Multiples Books

I like these tales of mystery and murder set in the always mysterious south. Some are better than others - loved Marti's Secrets, by Grant Devereaux, totally took me by surprise - but all of them are good! An enjoyable read all around.

I recently purchased MAGNOLIAS AND MAYHEM at a book signing. I judge a book by its cover. Let me be the first to tell you that looks can be deceiving. As you know there are some short stories that are better than others, but that is not the case with this collection. I was very impressed. HAPPY READING!

A great collection of short stories. Southern mysteries by some of the best mystery short story writers around. Each story is charming and entertaining. A wonderful American take on the English-type mystery. Enjoy!

Jeffrey Marks' anthology "Magnolias and Mayhem" from Silver Dagger Press is another winner from that small publishing house. Some great short stories including authors such as Jeff Marks, Margaret Maron, Deborah Adams, Dean James and Elizabeth Daniels Squires. There are also separate stories by the self-styled "evil twins", [Barbara]Taylor McCafferty and Beverly Taylor Herald as well as Carolyn Hart, Jeff Abbot, Toni Kelner, etc. Fine stories for those who like their mysteries with a Southern touch, but with a healthy diversity in style and content.

The southern mystery sub-genre is known for its "gentle" belles that solve crimes by being polite "steel magnolias" who "delicately" find the clues that identify the criminal. This collection pays homage to the regional mystery of the south as each tale provides that genteel background disguising a rock solid individual or two.

The fourteen tales are all well written as expected from some of the sub-genre's leading authors. Each story provides a full picture of the area to include powerful characterizations and many amusing scenarios. None of the stories are weak though some are incredibly excellent like those of Carolyn Hart and Elizabeth Daniel Squires. Fans of the Southern crime story will fully enjoy this anthology intended for leisure reading over several cold nights.

Harriet Klausner

I bought this book because one of the stories was written by the outstanding Jane Rule.

I ended up benefiting by reading 29 stories from a satisfying assortment of authors including the terrific -

Emma Donoghue
Anne Cameron
Elise D'Haene
Rebecca Brown
Dorothy Allison
Anna Livia
Marion Douglas
Ali Smith


Also includes excellent author biographies and a brief introduction.

This is a Keeper!

From the back of the book - tales of fumbling twelve-year olds and dying women, lifelong lovers and Don Juans in gold trousers... from an Irish rural pub to the Indian sweet-shops of Vancouver ... from amedieval witch-burning to a future in which same-sex partnership is the new `normality'.

The variety of stories in this book is wonderful; some are risque, some are tragic, some are terribly romantic... sexy, sad, nostalgic, and funny. Most times I couldn't put it down. My favorite story has to be "The Lobster Queen" because it reminds me so much of my first romantic... episode with a woman. It's positively heart-wrenching. Other excellent stories include "The Woman Who Loved the Moon," "The Dark House," "The Burning Times," and "The Catherine Trilogy." (That was devestating. I cried myself to sleep after reading that.) One the whole, this book is great. I would recommend it to anyone, straight or not so straight, because it offers so many honest and varied views on lesbians and lesbianism. It's compassionate. It's tender. It will win your heart.

This book is structured very differently. Its 30+ stories are divided under 5 sub-headings, each characterizing different tastes and temptations. These include stories of times gone by, futuristic stories, and phase of life (and womanhood) stories, including tales of open lesbian love affairs, forbidden passions, life-long lovers, and stories about identity confusions--basically, very similar to real life. Any one section is bound to hold a gem of a tale. I just picked this book up, so I haven't read that many stories, but the one I like so far is "Free Love" by Ali Smith, which is about a young girl's first love-making experience, and the first time she falls in love with another woman. Very touching. If you're in the mood to read a short and tender, romantic lesbian love story, minus nasty sex scenes that often demean the female body, then this book is for you. It's great...very enjoyable!

First off, Emma she's an amazing writer, I actually borrowed the book from the Library, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down, it was that good. Some of the stories I could identify with and it also helped me with some problems I was going through, this book is a definite plus in my book, if you haven't gotten it or read it you should, go for it! .

