The book Swallowing Stones was one of the best books I've ever read. I could not put it down. I never would have read it unless my teacher had not suggested a few books to my class. Swallowing Stones was one of those books that when she read the back cover, I knew that I wanted to read it right away. I then got the book from my teacher and couldn't put it down. I read it in one week because it was so good. It's about a boy who gets a gun from his grandfather. The boy Micheal, throws a party at his house, and he wanted to show the gun off to a few friends. He did but he also shot it. A mile away the bullet hit a man who was fixing the roof of his house. The man was dead. That next week he saw an article in the newspaper about the dead man. He felt guilty for the rest of the summer. There is a lot more that happens, but you have to read the book to find out.

You always hear about homocides, right? A bullet hits a man and kills him. Was the bullet aimed for him, or was it a coincidence? In the book Swalowing Stones, you will read about a kid who gets a gun for his birthday, which happens to be the Fourth of July, and thinks that he is innocently trying out his new gun. In the afternoon, on every radio station, you hear of a man who gets shot in the head by a bullet. Could this possibly be the bullet that the kid shot so innocently on his birthday? What are the chances of this happening? This story is very good, and uses a lot of different emotions from both the kid who shot the gun, and the daughter of the victim. This story has a long climax, and is very suspensful. Through this book, you will learn what it is like to lose a loved one, and what its like to feel the most heart-wrenching guilt in the world. This story will be liked by all and will make you think. If you want a great book to read, Swallowing Stones is definitely it.

McDonald takes stories that will truely effect us to the core and brings them to life.

On the day of Jenna's father's death her life as well as others around her's changes. With a single shot of a gun the whole world of this town is torn apart. Relationships start, realtionships end, damaging secrets begin and a girl looking for approval holds the key to changing the views of one boy.

The book filled with great visuals, you can actually see in your mind the bullet flying through the air, you can smell the trees and feel the characters pain.

This is a must read for anyone. If you like this book try Hope Was Here by Bauer. This to will make you look at life differently.

In "The Doom Stone," fifteen-year-old Jackson goes to visit his aunt (Sarah Cawley) near Stonehenge in England. Dr. Cawley is an anthropologist who studies skeletons of humans who have been dead for centuries. Soon Jackson spots a strange looking creature that looks like a living skeleton with huge red eye sockets and with slime oozing out of its nose. The creature, called Skull Face, is on a killing spree and it's up to Dr. Cawley, Jackson, Alma (a girl who lives close to Stonehenge in a crematorium), and the police to try to find the monster's weakness and find a way to kill it.

I've read a few of Paul Zindel's books, and I have to say that he is best at writing books like "The Doom Stone," "Loch," and "Rats." Of those 3, "The Doom Stone" is my least favorite, but it's still great. "The Doom Stone" is more of an action packed horror book and it lacks in plot at the end of the book a little bit. However, I still liked it a lot because it was action packed and it was hard to put the book down. If you like action packed horror books, I recommend reading "The Doom Stone."

This is a great book, coming from a guy that hates to read. True I dislike reading, but I couldn't put this thing down. It goes into great detail about the gore and uses good, 'better', choice of words for us "young adults". This is a great book. Get It NOW!

Like Micheal Jackson this ones a thriller.Action packed, this book keeps you going.Mutated beings that live underground mutate into monstrous beast ready to feed.Stay away from Stonehenge or it will be your "Doom Stone."
I give the book five stars because of it's explisive detail and action packed chapters.This is one of Zindel's best.I recommend "Doom Stone" to anyone who loves a spicy story.

