Abouts Books

By Jeff Bevelheimer

I am a picky reader, always have been. Earlier this week I started reading The Path: A Series on Redemption and Sensual Awakening by Michelle Devon. I have been totally blown away. Michelle has managed to say within the pages of the book The Path everything I have ever thought or felt within my own life concerning love, friendship, sorrow and redemption.

The Path is actually the second book in a series about love, redemption and sensual awakening. The first book, "In a Perfect World: A series of Lost Love and Redemption" much like The Path is a collection of poems and prose.

I have had a chance to talk to Michelle Devon on a number of occasions. When asking Michelle about her life she will tell you that "writing is more then a job, it's a life long dream". That dream started early on for Michelle. Ms. Devon first got exposed to writing through her jr high newspaper. During this time in Michelle's life she would win poetry and prose contests and by the time she was thirteen she had written her first novel.

Life would interfere with Michelle's dream of writing. It would be sometime before she would be able to realize her dream, opening a window of her world of writing for all of us to share through her books. She would go on to gain her college degrees in psychology, with a minor in sociology. Michelle had a career that centered on social services, advocacy and criminal justice for victims of violent crime in the non-profit sector. This career would ultimately lead to her taking a position with the corporate world negotiator for a mult-billion dollar company. This job, this world wasn't her dream - her dream was to write.

Michelle's dream was to write and having had all she could of the corporate world she quite. Leaving behind everything she had worked so hard to gain. All for the purpose of pursuing her dream of writing. As Michelle Devon will tell you about her and her writing - "I am a writer! It's not what I do; it's who I am." It's that dream, it her life that gives us The Path: A Series of Redemption and Sensual Awakening.

The Path starts off talking about starting down our own path for our lives. Very vividly explaining all the fears of what might be ahead, the unknown. In The Path, Michelle Devon uses an ocean and forest as a visual unknown of what lays ahead for us. Michelle explains that throughout life we come to the end of one path only to be faced with a different one. Each path represents stages within our lives or when our circumstances as they change. Michelle expresses this change this way - "The winds of change blow all around me, making me cold, uncertain, while yet burning with an intense fire for life and love."

I have often times wanted to go back and redo what I have already done. Michelle Devon in The Path says this about going back - "Seeing the broken shards of glass behind me. I know I cannot go back and regain what was lost." Much like our lives we know we can never go back and regain something that is lost.

If you have ever experienced love lost, pain, suffering, loving friendship, compassion, satisfaction, or redemption then you need to read The Path. Michelle Devon is not only a great person and supportive friend; she is a compassionate soulful writer. She has managed within the pages The Path to say what many of us have felt or wanted to express yet couldn't find the words.

The Path by Michelle Devon is one of those books that you should have on your night stand or on your bookshelf. The Path is a book that would make a great gift to a family member getting married or going through life changes or struggles. I promise you will never find another book with as much in your face emotional truth than what you will find in The Path by Michelle Devon.

"The path is waiting for us. Life is ready to be lived, love and understanding are ready to be shared."

"Redeem yourself and awaken to the sensuality surrounding you. No one is meant to walk alone."

"Together lets follow The Path"

Jeff Bevelheimer is a freelance writer and short story writer. His current webcontent articles can be found on Accociate Content or Helium. He also maintains a number for blogs, including his newest blog The Book Shelf Review, where he will be offering "off the beaten path" reviews on non-mainstream published books, ebooks, poetry, short stories, and more.

You can view Jeff's Home blog at http://jeffshomeblog.blogspot.com

Jeff is also a regular contributer to Accentuate Writers Forum. Accentuate Writers Forum is for all writers (fiction, non-fiction, shorts, poetry, etc) to share, learn, and more from others within the field of writing.

Feel free to check out Accentuate Writers Forum at http://www.accentuateservices.com/xmb

By Hal Manogue

The book: "Flatland: A Romance Of Many Dimensions," was written in 1884 by Edwin Abbott, and is still popular among mathematics and computer science students. The story is that Flatland was a two-dimensional world and seeing and knowing could only be seen and known in that plane; there was nothing above it or below it. Flatland was populated by a large number of Squares and Circles, with a subculture of Triangles and a occasional Parallelogram. In the book there is a story of one Square and how he is awakened one day. It begins:

One sunny day in Flatland a little Square saw a Circle coming toward him. He carried on with his usual activities, but it soon became obvious that this Circle was not like any he had seen before. This Circle just kept getting larger and larger until it was clearly not just a Circle, but a Sphere. Square had heard about Spheres before, but he had always believed that they were just fairy tales or children's myths. This one, however, looked very real indeed. Frightened, Square began to run. "Don't be afraid," called the Sphere, "I won't hurt you!" The Square stopped and turned toward the stranger. Slowly backing away, he asked, "What are you, anyway?" "I'm a Sphere."

"But there are no Spheres in Flatland," Squared challenged.

"That may be so," gently replied the Sphere, but Flatland is not all there is to life. There is more to life than the two dimensions with which you are familiar- much, much more, indeed. There is actually another dimension of which most of the citizens of Flatland are not aware at all: Spaceland. Spaceland is a wonderful world with so much more freedom to see and move and play! But you cannot enjoy it because all of you in Flatland have gotten used to looking only forward, back, and to the sides. Hardly anyone in Flatland ever looks up! If you did, you would see many wondrous forms far more exciting and fascinating than you have found in Flatland."

"How can I see these lovely sights?" young Square wondered aloud. "Simply look up and you will see the whole picture," the Sphere explained. "In fact," Sphere went on, "you will be surprised to know that what you see in Flatland is actually a part of the third dimension. Those you see as Circles are actually Spheres, but because you see only in two dimensions, all you see is one plane of a much greater reality!"

"You will be happy yo know that you and your friends are not just Squares, but you are actually facets of a marvelous and very practical form called a "Cube." The Triangles belong to a mystical design called "Pyramid," and that funny-looking family down the street that you laugh at, Mr. and Mrs. Ellipse, are actually components of a most important configuration called "Egg." "Alas, but you see none of these rich aspects of your life because you are so preoccupied with what is behind and in front of you- Oh Square if you only knew how much, much more there is to life, you would dance with joy!"

Sphere paused for a moment. She realized this was a lot for a little Square to absorb so quickly, and she wanted to give him time to awaken.

"My dear Square, the universe is so much greater than you have imagined- and now you are seeing things as they truly are, and indeed have always been. I am very happy for you."

The Square was astounded; yet somehow it made sense. Into his mind flashed some memories of having seen unusual shapes when he was just a few points old. He remembered seeing beautiful, dazzling configurations just before going to sleep or while traveling through the park of Diamonds. Then he recalled that when he had told his mother about them that she patted him on one of his sides and told him he had a vivid imagination. Eventually he stopped seeing them- he didn't want to be different from his friends.

The Sphere, shimmering before the young one, sensed he was ready to see more. "Would you like to see your true self?" she asked.

The Square hesitated. He wasn't quite sure about his true self. It seemed that most of the inhabitants of Flatland were rather fearful of looking at their true self. Whenever someone would bring up the idea of their true self at a party, for example, someone would quickly make a joke or change the subject. Why were the Flatlanders so afraid of their own being? Even the Square could not understand why hardly anyone in Flatland loved himself.

"Yes," Square answered, "Yes I would like to see my true self." The moment he said those words his fear went away.

"Very well, then- Look up!" Sphere commanded. "Look up and you will see who you really are!"

Square looked up and he could hardly believe his eyes. What a wondrous sight he did see! He saw that he was not just a small Polygon with four sides of equal length, as he had read in his Geometric Geneology textbook. He saw that his square self was just one part of his being, the part that could be seen in Flatland. Square saw that he was actually a great, glowing Cube, of which the lines that he thought limited him were but one aspect. How exciting to find that he was a whole! So that was why he had felt so strangely incomplete as a little Square! Now he realized that there was nothing to be afraid of, nothing in his real self that could harm him. In fact, nothing had ever made him as happy as looking upon his real self and seeing all that he was.

That was just the beginning. As the Square became more and more comfortable looking up, he could see the real identity of everyone in Flatland! They were so beautiful! He saw marvelous Cones, sparkling Cylinders, and even a Great Sphere made up of triangles. His guide told him this was a "Geodesic Dome"(but hardly anyone in Flatland was ready for that one). Square saw that what was happening in Flatland was such a little part of the whole picture. And he was afraid no more.

I live in a three dimensional world and I am scared to see and feel the other dimensions that surround me. By looking within I am able to see my true self; I am able to feel whole, and just like the Square, I'm not afraid anymore.

Howard (Hal) Thomas Manogue, was born in Philadelphia, and is a forerunner to the Indigo children, a now age term for misfit with an intuitive nature, a desire to know his truth with a gift of giving and sharing. Hal retired from the shoe industry after 35 years of sole searching, and discovered his real soul.

He enjoys art, music, philosophy, psychology, nature and people.

His poems have been published by: Mystic Pop Magazine, Children Of The New Earth Magazine, New Age Tribune, Seasons Of The Soul Newsletters, Lightship News and Writers In The Sky Newsletters. His essays can be found on Hal's Blog and Website: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/

http://www.shortsleeves.net

He lives in Franklin Tennessee.

Hal's new book Short Sleeves Insights: Live A Ordinary Life In An Non-Ordinary Way will be in print in April. Visit any bookstore or Hal's website to get a copy. Hal's third Collection Of poetry: Short Sleeves A Book For Friends will also be in print in April.

By Hal Manogue

" Oh sun, rise. Particles are dancing. I see headless, footless spirits dancing with ecstasy. Some are dancing at the dome of the sky. Come close. I'll tell you where they are going."

