Lady Books

This excellent book is best read as a pair with his previous, equally good _The Knight in Medieval England_ (1996). A knight must have a lady, but while many books have been written about medieval women, few have focused on the knight's female counterpart in society. Again, emphasis is on the aristocracy, since that's where the records are, though Coss depends heavily on surviving letters and contemporary literature as well as household accounts, and he even employs such sources as monumental effigies and brasses. Both books are stimulating studies with many examples drawn from noble families of the period.

This was such a great idea. Daniel Bertagnolli is a new author and illustrator that really knows how to capture a child's attention. I took my child to a reading he had and my child sat through the entire thing and was enthrawled in this story. Plus, it is very interactive. Bertagnolli is only 21 and has written another book that he just got published. I heard he is doing a series of the characters his next book. We just have to wait and see! It's called the Frog Doctor and should be available on Amazon soon!!! I am going to get my kids every book he writes! We all love them! He is sure to be the next JK Rowling!!!!!

When it came to covering murders, reporter Blake Nickels was the best in town-until a lady named Sabrina Jones came along. Now, no matter what the story was, she always seemed to be a step or two ahead of him...

She had other ways of driving him crazy, too-ways that had nothing to do with headlines and deadlines. All it took was one little red dress-and one breathtaking little kiss-and suddenly he was having a very hard time keeping his mind on crime...

Trouble was, the killer they were both investigating was hot on her trail, too. And if Blake couldn't protect her, she was really going to be front-page news...

from back cover

This book is a great private investigator novel. It takes place in southern CA and is a dynamite read. Chandler continues to be a terrific writer.

One of the best ways to learn the roots of a culture is to examine the folk tales. This book is a collection of some of the most popular Chinese folklore and there are many similarities to the stories of other cultures. Many of the stories feature a poor peasant who does a good dead to a spirit or defeats an evil creature. As a consequence of their deed, the hero either gets the beautiful maiden or becomes rich. There are dragons and monsters, but many times the ordinary creatures of the forest and water possess magical powers. These powers are not mighty, generally enough to get by and little more.
In some of the stories, such as the one used to title the book, objects also have magic powers. In that story, a man uses his last money to buy the picture of a beautiful woman. Once he has the picture home, the woman comes alive and helps him earn riches so that he may better his position. The last story, "Iron Chopsticks", is one that anyone who has seen the movie "The Karate Kid" will understand. A Zen master gives his beginning martial arts student a pair of chopsticks and asks him to use them to catch flies. After years of frustration, the student reaches the point where he can catch flies. At this time, the student asks the master for instruction and is told, "You are already trained" and gives him the parting gift of a pair of iron chopsticks. As the boy leaves, the Zen master throws rocks at him, which the boy easily catches with the chopsticks. The master then explains how the boy can now catch anything, even arrows with his chopsticks.
These stories demonstrate the fundamental Chinese beliefs of the hidden power of nature, how to live within the bounds of nature, the value of honesty and the eventual and inevitable punishment when you do evil. There are no wrathful gods here, just the natural order of things and the consequences of your deeds, whether they are good or evil.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/06)

"The Lady in the Spitfire" was written by Helena Schrader who has a PhD in history. She incorporates her research on women pilots during WWII into this great fictional story. Schrader's knowledge of this era allows her to richly describe what is happening at the time. This includes the attitude of men towards women, the differences between the American and British cultures, and the fashion of the time. Even though it is fiction, I learned a lot. In her writings, Schrader gave me a thought of food for thought. I did not know that women were allowed to be pilots at this time, anywhere. These women had to fight really hard for respect.

Emily lost her husband Robin when his plane is shot down over Germany. His death was never confirmed, so she couldn't really be sure if he was really gone or not. She is a RAF pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary unit. When American Lt. Jay Baronowsky almost crashes into her while they are both trying to land their planes, she meets him and her interest is peaked. He is engaged to a high maintenance snob back in the states. The fiancé has no clue about what Jay has to deal with while at war. She is more interested in trivial matters like selecting china patterns for her wedding. Jay is very intrigued with Emily, as a pilot she understands the dangers that he has to deal with everyday. Emily wants a friendship but no more than that because she still hasn't come to terms with what happened to Robin. In spite of her wishes, the chemistry between the two is impossible to avoid. Jay and Emily begin a real relationship and fall in love. They have to deal with a lot of issues and hardships along the way.

"The Lady in the Spitfire" is a great love story. Like real life, things don't always turn out the way that we want them to, but the lessons learned along the way are important. Schrader has a talent for richly blending real history into her story so that you believe that it is all real. I highly recommend this book to WWII history buffs and romance fans.

The focus of the book is preparing ourselves, heart, mind and soul. Learn to be content with where God has you, and build upon what he has set before you in the single season of your life. I was initially hesitant to accept some of the ideas but they are life changing. And well worth the time of puttting into practice. GREAT BOOK.

Through her poetry, Mary Helen Rojas is able to communicate to the reader her most intimate feelings. She takes us on a difficult emotional journey. We are with her through her anger, denial, and eventually her acceptance. This is a very powerful book.

Coggins really struts his stuff in this neo-noir, hard-boiled thriller about the Texas drug trade. A not-to-be-missed detective story in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald.

Loved the book. If you're from the South you can hardly fail to appreciate this story. My Mom read it to me when I was little. Every time I see a heron I remember this story.