Okay yeah yeah yeah i know what your thinkin....I am this girl obsessed with some stupid drugy person who commited suicide.....well think again. My name is Hallie and i dont think of as Kurt Cobain as a stupid man in my opinion he is more like a genius. "Cobain by the Editors of Rolling Stone" is a book that reveals the partially told story of his life and makes it completely understood that he is not what you would assume from what the media say...they are just doing their job and trying to make his life a big lie and also make some money in the process. Rolling Stone knows Nirvana from interviews and other afairs and the book explains about his sad life, Nirvana, his wife, and the light of his life...Frances Bean. "Kurt Cocain" is what people have been known to call him well yes he did have a drug problem but put yourself in his shoes and live his life and i think you would too. He was very confused and turned to drugs and that is what sucks the fact that kids think it is cool because he did them. Kurt Cobain hated himself and the last thing he wanted was to be was an influence on people especailly his own daughter. About his music....raging emotions put into words his lyrics are like a sad movie but the tears are invisible they are so powerful and hold a lot of meaning not really to us and make no sense but to him they are his cry out to the world. Now that you know a bit about Kurt Cobain get to know a little more about his very interesting and depressing life....."It's better to burn out than fade away" - Kurt Cobai

Ironic that the best of many books released in the months after Cobain's death would be a collection from Rolling Stone, alleged promoters of the "corporate rock" he battled against. The editors of this collection of RS articles wisely chose to make it a true memorial, remembering the past, the good and the bad, while not pontificating uselessly on the meaning of Cobain's suicide. Many have tried in vain to be artfully profound in the wake of Kurt's death, magazine writers and newspapermen. This kind of purple prose is luckily absent from COBAIN, and the majority of the articles are very well written. Also included are many wonderful photographs; Kurt with his daughter, the infamous bridge from "Something in the Way", Kurt with a kitten perched on his shoulder, the beautiful cover, Kurt surrounded by Stargazers during Nirvana's Unplugged performance. In the rush to publish something in the summer of 1994, the market was saturated with books on Nirvana and Cobain. This one was the best and still is. It leaves questions unanswered, as well it should.

i bought this book a couple months back thinking, "this is just gonna be another brief book about kurt's life. the same material every other book has." i didn't think that i'd actually get through the whole thing, cos i had heard his story over and over again anyways. i thought it'd be boring. man was i wrong! i couldn't put it down. halfway through the book, i realized this wasn't just any plain biography; this was a big colage of kurt's life: his music, his family, his drug abuse, and his sad death. some people think that kurt was just another junky-musician. but this book proves far beyond a doubt that he was so much more. he was a creative and influential person to all of us (even though some people choose to deny it). after reading this book, i came to the conclusion that i didn't need to buy any other books about kurt cobain, or nirvana, because all the imformation i needed was right in my hands.

After racing through the three previous books in the series (Mallory's Oracle, The Man Who Lied to Women, & Killing Critics,) I could hardly wait to start Stone Angel. Kathy Mallory is a fascinating character and the hints about her past in the rest of the series really whetted my appetite for the truth promised in the fourth book. Unfortunately, Mallory is only a supporting player in this one. Charles Butler (in jeans on a big white horse!), Riker, and some interesting locals have center stage, here. The Louisiana setting is intriguing,with all kinds of colorful characters from an elderly ecoterrorist to an Elmer Gantry-style evangelist, but the final solution to the mystery is more sordid than satisfying. Anyone who enjoyed the other Mallory books will want to read this, but be warned - it is slow going! All the right ingredients are here, but without a more active role for the main character, this literary gumbo ends up having all the flavor of dishwater. Author O'Connell seems unable to get past the charm of the young Kathy (who was actually more interesting as a wild child in New York City than as the happy doctor's daughter she used to be before her life went bad)in order to show any kind of catharsis in the adult. I would read more of her books on the strength of the rest of the Mallory series, but I would not recommend Stone Angel to anyone who was not already in love with Mallory.

