Sexy adventurer Riley Walker had vowed to protect Abigail Dennison with every breath in his body. And when Abigail got herself into trouble, Riley was right there by her side. Now she was engaged in a perilous struggle that would determine the fate of her life...and their love.

Rough Trade by Cole Riley Reviewed by Zane - R.A.W. Sistaz Book Club

Tired of all the romance novels full of perfect people that seemingly walk on water gracing every single page? Looking for something a little "rough" around the edges? Look no further. Rough Trade by Cole Riley is it! All of us have best friends. People who are there for us through thick and thin. People who say, "I'd give my life for you!" Ask yourself this: What would you do if one of your friends actually did give up their life so that you might live?

Such is the dilemma for Velma. After being caught in the proverbial wrong place at the wrong time, Velma's friend Claudia sacrifices her own life to save Velma's by begging their assailants to let Velma go and do as they wish to her. Claudia's body ends up so butchered and brutalized that her family cannot even identify her body.

Shunned by Claudia's family and mutual friends, blamed for leaving her friend behind to die, Velma's guilt drives her out onto the streets of Manhattan. A walking zombie, Velma doesn't care who uses her for sex because at least they provide a temporary buffer for the pain. After descending into a world of drug addicts and sex for trade, Velma finally meets and falls in love with an aspiring artist. With the help of her sister, Velma goes to counseling and even reconciles with her mother. Everything is going well until...

...people around her start dropping dead and rumors start flying like wildfire that Claudia is not really dead. That she is alive and on the run from some very nasty people. Velma, determined not to let her friend down again, resorts to desperate measures in order locate and rescue her friend. She ends up in the pits of hell, inside a house full of torture and death, simply because she cannot get over the guilt of betraying her friend. But, will Velma ultimately be the one that is betrayed?

This book is outstanding and takes the reader into a world that, even if they could imagine it, they would never want to enter except through the pages of a book. I give this book a five on the R.A.W. Scale.

How often does one book offer an accessible, lively window on the inside world of the great artists, composers, writers and choreographers of our time? In The Saints of Modern Art, Riley uses the ideas of the withdrawal of the artist from the world, and the quest for perfection, to link figures as disparate as Jasper Johns and Glenn Gould, George Balanchine and Marcel Proust, Piet Mondrian and George Santayana, not to mention other essays on David Smith, Miro, Brice Marden, Elliott Carter, Walter Abish, Robert Mapplethorpe and others. The book is peppered with lively interviews with the artists, and photographs of little-known works as well as masterpieces. Few critical studies cover as much ground in an interdisciplinary way, without bogging down in jargon or false analogies. The "readings" of major works, such as Barnett Newman's "Stations of the Cross" or Miro's "Constellations" are thorough and loving guides to milestones in contemporary aesthetics, and every page is informed with passion and inside knowledge. A mus-have for those seriously interested in the arts of our time.

