This was the first Leslie Rule book I have read and I'm clammoring for more. I was on the edge my seat near the end and couldn't put it down.

this was a book for anyone at a young age. I read it, couldn't put it down, and just loved every moment that I spent reading it. I then gave it to my friend. She seemed to love it just as much as I did. You will too!

I was amazed at the creativity and careful planning that went into this book. I have read it many times and I never get bored! Lesie Rule must have an amazing mind to have come up with such a deep complex tale of love,mind control, mystery, a of course murder! Once you read this book nothing can ever compare to the sheer brilliance of plot it has. Read it today you won't be sorry.

What a funny story--poor Sis. Connie Fuse. How she anguished over her plight with Mother Pray On. I was so happy for her when she overcame her insecurities in the end. I enjoyed Sister Carry On, Lil' Bit, June Bug, and Ma 'Cile. This cast should be on a live stage--I can't wait to read more from this writer. I also recommend Sister Betty! God's Calling You!

Angel in training Joe Bill has his hands full once again as he tries to straighten out the members of the Ain't Nobody Else Right But Us All Others Goin' To Hell Church.

If you don't know a Mother Pray Onn, a Sister Carrie Onn, a Rev. Knott Enuff Money or a Brother 'Tis Mythang, you haven't been to church! Walker does a great job lampooning the church while delivering an important message at the same time.

I loved how Sister Connie Fuse went from fearing the wrath of Mother Pray Onn to feeling the power of God in her life, and I especially loved how the children (June Bug and Lil' Bit) were instrumental in helping her grow. Being too young to be indoctrinated fully into the ways of the congregation, they dared question why certain members of the congregation had to be held in higher esteem than God, and once the question was out there, it had to be answered.

Walker's books should be required reading for every pastor, church officer and church member of any church that's ever had personality conflicts (in other words, every church!).

I read the first book about Sister Betty and thought I would cry from laughing so hard. But Sister Connie Fuse had me doubling over. What a great way to give a message about forgiveness. First of all I'd like to know how the author came up with the idea of someone accidentally taking a grave layaway payment to a crematorium instead of a cemetery and then have a story where the church members got together like they were going to a boxing match between Mother Pray Onn and poor Sister Connie Fuse.

I love the way the author took the innocence of children and made the adults re-examine their behaviour of bickering and unforgiveness.

I must see this on the screen. Miss Walker's writing is so vivid and her dialogue unforgettable. I particularly loved the character of Ma Cile who's favorite food is a pigfoot fajita and only has one eye. All the characters from Rev. Knott Enuff Money to Deacon Laid Handz were written with such individuality that the author never had to say who was saying what. That kind of writing takes skills and this author has them.

I thought I was a fan when I saw her perform, I'm definitely one after reading these two books.

'A Rose For Her Grave' is the first and amongst the best of Ann Rule's "crime files" series. Each book contains a major true crime story, well-researched in the Ann Rule fashion, followed by summaries of lesser chronicled crime stories. I personally prefer Ann Rule's other books which cover only one story but in enormous detail. Some of these classics (eg, 'The Stranger Beside Me') make for truly chilling yet enjoyable reading.

The main story in this book is also title 'A Rose For Her Grave'. It is about a man who murders his wifes to collect on insurance money. Most surprisingly, the man is not some dream hunk ... just some sub-standard car mechanic. And his personality is a bit bizarre, frightening. Yet women seem drawn to him. Fascinating reading. The other stories in the book are grisly affairs, sort of "quick hit" murders on unsuspecting victims; the victims did not know their killers. Compulsive yet uncomfortable reading.

Bottom line: fine true crime reading enjoyment. Recommended.

I always enjoy Ann Rule's books, and this one was no exception. The main story was a real page turner. I could not put the book down. Ann did an incredible job of making me feel I knew all of the characters, even the victims. My heart ached for these young single mothers who were victimized by Randy Roth. I cannot imagine a more cruel human being than one who intentionally orphans little children, merely for money. The book goes into great detail about how the detectives finally caught and convicted this monster. I strongly recommend this book to any true-crime fan.

