My age is probably the same as the author's, yet, he has lived many lives in comparison to mine. This book seems to be from the depth of his being and when he is through he is standing on top as he does not seem the type to ever tolerate being anywhere else. I am full of admiration for the courage it took to share so much with so many.

The author's stories opened up a whole new world of intrigue and adventure about which I knew very little! I especially liked the bail bond/bounty hunter accounts, and I really learned alot. I hope there is a second book. Thanks for a great read! I teach English at Bloomington High School in Bloomington Minnesota. Regards from one writer to another.

Hank the Cowdog books are very good. They are sometimes funny and sometimes gross. Hank the Cowdog Garbage Monster from Outer Space is about a dog who tries to be an outlaw but was no successful doing it. Just wait until you read the book to find the funny and gross things in the story.

After he is wrongly accused of raiding the garbage barrels on the ranch, Hank decides to become an outlaw. Rip and Snort, two coyote brothers, help Hank to learn the ways of outlaws. One of Hank's test was to raid garbage barrels at a trailer park. There Hank meets Eddy the Rac (racoon), an old "friend." Eddy makes Hank a "deal" which gets Hank in trouble. Sally May, Hank's master's wife, has to come clean up the trash that Hank has spilled around the park. Then Sally May said they would have to give Hank away, but little Alfred, her son, convinces her to let Hank stay.

I agree with the previous review. This is an exceptionally well put together and just plain fun Holmes adventure. I've read most of the others out there on the market today, and sad to say none of the others really measure up to this one. It has finally been reprinted with three short stories as "A Sherlockian Quartet". If you can find it, buy it! You won't regret it. Just out of curiosity, does any one know if this is the same Rick Boyer who wrote Billingsgate Shoal?

What a shame this book is out of print. The author is faithful to the original Arthur Conan Doyle style, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The 'giant rat' would be great in a Stephen Speilberg movie, and I'm surprised no one has caught on to this idea yet. I almost never read a fiction book more than once, but this one is so good that I've read it at least five times over the years. Any Sherlock Holmes fan will love this book, and any one who likes a good mystery adventure will greatly enjoy it. I don't know if Boyer ever won any awards for this, but he should have!

When my son and husband chose The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for our monthly book discussion, I was certain I'd be bored senseless but figured it was only fair that they choose some of the titles, too. Far from bored, however, I actually loved the droll accounts of Sherlock's sleuthing talents. In fact, as I read, I could "hear" a radio broadcast of the stories in my head. As it turns out, recordings of the mysteries are available, as are films of the adventures. It will be interesting to see how these compare to the version in my head.

If you are sharing these stories with young readers, you may want to read the first story aloud. This proved helpful to my son, who initially had a little trouble "getting into" the rhythm of the narrative. After "The Solitary Cyclist," however, he was happily on his own. He is now tackling a two-volume collection of Doyle's mysteries.

This book is great. Although there are two other books like this one, I prefer this one the best. My favorite mystery in it is "The Red Headed League." An honorable mention is "The Engineer's Thumb." You won't regret buying this book, so... go ahead!

Janet Holmes has the rare ability to write layered, moving, lyrical poetry that transports the reader and allows her to think and wonder and imagine. Many of the poems deal with the beauty or sleek appearance of the surface while delving into the dirth of it just underneath. Juxtaposition also is used well. As great as her work was in "The Physicist at the Mall", an earlier collection of poetry, "The Green Tuxedo" soars to the next level of creativity.

Janet Holmes's poetry treads the line between accessible and intense. The poems about her father and about nature and relationships are touching without being trite. If you have refused to read any poetry more modern than Frost, because it is all too confusing, here you are in for a treat. The poems and their structure well-repay multiple readings and close attention.

First of all, since the political campaigns have been raging in the media, we have heard a lot about hate crimes. The category of hate crime however, is restricted to personal violence, as it is commonly understood to mean. This book broadens the concept by globalizing the notion of hate. In lieu of today's developments and some other notable global crimes, such as genocides (i.e., Rwanda, Bosnia) this type of macro approach to the etiology of crime seems highly relevant and necessary. What I found particularly noteworthy is the multiple-point stances and perspectives of the various authors. Such a diverse representation of opinions, I thought, added to the overall purpose and strength of the book.

The chapter on Colin Ferguson approached explanation by using Franz Fanon's theory of violence. The author does successfully incorporate the major tenets of his theory in his explanation, there were some questions I thought would be relevant to the discussion. For example, Sartre, in writing the preface to Fanon's book, concurred with Fanon in stating that the native, repressed in his hatred toward his colonizers, is apt to act more violently against his native man. I was not sure if such was the case with Ferguson. Perhaps, if there had been instances in which he did act out against "his people" it would strengthen the argument more.

Rage, anger, madness as manifestation of creativity and freeing force in the subject's double bind is a topic worthy of further exploration. I am looking forward to the author developing this idea in his further works.

I enjoyed the differing perspective on the nature of hate. By charting the macro origins of conflict, I think the book sheds insight as to the micro dimensions of hate crime as it presently finds form today.