The variety of stories in this book is wonderful; some are risque, some are tragic, some are terribly romantic... sexy, sad, nostalgic, and funny. Most times I couldn't put it down. My favorite story has to be "The Lobster Queen" because it reminds me so much of my first romantic... episode with a woman. It's positively heart-wrenching. Other excellent stories include "The Woman Who Loved the Moon," "The Dark House," "The Burning Times," and "The Catherine Trilogy." (That was devestating. I cried myself to sleep after reading that.) One the whole, this book is great. I would recommend it to anyone, straight or not so straight, because it offers so many honest and varied views on lesbians and lesbianism. It's compassionate. It's tender. It will win your heart.

Men of Courage 2 is an anthology that has stories by Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, and Jill Shalvis. It is one of the best anthologies that I've read. Lori Foster's story is my favorite, but Jill Shalvis's story is great too. I liked Donna Kauffman's story the least. They are all also pretty much reunion stories, and I love reunion stories!

In Lori Foster's story, An Honorable Man, Lieutant Colonel Ham Wulf comes back for the woman he loves, Liv Amery. They have known each other for years and have been friends for years as well, but Liv doesn't want to share a man with the military. Her father was in the military, and he never showed her much affection and attention so she wants to avoid being married to a military husband who does the same thing. But Ham is determined that he will win her over no matter what it takes. I loved me some Ham, he is terrific!!!!

In Donna Kauffman's Blown Away, Marty McKenna and Cooper Harrison are on the run from a tornado and are hiding out in a storm shelter. Six years ago, they had a fling and then they both went their separate ways, but now they are thrown together again. Both of them are in the same town for a friend's wedding, but Cooper has been sent to rescue Marty when he car gets trapped in a flood. When he finally finds her a tornado is bearing down on them, and they end up in a storm shelter. Old flames are rekindled in the dark.

In Jill Shalvis's Perilous Waters, Leah Taylor comes back to her hometown and takes a job as a reporter. She meets up with her old boyfriend and helicopter pilot, Wyatt Stone. Leah broke his heart years ago when she left town and went off to college and to travel the world. Leah knows that she made a mistake leaving, and wants to make a fresh start with Wyatt. Wyatt has been in love with Leah for years, and he knows that she has the power to break his heart again so he tries to put distance between them. That is until a storm requires him to rescue her when she gets trapped on a houseboat. Leah and Wyatt will have to weather the storm together, and they won't be able to go anywhere until the storm passes. But can they weather their feelings for each other as well. 5 stars!

Man against nature is a fascinating subject, and these three talented writers will keep you turning the pages with their heroic tales involving some of nature's most volatile and unpredictable weather.

Lori Foster brings us a story of Liv and Hamilton, two people meant to be together, despite their different beliefs about life in the military. Liv grew up with distant, cold memories of her family because of her father's military career, and is determined not to follow that path for herself, even if it means she can't be with the man she loves. Ham is just as determined that Liv is the woman for him, but will having her mean he must give up the career, the life, he belongs to? When a deadly tornado puts them in danger, will Liv be able to let go of the past and let herself be happy with the man of her dreams, who happens to be career military? Ms. Foster tugs at your heartstrings with this emotional journey of the heart.

Cooper and Marty are fearless storm chasers who've worked together in the past, even experiencing a passionate interlude while seeking shelter from a deadly twister, a fierce force of nature that calls to their adventurous spirits like a siren song. After the encounter, they both go their separate ways, believing they are each at different points in their lives. The wedding of a mutual friend brings Cooper and Marty back to a familiar place, yet they never expected to see each other under the same exact circumstances -seeking shelter from a deadly tornado. This time, will they make it out alive, and if so, will it be so easy to walk away from each other?

Wyatt and Leah were high school sweethearts, and Wyatt believed that they would be together forever, until Leah decides to leave smalltown life for the excitement of the big city. When Leah returns years later, this time back to stay, Wyatt can't help but feel resentful of the way she waltzes back into his life so easily, like she never broke his heart. But when a deadly storm strands them on a houseboat, Wyatt realizes he's never stopped loving her, and can think of only getting them out alive so he can spend the rest of his life proving it to her.

Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman and Jill Shalvis delight with their heartfelt writing, wonderfully capturing the essence of some truly brave heroes and heroines. Whether in the military or some other dangerous occupation, heroes are all around us.

Men Of Courage II has three extraordinary tales of heroes and their struggles.

