literature

Just finished reading Eva Marie's book......it held my attention and was a great read. Fell in love with Katie's character immediately....the thought "what was around the corner on the next page?" kept me going. The journey back home in our lives is often joyous, often difficult, and sometimes healing. We travelled with Katie to the place of her childhood and found relationships changed.

The "shadow" of her early days followed her. Life in the darness needed the truth of light and that's where restoration began for Katie. A mother's forgiveness and love began that process. A town's acceptance was part of that restoration as well.

This is a marvelous book to give to family members where relationships need mending. I am buying four for my own family.

Now.....we must wait for the sequel....can hardly wait!!!!

Eva Marie Everson and G. W. Francis Chadwick have written a suspense-filled drama in their new novel, Shadow of Dreams. Every parent who's ever had a prodigal child, and every prodigal who has longed to return home will identify with the powerful, emotional struggles seen here: "Who can I trust now? Where can I turn? How long will a shameful past cast its shadows on our lives? Will reconciliation really come?" By combining those familiar emotions with the stalking of danger, the authors have created not a predictable plot, but a suspenseful page turner.

Eva Marie's series is fabulous. I couldn't wait to find the time to read the next page. I fell in love with Katie and hope there are plans to read more of her. Eva Marie's 3 books in this series is filled with exciting plot twists, suspense, and drew me closer to the Lord, plus making me even more appreciative of my wonderful husband. These books are delightful!

I have been looking for the book "Beautiful Joe" for many years. I thought it was out of print. My parents had a copy of it and every Saturday morning I would read it to my younger brother. This was before T.V. It is a sad story with a happy ending. Joe is a wonderful cur dog, mistreated by his first owner and then rescued and loved by his second owner. It taught my brother and I a long lasting love for animals and the importance of kindness to all creatures. I am so happy to have found it back in print. Now, I can purchase copies for all the children in my own immediate family!!

I too read, " Beautiful Joe" years ago when I was in elementary school. I was unable to put the book down then and was unable to put it down now. I searched many years in order to find a copy of the book. I have my original from my younger days, but decided to keep it in the original condition. "Beautiful Joe " was and is a book to teach us all to be kind to all living creatures. I am sure I will read the book again and know it will be read by many of my colleagues in the school in which I teach. Thank you, Marshall Saunders, for writing a terrific book.

This is a true story of the mistreatment of a dog who ultimately ends up very happy. It was written over 100 years ago and is still timely. It is a book meant for children yet also for adults. It is a book that you will hold dear to your heart, and for you pet lovers, a treasure indeed. I recommend it most highly. I would also recommend it being read in schools.

I was thrilled to see another revision of this beloved classic. Jim Trelease has done a LOT for the world of busy parent's, wanting to give the love of books and reading to their children.

It is another way to learn and apply lessons in Child Development while actively sharing a love for excellent books with your child from birth to... the next generation of children in your life and beyond.

Among the cherished wisdom you will receive within the pages... Mr. Trelease recommends you welcome your toddler to your world as a host of a huge party with your child as the guest of honor! Treat him or her as such by introducing the love of reading by modeling your joy for reading not ONLY the books on your list... start reading the books recommended here as well, even when your child is NOT sitting on your lap listening.

Also exceptional are the sections on Oprah, Harry Potter and "Series" child readers devour. In the Oprah section, Trelease discusses what she has done to increase active readers in our adult population and how to do the same for the children you reach (talk about books animatedly, passionately, and discuss a bit and then bring it back into the discussion again and again and again... always animatedly and with passion).

This title honors children and parents... and I find myself revisiting the treasury of books over and over and over and will purchase the recommended books. Each time I do, I know I will not be disappointed.

I received this book as a gift when my son, now 6, was born. It's BY FAR, the BEST GIFT I EVER RECEIVED. I have since bought the latest edition to update myself on the latest read-aloud treasury, and the updated information on how we can inspire reading in our children. I have relied on the treasury in the book to guide me through the morass of children's books available, and my children have come to love many of the books, and authors listed. (When I asked my six-year old what books he wanted to get at the library the other day, he told me "Maybe something by Shel Silverstein".)