This book was totally addictive reading, I have read hundreds of true crime books and this is in the top ten of mine, I'm definitely an Ann Rule fan now, Ann describes the characters very well without droning on like some true crime writers, from the detectives involved to the victims relatives, you feel you kind of know them a bit, and really feel empathy for the victims and their rellies, aswell as wanting to say "well done!" when the detectives finally nab the weirdo.

This book was rated for ages 4-8 & reviewed so well by parents for their young children, I eagerly looked forward to giving it to my grandchild for her birthday. Since reading the book, I've changed my mind. The first half of the book is, simply, wonderful. The second half, which deals with Frank's brain falling out of his head, an eyeball popping out of place and an arm becoming detached from the torso, gave me pause. Is this really appropriate for the young child, no matter how wonderful the concept and illustrations are? I asked one of my grown sons and his wife to review it and they, too, loved the first part, but felt it inappropriate for the younger set; however, I think this would be a fun book for ages 7-8.

Be sure and read this book before you give it to a young child.

My mother is a Kindergarten Teacher and I know she is always looking for stories to read to her class as a treat, especially around the holidays. Well, when I came across this book, I could not resist in purchasing it immediately. The story is very cute. Frank is a "monster" who watches Soul Train and wants to dance. He puts ants in his pants and heads out to the local theater. It is not at all scary and the pictures are very well done. I love children's books that are colorful and have pictures that bring the story to life.

I really recommend this story for Halloween. I know that it will become an instant classic!!

This book is wonderful--a new favorite for my 4 year old triplets! They have memorized the rhyme and we sing it in the car. It is the kind of book that your children will want to read over and over again because of its silliness and rhyme!

To some romance readers Jane Graves might be better known for her Harlequin titles under the name of Jane Sullivan. I GOT YOU, BABE is her first single title release and it is a very sexy, witty and funny debut.

On the run from the police and one mean bounty hunter, stuck with a broken down car, no money and no spare clothes, Renee Esterhaus needs to hitch a ride. And what better way to do it in the middle of Texas than offering a country hick a long and hot night of mind-blowing sex; too bad that the guy is John DeMarco, not a farmer, but a tough and edgy cop on a forced vacation.

I GOT YOU, BABE is a fast paced story laced with constant action and sparkling dialogue. It had me in giggles from the first page and groaning in embarrassment more than once. Minor characters add, in their over the top mannerisms and stereotypical behaviour, more than enough comic flavour. They might not be deep but definitely very entertaining.

I really loved this book. I loved it for its not'so-perfect heroine, for a hero that is trying so very hard to appear tough only to fail when around his chosen lady and for a sexual tension that is not just based on good looks but on trust

This is one author I will be watching out for and so should you!

I'm so surprised, but I ended up loving this book. This book was actually recommended to me by Amazon.com (you know, that thing that pops up and tells you that "if you are ordering X book, you may like Y book?) when I ordered a Jennifer Crusie book. I took a chance and ordered this novel by Jane Graves. Once I read the cover and scanned a few pages - I wasn't so sure. I'm glad I went ahead and read the book right off and didn't wait - it turned out to be a clever, fast-paced, and well written contemporary romance. You do have to suspend reality to accept the entire premise - realistically, I don't think John would have ever gotten himself involved with someone like Renee (or, at least Renee as she presented herself to him in that diner) but once you accept that fairy tale, the book just takes off. The characters are well written and the relationship between John and Renee is breathtaking - but rings true. John's family is very funny and adds a lot to the story - and that's where my problem is. I'm mad. Know why? Graves includes a sneak at her next book (not due out until Fall 2002!). In this one, she's apparently taking on John's older brother Alex, and I can't wait. I think I would have taken on brother Dave first - I can't imagine how we're going to come to love hot-headed, by-the-book-cop Alex! I hope we do get to meet all the clan one by one (sister Sandy too!!). Well done Ms. Graves!