That's Rumi speaking from the book, "Crazy As We Are," written by Dr. Nevit O. Ergin.

Rumi certainly had a way with words. Dancing is the motion of freedom; it connects me to the sound of my inner music, which is constantly playing in awareness. Rumi was the original dancing mystic; he connected to his inner self by twirling, and this dance became the art of worship for his followers. Dancing has been used for centuries by cultures around the world to honor and worship a higher power.

Dancing takes me to a free zone where I can be myself and share my freedom with others. My body moves in gestures of playfulness and lighthearted actions that come from within me. I am in another place; a place of well being where there is only a feeling of my spirit gliding through the air of physical existence. Dancing is the art of lifting my ego to the door of awakening. Dancing makes me feel good; it brings out another part of me that bonds with the world around me. I am a particle of ecstasy floating with other particles that reach out and touch the stars. Dancing with the stars I become one of them in the artful movement of oneness. My consciousness is free to focus on other moments of reality and refresh my purpose of existence. The dance changes me into what I have always been but forgot I am; a dream of grand expansion.

The philosopher Friedrick Nietzsche explains dancing this way:

In song and dance man expresses himself as a member of a higher community; he has forgotten how to walk and speak and is on the way toward flying, dancing into the air. His very gestures are of enchantment... He feels himself to be a god, going about in ecstasy, exalted, like the gods beheld in his dreams... He is no longer an artist, he has become a work of art. In a paroxysm of intoxication the creative power of all nature has come to light in him at the highest rapture of the one that is All. Nature, with its true voice undissembled cries out to us: "Be as I am! I, the primordial ever-creating mother amidst the ceaseless flux of appearances, ever impelling into existence, externally finding in these transformations satisfaction."

So it is. The dance brings me the feeling of joy; it brings me the emotion of excitement; it entertains my spirit and I become who I am. The music is always playing all I need to do is hear it and get up from my seat of loneliness and dance. My dance fills the cracks in my thinking; paints my world with brightness and showers my reality with abundance.
May I have the next dance with you?

Howard (Hal) Thomas Manogue, was born in Philadelphia, and is a forerunner to the Indigo children, a now age term for misfit with an intuitive nature, a desire to know his truth with a gift of giving and sharing. Hal retired from the shoe industry after 35 years of sole searching, and discovered his real soul.

He enjoys art, music, philosophy, psychology, nature and people.

His poems have been published by: Mystic Pop Magazine, Children Of The New Earth Magazine, New Age Tribune, Seasons Of The Soul Newsletters, Lightship News and Writers In The Sky Newsletters. His essays can be found on Hal's Blog and Website: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/
http://www.shortsleeves.net

He lives in Franklin Tennessee.

Hal's new book Short Sleeves Insights: Live A Ordinary Life In An Non-Ordinary Way will be in print in April. Visit any bookstore or Hal's website to get a copy. Hal's third Collection Of poetry: Short Sleeves A Book For Friends will also be in print in April.

By Michael Guth

This novel begins with the transformation of a fictionalized American cardinal after he realizes he has conducted himself more like the chief executive officer of a big business rather than as a pastor whose life reflects Christ's teachings to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, etc. At the outset, many readers might feel they could predict the outcome before finishing the novel: the prelate would be treated like a pariah by his fellow bishops and quietly removed from his post, with a successor appointed who understands the foremost rule of today's Catholic bishops is to fall in lockstep behind the pope. But the novel has unexpected twists and turns.

Approximately one-quarter through the book, the author, a former journalist who covered the Vatican II council for TIME magazine, introduced a number of thought-provoking ideas to enhance the laity's participation in all aspects of the church. As the much beloved good Pope John XXIII once said, "The Catholic Church is its people," as distinguished from its hierarchy. In the novel, the priest shortage leads one church in California administered by a nun to have communion services in lieu of a mass. But the nun in this story does something relatively unique: she invites the small congregation to join her in saying the eucharistic prayer in unison out loud.

When word of these communion services reaches the local bishop and eventually the Vatican, all the conservatives are horrified that this upstart nun is democratizing the mass and letting all the congregation join in feeling they play a role in consecrating bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. But a participant at the communion service describes it this way. "First thing I'd say, we don't call them Masses. Second thing, these are the most devout, solemn liturgies I have ever seen. When we say the words (of the eucharistic prayer), we say them in the kind of wonder-filled tones we use when we're reading our nieces and nephews their bedtime stories." Nevertheless the Vatican and America's conservative bishops get all in a tizzy over the very thought of people saying the same words used by the priest at mass.

The typical Catholic mass in America involves a priest giving a too-long homily and then making up for lost time by racing through the shortest eucharistic prayer for consecration. Because of this time constraint, the fourth eucharistic prayer, which is the longest of the four prayers available for consecration, is seldom used. Yet Eucharistic Prayer IV contains the most beautiful words of all: "Father, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior. He was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, a man like us in all things but sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to those in sorrow, joy. In fulfillment of your will he gave himself up to death; but by rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life. And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as his first gift to those who believe, to complete his work on earth and bring us the fullness of grace."

Why NOT let the laity -- the congregation -- say these beautiful words out loud during mass? For too long, the conservatives running the Church have tried to maintain the pre-Vatican II notion that the clergy dispense God's graces and the laity's job is to seek passively these ministerial graces from clergy - in a process ultimately controlled by the Vatican. Yet, in 1965 towards the end of the Vatican II council, Pope Paul VI noted that the passive nature of the laity had changed. Outside of mass, Vatican II sought to codify and recognize the laity had spiritual gifts equal to (if not greater than) the spiritual gifts of the clergy.

How welcome indeed then are the scenes depicted in CARDINAL MAHONY, in which the Church in California, and eventually across the country, rallies around the renegade nun, forces the conservative hierarchy to back down, and demands a greater say in the administration of the church and the accountability of its bishops. The novel explains the concept of an autochthonous church - which is 100% Catholic and loyal to the pope, yet retains for itself certain decision-making power. As Kaiser explains, autochthony does not mean autonomy; it means "home grown."

According to Kaiser, as of 2007, the Vatican recognizes twenty-one autochthonous churches inside the Catholic Church. These churches include the Melkites in Lebanon, the Maronites, and an Eastern European branch that has maintained married Catholic priests from its first existence. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church in Africa and Latin America today already has "home grown" elements in the prevalence of priests with unofficial companions. "It's an open secret that many Roman Catholic priests -- especially in African and Latin American nations -- have taken common-law wives," wrote Don Lattin in a nationally circulated religious article for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1994.

Reading CARDINAL MAHONY will cause readers to reexamine their faith and what they have been taught about the church since childhood catechism classes. Whether it is greater accountability of diocesan finances or censorship of dissenting views by the Catholic press, genuine reforms are still needed worldwide in the Roman Catholic Church. Hundreds of millions of Catholics left the church during the long reign of Pope John Paul II, because they were spiritually unfed. Similarly, the results of polling on religion in America released in late February 2008 by the Pew Foundation showed Roman Catholics were more likely than any other denomination to abandon their faith.

The Roman Catholic Church depicted in CARDINAL MAHONY is so hopeful and inspiring that it comes as a let down when the book is finished, and the reader has to return to reality. I recommend all progressive Catholics read this book, request your local public libraries add it to their collections, and use the book's themes to discuss whether readers want to play a more active role in the life of the Church.

Michael A. S. Guth, Ph.D., J.D., is a Catholic spiritual writer. He can be contacted through web page http://michaelguth.com/myblog/index.html

By Heather Froeschl

Ah, the teenage daughter. They are a wonder. I have my own and feel qualified to say this. I want to be everything I can for her, but we all know that this isn't possible. Providing her with the tools she needs for life is important. For this reason, I am ever grateful to Richard M. Dudum for authoring "What You Mother Never Told You." I could have used this book when I was a teen and I still appreciated the reminder of certain passages. Get a copy for the teenage girls in your life, or get one for yourself if you fit that demographic. You'll be glad you did.

Your mother might have sat you down for "the talk" and you cringed, and she cringed. Likely it wasn't enough to answer all of your questions but maybe you couldn't stand it anymore. Maybe you were lucky enough to have a really open mom who you could talk to about anything, but I'll bet there were still a few things that didn't get covered. "What Your Mother Never Told You" covers everything. Yes, everything...from how you are perceived in high school - as a snob, slut, show off, or shy girl - to how you will be remembered at your twentieth reunion, from accepting compliments and gifts from a guy to what you should not feel obligated to give him in return, from telling your parents that you are embarrassed by their behavior, or even appalled by it, and everything in between. What should you do if a friend seems to have an eating disorder, or you think that you might? What can do for a friend who is cutting herself? How can you be supportive of a friend whose parents are getting divorced? What if you need that support?

Discovering who you are and who you aren't is part of being a teen (and an adult!) and this book can help sort things out. It's like having this really cool parent to guide you, but not tell you what to do. Richard offers his advice and readers are free to take it or leave it, but reading it is the way to make informed decisions. Information is an important tool to have, and the best possible tool any parent can hope to give their daughters.

Written in a no-nonsense, straight talk manner, "What Your Mother Never Told You" is right on target with today's teen. Each topic is covered succinctly and with care. In between are pretty images of floral designs, speaking to the femininity of its readers. Used as a tool for parents to broach topics with reluctant-to-talk teens or as a guide for them to read on their own, this book is sure to touch lives, inform minds, and even make you smile as you read about how "you don't owe him Jack..." It is "the talk" on subjects that might make you blush, but are the must have tools for today's society. Bravo!