Jim Trelease's words have inspired me to share my read-aloud experiences with my friends, and I have bought many of them copies of their own. His common sense approach to how we can garner interest in reading in our schools should be required reading by educators. I agree with another reviewer who said she wishes she had money to buy every teacher in her school this book (I've started with the Principal in my son's school.)

A must have for any parent. If most of these reviews read like the testimonials of people involved in a cult, it's because we really believe in Jim Trelease's ideas, because we've seen the results in our own families. If this book doesn't inspire you to remember your own favorite books, the joy you felt when your parents read to you, and to spend time reading with your children, nothing will.

I was thrilled to see another revision of this beloved classic. Jim Trelease has done a LOT for the world of busy parent's, wanting to give the love of books and reading to their children.

It is another way to learn and apply lessons in Child Development while actively sharing a love for excellent books with your child from birth to... the next generation of children in your life and beyond.

Among the cherished wisdom you will receive within the pages... Mr. Trelease recommends you welcome your toddler to your world as a host of a huge party with your child as the guest of honor! Treat him or her as such by introducing the love of reading by modeling your joy for reading not ONLY the books on your list... start reading the books recommended here as well, even when your child is NOT sitting on your lap listening.

Also exceptional are the sections on Oprah, Harry Potter and "Series" child readers devour. In the Oprah section, Trelease discusses what she has done to increase active readers in our adult population and how to do the same for the children you reach (talk about books animatedly, passionately, and discuss a bit and then bring it back into the discussion again and again and again... always animatedly and with passion).

This title honors children and parents... and I find myself revisiting the treasury of books over and over and over and will purchase the recommended books. Each time I do, I know I will not be disappointed.

I first heard this enchantingly wonderful book on cassette tape when i was at art lessons. I would wait impatiently till the next week so I could hear more~ more about the Golux (who resembles only half the things he says he doesn't!) and about Princess Saralinda and the Prince whose name begins with X... and doesn't! This book is full of whimsical wonderful wordplay and contains almost all of my favorite quotes of all time. It isn't very long, but every sentence is filled with some little quips or verbal oddities that, quite literally, made me smile and laugh while reading (a funny sight XD). This book is without question one of my favorites of all time~ a truly wonderful tale that can be read over and over again without ever growing old. Truly classique. I mean, the book that's given me my tagline HAS to be great: "We all have flaws and mine is being evil."

A tremendous piece of literature I was lucky enough to read at age 8. I'm still re-reading it today as an adult and continue to find it imaginitive, without being syrupy or preachy. Our protagonist, the minstral-turned-Prince, must save the Princess Saralinda before the coniving Duke forces her to marry him. The Duke sets out an impossible task for the Prince, hoping that he will perish before he weds Saralinda on her 21st Birthday.

What is so amazing about this story is that each character has so much more dimension than the average fairy tale character. At times the Duke is almost likable and the Prince can be frustratingly unheroic. Even Saralinda escapes from the cotton candy persona of most heroines. Sure, she's beautiful, but she has an assumed cleverness that is presented as normal rather than over-emphasized in a Disney-like way.

I would highly recommend this book to children and adults alike. A note to eight-year-olds: Look up the hard words. It's worth the time. Trust me

It's hard to categorize "The Thirteen Clocks" -- is it a children's fairy tale? a book for grown-ups? Who cares? Readers from 5 to 95 will enjoy this wonderful book; the kids for the story and the adults for Thurber's marvelous way with words. It's a simple little fantasy tale of an abducted princess, a murderous duke, and the prince who comes to her rescue. And it starts off as all fairy tales should, with "Once upon a time..." Thurber brings us the beautiful Princess Saralinda, the Duke of Coffin Castle who was so cold that he managed to stop time one snowy night when all thirteen clocks in the castle stopped at ten minutes to five and never started again, and Prince Zorn of Zorna, who called himself Xingu, the prince whose name begins with X and doesn't, who is the one man who can defeat the duke's evil plans and rescue Saralinda. But Thurber's best invention by far is the Golux, a spaced-out wizard whose spells have a way of backfiring from time to time, who assists Zorn in his quest to save the princess. And there is a deliciously spooky, never-seen monster called the Todal, that "smells of old, unopened rooms and sounds like rabbits screaming", who is the cold duke's infernal weapon, and, ultimately, his nemesis.