Kathy Mallory is back in the most riveting, complex novel of the series. Sociopathic New York Detective Mallory takes on the bayous of Lousiana as she returns to her hometown to set some things straight. The mystery is not as important as the story and O'Connell introduces several new, very interesting characters - specifically Sheriff Tom Jessop and Augusta Trebec. The interactions and the actions are fascinating and the plot twists and turns enough to mesmerize. Mallory is not the whole story in this novel, which is a turn for the better. In addition, we finally see a little bit of human reaction and emotion. Mallory may be made of stone, but the surface chips slightly here. This is a keep-you-up-at-night book; O'Connell keeps getting better and better. You must read this one but be forewarned, it makes more sense if you've read the other three Mallory novels first. Let's all hope that O'Connell continues to humanize Mallory more and more (but not too much, she's at her most interesting when she's in her total sociopath mode) and can find a way to bring Tom Jessop into future books - the surface stereotype small town southern sheriff with much more than meets the eye! Mallory is the most interesting hero(ine) introduced in many years and O'Connell characterizes her perfectly. Steve Isenhowe

I couldn't wait for this book to hit the market. A great read. It takes up where KILLING CRITICS left off. Mallory has left NY to return to La and find her mother's killers. Carol O'Connell has developed this character from the beginning to become the most striking and arresting one in all of fictiondom. Charles Butler, the sheriff, the old lady who owns the dilapidated house, the idiot savant and the others are believable and necessary figures in Mallory's universe. The storyline moves , the plot is tight and the denouement is the only one that is possible. I love Mallory . Miss O'Connell, bring on the next chapter of this amazing creature

Sometimes you just wish your favorite characters would run off somewhere nice and safe. After following travails of the Black Company and rereading books time and again I have to applaud the author for the ability to create complex plots without losing too much cohesion. Part of the tension for me is seeing how my favorites meet their end, hoping that it'll be good but finding in many cases a sorrowful and painful one. This book ties up many of the loose ends, perhaps too tightly and overzealously. Occasionally a Valentine's day massacre occurs for many characters, some major, in a literary spring cleaning of sorts. I wasn't disappointed in the end. It was karmic or at least fitting, although sad nevertheless. I miss all the old characters, Raven, Elmo, the "real" Captain and that is in my opinion the biggest fault and one that's impossible to avoid. The original three books were the best and one of my favorite trilogies I've ever read. How can you top that? Still I enjoyed this book immensely, although anyone who thinks about reading it should also be given the original trilogy and left in a deep hole until they've finished it (preferably with a flashlight).

I've written a lot about Cook's series over the years, and I do feel this was a very fitting ending to this chapter of the Annals.

However, folks seem to have missed something. Not only did Cook set it up for a continuation of the Company, he also paved the way for prequels! With Croaker's new position (how's that for obtuse?), he can dwell on his own memories (you have to read the book to understand what I'm talking about) and see how the original Companies were formed and came forth from Khatovar.

Which means he COULD go back in time, to when a young Croaker joined the Company. We could meet with our old friends again, from when they were younger.

Me, I think this would be pretty damn cool, as we could see the south side of the Sea of Torments, with the Jewel Cities, etc.

I think maybe I'll drop Glen a letter at TOR with just this idea...

Thank you, Mr. Cook, for 16 years (or so) of delightful Black Company reading. Now, more Bragi!

Now I could start off talking about how i've been a Black Company Fan for years.....well I really can't as I just read the entire series over the past 3 weeks. I guess its obvious that I obsessed over the series, it's that good. But the last couple of books in the "Glittering Stone" series really did not seem up to par with the earlier books. Maybe its because i prefer Croaker's Bitter-Old-Man version of the Annals, but I just didn't enjoy Murgen's or Sleepy's volumes as much.(I still thought they were better reads then almost any other fantasy novel) But with "Soldier Live", the series comes full circle for me. Everything in the book works perfectly for me. Croaker is back as narrator, The Company is once again an indestructable force, more of the plot is revealed, the two worst wizards in the universe pull off what could only be seen as a cosmic practical joke, and the book just flows. I started reading this book at 10 PM one night, and knew there was something wrong when I finished with the sun rising. I litteraly couldn't put it down. The book is long(500+ pages), but I never noticed the length. Quite simply this book is my favorite of the series, and a perfect send-off(probably) for The Company.(though I would not mind prequels)

"Ender's Game" falls flat when I compare it to "Stone of Farewell." Ender has conflicts that are not really quite conflicting development-wise. Hel-loo! He is six years old at the beginning of the book with the mentality of a 30 year old. "Stone" leaves us with characters that we can watch as they develop. Besides that, its a darn good read.