What Your Mother Never Told You
by Richard M. Dudum
ISBN-10: 1419678698
review by Heather Froeschl

Heather Froeschl is an author, award winning editor, and book reviewer, at http://www.Quilldipper.com

By Tyler R. Tichelaar

L.W. Lewis was born in 1942. He has a BS Degree in Zoology from the University of Miami (1964) and an MBA from Oklahoma City University (1978). He is a retired Air Force officer. As a navigator he flew B-52's in Viet Nam. As a fighter pilot he flew A-7's with the Flying Tigers. He was also an instructor pilot for the US Air Force. He served as an advisor to the US Army in Alaska from 1982-1986. During this tour of duty he became a Master Parachutist with 269 parachute jumps.

Lewis now writes children's poetry. Along with performing poetry at many schools, Mr. Lewis has performed at several comedy clubs including the Blue Katz Club in Knoxville, TN and the Comedy Zone in Jacksonville, FL. His material is essentially the same for adults and children. His work is written "through a child's eyes" and celebrates the innocence and imperfection of children everywhere. He is a single parent who raised three daughters.

Tyler: Welcome, Leonard. I'm glad you could join me today. To begin, will you tell us a little bit about your new children's book "Poodles, Tigers, Monsters, and You" and why you believe it will appeal to children?

Leonard: "Poodles, Tigers, Monsters & You" is humorous poetry. Although it is marketed to children, the mix is about 50/50 with adults buying the book for themselves. Its appeal is the rhyme, humor, and brevity of each poem. I get letters from people with ADD and ADHD readers who love the book. I've also received several letters from people with autistic children who love the book. In the case of autistic children, it is the illustrations that are the attraction.

Tyler: Leonard, why are you interested in creating rhymes for children. What benefit do you think reading rhymes have for children?

Leonard: Rhymes help children read. If they like the poem they will remember it quickly. This allows them to read aloud to others and builds confidence in reading skills.

Tyler: Would you compare your writing to other popular children's writers of poetry such as Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein?

Leonard: Many people have told me that I remind them of Dr. Seuss. I don't see the similarity myself. Most reviews compare my work to that of Shel Silverstein. Although my style is somewhat different, I do see the similarity.

Tyler: Did you have any influences from other children's writers, and what were your favorite books as a child?

Leonard: I did not read much as a child. I had a sixth grade teacher who sparked an interest in poetry. From that time on I became a reader. In junior high I read mostly Edgar Rice Burroughs and H. G. Wells.

Tyler: What sets your book apart from other children's books that are poetic?

Leonard: The humor does not condescend to children. I write on an adult level.

Tyler: Why did you decide to write children's poems? It seems like an odd choice considering your military background?

Leonard: Just because one is in the military does not mean they don't have a sense of humor. I have always liked poetry and would write funny poems to my children when I was away.

Tyler: What first got you started writing poetry?

Leonard: Shel Silverstein did. I was reading "A Light in the Attic" to my children. My sense of humor is a little like his so I started writing to my children. Some of the poems made it to school and children ate them up. This inspired me to keep writing.

Tyler: What do your children think about you being a poet? I assume they are adults now, but that some of your published poems are ones you originally wrote for them?

Leonard: I don't think they consider me a poet. I was a military officer for most of their lives. I think they consider me a retired officer who writes poetry. They are my harshest critics.

Tyler: Will you share with us one of your favorite poems from the book and tell us why it is your favorite?

DOG FOOD

I fed my brother dog food
My mother is really mad.
I think it's the best dog food
That he has ever had.

She screamed and called the doctor
Her eyes are filled with tears.
So I don't think I'll tell her,
He's been eating it for years.

I like the poem because it's a true story. My cousin and I would bring dog food on our camping trips. We did this until my aunt found out.

Tyler: Where do you come up with the ideas for your poems? Do they often have some basis in real life as with "Dog Food"?

Leonard: Many of them do. Much of my poetry is about everyday tasks and relationships. I'm often told by readers that a certain poem must have been written about a special person in their family.

Tyler: You previously published another children's book, "The Tickle Tree," which is also poetry. Do you see any major difference between the two books?

Leonard: I've actually published three books, the third being "Why Do Flies Eat Doggy Poop?" All three books are essentially humorous poetry.

Tyler: Our reviewer for "The Tickle Tree," nine year old, Eric Zeda, said, "I didn't know I liked poetry, and that poems could be funny, until I read this book." Why do you choose to write poems that are funny?

Leonard: Starting children with funny poems gets them interested in poetry. We all like to read humor.

Tyler: Leonard, do you have plans for more books? If so, will you continue to write poetry and children's books, or do you have an ideas of launching into different fields as well?

Leonard: I have a fourth children's poetry book about half finished. I am also working on a book of "Kids Poems for Adults." The book is actually writing itself. Sometimes I don't feel a poem I have finished is appropriate for children but I like the poem so it ends up in the adult file. These poems are not vulgar but are about subjects that children don't need to be reading. Below is the first few lines of such a poem.

TIME OUT

Daddy is doing time out,
But he doesn't think it's funny.
I guess that he was pretty bad.
He's doing ten to twenty.

I'm also writing a sci-fi novel titled "The Chronicles of Blake Gray."

Tyler: Leonard, I mentioned you also visit schools to present your poems to children. Will you tell us a little bit about these presentations and why you enjoy them?

Leonard: Presentations are like a "Comedy Club for Children." The idea is to show them that poetry can be fun. Judging from the letters I get from students and teachers, it works well.

Tyler: Thank you for joining me today, Leonard. Before we go, will you tell us about your website and what additional information readers might find there about your books?

Leonard: The website is LWLewispoetry.com. It is a way to contact me for school visits or to buy books and audio books on line. Children can also read poems and/or listen to them on line.

http://www.readerviews.com/

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is happy to be joined by L. (Leonard) W. Lewis, who is here to talk about his new children's book "Poodles, Tigers, Monsters, and You," Red Pumpkin Press (2007), ISBN 9780971157217.

By Paige Lovitt

Once again, JoAnn Fastoff has written a novel that you will find yourself unable to put down, in her latest continuation of the Howard Watson Intrigue series, "The Pact." What I loved most about "The Pact" is that when a double homicide occurs, you immediately think you know who did it, you just don't know why or how complicated matters truly are. Instead of a typical mystery where you try to find out who did it, in this case, you try to figure out how and why the other elements of the plot tie together. I love a book that makes you think, and in "The Pact," I totally enjoyed discovering the answers as the story unfolded.

Events leading to a modern day double homicide actually begin 1966, in western Africa. As the story unfolds, Ms. Fastoff fills in the history of many of the characters. She shows how deep friendships were established among the main characters, especially four women. Their loyalty to each other is unwavering. I really appreciate the depth of her character development; this adds some great touches to the storyline.

Close female friends who have banded together to help one of their own against her abusive partner, become embroiled in the plot when a crime that they are tying to cover up is intricately tied into one committed by a hit man who has no desire to leave witnesses around to identify him. The FBI also becomes involved with the case. This is where Special Agent Howard Watson steps in. The women have alibis; however, they become very nervous as the evidence starts building against them. They have no clue how much danger they are in. Howard Watson does, and using modern technology, the FBI and Chicago P.D. try to gather their own clues before any more deaths occur.

Spousal abuse, illegal drug sales, illegal arms, murder, betrayal...the list goes on. "The Pact" has it all. It takes talent to put such a complete tale together in a relatively short novel. JoAnn Fastoff obviously has that talent. I read "The Pact" in one sitting and loved all of it. I look forward to Howard Watson's next adventure.

http://www.readerviews.com/

Xlibris (2007)
ISBN 9781425799717
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)

By William Phenn

A native Long Islander, Robert Crooke now lives with his wife in pleasant Bridgewater, Connecticut. Mr. Crooke first started his writing experience as a reporter for the Long Island Press. He was also the North American press spokesman for Reuters. Robert's first novel, "American Family," received good reviews and became a regional best seller. His writing expertise extends to poetry as well and he has been published in the West Hills Review. Mr. Crooke's latest work, "Sunrise," has won the distinction of being picked as "Publisher's Choice" by iUniverse, Inc.

Stephen Dahl, the narrator of "Sunrise," is an American expatriate living in Paris, France. He lives a decent life, working as a college professor and writer. After hearing about the horrors of September 11th, his patriotism is renewed and though he has strong feelings, he does not go back home right away. But in 2003 after the death of a good friend, Stephen has reason to come back and renew old friendships, especially with an old flame that was married to his deceased friend.

Stephen comes back home to Long Island and relives his childhood and reminisces the good times of his young-adult life, when he worked as a bartender in a club close to his old neighborhood. Now, he re-visits these places of his youth, thinking of old friends, reflecting on his life and the world around him. He laughs, cries and relives interesting and intimate moments with friends from the past..

"Sunrise" is an interesting adventure into the lives of the Long Island set. I would strongly parallel it to the California Valley crowd on the west coast. There is the usual drugs, drinking and out of control partying along with memories of past lives and love.

The main characters were not as colorful as the Great Gatsby but just as compelling. "Sunrise" gave the reader an insider's look into this group of young Americans and it was quite an eye opener.

http://www.readerviews.com/

iUniverse, Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9780595464777
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (1/08)

By Maya Landers

"Poodles, Tigers, Monsters & You," by L. W. Lewis, is a funny book full of poems that both my brother and I enjoyed fully. Humor is prevalent throughout the book, making it an entertaining read.

This would be a great read-aloud book, because the rhythm is enjoyable, and there is ever-present humor in all of the verses. Also, most of the poems are short, making it wonderful bedtime book. When you begin to read a poem, it appears serious, but there is always a funny twist at the end, making the poem seem much more comical than at first glance.