1. Illiteracy in a Literate world? 2. William Willshire Riley wrote the "Sequel to Riley's Narrative." 3. William Willshire Riley was Captain James Riley's son. 4. Captain James Riley authored the book, "An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce. . ." Several editions were printed, starting with 1816, and a few decades thereafter. 5. When Captain James Riley was successful with his book, one of the sailors on this brig, Archibald Robbins,authored the book, "A Journal Comprising an Account of the Loss of the Brig Commerce, of Hartford, Connecticut, James Riley, Master, upon the Western Coast of Africa, August 28, 1815" in 1818, with later editions. 6. After Captain James Riley returned to the U.S., he later accepted a position as surveyor in northwest Ohio, in 1819. Captain James Riley platted the village of Willshire in honor of William Willshire, who assisted him, when he was held captive in Morocco, Africa. Captain James Riley's son William Willshire Riley was named for this man. Wm. Willshire Riley authored "Sequel to Riley's Narrative." 7. Captain James Riley's son, James Watson Riley, platted the Village of Celina, Ohio in 1834, when he stayed in Ohio, at the time Captain James Riley returned to New York. 8. James Watson Riley's son, Calvin Riley, a prominent businessman in Celina, built his home in 1896; this home is now the home of the Mercer County Historical Museum,the Riley Home, 130 East Market, Box 512, Celina, OH 45822. I am the Director of that Museum, and have been, since January 1973. I consider myself to be a local authority on Captain James Riley. I am not arrogant. I just happen to know more about Riley than others. 9. In 1996, I authored the book, "Ohio's Last Frontiersman, Connecticut Mariner Captain James Riley," ISBN 1-891095-09-9. 10. I find it difficult to understand that someone doing book business would put the incorrect author with a book, even though that person is a relative of the author. Please correct this. I may be of the old school, in an electronic world, but I still believe in putting the correct author with his or her own books. 11. I now am finishing a manuscript about Calvin Riley's son, James Zura Riley, who, with 14 Northwest Ohioans, went on the Yukon Gold Rush, in Alaska, 1898-1900. I have two diaries, two photograph albums, gold claims, packets of letters, financial ledgers, etc. This story is almost as exciting as his Great-Grandfather Captain James Riley's story. 12. Thus, if you the reader, really are interested in this exciting story of the Riley family, you are more than welcome to write me. Thank you so much. I would be very glad to meet you. I love local history.

Joyce Alig, Director Mercer County HIstorical Museum, The Riley Home 130 East Market, Box 512 Celina, OH 45822

histalig@bright.net

419-586-6065 or 419-678-2614

As a child, I had always heard of pirates as savage, brutal, crude and cruel, especially the women pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Riley's story brings these two to life like I had never imagined. The book is filled with action and as well details character stories as well, to the point where I was gripped with sympathy for them both. Riley doesn't spare any of the gritty details of the sex or violence, instead she's written a realistic tale that seems both well researched and well crafted. Many points during the book I was overwhelmed with the intensity of the storytelling... the imagery lingers long after I finished.

My Grandmother used to sing a lullabye to me as a small child about a baby "sailing away in a silver moon boat." that had been passed down from mother and child in my family for 100 years! As an adult I longed to find the music, lyrics and ANY information about this song that reminded me of my beloved Grandmother. As I searched for this lullabye, I met with several dead-ends. I finally located some information about Alice C.D. Riley, who wrote the words to the lullabye. I learned that she had written it for her own children, which as a brand new mother at the time, touched me. This book with it's incredible illustrations is something you will want to get and pass down to your children. I recommend playing the music (which is IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND but located in the back of this book) and reading the book together. I guarantee that this will be a new bedtime song!

This book is a truly innovative discussion of time-frequency representations in speech. The author starts with a brilliant analogy -- that of identifying a Mercedes by its hood ornament (which the author attributes to Dr. Mark Liberman) -- and shows how this analogy can be used to explain humans' processing of spectral information.

I bought this book for my 6 year old last school year. He had a great time figuring out the answers to the questions. What an introduction to story problems. Some are quite easy, while others present a challenge. Problems range for figuring out how may legs 10 spiders have, to traveling distances, to how much you would weigh on the moon. We can't wait to start book 2 next year.

If you love those romantic old movies set circa World War II, you'll adore this collection. My favorite was Katherine Deauxville's, since she is one of my favorite authors, but I learned something for every story. "All Or Nothing At All," the most upbeat and humorous of the three, delved into the world of New York in the theater district. Deauxville's word picture of a New York skyline dimmed so enemy subs can't use the reflected lights to sink American ships was stunning. "Night And Day" is a story of love lost and found. In "Strangers In The Night," two unhappy people who suffered tragic losses in the war find love and healing. I hope the publication of this anthology is a sign that New York publishing industry's prejudice against historicals set after 1900 is finally breaking down. This is a fascinating era ripe with possibilities for wonderful period fiction.

Success is a book on a child's goals and what makes them happy in their childhood years.

There are some great photos. An all around good book for young children.