The beginning of it takes place with Binabik and his people, and its not boring. No, its fun. (Not just because Binabik's one of my favorite characters!) Williams knows how to write, unlike some other people out there. And he gives us thousands of pages per series -- I'm all for the gargantuan novel thing. He doesn't pointlessly babble. He is as worthy of note as George R. R. Martin -- by the way, Martin read MEMORY, SORROW, AND THORN, and even picked up a few tips from Tad. (The comet = the Conqueror Star, the Dothraki = upside down Thrithings-men,...and whose to say that Qantaka (sp?) didn't inspire the direwolves!., etc.)

Begin with "The Dragonbone Chair" -- pull through the fifty or so introductory pages -- and READ THIS SERIES. Then get your copy of OTHERLAND, vols. 1 and 2, and enjoy. Unfortunately, you will have to wait for vol. 3. Sigh. Of course, you can read "Child of an Ancient City" while you're waiting, and pick up a copy of "Caliban's Hour" at your library or used bookstore. I will shut up now. I think that you get the idea.

Stone of Farewell - one really excellent book. A great, fully-realized sequel to Dragonbone Chair. I originally read this book before Dragonbone Chair because as usual the excellent (hardcover)cover had caught my eye and the first book wasn't immediately accessible. The way this one plunges into the story straight away helped me read the Dragonbone Chair later without finding it tedious or being impatient with the slow development of plot. Osten Ard and especially the forzen mountains of the troll-folk were excellently described. This book isn't the normal action-packed, paperback fantasy with sword-fights and ripped-guts galore, (which can be fun in its own way, I grant you) but a very special, very real classic. A lot happens in this book on a grand scale and the author isn't afraid to kill characters, which kept me holding my breath and not daring to form predictions. I really like his characters. I love Simon, not because he's a great hero, because he isn't; nor because he's cool: he isn't. I like him because he feels real and because Williams makes us understand him and feel the story. The supporting characters are great! I love adorable Binabik and his hilarious troll quotes and his funny speech. Duke Isgrimnur is a bear of a gem. Prince Josua is intriguing and his queer humor and scholarliness sets him apart from the usual run. The only main character that I'm not all that crazy about is Princess Miriamele, but she's no where as bad as some of Robert Jordan's female creations!

STONE OF FAREWELL is the action packed second book in the MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN trilogy. Picking up where the first book left off, we find the forces of humanity fleeing before the seemingly unstoppable evil of the Norns. Meanwhile, Miriamele and Cadrach are off adventuring in the south while Simon becomes seperated from his friends and becomes the first human to ever visit the home of the mysterious Sithi. This is a novel you can't miss. You won't even be able to put it down once you've picked it up. With this series, Tad Williams has created one of the best fantasy series since THE LORD OF THE RINGS

This 368 pages book, not counting 63 pages of Appendices, is a very comprehensive book worthy of reading. It is purposely written in easy to follow language and there is even a glossary of those terms that with which the reader might be unfamiliar. In general I'm not a big fan of glossaries as it seems that many authors use the glossary as filler for the book. That is not the case here. In the margins are helpful tips, watch outs and money saver tips. This is a good beginner or intermediate text, but experienced real estate investors will find this to be too elementary reading. The text is comprehensive and can be used for further reference, as it does have an index. The price is also right for this book at retail of $16.99 and is well worth the money spent. At $11.89 on AMAZON.COM its a great bargain. Besides the purchase of real estate, which many other books cover this book also gets into being a landlord, how to fix and upgrade a property and even whether you should rent to pet owners. They say yes! They recommend charhing extar security and extra rent to qualified pet owning tenants. I would recommend that anyone contemplating real estate investing either as a part time avocation or a full time career to start with this book. This is not the only book you'll want or need to read, but its a good first step. this book doesn't have everything that you'll need but will start you on the right road.