Lori Foster's An Honorable Man has Lt. Colonel Hamilton Wulf coming back to offer Liv Avery comfort at the loss of her military father. Liv was raised by a military man you never put her first and she has vowed never to live that life again. Hamilton is back to help Liv but also to win her back. When a tornado hits town they both realize that love has a place in their world. Lori Foster has written a story that is uplifting to the soul.

Blown Away by Donna Kauffman has tornado chasers Cooper Harrison and Marty McKenna trapped again by a vicious storm. Six years ago they shared an incredible night and the next day went their separate ways. As they find themselves trapped again can they both work through their past to a future? Donna Kauffman's story you feel like you are really a part of the storm.

Jill Shalvis tale Perilous Waters has old high school sweethearts stuck together during a tornado. Helicopter pilot Wyatt Stone was just recovering from Leah Taylor being back in town, when he is sent to rescue her from a boat on the river. Leah Taylor came back to town to forget and to start over. Can her and Wyatt put their history behind them and begin anew. Jill Shalvis story make you experience the trauma of being in a tornado.

This is an excellent anthology. It makes you appreciate the people that put their lives on the line each and every day to make the world safer. Great job ladies.

Men of Courage II contains stories by three of the heavy hitters in women's romance today - Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman and Jill Shalvis.

Lori Foster's AN HONORABLE MAN has Lt. Col. Hamilton Wulf trying to win the love of Liv Avery, the only woman he has ever wanted to call his own. Liv has reservations because of Ham's dedication to the Air Force, the same dedication that kept her father from being a part of her life. Ham is so sweet in his determined pursuit of Liv that you can't help but hope she will give in and accept his love.

Donna Kauffman's BLOWN AWAY gives an inside look at storm chasers Cooper Harrison and Marty McKenna, two very gutsy and determined individuals who shared intimacies years before. The two of them have never forgotten each other; it seems that fate is determined to bring them together once again.

Jill Shalvis' contribution of PERILOUS WATERS is the story of copter pilot Wyatt Stone and reporter Leah Taylor. The two of them were sweethearts several years before and Leah broke Wyatt's heart when she left for higher aspirations in New York City. Now she's back, and Wyatt wishes she had stayed in New York . . . or does he? After saving her life during a violent storm, he's not so sure.

These three stories are all very sweet with comfortable characters; all three have just enough heat to keep things hot. I am sure you won't be disappointed, these three authors always please their readers.

An Honorable Man by Lori Foster. LT Colonel Ham Wulf returns to his first love, Liv Amery to inform her of her father death from a heart attack. Colonel Weston Amery was all air force and did not have time to raise a little girl after the death of her mother. Always feeling alone Liv did not want any part of being a military wife. But Ham came with a plan to convince Liv that they can have a life together. But Liv is confused and leave right as a tornado hits town. They have to courage to fight the tornado but do they have courage to find a life together? Ms. Foster has never disappointed. And she has another winner with me. *** Blown Away" by Donna Kauffman is about tornado chasers Marty Mckenna and Cooper Harrison. Six years ago they shared passion as big as the tornado they escaped from. Now Cooper wants her back. *** Perilous Waters" by Jill Shalvis. Leah Taylor steps back in helicopter pilot Wyatt Stone' life. Now they have to work together. Leah broke his heart 10 years ago when she left to follow her dreams. When a tornado threatens Leah and others on a houseboat Wyatt pulls out all stops to save her. And to rescue their lost love. I loved all three love stories. These stories are about three men and lost first loves and their courage to recapture the loves of their lives.
Also recommended: Lori Foster's Visitation Series

Excellent Holiday book. I read this book in 2000, again in 2001 and it will be re-read in 2002. My favorite story was The Choice by Monica Jackson.

I got much more than I had anticipated as I read these stories of inhabitants and former inhabitants of Mystic Ridge. The stories contained history as well as wonderful characters with whom anyone can identify.

this book was an easy read it was full of beautiful stories. my favorites were by ms.jackson and ms.esdaile. the book repaired hearts and mended them back together again. ms.green did an excellent job on bringing back together to people who loved one another once thru a business deal that turned out to be a bad one. ms.jackson's story was fabulous it had history written all over it. you want believe what she had instored for these two thinks to their past in another life. ms.esdaile gave nana's family a shaking just bring close together as a family thru her death. ms. forster's story was also nice she brought to people together who were opposites and made them right for one another in my opinion.