The illustrations are laugh-provoking, showing the offspring of a poodle and a tiger, pictures of green-toothed monsters, and a barbequed Barbie, and many, many others, all just as hilarious.

One of Lewis's poems, titled "The Lion and the Zebra,"goes like this:

"The lion and the zebra got married,
And the wedding turned out fine.
But they weren't married very long,
Only until dinnertime."

This shows how the book would also be good for beginning readers, because they could enjoy the poem without having to work too hard. Some of the poems are longer, but they are just as easy to understand.

As I read these poems, I was reminded of Shel Silverstein, because at first glance the verses look like nonsense, but then they start to make sense--not in a serious way, of course.

There is no consistent plot or character that runs throughout this book. For instance, we do not see the same characters repeating, and some poems are in first person, some in third person, and some even in second person. The characters are not consistent, but they do all have the same voice--humorous and amusing, with a communicative aspect that will please all readers.

If you have read and enjoyed "The Tickle Tree," also by L.W. Lewis, you will love this book. I couldn't say that it was funnier, but it was just as entertaining.

I would recommend "Poodles, Tigers, Monsters & You" to my friends as an alternative to more serious literature, or to my younger brother or one of his friends as a beginning reader book.

http://www.readerviews.com/

Red Pumpkin Press (2007)
ISBN 9780971157217
Reviewed by Maya Landers (age 10) for Reader Views (12/07)

By Tyler R. Tichelaar

Robert Crooke is a journalist, media executive, and teacher. His poetry has been published in the West Hills Review, the literary journal of the Walt Whitman Birthplace in Long Island, NY. He has lectured at Suffolk County Community College, the University of Nebraska, New York University, and the University of Connecticut. He began his career as a sports reporter and columnist for the Long Island Press and for 13 years served as North American press spokesman for Reuters, the international news group. Currently, he heads financial media relations for the US division of Makinson Cowell, a capital markets advisory firm, founded in 1989, which provides independent research and advice to a wide range of companies based primarily in Europe and North America. "Sunrise," his second novel, was published in December 2007. His first novel, "American Family" (2004) was critically praised, and became a regional bestseller, popular with east-coast book discussion clubs. He and his wife reside in Bridgewater, CT.

Tyler: Welcome, Robert. I'm happy you could join me today to talk about your new novel. Let's start by your telling us a little bit about the theme of "Sunrise."

Robert: Thank you, Tyler. It's nice to be with you. "Sunrise," my latest novel, is a love story, but a complicated one. It follows the love affair between Stephen Dahl and Alexis Jordan, two of my main characters, over more than three decades. Along the way, there is both disappointment and hope in their relationship, which is meant to describe the course of their generation, the 60s generation if you will. It is meant also to suggest the same complex tension between disappointment and hope in that generation's relationship with America-its youthful love affair with radical liberalism and its more recent flirtation with a kind of aggressive conservatism as they age and seek to understand the ambiguous global realities of our present moment. It's a story about a generation with a penchant for extremes, when reality is in fact quite a more complex thing.

Tyler: Tell us more about the main character, Stephen Dahl. I understand he is an expatriate American living and teaching in Paris. What made him choose his life as an expatriate?

Robert: Well, yes, when the story begins, Stephen is a professor of American literature at a Paris university, and is a novelist with a modest following there in France where he has lived since the late 1970s. Throughout the story, the reader is shown flashbacks of Stephen's youth in America, events that led him to certain disappointments, and more or less without any family of any kind. In some ways, out of answers, in the America of the late 70s, wanting to live as a writer, uncomfortable with the conservative ascendancy of the late 70s, he moved to Paris, a place that in some respects offered him solace because the ideas and ideals of his youth remained largely unopposed there. Interestingly, as Stephen says several times in "Sunrise," even Paris is changing in the 21st century. But essentially, he had been more comfortable in Paris than he might have been in a more conservative America, during the 80s and 90s, which is not to say that he is happy or untouched by the tragic sadness of his former life.

Tyler: Why did you decide to write the novel from Stephen's perspective rather than in third-person?

Robert: A first-person narrative is more intimate, brings the reader closer to the narrator. I knew, for the purposes of my story, Stephen would be a somewhat complex and not entirely likeable figure. He is in fact a sinner who is trying to come to grips with himself. I didn't want his mistakes, his sins, if you will, to seem theoretical. I wanted them to feel real to the reader, so I asked the reader to come closer. I wanted the reader to know how it felt to be Stephen, to feel his sadness, to understand the tragedy that befell his family, to understand perhaps why he found it so difficult to deal with that family tragedy, and also to feel the renewal of hope and the growing sense of personal responsibility with which the story ends.

On another level, since I knew my story would be told in alternating blocks of time, moving smoothly, I hope, between the late 60s/early 70s and the early 2000s, I wanted the reader to have the main character as a touchstone, rather than to depend upon a disembodied, third-person narrative voice.

Tyler: What makes the September 11th terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq important to the novel?

Robert: The events of that day happened to all of us, all Americans. But the way in which that day was understood, is understood even now, and the ways in which our country decided to respond to that day, are far more diverse and complex. In many ways, the route that America chose to respond to September 11th defines who and what we are as a nation right now, and that is a very complex thing.

In some ways, the horrible tragedy that befalls Stephen Dahl and his family, in the part of the book that describes his youth, is similar in effect to the horrible events of September 11th. I wanted to make an emotional, spiritual and perhaps even moral connection between the way Stephen and his family deal with their tragedy and the way we, America, have dealt with ours. Both tragedies represent my primary themes. Stephen and his family find it almost impossible to let go of their sadness. Sadness and guilt fill them, plague them, and in some ways destroy them. And I'm afraid that America since September 11th has had a similarly difficult time letting go of its own sadness, its anger, and its fear. These emotions are quite understandable, but they cloud the more rational part of our makeup and lead to questionable decisions if we're not careful. I'm making no political statement, here, just a human one. I believe most Americans, if they had the chance, would take back some of the decisions they made in 2002 and 2003.

My narrator, Stephen Dahl, is a man who, if he could, would also take back many decisions he made in the past, out of sorrow, sadness, unclear thinking.

Tyler: Robert, will you tell us what the tragedy was that happened to Stephen and his family? Is that tragedy what leads Stephen to Paris?

Robert: Stephen's young sister, Ellen, is killed in a tragic car accident under circumstances in which he and his parents all feel a sense not only of loss, but personal responsibility. The reasons for their feelings are unfolded within the story. Not just this tragedy, but the ways in which Stephen and his parents deal with it emotionally, the overbearing weight of their grief, lead to a loss of faith. Ultimately, yes, his beloved sister is killed, and his father's death, and his mother's slow decline and death, leave Stephen homeless, without a family. Homeless wandering is another of the book's spiritual themes, and Stephen's move to Paris helps convey this.

Tyler: Stephen returns to America after the death of his best friend, and he reacquaints himself with an old lover, who was his best friend's wife. Is this a love triangle situation that Stephen is returning home to make peace with?

Robert: Yes. Stephen and Alexis were passionate lovers before she decided to leave him for Tom Westlake. Stephen's love affair with Alexis and his friendship with Tom are keys to the book, and to understanding Stephen, and why he left America in the first place. Now, as a man trying with difficulty to become honest with himself, to become a better person than he was, he is indeed seeking to make peace with the past. Once back in America, though, he finds that his own feelings remain far more complex than he realized, and that his friends' feelings toward him were far more complex than he'd ever imagined. It's all a learning experience for Stephen. I guess, as a writer, I subscribe to the idea that love is the door to enlightenment and understanding, not endless happiness. Anyone who's been in love knows that it's a journey comprising sadness and happiness, disappointment and hope, in equal measures.

Tyler: Will you tell us why Alexis left Stephen for Tom?

Robert: Essentially because of his self-destructive, alcoholic behavior, but there also were more personal reasons for her, involving her past, her sense of uncertainty about the meaning of love, and her confusion about her professional ambitions.

Tyler: What is Stephen hoping for in his return to the United States, and does that hope become reality?

Robert: Stephen is hoping to become a better man, and that opportunity is provided to him by the events of the story. In some ways, the opportunity for forgiveness, for atonement, and for love and friendship, are more than he might have imagined at the start of the novel. When we first meet him in Paris, he's haunted by something in his past that seems mysterious to him, and to us, the reader. Protected in a day to day existence-a sort of endless now-that has salvaged his once destructive, alcoholic life, he is still spiritually frozen, almost imprisoned within his own being, in a foreign country, far from home, unable fully to imagine the future. Then, the events of September 11th occur, and the news that his old friend Tom has died, news that comes in an unexpected, but surprisingly welcome phone call from his former lover. Thus starts a process of reawakening within Stephen.

As the story proceeds, his past comes back to him, relentlessly and irrevocably. The story of how he became blocked and stalled as a person, even as a writer, is gradually revealed, and finally resolved, at the moment he embraces the truth and implications of his past. The book starts with Stephen looking out a window onto the City of Paris. And we leave him where we found him, at another window, in America, except that this final window has a view of the future.

Tyler: Is Stephen hoping to rekindle his relationship with Alexis?

Robert: At the beginning of the story, Stephen denies this to himself, but as things proceed, he admits his desire for her more and more. By the story's conclusion he has fully accepted it, and expressed it. But by then, he has been shown what such a rekindling will demand of him and Alexis, too, morally and spiritually. They are ultimately given a choice between real love and illusion.

Tyler: What led Stephen to being a writer, and what kind of books does he write? You mentioned he has a small following in France? Does he have an audience in the United States?