I have been a Real Estate Investor for several years - but never knew (or thought of) 90% of the things in this book. I wish I would have read it before I bought my first building. It is awesome for the person who knows nothing - but would like to learn. It is more than just an introductory book - it is a constant reference manual.

Since buying the book( 3 weeks ago), I have purchased a great property & just signed an agreement to sell a different one.

Check out the table of contents & you will see that it is very thorough. The ONLY negative thing about this book is that the publishers have made several typo's - none that I have noticed that changed a meaning or direction - just simple typos.

Buy it & then get ready to want to read it from cover to cover without putting it down.

I have read several books on real estate investing trying to get into the business and, while other books might touch on specific aspects better, this book is the most comprehensive by far.

It is written in a clear-cut style that allows for fast and enjoyable reading. The notes given in the margins of the book are extremely helpful with explaining an idea more in detail. The ideas are well-explained and offers good resources for further exploration into any specific area. The book is also divided into many chapters, so you don't have to drum through long chapters and feel drained by the end.

This is an excellent book to start out with if you are trying to get into the business or even if you already own one or two properties already. If you are an expert on real estate, this would be a nice review for you.

The Art of Possibility does not offer a quick path to wealth, a leg up on one's fellow humans, or a set of tools for manipulating one's enemies and friends; instead it provides the intellectual means for changing the whole quality of one's life, professional and private. It offers a language and a framework for thinking about oneself in relation to one's life and surroundings, with which one can sweep away the worthless dross of fretting, and envying, and fearing, and achieve that happy potential and unbounded effectfulness that every one of us knows we ultimately possess. If marking a watershed in your life is worth a small amount of effort, and a little bit of abstract thinking, then read this book. (See review below by Donal Wayne Mitchell for more specific information.) I recommend it to you highly.

The Zander's redefine the way you look at things and view situations. I found the book to be a combination of art/creativity and psycho-analysis. Some of the principles I had a hard time really owning.

It reminds me a bit of Zen or Tao. Being in the present, not assigning blame, recognizing that is the way things are...

I couldn't read the book in one sitting. I found that it requires a lot of thought and reflection. Parts that I found inspirational were the white papers that were written by the musicians in response to a request from the conductor.

Some of the principles seemed to really line up well with the popular book from a few years ago "7 spiritual laws of success" by Deepak Chopra.

I would like to hear the authors read this as a book-on-tape, because I found myself thinking about things while I was trying to read. In a nutshell, the book says "put your life into a different playing field, Don't think win-win, think about making a contribution or about making a difference."

I bought this book on someone's recommendation, but it just sat on my shelf for a few months until Tom Peters mentioned the Zanders in one of his newsletters. I read his interview with them on his web site, went home, and read their book through in one sitting. It starts off unpromisingly: the first couple of chapters are brief and, I felt, rather platitudinous. But then the authors started illustrating their points with anecdotes, and it all became clear to me. Recognizing your assumptions and how they limit you, and being willing to expand your thinking beyond them to new possibilities, makes a major difference in how you deal with the challenges in your life. I also liked their positive approach -- too many of us get entrapped in "something's broken about me and I need to fix it." The Zanders are certainly not the first to articulate this point of view, but I felt that their illustrative examples made it much easier to understand. But you do have to THINK about what their stories imply; they don't give you "step 1, step 2" instructions on how to apply this philosophy to your own life. The book has already given me a different perspective on several aspects of my behavior that had been troubling me, and on that basis alone I'd recommend it to anyone.

This book is very good for the person who wants to follow the trail of a teenage Italian WWII captive. Roberto and his friends are taken by German soliders to a German labor camp. Samuelle a.k.a. Enzo and Roberto are caught stealing eggs and sent to a concentration camp in Ukraine. There Enzo dies from beatings and the cold. Roberto escapes from the camp and starts on a long, dangerous journey. In total Roberto estimates that he traveled somewhere between 220 to 230 kilo meters both on land and water. Although, Roberto isnt alone through this, first he befriends a young Ukrainian boy who helps him escape later from more trouble and an Italian soldier who he can finally talk to and be understood. This book really describes the horrific events of the holocaust and I recommend it if youcan stomach war subjects.