Great Book. I can't say enough about the interesting and unique concept that ties all four stories together. I would love to visit Mystic Ridge just to chat with Solomon. His ending comments were perfect. During this time of year, it was heartwarming to be reminded that we are only traveling paths started for us long ago. Many of us are learning to ackowledge our ancestors and their roles in our lives. This book reminds us of their importance. I loved all the stories, but I think 'The Choice' was my favorite. Read it and see if you agree! Good job ladies! (Typos and other errors continue to be a problem with our books, but we will continue to support our authors while things get better)

These four Christmas stories were awesome. Each story was something truly special and they were all first-class material. I must admit my favorite was The Choice by Monica Jackson. I know the holidays are over but if you can your hand on a copy of this novel, do so.

"The Mirror Looks Back," the second anthology by the Skywriters, serves as a mirror for me and many other women of "mature" age. Mary Kling's "Dear Child of Mine" brings poignant memories of my two unborn children and beautifully voices many of the questions which have lingered with me also. Mary Marsicano's "Every Inch New Yorkers" and "Conversations with the Towers" take me to Ground Zero as I share the horror of Sept. 11 with the victims, their loved ones, New Yorkers, and millions of other Americans. "Arctic Blues," by Bonnie Gary, brings vivid memories of my own journey among some of Alaska's massive glaciers. Judy Roney's "My Boy" brings chills and tears as she remembers her son Brian ... and sharpens my painful, loving memories of my 33 years with my daughter. And Lynne Nelsen's "My September 11th Hero" heightens my joy in my own grandchildren. Her "Little Pony Girl" sparks wonder too in what has happened to my 61 years ... how can I be this age, when just a short time ago I was cuddled with an 8 year old's kitten, Rainbow? Special thanks to all of the talented Skywriters women for bringing this gift into my life.

Once again, this talented group of women have put together a book that speaks to all of us. Humor, pathos, wisdom and strength. This little volume is a keeper.

This unique collection contains works you will think were written just for you, as you face certain situations right now with your loved ones, or as you remember scenes, travels and experiences from your past. Each author has her own style and voice, and each has a very special talent.

Clear, palpable scenes of nature, passion, and the experiences of life that only time and awareness can teach are carefully & masterfully crafted throughout. You will read these gems over and over again, and share them with others... after you have wiped away tears of emotion, and sat and reflected upon the profound expressions of each author.

I highly recommend this book, and it also makes a lovely, thoughtful gift.

This is the second collection of poetry and prose from these wise and witty ladies. Their subjects are drawn from every-day life, both mundane and astonishing. They laugh and they weep, and you will too. It's a pleasure to post the first review for this new chapbook of diverse and interesting writing from an on-line writing group.

This delightful book of poetry has such a variety of verses it is inspiring. There is a poem penned in the presence of the great icebergs, with all of the cold beauty shining through; then there is the lovely description of the blue Pacific seen from the Costa Rican beach. In each case you can feel the shimmer of the ocean as you read along each line.

There are the proud lines written by mothers and grandmothers as they survey their progeny. There is the profoundly felt loss expressed when parents, children, siblings, lovers are gone.

There are several poems about NYC, what is gone there and what has arisen from the ashes, and what has remained in spite of all of the changes. These thoughtful lines have apparently been written by New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers as there are views from several points across the country.

As a boomer myself, I enjoyed the irony reflected in the poem Boomer which describes many of us too well and with humor.

I am happy to recommend this to any of you who wish to be inspired or entertained. I am sure you will be both.

I'm still reading and enjoying the short, non-fiction accounts of the people in this book. I suggest you buy it.

MIXED explores the mixed-race experience and successfully dismantles so many common misconceptions about people of mixed-race or cross-cultural heritage. It's a gem that ought to be featured in high school literature courses not only for its collection of outstanding stories, but for the insights its contributors shed on the realities and paradoxes of the contemporary multiracial experience.