Robert: Stephen was born to be a writer. It's in his blood, his psychological and spiritual DNA. He writes, as one character describes it, "books about America from an old-fashioned, European perspective." But when we first meet him, he has reached the end of his ability to write these sorts of books. Throughout the story of "Sunrise," he is working his way out of writer's block, reaching for a book about his past, and about America, that represents a new style, and a whole new spiritual and literary perspective.

Tyler: Robert, what inspired you to write "Sunrise"?

Robert: We live in a time when there is much talk of religion and morality. Religion and morality have always been central concerns for Americans, throughout our history. Not only are we a serious, church-going nation, but our fervent belief in our churches and our religions has always had a strong political dimension-as it does now. This is both good and bad. Some of the greatest advances toward democracy and freedom and fairness in our history were fueled by religious trends or at least moral fervor-the American Revolution, Abolition, the Progressive Era, the Civil Rights movement to name just a few, but over-politicization of religion and morality also have led to misunderstanding. I wanted to write a fictional story that dealt with these issues, but allow the reader to feel and understand the essence of goodness and sin, of tragedy and hope, of right and wrong, about ourselves and our country, without the overbearing limitations of religious or political "correctness"-not that my characters don't have very strong political and moral opinions of their own. I just wanted to place these concerns in the wider cultural and historical context, a human context, a universal context-just as many of the great American novelists of the past did, writers like Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Richard Yates, and as some working today do, like Philip Roth, Ian McEwan and Michael Ondaatje.

Tyler: The novel has many negative themes of loss and illusion, but the title "Sunrise" suggests hope and renewal. In choosing that title, what was the message you were making about the novel and your perspective on life?

Robert: I would say that the title carries the major theme of the book, that the reality of our lives, the history and future of our nation, the nature of man, of love and friendship, the essence of reality itself, is the balance of disappointment and hope-not one or the other-but both together. The hopefulness of life is that tomorrow, the sun indeed will rise again, giving us all a new opportunity. But that sun will rise on reality, not on a dream or a fantasy.

Tyler: I understand the book has been compared to "The Great Gatsby." Why do you think that comparison has been made, and do you agree with it?

Robert: I do agree with it. "Sunrise" is, on one level, an ode to literature, and in particular to that great American novel, "The Great Gatsby." I didn't start out thinking in those terms. I didn't seek out Gatsby as a subtext for my novel. It was more a case of that book, its insights and themes, finding me, guiding me to myself, confirming that I was on the right path artistically. I suppose the mysterious and mythic aspects of the Long Island setting make a perfect echo between Fitzgerald's great work and my own homage to it.

Tyler: Robert, who would you say are your literary influences? Are there one or two books or authors specifically that had a profound influence on your writing?

Robert: I think both the realists and the modernists of American literature have influenced me. As I think of it, the writers who most profoundly have influenced me are those who have somehow combined features of realism and modernism, people like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Richard Yates, John Updike, Michael Ondaatje and Ian McEwan.

Tyler: Your publisher, iUniverse, designated the book as one of its rare "Publisher's Choice" novels. Will you tell us more about why Sunrise was chosen for this special designation?

Robert: iUniverse really seemed to like "Sunrise," and they seem to feel it has great potential commercially. I guess I can only answer this question by telling you what they told me, that "Sunrise" is 'an entertaining, literate, moving, and witty novel, with commercial appeal and literary value.' They've been very kind to this book and very supportive of it, and of me, which the iUniverse "Publisher's Choice" designation reflects.

Tyler: Robert, you previously published "American Family," which is also told in first person and exploring the past and present. How is "Sunrise" different from your first novel?

Robert: Well, you found one big similarity-that first person narrative, which is meant to bring the reader closer to the character! I think I'm attracted to complex lead characters, people who must make a journey, whether from innocence to adulthood, or ignorance to understanding, or even, from selfishness to something more loving and mature. That's a daunting task for a writer, because some readers want to fall in love with your main character right off the bat. I don't think you fall in love with my protagonists so easily. Rather, you take the same journey they're taking, the same arc of transcendence and enlightenment. And I suppose I feel more comfortable letting the reader get very close to those characters, as a way to help them see the humanity in those characters, even when they might be doing certain things we wouldn't particularly admire-at first. I really think that's why I've depended on the first person narrative.

"American Family" was a work of historical literary fiction, set during the Red Scare Era of the early 1950s, the story of a family caught in the paranoia and danger of that time, a time of betrayal, when a mood of betrayal and feeling betrayed, and of danger and fear, filled the atmosphere, the media, politics, even school and church. I suppose on that level, "American Family" and "Sunrise" are dealing with certain issues in common, but the stories and the historical times they each explore are different. And the moods of each novel are different. "American Family" is narrated, for the most part, by a prep school boy learning what life is all about. It carries his mood of innocence and youthful indiscretion. "Sunrise" is narrated by an older, somewhat more disappointed man. However, in both novels, the narrator is guilty of a great spiritual sin, which must be acknowledged and atoned for.

Tyler: What is next for you, Robert? Are you working on another novel?

Robert: I am working on a new novel, yes. It's called "The Earth and Its Sorrows." It's a contemporary story, another first person narrative, about a successful businessman who recently lost his son in a terrible car accident. He and his wife and surviving daughter, are in a state of almost frozen mourning. As the book begins, this narrator has arrived at the little town where he grew up, prepared to sell off an old family cottage, because he and his wife have decided to retire and "downsize" their lives, or at least to simplify things, hoping to move on from their grief more or less. But it only takes a few minutes at this old cottage where he hasn't been for years, for the narrator suddenly to feel more emotional and alive than he's felt in some time, since even before his son's death actually.

Most interesting of all, I hope, he suddenly feels the presence of his dead son. So, he can't sell, and can't quite explain to the realtor, or to his wife or daughter, exactly why. He fears they'll think he's a little crazy, and they do, anyway. But he tells them he wants to stay at the cottage for a few days, just to think. A few days turns into a few weeks, in which he meets old friends, descendants of old families he grew up with. His estranged brother shows up, and he runs into his high school sweetheart. Old hurts and even sins are revealed and resolved, and a historical mystery held within the cottage is also revealed, interestingly, I hope. Basically, this place of his youth renews him and saves him from the deep despair with which he arrived. In many ways, this is the funniest book I've written, or at least, the one that offers the most heartfelt laughter, along with its other themes of loss and spiritual renewal. I have high hopes for this new book. Thank you for asking.

Tyler: Thank you for joining me today, Robert. Before we go, will you tell us a little bit about your website and what additional information can be found there about "Sunrise"?

Robert: Of course, Tyler. The URL of my website is www.robertcrooke.org. Visitors will find a lot of visual and written information there about both my novels, including the chance to read the first chapter of "Sunrise" if they'd like. They'll see some of the nice press notices and reviews both books have received. People also can see what personal appearances I've made or plan to make, at bookstores, libraries, colleges, press clubs, writers groups, and book discussion clubs. There's some bio information there about me, and there are links to both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, enabling folks to purchase my books.

Thanks again, Tyler, you've been awfully nice.

Tyler: Thank you, Robert. It sounds like you're on the path to being a literary giant. I wish you much joy along the way.

http://www.readerviews.com/

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to be joined by Robert Crooke, who is here to talk about his new novel, "Sunrise," iUniverse, Inc. (2007), ISBN 9780595464777.

By Kay Green

I was at the Stamford arts festival in February and amongst the usual racks and boxes and piles of books in the literary exhibition, one stall caught my eye. It was laid out with a tempting array of pebbles and shells, and was drawing the fingers of any little people who passed by. Stones, shells and pieces of seaweed were laid out in patterns that suggested games - games one could make up or develop with a friend.

The stall belonged to Janet Murch, better known as a poetry editor at Iota, but today she was exhibiting a book for children that she has written along with artist Lizzie Mee. Herman's Stone' is a very attractive read for adults and children to enjoy together, all about a stone-age boy called Herman, and the treasures he finds on the beach. It begins thus:

Herman lived on Herm Island thousands of years ago. He loved to explore and he knew the whole island very well. His favourite place was the rocky beach.

There are many books for little people that start in a similar way but this one is special for two reasons. Firstly, Lizzie Mee has a wonderful way with illustrations. The colours and shapes of the pebbles and other treasures on the beach reflect the sun and the clouds in the bright, summery sky in a way that is inexplicably satisfying to both child and adult. The artwork reminds me a little of the alchemical pictures inspired by the Mutus Liber, in that one feels oneself being changed and lifted by them. The bright innocence of sunshine-yellow days and the dreamy gentleness of blue and pink evenings created by Mee make a wonderful setting for this story in which Herm learns about his world and learns to get along with his sister and friends.

The second reason I am recommending this book is its appeal to adults. Little people benefit so much from stories they can enjoy with big people - but only if the big people are really enjoying the read, so I seek out childrens' books that offer something to adults as well, and this is definitely one of them. I was not surprised to learn that the book was inspired by a visit to Guernsey. The book ends with a picture-map glowing with rural peace, which will set adults off dreaming of a visit to the place where Herman found his stone.

'Herman's Stone' is ฃ4.99 and can be bought direct from Ragged Raven

More small press and independent book reviews at Booksy

Kay Green's story collection 'Jung's People', first published by Elastic Press, is now available from Circaidy Gregory Press

Writer, editor and English teacher, Kay Green is a lifelong lover of story in all its forms. Her collection 'Jung's People' was first published by Elastic Press and is now available from Circaidy Gregory Press. Kay also runs the Writers and Reviewers club at Earlyworks Press, which she founded for the promotion of independent writers and illustrators. The club has a private online forum for developing stories and poetry and 'enclaves' around the UK where like-minded writers get together for workshopping and discussion, and to organise book fairs and other activities.

