the tabloids sell over 70,000 magazines per week for less believeable stories than this one. If you choose to read this rather dull account of a true crime story, then I am ceratin you will enjoy The Lobster Boy's Story, as well. For those who refrain, you would do better to save your money on more reputable authors who don't attack their reviewers for their honest opinions.

I read a lot of "True Crime" books. It is encouraging when the forces of law & order "get their man [or woman]" In this case, they missed him the first time. Tim Boczkowski married a short, perky, God-fearing, church-going woman. They had three children together: Randy, Sandy, & Todd. Then the Mommy died of possible drowning in North Carolina. The Medical Examiner would not venture the exact cause of death. Tim proceeded to marry another short, perky, God-fearing, church-going woman. She died of a possible drowning in Pennsylvania. Law enforcement decided this was not mere coincidence. There were investigations and trials in both jurisdictions. The authors (wife #2's maternal aunt gets co-author credit) jump between victims and investigators and trials.

I wonder if whoever wrote the title of this book actually read it? The children, to the end of the book, protest their ignorance of any foul play and proclaim Daddy's innocence. None would ever have uttered the sensationalistic/tabloid-type prayer: "Please Don't Kill Mommy!"

I am always reluctant to state I really enjoyed a true crime book. I don't enjoy the pain and suffering of others. I do appreciate and enjoy reading a book when the author, co-author, and participants feel so strongly about an incident they feel compelled to allow the public to peek through the curtain and understand or at least meet the players and learn about the background of such stories. And, in the case of authors like Dominick Dunne, who continue to name the name of his daughter's killer, it keeps the memory of the victims alive and their executioners in the public eye. This was one of those books for me. This was not due to the writing style, which I felt could have been tighter. More of my interest was held by the detailing of the lives of the victims and the people the murders touched. It had to be incredibly painful for the co-author, aunt of one of the victims, to put forth such detail and honesty regarding the time that led up to the murder. Boczkowski was and is a detached psychopath who executed two wives with less thought than it took to choose the colors of tile in his hot tub. His victims were his first wife, Elaine, the mother of his children, and then his second wife Maryann who loved the children as if they were her own and indeed adopted them. The authors spared nothing when it came to character description of all the players in this book and that was appreciated by this reader who could finally read a book in which crime victims are depicted as regular people - not sparkling saints but women who lived normal lives in regular towns, paid bills, agonized over their marriages and sex lives, and houses and relatives. Again it must have been especially difficult for Schumann to relate some details of her niece's life which may have caused the family pain or embarrassment but the messase the telling sends is clear - just because a woman or man is human, warts and all and not perfect, is no rationalization for murder. One of my main problems with the characterization of Nicole Brown Simpson after her death came from both sides of the case; she was a saint - no - she was a promiscuous wild party girl. She was a human being who was brutally slaughtered. That is the only fact that need be considered. The book did seem long but in fairness to the authors, it was quite a story and I felt the sections detailing Tim's strange behavior, his moves from home to home, jobs, etc. were important for the reader to be able to understand how he managed to hide what turned out to be a freakishly twisted personality. I closed the book feeling quite sad for the children and the families of the two women.