All interesting tales, however, the jewel of the collection has to be Mat Johnson's GIFT GIVING. Brutal, deliciously self-deprecating, and at times laugh out loud funny. Johnson's star just keeps on rising-Pity it's only a short.

many generations ago, someone of my racial background-- english protestant, irish catholic, scottish, and german-- might have been considered to be "mixed." today i am just considered "white." but there are a growing number of americans whose racial backgrounds defy easy categorization in the modern terminology of race. someday, they too may find themselves with a single moniker. for now, though, they struggle with multiple identities in a society that doesn't quite know where to place them. "mixed" explores the many facets of such an existence, in a diverse collection of stories that have been expertly chosen and arranged into a cohesive whole. for me, some of the standouts were the sly humor of emily raboteau's "mrs. turner's lawn jockeys," the awkward adolescence of mamle kabu's "human mathematics," the brutal reality of kien nguyen's "the lost sparrow," and editor chandra prasad's own haunting contribution, "wayward." and danzy senna's "triad"-- the same story told three times, with the protagonist's race changed for each telling-- is a brilliant conclusion to the collection. on the whole, these short stories should find an audience not only among mixed-race readers, but even among those who never have to check "other" under "ethnicity" when filling out forms.

I read a couple of positive reviews for this book and decided to buy it. Previously, the only similar book I'd read was Half and Half: Writers on Growing up Biracial and Bicultural. That book was nonfiction. What I liked about Mixed is that it is comprised of only fiction, which I've always preferred to memoirs, essays, etc. Short stories are easier for me to relate to, analyze, and explore on a more personal level. I found the stories of very high literary quality (expect nothing less from W.W. Norton). One standout is Ruth Ozeki's "The Anthropologists' Kids," which addresses the theme of mixed race and culture with such acuity and nuance that the story transcends its context and becomes a universally sympathetic tale of adolescent discontent and unrequited love. Mat Johnson's "Gift Gifting" is so brazen and gritty compared to some of the other pieces that its impact is jarringly good. I also enjoyed the elegant simplicity of the pieces by Emily Raboteau and Neela Vaswani. The author's comments on their own stories are sometimes as fascinating as--or even more fascinating than--the stories themselves, as is the case with Kien Nguyen's "The Lost Sparrow." Overall, I came away from this anthology with a better sense of what the term multiracial (or "mixed") means, and how complicated, strange, and powerful a factor race continues to be in many people's lives. This is a unique book, and well worth checking out.

From the editors of Glimmer Train comes this collection of 24 short stories exploring the ties of motherhood. While the stories encompass a wide range of experiences and writing styles, they are all consistently thoughtful, well-written and provocative.

If I have any quibble with this collection, it is that almost without exception, these stories deal with loss, and including some stories that touch on the more joyous aspects of the mother-child bond would have balanced out this anthology nicely.

Mother Knows presents a rich collection of emotionally meaningful short stories-some by writers I hadn't heard of before, but will be looking for now-about motherhood from all directions.

The opening piece, "What's Left Behind," is a deeply moving (but not sappy) story of a pregnant woman who loses her husband and children in a flash flood. Here are the first two lines: "He sweeps by me. My husband, Dizzy, rushes past me with his arms outstretched like a preacher at altar call."

There's the woman who's trying to take care of her small "determined" son and her equally stubborn father who, after a stroke, can only speak gibberish. The realism of this story is striking: the intertwining of love and dedication with exhaustion and a powerful, though passing, desire to flee from the obligations of family.

A remarkable range of authors and perspectives are included. There are at least five immigrants in this collection-wonderful writers with backgrounds and challenges very different from my own or my children's. (One author was born in China, another in Turkey, one in Puerto Rico, and one in Zimbabwe. I mean, wow.)

For me, the best fiction gives me a larger view of the world and yet reminds me that I am a part of it. And, although it sounds sentimental, these stories reminded me that it is the urge to love and be loved that keeps us moving through this world. This powerful collection of 24 (!) stories-by big names and soon-to-be-big names-has earned a permanent spot in my library.

All of our lives are inextricably bound with our mothers' lives. What I especially appreciated about these stories was that they told the truth--from all directions--about the complicated, but love-infused bond between mothers and their children. It's a meaningful, affecting, and hopeful collection. (And I've got some great new authors to follow now, too.)

I loved reading this anthology of stories about Motherhood! Very touching. A fascinating and heartwarming read, for sure.

I got this for my wife for Mother's Day and I think I'll actually read it when she's done! Unless she lets our daughter read it first.