I was surprised I liked this book so much, because the cover is a cartoon and I was like, 'ugh, I dont know, but it sounds good', boy am I glad I read it and not judged a book by its cover! The male lead was perfect! Sexy and smart and sensitive. The ONLY two complaints I have with this book is the female lead(the fugitive) is kinda clingy and expects miracles out of John (the cop-male lead) but the plot made up for this flaw. The other complaint I had was that the chase between the crazy bounty hunter and Renee (female lead and the fugitive) ended too quickly and that the cabin scenes weren't enough. Other than that, it was great! Action, chase scenes and romance....ahhhh....was all perfect. John's family was wacky and fun and I am excited to read Ms. Graves next book about John's brother Alex. The bounty hunter was one of my favorites and added tons of humor to the story. Lots of funny scenes and humorous situations to make you laugh out loud. Especially the McDonald's scene...I will leave it to the imagination, or until you read it for yourself. Just remember...the drive-through and a fugitive and a cell phone....he he he he....

~Renee Esterhaus is on the run for a robbery she didn't commit. Now she is stuck in the middle of a small town in Texas with no money and a broken car and a crazy bounty hunter hot on her trail. With no more ideas and nothing left to do, she pulls together a scewy plan to save her hide. She will proposition the first guy she sees for one night of incredible sex in exchange for a ride out of town. The handsome man she finds sitting at the small coffee shop in 'hillbilly' Texas turns out to be a cop with a steel pair of handcuffs and no patience for criminals! This could only happen to her!

John DeMarco is on a much needed rest from his job as a detective in the piney woods where he is using the cabin his boss has given him to use to think. What he doesn't expect to encounter is a beautiful woman with a tempting proposal that he quickly learns was a way to trick him into getting her out of 'Dodge'! Besides the crazy bounty hunter that is after her and the story she tells him, he can't help but think she is innocent. Now, how to prove it? John is about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life in order to prove to himself that Renee or Alice, as she is calling herself, is the angel she appears to be. But with what price? Harboring is a felony...but is love? Is she who she claims to be? Or some con artist who has perfected the art of lying so much that she can hide it in her eyes...

Well worth the money! A keeper! Encore Ms. Graves!

Tracy Talley~@

This is truly a wonderful book. I notice it is being reprinted in Spanish, but not in English. Publishers take note and bring this charming book back!

Wish this book would be reprinted! I can't believe it's no longer available. Anything with illustrations by Maurice Sendak is great. It is suspenseful, with sly humor. I read it to many classrooms and kids loved it. Bring it back.

I had this as a child and I have looked for years to find a copy to give my niece and nephews. I know they are big readers and I wanted them to have the same experience I had with this book. It is one of the fondest memories of my childhood and I will not give up the hope of finding a copy.

I just want to "echo" the reviews of Beyond the Grave found here on Amazon. I was about to get Shenkman's book, but then I read an Amazon review of his book which said to forget the Shenkman book and get the Condon book. Very readable, practical and, if you can believe it, funny! Condon really knows how to get the information across to us regular people. I don't know how the Condon book compares to other inheritance books, but do yourself a favor and start with the Condon book.

I have been looking for a book like this for a while and stumbled across it in the public library. I read it cover to cover in a couple of hours. Easy to read, yet so full of practical info you will be dog-earing each page. I am in my late thirties and have learned so much that I plan to give this book to my parents. The real life scenarios make you think. You'll get wonderful ideas as to how to structure your own inheritance plan and how to approach your parents and help them get the information they need.

I recently bought the book "Beyond the Grave" just after my second parent passed away and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to read about such a morbid subject. I only wish my parents would have taken the advice from the Condons and had left their inheritance equally to me and my 5 siblings so that no feelings would have been hurt when distributing items listed in the family trust. I highly recommend parents of all ages to read this book and use it as a guideline for their living trust.

I consider myself a connosieur of the classics, so when I heard of an ancient novel concerned with sex, illicit sex, and illicit donkey sex, I decided to take a closer look.