By Lillian Brummet

The Criminal in the Caymans is the first book in the Incredible Journey Books series. This series, written by Connie Lee Berry, centers around two young brothers who stumble onto something that doesn't seem right and end up solving mysteries.

The Criminal in the Caymans begins with Mr. Stone previously telling Mrs. Stone that his work was taking him to the Caymans and he wanted to bring her and their sons along. Mrs. Stone made a game of the adventure by prompting her two sons with clues to see if they could guess where they were going. The airport terminal and flight was written in a realistic way and soon they boys arrived in the Caymans. Sure enough, they find something that doesn't look right - a man who turns out to be a wanted criminal.

Parents will enjoy the artfully disguised science lessons, maps and geography lessons that are entwined throughout the story. Readers are also exposed to poetry and encouraged to enter their poetry for prizes. Fans will be thrilled to know that this series continues with book three, Adventure in Africa, and book four, Pirates in Paradise.

This is a friendly book that will not intimidate readers who shy away from higher page counts. The author's children pose for some of the illustrations that look like they might have gone through a photo enhancing computer program, such as PhotoShop.

Unfortunately I could find no information in the book or on the publisher's site regarding environmentally sound printing options that were chosen, such as using chlorine or acid free paper. Because the environment is a strong passion of mine, I feel I have to dock the book by 1/2 a star. I would recommend it to readers aged 7-10.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

By Lillian Brummet

Good-bye Baby Max is a wonderful children's book for those who are coping with the end of life. A former kindergarten teacher who currently works as a professional counselor and life coach in Texas wrote the hardcover book. The author, Diane Cantrell, states that the book was written to stimulate discussion on a topic that is often difficult to broach.

The illustrations are filled with gold, red, green and blue in the art are filled with activity, creations on the walls by the class and teacher's lessons displayed here and there. The nature scenes are lovely and occasionally spotted with cute ladybugs - which might be fun to inspire your children find them. Heather Castles has been enjoying a career in children's book illustrations for some time and has a passion for nature.

A class of about 14 children is learning about spring and growing seeds; their teacher brings them three wriggling chicken eggs that are just about ready to hatch baby chicks. The teacher wants them to learn about caring for the delicate birds and to experience the cycle of life as a biology lesson. Unfortunately, one of the eggs was not allowing the little chick to come out of the shell. The children return to class the next morning and learn that the little chick, Max, has died. Tears flow and the teacher helps the children deal with the grieving process. Love for their unborn friend inspired a comforting funeral underneath a large oak tree. Each child is given projects to aide with the healing process and soon they begin to find joy in the two chirping, squirming delicate yellow chicks.

Children will enjoy the opening and closing pages that are filled with tiny yellow chicks. The hardcover is illustrated and protected with a slipcover with identical illustration as the cover.

Published by Bridgeway books (US), however environmentalists might be concerned that it was printed and bound in China, due to the shipping involved. Unfortunately I could find no information in the book or on the publisher's site regarding environmentally sound printing options that were chosen, such as using chlorine or acid free paper. Because the environment is a strong passion of mine, I feel I have to dock the book by a star. Otherwise, I truly enjoyed this book.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

Good-bye Baby Max (ISBN#978-1-933538-95-2)

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

By Delmer Prescott

Are you searching for a review of the Simple PHP guide written by Robert Plank? You most probably want to learn this scripting language, but not sure how to start. My suggestion is that you download an instructional guide and practice. So is Simple PHP worth it, and does it helps you learn better?

1. Overview of the Simple PHP Guide

The creator of this product lays out the steps needed for a beginner to learn this scripting language in the most efficient manner. It contains 17 chapters, with quizzes at the end of each of them to test your understanding. Also included are 22 working snippets and weekly assignments, and it really feels like a course.

2. Why Would PHP Be Useful To You?

This language allows any programmer or marketer to collect data and do calculations and comparisons automatically on web pages that HTML is unable to perform. It allows you to build more customized and interactive pages that are more useful for your visitors.

3. Do You Have HTML Background?

You should already have basic HTML knowledge before you learn PHP. It makes it easier to understand how everything works, as you will need to differentiate between codes of these 2 languages because they usually used together on the same page.

4. What Tools Do You Need To Start Learning PHP?

Firstly, you need to have a text editor that lets you edit text files. I use Macromedia Dreamweaver, but you can use any other text editing software like Notepad or Text Edit for Mac. Just remember to save your file in the right extensions, for example .php, when you are done. Then you need FTP software to help you upload files into your site.

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This guide is immediately downloadable into your computer, so you can access it right away. It allows you to create an htaccess code for yourself, and personalize all your web pages for your visitors. With personalization, I have boosted the conversion rates of my sales letters.

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Having Simple PHP guide can help you save hundreds of dollars and your precious time, as all the information and useful codes you need are included in this one package.

Do you want to download a step by step guide for learning PHP? Visit http://www.top-review.org/simple-php.htm to learn more about the Simple PHP guide, and Click Here to Download Simple PHP!

By Anil Kumar Yadav

Imagine your book at the top of the Best Sellers List of the New York Times. Most authors do. The question is, "How do I get it there and sell millions of copies?"

When planning your book, there is one critical thing that most authors forget - marketing. In the case of book reviewers this means pre-marketing.

Most reviewers require a copy of your book at least three months before publication. This is because most book reviewers need time to read it and review it plus publish all the reviews on books that they have reviewed for those who came before you. Also many publications come out on a weekly or monthly basis instead of daily. This means that book reviewers have a huge backlog.

So the best way to get book reviewers to review your book is to get them a quality copy of your manuscript or a galley, as soon as possible. What if my book you're already been published?

Is it too late to get a book reviewer to review your book? In some cases yes and in some no. There is an easy way to get your book reviewed without calling it a review. Send out a press release.

Create a press release about your book and submit it to your local newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Make it interesting. Don't just say Mary Joe Piper has just published her newest book Babes on Parade. Think about your story and what it can teach people. Does it have a theme about love or friendship or settling disputes?

Use the issue in your press release. Teach people how to solve their problems and then have the person interviewing you mention your credits, as a published author. At that point your book will be mentioned, you will have done them a service, and you will have saved thousands of dollars on marketing and query letters to editors.

For More Free Resources visit http://www.onlinepublishingsite.com

By Alan G. Scott

The first three weeks of this year, I had a brief, superficial but more intimate-than-usual glimpse into the hiring process and practices of the National Football League. I came to the conclusion that the owners were spineless, two-faced slugs; the head coaches back-stabbing; the players self-absorbed and self-centered; and the fans thought they knew the game better than the entire NFL organization.

According to Michael MacCambridge, I'm right! His meticulously researched book, America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation is a close look at the history of football from the end of WWII to the present. Like Anya Seton, another author that uses exhaustive research for her stories, MacCambridge starts slow, almost painstaking, in the first two-thirds of the book, stating facts and figures and events in a somewhat chronological order up to ca 1970, about 25 years. He tends to backtrack, spring forward, and then backtrack again within chapters. The pace picks up considerably toward the end of the book, covering more than 30 years in the last one-third.

I understand the need to build a basis for the book, but it seems as though MacCambridge skipped over important football events and information of the post-1970 era. Of all the great accomplishments of coaches, Tom Landry is only mentioned a handful of times. But he fared better than other greats like Mike Ditka, who's name appears once only as a possessive; or Bill Cowher, mentioned twice in the context of an unwritten rule to not sleep at the office. Instead, MacCambridge favors numerous quotes from less-great coaches like Brian Billick.

Deion Sanders (introduced as ushering in a new era of the NFL, which is the self-absorbed, self-centered player era) garnered almost as much print as Roger Staubach, which is very irksome to me. Staubach has always been one of my heroes, on and off the field. Neon Deion will NEVER be the legend or the man Staubach is.

America's Game isn't written for the casual football fan. MacCambridge assumes the reader has much more than a basic education of the sport. I am not one of those readers, and am not familiar with terms such as: "down-and-in pass", "1-2 passing attack", "shallow drag routes", or he hit the receiver "on an out pattern".

I do not have the name of every owner, head coach, and general manager memorized. MacCambridge's tendency to return to a person, identified only by last name pages after last addressing them, made re-reading necessary and enjoying the book harder. Who's Thomas (p. 351)? I had to refer to the index to find a person mentioned on the last page to find the last reference to him in the prologue. He also chronicled games using only players' names and not the teams. More re-reading to find out who won that one.

Another aspect of MacCambridge's writing that makes this a difficult read is his flair for the dramatic. When Frank Borman, in orbit in Gemini 7 in 1965, told Tommy Nobis to "sign with the Oilers", MacCambridge dubbed it as an "interstellar" bidding war. Being in orbit above the earth hardly qualifies as interplanetary, much less interstellar. He describes a Jets-Colts game as a "harmonic convergence of elements"; and an argument over the Properties Trust had the feel of the "Spanish Civil War".

Some sentences just did not make sense, at all. For example,

"On the field, the checkoff system allowed the quarterback to audible to a different play at the line of scrimmage if the defensive formation threatened the one called in the huddle." (p. 201)

Huh? To audible? I know what the sentence means but it could have been worded much more clearly.

He described the midnight convoy of Irsay's Colts defection from Baltimore as "limned in radiation lights..." Baltimore radiated the Colts as they left?

Despite these obstacles, the book offers several funny moments in the form of very candid quotes from players and coaches.

But there are as many instances of two-faced owners: Rosenbloom moving the Rams from LA to Anaheim against the NFL's orders or Irsay trading Elway to Denver without consulting Coach Accorsi.