Santoka was a royal pain in the posterior for his long-suffering wife. No doubt he reeked from days on the road and a daily diet of sake and pickles and not much else. His manners, too, were less than couth. Not much about his personal life comes through the sometimes barely permeable wall between Japanese and English, and perhaps that's good for Santoka's English readers. The Japanese are a bit more tolerant of this kind of behavior, especially when one has a real literary genius to contend with. It's a fact: telling simplicity, and an incredible ear for saying (in the originals) just enough to make the magic happen. I've wrestled with translating this man's work and English doesn't even begin to begin to convey what Santoka does with the layers of meaning in the Chinese characters (Kanji) as well as the very sound of the Japanese itself. Take, for instance, that famous poem that sounds a bit like a commercial for a clothing company (Blue Mountain is a clothing chain in Japan that sells cheap suits to salary men)--that goes something like: "Push apart/ enter/ push apart/ enter/ blue mountain"? Well, it mimics, among other things, the sound of a work gang in the original. No kidding--that repetitive drum-beat in miniature. You can't get that into English, folks. No translation into English--not even these--can help you "get" Santoka's rightness as well as his breath-taking simplicity. The most one gets is an approximation here, a pointing. The original Japanese is where the real Santoka shows his stuff and no translation, however deft, is going to give him to you. I lived in Kyushu for eight years and am familiar with Kumamoto and those blue mountains that you can't look away from. On the train going to work in the morning and coming home in the evening I'd watch them and think "Santoka walked there."

This is a good book of translations, and one sturdy enough for those who want to take it along on their own forays into "walking Zen," though only a fool would elect to follow Santoka's path. Those blue mountains are steep and dangerous and you have to be sturdy and single-minded as a mule to climb them.

MOUNTAIN TASTING : ZEN HAIKU BY SANTOKA TANEDA. Translated by John Stevens. 126 pp. New York and Tokyo : Weatherhill, 1980 and Reprinted.

Santoka's life may seem tragic. Son of a womanizing father who lost the family property through an unwise business venture; a mother who committed suicide by throwing herself into a well when he was eight; himself a university dropout; failed jobs; alcoholism; a failed marriage; a series of nervous breakdowns; a suicide attempt which failed when the train was just able to stop in time. How could such a man have become one of Japan's best-loved poets? And what, we wonder, could we ourselves possibly have to learn from him? The answer to this last, in a word, is everything.

Santoka was pulled from the tracks and taken to a nearby Zen temple. The head priest, Gian Mochizuki Osho, a shrewd and kindly man, simply took him in without any reprimands or questions, and offered to let him stay as long as he liked. Santoka had always been interested in Buddhism, and after one year of Zen meditation, chanting sutras, and working around the temple, at the age of forty-two he was ordained a Zen priest. The Zen he was ultimately to practice, however, though traditional, was unusual. It was the Zen of solitary walking. The open road was to become his home and his monastery.

John Stevens has provided a truly interesting and moving account of Santoka's life and work which will fill you in on the details. Suffice to say here that Santoka's first walking pilgrimage through Japan, begging as he went from village to village, began in April 1926 and was to last for four years. During this trip to Shikoku, he visited the 88 shrines and temples associated with the Buddhist saint Kukai (774-835) to pray for the troubled spirit of his departed mother.

There is a wonderful photograph of Santoka on page 30, which shows him setting out on a similar pilgrimage in 1933. With his straw sandals, white cotton pants, long robe, monk's staff, and large woven straw hat, he looks an odd, if not laughable, figure. Few would suspect they were looking at a person of incredible courage, someone who had undertaken the most fearsome and difficult task of all, the full acceptance and savoring of the moment, despite what it may bring.

All told, Santoka is said to have walked more than twenty-eight thousand miles, starting out each morning penniless and with no food, and not knowing where he would stay or even if he would find lodging for the night. These were very hard miles, miles which brought sun and rain, generosity and hostility, food and hunger, smiles and scowls, health and illness, thirst and pure water, loneliness and moments of companionship, grief and intense happiness, but moments always lived with the thought that everything should be welcomed, whether good or bad, just as he himself was not judged but welcomed and taken in by the kindly Gian.

The record of his various thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and of the myriad sights and sounds he encountered on his walks of self-discovery, will be found in his poems. The poems are characterized by an absolute simplicity, an absolute honesty, a total absence of artifice. In a world such as ours, brimming over as it is with lies, disinformation, propaganda, and the totally phony, Santoka's spontaneous utterances come to us like a pure, cool, and refreshing breath of air. He is even, as Stevens points out, honest about his failure to solve what for him was the ultimate Koan - sake.