And I'm glad that I did. At the back end of the classical Western literary tradition of silliness, which includes such hallowed humorists as Chaucer, Bocaccio, Rabelais, Cervantes, and, in its divine form, Shakespeare, we find the one tale that may have excited them all--Lucius Apuleius's Golden Ass.

The Golden Ass is filled with adventure, suspense, humor, and nonsense. I had a grin on my face most of the way through, and I got the feeling that the author did too. Tip o' the hat to Robert Graves for delivering an authentic translation that brings us Apuleius in his bawdy best.

The only thing I found occasionally irritating was that, like Cervantes, Apuleius has a tendency to digress. Big time. He inserts the entire myth of Cupid and Psyche right into the middle of the narrative, for example. Does this add to the mythological message of the whole? Probably, but it subtracts from the fantastic flow of the story. My urgent plea to Apuleius, were he alive today, would be, "Stick to the ass!"

There are a number of reasons that traditionally bring people to this book: to study Classical Rome, classic literature, mythology, psychology... maybe you're curious about the intimate lives of donkeys. Whatever has brought you to this novel, now that you're going to read it, perhaps the best thing to do is to take the advice of the author himself, who says, "Read on and enjoy yourself!"

I thought only cats were supposed to have nine lives, but this donkey has at least that many. This book is great fun, I couldn't put it down for too long, and it is incredible that something written so long ago (18 centuries?) can be so accessible, captivating, and hilarious to a modern reader. The events in The Golden Ass resemble the ribald, bawdy exuberance of the Decameron, and no doubt Boccaccio was somewhat inspired by the writings of Apuleius. According to the introduction, the adjective "golden" in the title implies "the ass par excellence" or "the best of all stories about an ass." The story follows the misadventures of Lucius, an enterprising young man who gets far too close to the world of magic, is transformed into a donkey and is constantly thwarted in his attempt to procure the antidote to his assness. It's human mind trapped in donkey bawdy! Totally imaginative, classically written, hilarious fun. As a writer, Apuleius was MILLENNIUMS ahead of his time! (Note: my review is based on the Robert Graves translation, rather than the William Adlington).

I read The Golden Ass for a Classic art course I took while at university I loved it! It is fun, entertaining and comical- not your typical dry Roman read. It is a great story and a great look into history.I highly recommend this tale to anyone who not wants to laugh but is interested in an important text from antiquity.

When I read the first book in her Benjamin January series, I thought the great descriptions and information about New Orleans in the 1830s made up for what I considered plot defects. Well, the descriptions are still great, and I see no plot defects now!! Each book has just gotten better. Usually, a series gets a little tired after this many books, but not so with these. I am not going to go into an analysis of the plot, which can be gotten better elsewhere. I would simply recommend this book. My biggest fear is that now that several romantic threads are tied up, Hambly may end the series. Please, no!! And while I love Benjamin, I wouldn't mind learning more about Hannibal Sefton, Abishag Shaw, or even to see a mystery from Benjamin's voodoo queen sister's point of view. That might be a lot of fun, too!! At any rate, if you want a fun read, check out this series! But start with the first book and read them all!

I have been reading this series faithfully. I believe this one, so full of all the regular characters (save one), once more saturated in the New Orleans culture of the early nineteenth century, is the finest effort Ms. Hambly has come up with. I too enjoyed that Lt. Shaw, in all his crude glory, was featured, with a hint that there's more to this man (a tragic love affair?). Like Anne Perry, Barbara Hambly writes about another era with such skill that one can almost believe that he or she is there--smell the fetid swamps, feel the moist heat... The excitement of the final scenes kept me riveted. I wanted to make this book "last," but I could not! I look forward avidly for the next installment.