I read it and at first thought it was boring. But soon the author put words about the main charactor, Roberto and he spit the words out in his own. She greatly described Roberto's feelings and the sadness came incredibly.

It starts when Roberto, Samuele, Memo, and Roberto's brother Sergio go to the theatre to see an American movie. Italian soldiers burst in and capture all the viewers. (Which are all boys.) Roberto tries to find Sergio, but is separated from him and soon Memo and is left with Sameule, whom is now called Enzo because people will know if he is Jewish by his true name.

Roberto and Enzo are being worked by the Germans, making them make pens and parts of airplanes. When a Jewish family comes, Roberto is kind enough to give a teenage girl and her sister some food. But after Enzo suddenly dies, Roberto leaves to go to the Black Sea.

Leaving the boy he befriends again, he rides down a boat with a Roman-Italian soldier and it ends there. I deeply recommend this book to people who have a deep obsession for history and World War 2, as well as not giving up when everything seems hopeless.

Stones in Water is a captivating and heart-warming story about the hardships and struggles a young Venetian boy must got through to survive during World War II. The boy, Roberto, and his Jewish friend Samuele are abducted by German soldiers and are sent to a work camp. There they must put there bodies to the test in order to survive together. Since Samuele is Jewish, they have to hide that secret or they will both be killed. During the harsh Ukranian winter Samuele is brutally beaten and dies, leaving Roberto to fend fo himself. Roberto then escapes and tries to make it home to Venice, Italy during the unforgiving winter of northern Europe. Along his way, he meets up with and Italian soldier and they both decide to join the small group of people that oppose the war. I absolutely loved this book and I strongly recommend you purchase it.

Though I rate this book at four stars, make no mistake about it, this is a fine book. Tightly written and carrying no tedious padding, this is a perfect weekend book. Cain describes the settings and physical descriptions of the people with exquisite flair, and his dialogue is wondrous to read. While I praise the brevity of the novel, it's low word-count is the only reason I did not award "The Postman" five stars. I feel a five-star book should not be something that can be read so quickly.

From the opening paragraph, I was hooked. Cain wastes no time introducing his characters and setting the table for a raucous reading experience. When the story came to an end, I knew I had discovered a master craftsman, for his book left me with that most elusive of reading experiences: I wanted more, a lot more, but I knew the story ended where it had to. Great stuff! I can't believe this was his first published novel. I'm definitely going to hunt down more of his work.

Despite only taking a few hours to complete, this was as intense and exciting as any crime novel I've read. James M. Cain manages to squeeze a whole novel's worth of characters, plot twists, and emotions into only 116 pages. Like Ernest Hemingway, Cain employs a minimalistic writing style to fashion uneducated, "simple" characters with complex emotional undercurrents. He knows when to understate a scene and when to use vivid, erotic images to shock his readers. His pacing is nearly flawless, except for one awkward scene with the briefly-mentioned Madge Allen character. And the conclusion, while somewhat of a cliche, is typical of the best 1930's roman noir fiction.

The only reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of 4 is that I wish Cain had added more dialogue and development scenes at the beginning to show how Frank and Cora fell in love and fed off each other's neuroses.

This novel was another stunner from Cain. Set out in a then country area of California, outside of LA in the early 1940s, most of the action takes place at a diner on the main highway. This too involves a wife very unhappy with her husband, Cora with Nick. She finds a possible way out of her life with this brutish husband when drifter Frank comes into the diner and hangs around doing odd jobs for them. The couple plot to kill Nick so that they can end up with the diner and each other. There was one movie version done by John Garfield and Lana Turner in the 1940s that was absolutely faithful to the book. There was a 2nd version in the 1980s with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange that deviated somewhat from the novel, especially towards the end. I enjoyed both film versions equally and would highly recommend them. A Cain novel is very hard to put down once you've started and the man used no excess words. He too was an expert at looking at the best and worst of people as brought out by crime and its punishment.