Thurber's way with words will leave you boggle-eyed. This is the quintessential read-aloud book and the kids love it. On the second or third reading they'll be chanting along with sentences like these: "The brambles and the thorns grew thick and thicker in a ticking thicket of bickering crickets..." And Thurber goes hogwild in making up all kinds of words that somehow managed to portray what he want to get across. When he tells us that the duke slits open his victims from their guggles to their zatches, you may not know exactly what is a guggle and what is a zatch, but you get the idea. And when the Todal gleeps while devouring a victim, we know just what Thurber is talking about. (Try going "gleep" way at the back of your throat and you'll see what I mean.)

"The Thirteen Clocks" is full of dark humor and the illustrations by Marc Simont are right in character -- dark, haunting and yet comical at the same time. The book is a great mix of a good story, good characters, good writing, and just plain good fun.

This book tells of 3 years of Laura's life between ages of 15, when she first goes out to teach school - to 18, when she gets married.

We witness Laura's growing up and realization that life is changing all around her. Mary is in college, and is independent enough to want to stay with a friend for the summer instead of coming home. It's obvious that Laura's relationship with her sisters and friends in school are changing - in 'Little Town on the Prairie' her school life for example, and her after school or weekend social activities with her friends are a large part of the book, but now we only hear of a few remote incidents, and we hardly hear anything about the going ons there, for instance we don't really get to know Florence, the new 'big girl'. This is partly due to the increasing role of Almanzo Wilder's part in Laura's life, but I think that is also partly due to the fact Laura isn't attending school full time anymore, but rather teaches school herself for a term or two a year.Except for Ida's small part in Laura's wedding, we don't hear of them any more for the rest of the series.

We also see Laura herself change: part of it is what I just mentioned about the change in what she describes in her social life. Another one would be her very detailed description of her clothes and fashions - even though we do hear about her dresses in previous books, she seems much more occupied with them this time, like any teenage girl... In betwen the lines, we do see that the Ingles family is doing better financially - they are improving their house, and can often afford luxuries such as a sewing machine and an organ for Mary.

I did find a few points I didn't like in this book, compared to the previous books in the series:

1) Instead of giving an account of a relatively short period (a year or 2, like in the previous books), we are now covering 3 years, and we usually get an 'in depth coverage' of a relatively short period, or a few remote incidents, then run through a long period which is skipped. Laura only described her first school with as much details as I was used to in her previous books, but the next 2 schools are hardly mentioned... It isn't as bad as her descriptions in 'The First Four Years', but it's still noticeable.

2) We get a lot more of Almanzo, while we get less of the pioneer life of that era... This is an semi - autobiography of Laura's life, not a history book, I admit, but I think that the historical and cultural element of these books has been a major attraction for readers, especially the older ones.

At the end of Little Town on the Prairie, Laura accepts her first teaching job. Now in These Happy Golden Years, we find Laura on her way to teach a school twelve miles from home. Laura is frightened at the thought of teaching so far from home but thinks of the forty dollars that will help Mary. She finds herself staying with a bitter and lonely woman who takes her hostitality out on Laura. The husband is quiet and pleasant and the little boy is just a toddler but they don't help Laura's homesickness. Almanzo had asked to take Laura for a sleigh ride and she ends up with plenty. Almanzo's kindness is shown when he picks her up and then returns her to school each weekend. Laura realizes after she was rude to Almanzo how much she really likes him when he comes to bring her home on a severely cold Friday evening. The friendship continues in the Spring with buggies rides with Mary Power and Cap Garland. Laura realizes how much she misses Almanzo when she claim sits with Mrs McKee and her little girl Mattie. She goes back home when Mary comes home for a visit. These Happy Golden Years tells about Laura's capable teaching at two other schools, her jealousy when Nellie Olsen tries to get Almanzo for herself, her loneliness for Almanzo when he leaves with Royal for the winter. Almanzo and Laura had become engaged before he left but he returned before Christmas because he missed her too. Singing school, long Sunday drives and violent summer storms help draw Laura closer to Almanzo. They marry in a rush to avoid Eliza Jane from planning their wedding. Laura is scared to leave her girlhood home but realizes once she is in her own home, that she needn't be homesick for her old home. Pa and Ma and Carrie and Grace are not that far away as Laura and Almanzo start their life together. This book is full of humor and Laura learned many lessons. She really appreciated her homelife after staying with the Brewster's while she teached her first school. A truly enjoyable book with wonderful stories and a perfect ending of her childhood life.