After his very fine 29-page Introduction, Stevens has given us 372 of Santoka's free-style haiku in excellent translations. Since the poems are linguistically very simple, their literal meaning carries over easily into English. What is lost, however, as Stevens points out, is the beautiful rhythm, assonance, and onomatopoeia of many of the poems, and to offset this he has thoughtfully provided, at the bottom of each page, the romanized Japanese of the originals, a few of which are accompanied by his notes. He has also provided a useful Selected Bibliography of both Japanese and English sources at the end of the book.

Here, to give you a taste of Santoka, is Poem 18 as translated and annotated by Stevens (with my indication of pronunciation added). A halftone of Santoka's striking brush calligraphy of this poem has been used as frontispiece to the book:

"Going deeper / And still deeper - / The green mountains.

Wake itte mo wake itte mo aoi yama [wa-ke it-te mo wa-ke it-te mo a-o-i ya-ma]. This was written in early summer in the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture and is perhaps Santoka's best-known poem. Deeper and deeper into the human heart without being able to fathom its depth. . . ." (page 37).

The human heart, yes, but also self, nature, time, reality, the mystery of existence, and, ultimately, the world of Buddha, or, for others, God.

Santoka's great merit is that he returns us to a reality that is also ours, though most of the time we choose to overlook it. I can't even begin to do justice to him here - he's just too big. But what can be said is that there is a depth and resonance to his poems that will evoke a powerful response in all sensitive readers. His love of the simple things in life, of nature, and of all life-forms and living creatures, is infectious.

'Mountain Tasting' is a golden book that would make a wonderful gift for someone very special to you, but you'd better not start reading it - or you won't want to part with it!

Kaneda Santoka, Mountain Tasting (Weatherhill, 1980)

Kaneda Santoka, itinerant Zen monk, storied drunkard, and haiku poet, never achieved the fame in the West as did more traditional haiku poets like Basho and Soseki. Some few admirers of his work have been silently pulling strings offstage to change that, and while it hasn't happened yet, things slowly progress.

Santoka was on the cusp of the nontraditional haiku movement when he began writing, and was drawn to the idea of haiku that didn't use seasonal imagery, nor stick to the exact seventeen-line syllable used for traditional haiku in Japan. In the hands of a good enough poet, nontraditional Japanese haiku remain haiku; short, image-laden pieces that beg reflection from the reader while offering a quick view through the eyes of the poet. And Santoka was assuredly a good enough poet.

This selection of just over three hundred haiku from his works was, to my knowledge, the first collection of his work published in English (a complete works has been published in Japan, along with a few biographies). Santoka's haiku are deceptively simple, but open farther upon meditation (which is why the books' subtitle calls them "Zen haiku," presumably):

Going deeper
and still deeper
the green mountains.

or

The green grass!
I return, barefoot.

A wonderful little book, well worth reading. Especially recommended for aspiring haiku poets who write in English, as Santoka's haiku translate very well and are also excellent examples of nontraditional haiku in English. *** ½

Beware! The haiku of Santoka is nuanced and subtle - deceptively simple:

The green grass!
I return barefoot.

Upon my first reading I had the overwhelming impulse to race through the book which I gave into. But then, I found myself reaching for it and savouring one or two of these wonderful translations.

For those writers of haiku, trying to imitate Santoka's style is quite an exercise. How to approach:

Even the sound of the raindrops
Has grown older.

or

The moonlight

pierces
my empty stomach

These haiku will resonate long after you put the book down.