How about back-stabbing coaches? Bill Walsh found out that the reason he had been passed over for the top position was his own head coach Bill Johnson had been bad mouthing him to numerous interested teams. Al Davis and Jerry Jones, 'nuff said.

Kudos to MacCambridge, however, because he addresses those fans, who think they know the game better than anyone involved with the NFL, very diplomatically:

"Thus one had the great conundrum of pro football's popularity: fans, without access to the team's playbook, scouting reports, game plans, and game films, aren't really given the tools to perfectly understand their team's actions and responses." (p. 412)

Touche!

The best part of the book for an ex-Cowboy fan like me was the affirmation that I have known for decades is that Cowboy fans are fair-weather! MacCambridge has documented quotes from Staubach and facts surrounding Jones egotism among other stats to illustrate this clearly.

If you're a die-hard, know-it-all about football, you will still find this an interesting read. For the rest of us, it gives us a slightly better insight into the confusing world of football. But at least, when we finish reading it, we are fully cognizant of the fact that we don't know everything.

By Tina Fields

Imagine for a moment that you and millions of others could read a book that would awaken you to your life's purpose. You would feel connected to the Universe and have hope for a future that is full of peace and kindness. You would have a better understanding of the human spirit and how the ego affects each one of us. You would be in control of your thoughts and emotions and find true purpose in life. Are you ready?

That is exactly what reading "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle is offering. According to "USA Today" this book has sold more than 3.5 million copies since Oprah announced it would be the next selection for her book club on January 30. Of the 61 Oprah Book Club selections to date it is the most popular book so far. She is hosting a 10 week webinar with Tolle to help readers get the most of this life changing book.

What does that say about society as a whole that 3.5 million people have purchased this book? Perhaps, we are ready to evolve and make the changes within ourselves that will affect our lives as well as the lives of others. We are ready for a shift in awareness that will improve the world that we live in. We are ready to grow! Tolle is quoted in "A New Earth" as saying "A significant portion of the earth's population will soon recognize that humanity is now faced with a stark choice: Evolve or die".

For some this book may be a little tough to read, especially for those new to the personal development and self help arena. However, it is worth the effort, to say the least. Each and every one of us can learn something from this book that is sure to become a classic.

10 Things You Can Learn from "A New Earth"


• 1. The difference between spirituality and religion. There are some Christians who are taking offense to this book although it is not meant to threaten any religion in any way. It is meant to be added to your religious beliefs no matter what religion that might be.
  
  
• 2. You are not the thoughts in your head. You are the observer of your thoughts. As human beings we get so caught up in our thoughts that we forget that we are not what we think and we can change our thoughts at any time just by being aware.
  
  
• 3. Anger, jealousy and war are all born from the ego. The ego is the cause of much pain. We spend so much time trying to do more, be more and have more, when all that we truly need is already inside of us.
  
  
• 4. The roles we play. We play many roles and sometimes we aren't even aware of the roles we play because we become them. For instance, are you playing a happiness role or are you truly happy?
  
  
• 5. We hold onto pain through our thoughts and our emotions. We can learn to use awareness to heal past hurts.
  
  
• 6. The power of presence and awareness. By being present your thinking ceases to be clouded by emotion, your perceptions will no longer be distorted by the past.
  
  
• 7. Finding who you truly are. What lies within you? When you look past the ego what do you see?
  
  
• 8. Going beyond your thoughts and ego. You can find true inner happiness by getting past all of the material things, the things to do and the things to think about.
  
  
• 9. Your inner purpose. Find out what lies beyond the daily routines that deprive your life of significance.
  
  
• 10. Self awareness and consciousness. You must be in a state of acceptance, enjoyment or enthusiasm to avoid creating suffering for yourself and others.
  
  

So what do you think, are we ready for "A New Earth"? Will we do the work necessary to grow and evolve? Are we ready to treat each other with compassion? Are we ready to live in a safe world for ourselves and our children? Are you ready?

To take your FREE "Are You Ready To Evolve Assessment" click here
http://www.wisdomwithin-lifecoach.com
Tina Fields is a Certified Life Potentials Coach, Public Speaker and the founder of "The Wisdom Within, Life Potentials Coaching". She incorporates into her work over 20 years of experience in personal development, coaching and management. Tina's own journey of creating a fulfilling and purposeful life, combined with her education, training and life experiences make working with her inspiring, motivating and fun! Tina's mission is to help women live happier more fulfilling and successful lives through her passion for personal development.
http://www.wisdomwithin-lifecoach.com

By Hans Bool

Another useless killing a few days ago and the result of the recent elections in Spain offer a good opportunity to spend some time on this Basque problem that is part of Spain.

"Basques against Basques" is a book that got published last year. Of course it has not been translated in another language than Spanish, and it probably will not either, but I think it is very interesting not only for Spain, but for Europe and the rest of the world. I read it a few months ago.

I will not write much about it other than a simple elaboration on the title for the title says most of what most people don't know. Many think that the problem in the Basque Country is about the Basque language and a fight for freedom from the Spanish central government. Well that's not at all where this Basque conflict is about. The original Basque language has never been a real issue. The writer Miguel de Unamuno, famous for his book "Mist" (Niebla), was originally a Basque, but has never written other than in the Spanish language.

The core of the Basque conflict is about xenophobia. One part of the Basque have adopted to international standards in business and politics and have culturally developed themselves, another part of the Basques got behind and have always been resistant to any change. They are still living according to "medieval" standards in many ways. It is that last group that is not only against the Spanish government, but against foreigners in general, because that is what xenophobia is all about.

Having read this book and living as a foreigner in Spain it made me think (twice).

I have visited the Basque community many years ago. Now I think I'll just wait for a next visit until terrorism is over. After all, it should be possible. We live in Europe in the 21st century. It is not Libanon or Afganistan we are talking about. It just Europe...

http://www.casadellibro.com/fichas/fichabiblio/0,3060,2900001151167,00.html?codigo=2900001151167&ca=105

Hans Bool writes articles about management, culture and change. If you are interested to read or experience more about these topics have a look at: Astor White.

By Hans Bool

Readers can copy investors in using a watch-list. It is a list of books you might buy and read but for which you currently have not a matching fund (money for the investor and time for the reader) or you think there is a better timing possible.

Chronicles of a nomad is a book I would like to read. It is from the Spanish author FRANCISCO LำPEZ-SEIVANE RUIZ. I was triggered by the book because of a program on CNN+ where the author was interviewed.

He explained that he has not stayed longer than seven days in the same place for the last -- I thought -- year. But even so interesting was his comments that the more he visited different societies and places, the more he became aware that only a few emotions (about eight) are common in all of them.

Similarities between people outnumber their differences...

What also intrigues me is the experience. He told in the program that the best of traveling comes before and after. Before when preparing for a trip and after when sharing the stories and experience with others. But besides the experience of traveling, how would it be if you are constantly on the move? In a normal life, traveling is the exception. For a nomad it is the rule. A real nomad owns no land, is not part of a nation, not even part of a society, but always a tourist.

Must be an interesting book, I would like to read. If only I had the time...

http://www.qproquo.com/libros/CRONICAS-DE-UN-NOMADA-LA-EUROPA-ESCONDIDA/184204/978-84-96511-41-5

ฉ 2008 Hans Bool

Hans Bool writes articles about management, culture and change. If you are interested to read or experience more about these topics have a look at: Astor White

By Cy Hilterman

The United States Marshall's agency that controls the Witness Protection Program is called WITSEC. This program oversees all those in the program and is divided into three names or zones; the Red Zone for those in protective custody or while in prison and/or on trial; the Green Zone when all members of the family are safe in hiding under new identities in a new location; and the Blue Zone when it is thought that one in the WITSEC program has been compromised and are in danger and has been lost or unaccounted for. The Blue Zone is the area not wanted at any time by the authorities.

Benjamin Raab has secrets that are unknown to any in his family. To that family, he is a great husband and father and does all he can do that lets his family think just that way. In reality, Raab has been dabbling in the sale of gold that he knows deep down is being done outside the law but his own mind justifies it, thus allowing him to keep his family believing that he is a well-off and loving family member. When one day he is suddenly arrested and carted off to prison, his family thinks it is all a huge mistake. Their husband/father would never break the law to hurt anyone, especially his family.

Raab's daughter, Kate, who is foremost in the story, works as a lab researcher at a college. She is known as a very smart and beautiful woman. Raab denied any wrong doing during his FBI interrogation, justifying his actions as simple, but large, mostly gold transactions that he had sold to law abiding individuals and corporations. One question led to another and when certain names were mentioned, Raab started to think deeply about those transactions fully knowing that some of them were a bit above the law. They had him!

His family still felt he had done no wrong. A father and husband that was so good to his wife, Sharon, and the children, Emily, Justin, and Kate, that he could have done no wrong. Even when Benjamin admitted his part in some transactions to the authorities, his family would not believe he was a part of any law breaking activities such as the money laundering that was a part of his accusations.

The entire family was in danger due to the connections that the former transactions were connected to including cartels and mafia groups. Kate insisted that she would not go into witness protection since she was about to marry Greg and she did not want to uproot their lives. So Kate stays behind while the rest of the family goes into the WITSEC program with all of them knowing there could be no connection between Kate and the rest of her family. Their names would be changed along with everything in their normal lives. Emily was a star squash player and had risen to near the top of her game and now had to leave that great part of her life and attempt to start over somewhere else.

From here the story gets even more active as those wanting to find Benjamin Raab to get him and what they felt he owed them, no matter how they could. The family was safe, or so the WITSEC program thought, but in reality, bad people have their own ways to find what they want and those ways include any family member or friends they could intimidate. The search for those threatening Kate and the "hidden" family takes many twists and turns taking the reader on a very good suspenseful ride with uncertain destinations and actions on the next page.