The book These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder is wonderful! The story is about Laura who is teaching because her sister Mary has gone blind. Laura has to become a teacher to live up to her mothers expectations. Almanzo Wilder and Laura are dating and Almanzo proposes. Almanzo's family hears about it and his mother and sister are coming to plan the wedding their way! Laura and Almanzo have to figure out a way to get married their way! I would recommend this book to a friend my age. I suggest you read the whole collection first so you can understand it better.

What a wonderful book! Willie Morris is a wonderful storyteller and his re-telling of his childhood with his dog skip is just wonderful. He weaves a story that every pet lover and childhood pet owner can relate to. Willie is 9 years old when he gets Skip and they become inseperable. Skip is like a little brother to Willie who is an only child. Together they have many adventures in the Delta and spend so much time together. Skip is well known throughout the whole town and is pretty much treated like a little person.
The reader is transported back into the 40's with Willie and his dog. The imagery is so vivid that you really feel as if you are there. I love books set in this time period when things were so much simpler. Morris' story took me back to that time.
I very rarely cry at books, but I bawled at this one. It brought out so many of my childhood memories and I could hardly put it down. The adventures were wonderful, the scenery was vivid, and the characters are some that I will not forget for along time to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a little break from our fast paced world and visit Skip's!

Willie Morris was one of America's finest 20th century writers, in the same category as William Faulkner. So it is no surprise that, since he wrote a dog book, it is the ultimate dog book ever.

Simply stated, MY DOG SKIP is his memoir of his love affair with his dog. Like so many little boys, especially only children, his relationship with his dog was one of the purest, strongest loves that any person can know.

In describing their great love, Morris inescapably also must describe his childhood in a small town of the American south, circa 1930. As a direct result of the lyricism of Morris' prose, this book then becomes a perfect snapshot of the slow, honest, rhythms of life in towns like his.

The book ends as all these stories do. A tribute, once again, to Willie's skill is that the inevitable does not become maudlin.

The movie which was made from this story was extremely well-received. I had read that Mr. Morris had visited the set very shortly before his unexpected death, and that he had proclaimed himself pleased with the film. I am so glad that this gave him pleasure, because he has given so much pleasure to so many readers over the decades.

Willie Morris has recounted the life of not just a boyhood pet, but a dear and close friend.
The Story of Skip's life as told by his owner is full of mythic adventures of childhood. Where every new day was full of joy and wonder. Morris' storytelling brings the dog, his family and the lush southern landscape into full and brilliant view.
When you read My Dog Skip you can just feel how much this young man loved and revered his dog.
Any of us who have had a much loved pet know that the bond between animal and human can reach so much further than just "pet and owner". Willie Morris makes the statement that Skip wasn't just his dog, but his brother... that is a beautiful thing. Morris grew up an only child but did not feel alone by any stretch of the imagination. He was loved deeply by and deeply loved his dog Skip.
Another great point made in this book is how Willie Morris learned so much from his dog Skip. He clearly states that the most lasting lessons he has learned about love and loyalty came from knowing his dog.
This book captures so well the love a boy or any human being can have for a pet... I loved the story and highly recommend it!

After years without picking up a novel by Dickens (memories of starchy classes at school), I decided to plunge into "Bleak House", a novel that had been sitting on my bookshelf for about ten years, waiting to be read. Although I found it heavy going at first, mainly because the style is so unfamiliar to modern readers, after about ten pages I was swept up and carried off, unable to put the hefty tome down until I had finished it. This book is a definite classic. The sheer scope of the tale, the wit of the satire (which could still be applied to many legal proceedings today) and the believable characters gripped me up until the magnificent conclusion. One particularly striking thing is the "cinematic" aspect of certain chapters as they switch between different angles, building up to a pitch that leaves the reader breathless. I can't recommend "Bleak House" too highly. And I won't wait so long before reading more Dickens novels.