There is a notion of the spiritual life especially prevalent in Christian circles that our shortcomings are something we should seek to eliminate. As in so many other aspects of our life these days, we "wage war" on the many things that make us less than ideal specimens. Obesity, drinking, sexual hangups, shiftlessness, and a hundred other vices are seen as antithetical to the spiritual life. One of the things that Santoka has helped me to understand is how narrow a view of the life of the spirit this kind of thinking is. Santoka was by most people's standards a shiftless drunk. He was poor, unemployed (in fact he lived as a beggar) and content to remain so. His family and marital life were pretty much a disaster. That he was also one of Japan's greatest haiku poets is, according to the narrow, eliminate-the-vice, make-something-of-your-life mentality, an achievement in spite of his failings. I see his poetry as a measure of his success in living with his vices, and at least in part of deriving from them some of the depth and simplicity that makes his work so appealing. As psychologist Thomas Moore tells us, the things we seem to fail in may in fact be our path to greater spiritual depth, not necessarily by overcoming them, but in learning from them about a spiritual reality that is direct and earthy and real. It is a spirituality of not arriving, or, what amounts to the same thing, of arriving with every step. There is no destination, only the journey. Although there were other poor, itinerant haiku poets, none, not even the great Issa, is as earthy as Santoka, "earthy" not in a vulgar sense, though he and Issa too could be delightfully and sometimes not-so-pleasantly vulgar, but in that he lives very close to the physical reality of life largely unmediated by social security, health insurance, family, friends, and a "real" job.

Santoka finds a very sympathetic interpreter in John Stevens, whose translation and brief biographical summary are the best introduction you'll find to this great poet. Burton Watson's For All My Walking: Free-Verse Haiku of Taneda Santoka is also worth reading, especially for the translation of Santoka's diary excerpts, but the haiku selection is (deliberately, because he didn't want to duplicate Stevens) not as rich. Stevens gives us the cream. Of course, there are also many of Santoka's haiku in Reginald Blyth's still unsurpassed anthology of haiku (Haiku, in four volumes), and Blyth's translations are unfailingly insightful. But in Stevens we have more, and we have it all together.

If you're interested in other books on haiku, I've posted a bibliography of my personal recommendations (in PDF format) at http://www.redrockyellowstone.com. Once there, go to The Art of Haiku and click the link entitled "Read more about haiku..."

EXCELLENT SOURCE FOR A MOTHER EXPECTING TWINS!TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. PLEASE ALL THAT ARE HAVING TWINS~TAKE IT EASY~BECAREFUL WHAT YOU DO. I DID, BUT STILL LOST MINE AT 21.5 WKS. JENNIFER~MOTHER OF SAMANTHA & TRAVIS BORN ON MAY 15, 1999

This book helped me through the hardest time of my life. It exampled what I was going through and why I was going through it better than any other book I read on pregancy.

I thank God every day for my little gifts and having the strength to endore the pregnancy and the birth. This book helped me through both. I would recommend it to anyone expecting a multiple birth.

This book helped me out a lot, I found out I was expecting twins when I was 16 wks. It was a surprise. It also helped me with explaining to my husband that we were having twins. Excellcent book to read to explain everything you need to know about expecting and having twins.

My husband and I are expecting twins. We have read about five different books regarding pregnancy, birth and raising multiples, but this was the best book by far. It includes an incredible amount of practical information, including a great set of check lists that will help you prepare for birth. This is the book that I recommend to every couple that I know who are expecting more than one baby.

This book is full of helpful tips and hints. It's a no-frills design, but it packs a lot of information. Out of all the books on parenting multiples that I have read, this one has given me the most/best information. I HIGHLY recommend it.

If you like short stories, Muscadine Lines is for you. The poems and essays are good; the short stories excellent. The variety of subjects and styles amaze and delight. They're accessible, sad, funny, Southern, unusual, or just plain weird. An outstanding one told from a dog's viewpoint was written by a lady who lives with cats. Others are written about the prissy, the desperate,or the down and out. I felt changed by reading it. I walked in shoes I'd never tried on before, been touched by lives very different from my own.

Kathy Rhodes has brought together a wide variety of authors in this charming book of poetry and essays that describe life in the South. The book has broad appeal to all ages and makes a wonderful gift.

I enjoyed this collection of stories and poems that really showcase the qualities readers value in Southern literature--a rich appreciation of language and humor, as well as a dead-on sense of place and character.

I'm a contributor to this book and my
familyi and friends are thoroughly enjoying it.
My sister is a short story editor and she
was quite impressed with the quality of
the book and the entire presentation.
As am I, proud to be part of it.

i'm one of 28 authors of his book, so you might think i'm a little biased. you'd be correct. i'm a reader of good books and i can honestly say that this is one good book. prose for every mood. take a break from your busy day, pick it up and escape for a few minutes. you'll enjoy instant gratification by finishing a story, essay or poem.

i hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed becoming a part of it.
susie dunham