The recent brutal beating and murder of a gay Wyoming student points out but one aspect of the type of hate crimes whuch in most countries of the world. In Hate Crimes: The Global Politics of Polarization professor Jess Maghan and Robert J. Kelly have brought together an excellent collection of essays which hit the problem head-on. The editors contributions add to the book, especially the article on the Ku Klux Klan by Kelly and Maghan's well researched annotated bibliography on the subject. The book includes essays on black rage and victimization; neo-nazis and skinheads; homeless Palestinians and the Arab world; hate crime in India; and the victimization of street children in Colombia. Of particular interest are several pieces on the historical aspects of hate crime, and the development of legislative efforts to cope with what is percived as a growing area of concern in criminal justice. Maghan, who is an associate professor of criminal justice at the university of illinois at chicago, and Kelly, who is a Broeklundian professor of social science at Brooklyn College and a professor of criminal justice at the Graduate School of the City University of New York are well respected authors in the area of hate crime, and in this book they have made a significant contribution to understanding the international dimensions and manifistations of hatred and brutality.

An edition to own of a great writer, second only to Melville in the American literary pantheon.

An edition to own. Here are the best samples of a great writer, second only to Melville in the American literary pantheon.

Since I'm a writer/editor,I know quite quickly if the material at hand is worthwhile. I give a 10+ evaluation in addition to the Amazon's 5 stars to both The Heart of a Mother and its companion book The Heart of a Father, compiled by Wayne Holmes. I commend the task which resulted in a balanced variety of readings -- from the funny to the poignant. And let me tell you a secret, my husband read all the stories to me, over a period of several weeks, as a bedtime ritual. Both of us laughed and cried together. Our faith was buoyed greatly by the everyday experiences that were shared with us but which showed God's magnanimous love. Thus,the heart of this listerner and my reader were warmed. We look forward to more of Holmes' Heart compilations.

The Heart of a Mother truly captures all aspects of a mother's heart. A sequel to The Heart of a Father, Wayne Holmes has compiled stories that help us see the depths of a mother's--and by extension, God's--character. Within the pages of this book, the reader will find stories of warmth, tenderness, sacrifice, and love. The reader may even find a story that illustrates his/her own mother's heart to perfection. Buy this book for the woman in your life, and you'll be giving her stories that will challenge and inspire her to be all that God has created her to be.

I had low expectations for this when I ordered it. I figured it would be one of those overly general "how to" books that leave out much of the important information. I was surprised to find that it has very specific plans for a variety of garden situations, plans which already show specific groupings of specific plants.

I found this very helpful because I'm not particularly experienced in designing a landscape, nor am I wealthy enough to afford a landscape designer. There is a design for every corner of my new house, tailored to sunlight, etc. I can follow the plans verbatim and end up with a landscape that looks like it was professionally designed, or I can make small changes to personalize it. This is, as the previous reviewer commented, much easier than starting from scratch.

Definately worth the money.

THE BACKGROUND: I know next to nothing about plants, and what little I do know is mainly for plants that grow well in the Deep South, where I grew up. I now have a cute house with a remarkably boring yard 2500 miles away from the "Deep South" - in Seattle, to be exact.

THE GOAL: create some nice-looking, *low maintenance* landscaping for the yard, but without having to become an avid amateur gardener, carpenter or landscape designer.

THE TECHNIQUE: as is my style, I go in for complete overkill and immediately buy a dozen books on the subject of landscaping and gardening - must be thorough in my research, you understand. I pour through them, make lists, check with local nurseries, draw detailed plans, etc., and after many hours of work and decision-making, finally decide what to buy and where to plant them.

THE RESULT: 90% of the plants I finally choose as appropriate to the area, low maintenance, and nifty looking, are in this ONE BOOK already, and there were plenty of others in this one book that could have substituted for the remaining 10%. My planting layouts also fairly strongly resemble several of the suggested layouts detailed in this book.

THE LESSON: Should have started and stopped with this one. I coulda fit in tuba lessons or something!

Buy this book, Cascadia gardeners and landscapers! It's what you need! Oh, and it also has tons of useful information on creating walls, fences, gates, paths, garden layouts, pruning, planting, etc.

VERY highly recommended.

I found this book in the library and after renewing it 3 times figured I'd better just buy it. I've checked out many garden plan books, but this one had the info I needed to plan for different seasons, how the plans would look in a few years, and what I needed to maintain the plants. It's specific to the Southeast so I don't waste time on plants that won't work for me. It's a great idea source and reference.

This book is an excellent guide for the new or veteran homeowner. It's filled with lots of ideas and a variety of plants including trees, shrubs, perennials, groundcovers and a few annuals. It offers a samples of typical planting scenarios for the home landscaper. Identifying each design as good for sun or shade and showing the variations is one of the best features. Seasonal variations are also helpful. But the best feature is that it clearly diagrams the placement of each plant including distance from the structure and distance from each other. Drawings and actual photographs of plants are also helpful. I highly recommend this book for the new or renovating landscaper.