This is the second book by Dickens I have read so far, but it will not be the last. "Bleak House" is long, tightly plotted, wonderfully descriptive, and full of memorable characters. Dickens has written a vast story centered on the Jarndyce inheritance, and masterly manages the switches between third person omniscient narrator and first person limited narrator. His main character Esther never quite convinces me of her all-around goodness, but the novel is so well-written that I just took Esther as she was described and ran along with the story. In this book a poor boy (Jo) will be literally chased from places of refuge and thus provide Dickens with one of his most powerful ways to indict a system that was particularly cruel to children. Mr. Skimpole, pretending not to be interested in money; Mr. Jarndyce, generous and good; Richard, stupid and blind; the memorable Dedlocks, and My Lady Dedlock's secret being uncovered by the sinister Mr. Tulkinghorn; Mrs. Jellyby and her telescopic philanthropy; the Ironmaster described in Chapter 28, presenting quite a different view of industralization than that shown by Dickens in his next work, "Hard Times." Here is a veritable cosmos of people, neighbors, friends, enemies, lovers, rivals, sinners, and saints, and Dickens proves himself a true master at describing their lives and the environment they dwell in. There are landmark chapters: Chapter One must be the best description of a dismal city under attack by dismal weather and tightly tied by perfectly dismal laws, where the Lord Chancellor sits eternally in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Chapter 32 has one of the eeriest scenes ever written, with suspicious smoke, greasy and reeking, as a prelude to a grisly discovery. Chapter 47 is when Jo cannot "move along" anymore. This Norton Critical is perhaps the best edition of "Bleak House" so far: the footnotes help a lot, and the two Introductions are key to understanding the Law system at the time the action takes place, plus Dickens' interest in this particular topic. To round everything off, read also the criticism of our contemporaries, as well as that of Dickens' time. "Bleak House" is a long, complex novel that opens a window for us to another world. It is never boring and, appearances to the contrary, is not bleak. Enjoy.

Umm, I thought the book was too short! I fell in love with the book within the first ten words, and like all love affairs, this one ended too quickly. For those who thought Bleak House was dull, boring, lengthy, and wordy, may I suggest a television reality show?

Many people have seen "The Mask of Zorro" starring Antonio Banderas. Even more are familiar with Guy Williams' 1957-59 portrayal of the legendary hero, or even Duncan Regehr's series in the early 1990s. But very few have, unfortunately, ever read the book that started it all, "The Mark of Zorro", originally entitled "The Curse of Capistrano" in its initial 1919 release. This is such a shame. Few Zorro stories of today -- excepting some fan fiction -- can rival the genius in Johnston McCulley's work(s). His Zorro is the ultimate adventurer.

Zorro's best-kept secret is the fact that there wasn't *one* Zorro story written by Johnston McCulley -- there were sixty! A wonderful new company is currently in production of republishing every one of these classic stories. I've read some of them; they're every bit as good as "Mark". Truly "must-reads". Miss them at your own expense.

I first read this book when my friend, Murphy, bought it. He let me read it. It is the best book I have ever read. Diego de la Vega is by day the boring foppish man who can't stand violence but by night he rides the highway of El Camino Real as Zorro protecting the people of Los Angeles in the 1820's. It is funny how Lolita Pulido ( Zorro's love) despises Diego but is in love with the handsome fox known as Zorro. To conclude my review of Johnston McCully's book the Mark of Zorro, I say it is action-packed, romantic and just plain good. I give it a five star rating.