Andrew Gross has collaborated with James Patterson for several books, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. There is no plot certainty in the books written by either of these writers, individually or together. They know how to stretch out suspense to keep you turning the pages and not wanting to stop. Andrew Gross has accomplished this in The Blue Zone in his first of, what I truly hope, a long line of great suspense stories.

Reader review by Cy Hilterman for http://www.bestsellersworld.com and http://www.mysteriesgalore.com

By Heather Froeschl

When we share of ourselves with other people, we often find ourselves. It doesn't take much to reach out and in the end the rewards are usually greater than the effort. In "Desert Medicine" by Judy Alexander, a newly single mother in transition discovers the giving and receiving of being an unselfish friend, but she also discovers herself, her truth, and her desire to trust again.

Laurelle is a mother of five year old twins. She works two jobs, is divorcing her cheating husband, and agrees to visit a homebound member of her church. Rhoda has terminal cancer, but her early life did more damage to her spirit. When Laurelle visits, Rhoda shares stories that tell of her growing up in Texas during the Depression and then in Calexico, California, as her aunt's live in babysitter. With an abusive alcoholic father, Rhoda was lucky to have the escape. Laurelle listens, at first reluctantly, but then is captivated by this woman's strength and determination to survive. She is learning about her own life though these tales as she applies certain lessons to her dealings with her children's father and her impending divorce. Her current life carries on.

Invitations to singles' events at the church, meeting a man at traffic school, a new puppy, and the holidays all put Laurelle on an emotional roller coaster of ups and downs. Realizing that she is bringing joy to Rhoda's life is a gift unto itself but Laurelle is also receiving support and love just when she needs it most. It gives her enough perspective to find these things within her own family too. Rhoda becomes an integral part of her children's lives and just when she understands how close she is to this elderly woman, Laurelle begins to doubt what she's been told. Can she ever trust again? Is there hope for love in her life?

Judy Alexander has written a captivating tale in two voices. Laurelle is someone whom many readers can identify with and her struggles are unfortunately too common. Her story is familiar and her character is likable. Rhoda's tales are sprinkled throughout the book in a different font and dialect, giving her a charm all her own. Hers too is a familiar tale of a different generation. The plot of the book runs like a gentle but fast running river, deep and green, embracing the rocks of life and passing under the bridges that connect us all. "Desert Medicine" is a book you won't want to put down but will be sorry to come to the end of. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Desert Medicine
by Judy Alexander
ISBN-10: 0825420083
Review by Heather Froeschl

Heather Froeschl is an author, award winning editor, and book reviewer, at http://www.Quilldipper.com

By Hal Manogue

Alan Cohen author of, " Chicken Soup For The Soul," and other inspirational books said that in his work, "Lifestyles Of The Rich In Spirit."

A prominent political figure from a Muslin nation visited one our University recently to speak and answer questions, and I watched the president of that institution challenge him and attack him verbally. There was no peace in the words he used to describe his guest, he had his mind made up that this man represented the enemy and a war of words was in order. It was obvious to everyone that this man and his country were works of the devil and it was our duty to eliminate him first by dehumanizing him, and then by threats of war.

The guest answered the questions as best he could; he knew that the majority of the audience would not accept his words, but he tried to explain his country's position on several topics that struck fear in the hearts of Americans; but our thoughts had already established that this man was someone to hate. He on the other hand, stood his ground firmly and explained his position as clearly as he could given the atmosphere of emotions that surrounded him. He did not claim to hate or want to destroy us, he said he wanted to be our friend; he said that his religion was a peaceful one and that his country wanted to live by their beliefs without interference from other nations. He saw the conflict in Iraq as a senseless attempt to control something that was not under our control; it had been in existence for centuries before we were born as a country and always found a way to resolve its own issues. In the mist of all the anger and resentment he found himself in, he maintain his composure and expressed his feelings about how we had created the situations we found ourselves involved in, and that we were the ones that are forcing other nations to conform unconditionally.

The real issue is not about this man and his country; it is about each one of us. As Alan said, we must find the peace in our hearts in order to heal our separation. If we are motivated by fear, anger, and hatred, that is what we will manifest; the face of this man was that manifestation.

We do not practice what we preach in church each Sunday, we do not follow the teachings of Christ if we attack and fight in order to control. Destroying never brings healing, but forgiveness does. Through all the years of fighting we still do not get the concept of unity; we still put ourselves up on a higher plane of existence; we are disconnected from our source and do nothing but fight in order to reconnect; years of conditioning has made us what we are, a group of wanderers looking for redemption in all the wrong ways. It is us against everything else, when in fact there is nothing else; what we see is a mirror, there for us to remember who we really are.

Alan said something else in his book, " The most significant contribution you and I can make toward world peace is to be peaceful ourselves, to give peacefulness to those whose lives we touch daily, and to forgive ourselves for our errors, to the point at which we love ourselves no matter what we have ever done."

Now is the time for that forgiveness; now is the time to reunite within myself, to be the spirit that expresses the love that fills my heart. I can change and will change in order to be at peace; I ask for help from my source and it is given; I ask for love to fill my body and it is given; I ask to share that love with all life and it is given. This Russian folk song explains my thoughts:

If the people lived their lives
As if it were a song!
For singing out the light
Provides the music for the stars
To be dancing circles in the night.

Howard (Hal) Thomas Manogue, was born in Philadelphia, and is a forerunner to the Indigo children, a now age term for misfit with an intuitive nature, a desire to know his truth with a gift of giving and sharing. Hal retired from the shoe industry after 35 years of sole searching, and discovered his real soul. He enjoys art, music, philosophy, psychology, nature and people.

His poems have been published by: Mystic Pop Magazine, Children Of The New Earth Magazine, New Age Tribune, Seasons Of The Soul Newsletters, Lightship News and Writers In The Sky Newsletters. His essays can be found on Hal's Blog and Website: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/ and http://www.shortsleeves.net - He lives in Franklin Tennessee.

Hal's new book Short Sleeves Insights: Live A Ordinary Life In An Non-Ordinary Way will be in print in April. Visit any bookstore or Hal's website to get a copy. Hal's third Collection Of poetry: Short Sleeves A Book For Friends will also be in print in April.

By Glenda Bixler

Frogmen: First Battles
William Schofield and P. J. Carisella

Significant historical war information, reading almost like an exciting novel, has been written by William Schofield and P. J. Carisella . A "taste" of Frogmen: First Battles is immediately provided in the Foreword:

At the peak of World War II...a small band of daredevil Italian Navymen roved the Mediterranean Sea and raised devastating havoc...These were the "frogmen," the pilots of human-torpedoes and self-exploding Eboats...a new type of warrior. (p. 5)

Loaded with fascinating pictures and explicit details, this book moves from a quick announcement by Prince Valerio Borghese of the Italian Royal Navy in Chapter 1 that New York was the target for these men. He was dining with the Commander-in-Chief of Germany's untersee fleet. Borghese was the leader behind the activities of the Tenth Light Flotilla.

In the midst of every war, individuals who love their own country, must stop and salute the brave, patriotic, soldiers who willingly go into battle to support their respective countries. Even those who were part of the Tenth Light Flotilla and who wondered about the decision to support the German efforts, nevertheless overcame personal questions and risked their lives over and over.

Indeed, those who were recruited and accepted assignment to this group were perhaps required to act on their own more than any other soldier fighting in WWII. For these men set out alone or with a partner to take on...Battleships! Cruisers! Destroyers! Merchant Ships! Aircraft! They invaded Gibraltar, Suda Bay, Africa, et. al., but nobody knew they were there until the frogmen were gone!

Weapons and tactics planned for Italy's Tenth Light were started during WWI when they faced the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They wanted to invent and deploy a new weapon capable of breaking through harbor defenses. The war ended and instead of proceeding on with this important project, nothing was done during the 17 years of peace. It took Mussolini's desire to invade Ethiopia in 1935 to nudge Prince Borghese to move forward in developing new, unforeseen weapons. From this new effort, the story of the invention, testing, training, and use of these weapons are thoroughly documented. Two men could soon approach and attack a target without ever showing themselves above the surface of the water. And then during WWII, the Tenth Light Flotilla ultimately succeeded in destroying all of Britain's battleships!

However, instead of proceeding to move further in this direction, military authorities moved in a different direction. This bit of historical news certainly forces readers to wonder what might have actually happened in this War if Italy had been permitted to further use these brave warriors against Britain and the United States!

Frogmen: First Battles is well written and documented coverage of a part of our WWII history. If you are interested in history and, in particular, weapons and details on specific actions against the enemy, this book is for you! You may have realized that this group never did attack New York...but I found it chilling just how close they were to that particular maneuver!

Like I said at the beginning, this book reads almost as a novel. If I were describing it as fiction, I would call it an exciting adventure story...But this was real and what I found most thrilling was the individual, personal stories about the warriors who risked their lives routinely on behalf of their country.

A final wonderful touch to this book was a personal interview with Sergio Denti, the only remaining frogman, who was 80 at the time this book was published. Mr. Denti was not recognized with the Medal of Honor until 1993! I enjoy these special little touches that are often added by publisher Adolph Caso (also Colonel, USAR Retired) to enhance books he publishes. He has many times illustrated his commitment and love for his heritage! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to all interested readers!

G. A. Bixler is co-owner of an online review site of Independent Professional Book Reviewers. She has over 40 years experience in educational administration and publishing. New or well-known, self-published, or small press authors are all welcomed! Compare our prices to other professional book review sites!

http://www.Bookreviewers.org