MR

This book is about a mans life as a sailer. His mom passed away when he was a child. His sister passed away when he was in teen age. He had always dreamed of being a sailer for his whole life. Then one day he was invited on a ship. He cepted traveling on ships for shiping things for a while until his 30s. Then he started sailing some more ships. You will have to read to see what halpens.

One's first impression upon reading the author bio that describes her studying Creative Writing and winning awards is that this is going to be one dull book. The first chapter with its fluid prose and oh-so-precise language doesn't dissuade you from it, nor does the fact that the author constantly switches between first person and third person narrative. These all seem like neat tricks rather than the stuff of literature.

But somewhere around page 50 this book turns into a very well-crafted novel of obsession and relationships and how some relationships may have an effect years later, no matter how much of the relationship was grounded in reality and how much was fantasy. Two sisters -- Jean and Colette -- share an obsession with their neighbor, a world renown pianist. So obsessed are they that they learn Japanese and try imitating everything about him. Set in this past and in the present where Jean suspects Colette of actually sleeping with Yoshi, the pianist, the reader gets a vivid depiction of sisterhood and failed love affairs as well as thwarted ambitions. Colette is married to an idiot (although I'm not sure if it is the writer's purpose to portray that character so shabbily) while Jean is losing faith in music.

There are some definite problems with the book. It feels too autobiographical (her second book is also about a woman getting over an older lover/obsession) and there are parts that seem like cop-outs and the characters tend to be those boring upper middle class people who are fashionable but just a little too well-scrubbed to make much of an impression. Despite those flaws, this book is an intriguing puzzlebox opening up the challenges of the human psyche on par wtih the works of Jean Rhys.

Is finding Mr. Right turning into a trail of Mr. Wrongs? Do marriage and family seem unattainable? Does your significant other always have an excuse for not popping the question? These are just some of the questions that frustrate many single women who have marriage on their minds.

CONFESSIONS OF AN EX-BACHELOR: HOW TO SIFT THROUGH ALL THE GAME PLAYERS TO FIND MR. RIGHT reveals what goes on inside the minds of men when women and commitment issues are involved. Each chapter seems to dissect the stages of bachelorhood and shares why men have a need for freedom and how they view women in general. But the author does not stop there, he gives women a wealth of suggestions on how to meet men and ideas on how to keep them interested. He has also included journal writing activities and surveys that force women to look at themselves to determine what they want in a mate and what they will not tolerate in a relationship.

CONFESSIONS OF AN EX-BACHELOR: HOW TO SIFT THROUGH ALL THE GAME PLAYERS TO FIND MR.RIGHT is informative and thought provoking. The author speaks from experience and what he writes will capture reader's attention.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This isn't a book that will explain why aphids are eating your roses, or why the tomoatoes are yellow---but it will tell you why a gardener cares. It would make a lovely gift for a gardener at Christmas or Hanukkah--the time of the year when we long for a little bit of sun, or perhaps a weed to pull. Simon's prose perfectly captures the essence of _why_ we garden, and the added whimsy of the "correspondance" with Jefferson allows her to add fascinating information about gardening and how it has changed over the years. An excellent read on a rainy, non-gardening day

A funny, loveable book about a near-sighted , older man, who refuses to wear his glasses, and gets himself in tons of trouble, while trying to foil one of the "thickest" jewel thieves in the world. With the help of his nephew, and his pet bulldog, he is able to make it through. I liked the book because there were so many funny close calls Quincy Magoo incountered that you just couldn't help laughing outloud. It is one of the most funny books I have ever read.

Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is one of the classics of horror literature because it provides the paradigmatic example of the "werewolf," the human being with a monstrous alter ego. However, originally it was much more of a mystery story and that is the best way of describing this adaptation of Stevenson's novella by Michael Lawrence. The book's complex structure is simplified and Lawrence employs a narrator to help retell the tale. The adaptation is certainly competent enough, but the story clearly takes a back seat to the illustrations in this particular volume.

This Eyewitness Classics adaptation of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is full of the illustrations and details we have come to associate with books put out by DK Publishing. A two-page spread before the first chapter details The Two Face of London, contrasting the rich West End of Victorian London with Soho area where criminals stalked the poor. Background about how Victorian gentlemen dressed for evening and how women were second-class citizens is provided. Once the story commences there are not only illustrations by Ian Andrew depicting events in the novella, but the borders are usually filled with small photographs and detailed text amplifying the action. One such note might explaining the gas lighting system in use at the time while another actually explains the significance of the key Jekyll supposedly gave to Hyde. These pictures and notes are certainly informative, but they are also somewhat intrusive, especially when the reader is trying to decide when they should read each of these additional bits of information.

The attempt here is to provide something more than a straightforward presentation of the novella without going so far as to provide an annotated version. The information provided is quite useful for young readers, for the most part, but their intrusiveness may well get in the way of enjoying the story itself. The illustrations by Andrew are stylistically evocative of the shadowy, misty streets of London we associate with tales of violent crimes such as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." A final spread in the back of the book looks at the Legend of the story, which includes the various dramatic versions on stage and screen. More interesting are the insights into how the story reflected what people were thinking about evolution, psychology, and drugs at the end of the 19th-century. The best solution might be to just try and read the story without always resorting to the additional information and then going back and filling in the details (maybe on a chapter by chapter basis). This approach is used in a pair of other "horror" classics, "Dracula" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," in the DK Classics series.

Who hasn't heard of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Whether it be in Newspaper reports of daily conversation, references to these two characters ensure that nearly everyone in the English speaking world has at least heard of this story. The number of people, who have read the book, is much less however and until recently I wasn't among them.

Having read the book, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Stevenson deals with the dual nature of 'man' and his (or her) battle within himself. The plot is quite simple and it may have been this simplicity that gave the story its popularity. It could also have been Stevenson's skillful usage of the English language, which makes reading this book such a pleasure.
The only bad thing about this book is its brevity. Do yourself a favor and read it.

This book s a great chiller I chould not put the book down. The way he just kept chageing back and forth was great. Oops! don't want to spole it This book is great if I had 1 wish it would be for everyone in the world to read this BOOK!.so please read this book it is proboly the BEST BOOK I have ever read in my life .If you like short scary chillers read this book.

This is a story about a girl named Ellie. Her beloved teacher is forced to leave the school, and a new teacher takes her place. Through out the book, Ellie goes from hating te new teacher to loving him! I personally think that this was a good book. I liked the writing style that the author, Janet Johnston, used. She kept me interested through out the whole story. I also liked how the characters' feelings were clearly expressed. However, one thing I noticed was that during conversations between characters, there were sometimes abrubt, awkward topic changes which left me wondering what was going on. But other then that, the rest of the book was very enjoyable to read. My favorite part was the end of the book, which I won't give away. But I will asure you it was a good one. All in all, a great first book for a talented author!

This book has a lovely plot and story line, although it is not quite as interesting as the Richard ans Florence Atwater version. It has many new and unusual vocabulary words and is a great read for all ages. I reccomend this book to anyone who wants a quick witty read.