Warning!!! This book is extremely addictive!!! If you do not like non-stop action, look elsewhere!!! This book was so much fun to read. Zorro, The Curse of Capistrano, is about a masked man that rides around old Southern California helping "settle the score" against the corrupt government and its army who abuse and persecute the native peasants, and innocent and hard working people of good blood. Zorro is a one man army that creates a huge thorn in the side for Sergeant Gonzales, his captain, and for the Governor. Zorro is a master with the sword; and a expert horse rider. He has nerves of steel, and his courage is never ending. The author did a great job at keeping you at the edge of your seat. The book became harder to put down as chapters go by. I orginally use to watch Zorro on TV when I was a kid and had always enjoyed it. So, after reading other reviews about this book, I knew that I had to get this!! Boy, was I in for a treat. It is a super good book, a super good story line that will keep you glued to the book to the very end. I would without a doubt, buy this book again!!!!

Pippi longstocking was one of the first chapter books I read as I had to read it for a Third grade class. I enjoyed the way she gets herself out of jams and helps show the neighbor kids a whole new way of life that they've never seen before. There is one thing that is stuck in my mind from that book and it is how everything is upside down in her house. I think that this should be every kids first chapter book because it is easy to read and it helps kids open their imagination. It showed me how to use mine and even though I didn't do the stuff Pippi did it still helped me open up my imagination and I hope it still helps kids.

I read my first Pippi Longstocking book in 1983 when I was eight years old, and although I'm now twenty five, she still makes me laugh. She is such a free spirit - she lives alone except for a horse and a monkey, says what she thinks, does whatever comes into her mind, no matter how ridiculous it is, she can laugh at herself, and she enjoys life. But the reason why I hold her in such regard now I'm an adult is that although she says and does whatever her heart desires, it's never done at the expense of anyone else's feelings.

i`m 30 now.whenever the pressure of life or job or anything which may happen in adults lives keeps pressing on me i return to my pippi books. i live in those shiny pages,run with pippi, shout with pippi, dance with her and her lovely daddy and all darkness around me disappears.she takes me back to my innocence days in which watching an apple or playing with an ant was giving me the greatest joy of life.
in this way astrid and pippi are my always and sweet friends.
regards,
bess garner

Although a fine collection of Bangs's work in its own right, 'Psychotic Reactions and Carburator Dung' is not as good an introduction to Lester's writing as the recently released 'Mainlines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste: A Lester Bangs Reader." While 'Psychotic Reactions' editor Greil Marcus chooses to focus more on Bangs as a prose stylist and cough syrup-chugging wildman, 'Mainlines'
editor John Morthland presents a more definitive overall sampling of Bangs's critic ideas and opinions. Nevertheless, there is plenty of Bangs's best here, including the title piece, "The White Noise Supremacists," "A Reasonable Guide to Horrible Noise" and the entire fourth section of the book, which collects Lester musings on the life and career of Lou Reed.

that this tome gets five stars from everyone. Lester Bangs turned rock writing into a respectable craft. Critic, philosopher and party animal Bangs praises his heroes to the skies-The Velvet Underground, Iggy and The Stooges, The Troggs(!)- in gargantuan essays with the glee of Kerouac, and vilifies the artists who he feels are wrecking rock and roll with incisive precision, slaughtering sacred cows like Elvis, Elton John, James Taylor and John Lennon. Bangs clamors for the reckless spirit of rock to save humanity, who is sinking in a muck of pretentious hucksters and egotistical carnies masquerading as rockers. Lovingly compiled by Greil Marcus, we get to see some of Lester's more personal essays where he reveals much about his own troubled psyche and his attitude towrds what he did. The guy got banned from Rolling Stone for "disrespect to musicians"-how cool is that, to expose a so-called rock/revolution magazine for the establishment pig it truly is? All fans of noise and fire and unpredictablity in music need to read this onomatopoeia of the sound of rock and roll.

Lester Bangs got it right. He was the only rock critic who wrote with the rhythm of rock 'n' roll and felt to his absolute core every note. He was absolutely insulted by blandness in music, and therefore, never wrote a bland review. His critics often criticize his "digressions," but they're missing the point; after all, great rock and roll is a digression from most socially acceptable behavior. Consequently, this book is absolutely essential for anyone who cares about rock 'n' roll's past, present or future. Read Lester to get to the heart of rock, then read Greil Marcus to come to terms with its uneasy mind.