I haven't been reading much since 9/11, I was right across the street, but when I saw the new Ben January book was out, I knew I'd be reading again.
And it was like finding an oasis after being lost in the desert. We're back with Ben, Rose, Abishag Shaw, and the city of New Orleans in the 1830's, with all the caste, class and racial striations on full view. It still amazes me how Ms Hambly gets inside of her characters, black and white, and everything in betweeen, presenting her reader with people you feel like you know. Chloe St Chinian was the most surprising character for me, after Rose Vitrac's metamorphosis of course. I missed Hannibal, and I like Shaw so much, filth and all. I just see Johnny Depp playing him, don't know why.And Dominique has become one of my faves, after Olympe and Ben of course. I even like Livia, their repressed and vicious mother. Contrast her with Hesione, and you see a "there but for the grace of God" situation.
I enjoyed it immensely, even the somewhat contrived happy ending for all concerned.
When is book seven coming out?

Wow, was I ever surprised as all heck when this novel ended up being one of the greatest I've ever read. Not having too much background on Roman history, my preliminary thought was that I would be turned off after reading the first fifty pages. However, that thought was soon contradicted, and I found myself staying up an extra half hour every night just to see the following events.

I, Claudius is, without a doubt, a masterpiece in historical fiction. Much like Lonesome Dove, it made me more open-minded towards different types of literature. It has its own intellecutal wit, superfluous yet absorbing description, and a great storyline. Graves does a superb job at expressing the bad people surrounding Claudius (Livia, Tiberius, Caligula) and the good (Postumus, Augustus, Germanicus). I'm sure this wasn't an easy novel for Graves to write and it's an example of extreme determination and research.

Those reasons can be accountable for it being considered one of the greatest American novels of all time. However, there are certain aspects about it that some overlook. Take the character of Claudius. Though the customs and culture of Ancient Rome are far different than that of late 90's America, the position of Claudius is not. He is an outcast. People look towards him with disgust and make fun of his disabilities. He is barely given any chances and does not exactly have the greatest family life. Yet in the end, he does prevail as Emperor, even though he does not want to be. Let a teenager with tolerance and time read this novel, and most likely they will see how Claudius can relate to many others nowadays. Claudius, I believe, is one of the most dignified and respectable characters in literature. In spite of the harsh criticism, he remains resolute and loyal.

I guess that's it. So I end with saying that this novel is a sure pleaser. HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I still have yet to read CLAUDIUS THE GOD.

There isn't a single negative comment that can be raised against Robert Graves' magnum opus, the "I, Claudius" series. The work is sublime, transcendent, spectacularly well-written...and always engaging. Every page is dripping with humor and intrigue, kings and pretenders, savages and aesthetes. This is the quintessential work by an amazing classicist, scholar and man.

"I, Claudius" recounts Imperial Rome (from Augustus to Nero) from the perspective of a stuttering, half-lamed, studied dim-wit, the Emperor Claudius. Using Suetonius and Tacitus as his main sources, Graves constructs a marvelous narrative of the precocious and turbulent time that was Rome's imperial birth, childhood and adolescence. Certainly, Octavian (later Augustus) was the father of Imperial Rome, but it is with plots and debauches of subsequent rulers that Graves' story really comes alive.

At the close of the first book, we're presented with the death of the completely deranged, self-styled god, Caligula, and the rise to power, as long prophesied, of Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus (Claudius), the "fool" of the ancient Claudian family, the stammerer...and, at long last, the Emperor of Rome!

Reading Tacitus and Suetonius, it's easy to see why Graves would be inspired to fictionalize such a history. The pages...these so-called histories read like tabloid sensations, military annals and superstitious prayer books all rolled into one. Graves does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of one of the most famous periods in Western history.

Livy, Tacitus, Suetonius, Pollio: eat your heart out. Graves wins the day!

The book was given to me by my sister, who's just secured her M.A. in art history. She raved about the book and I honestly was not interested in reading it. However, this season's Hollywood release of GLADIATOR motivated me into understanding the machinations of Roman Imperial life. I read the book in three sittings! Absolutely amazing; the clevely written anecdotes thunder through today's "not-so-advanced" society.

The three mediums of film (GLADIATOR), TV and printed text collide into an zeitgeist epiphany: after reading this masterfully crafted tome, we may analyze the recent pop culture phenomenon, CBS' SURVIVOR, as "more of the same" in human nature. Humans adore intrigue, scheming and interpersonal conflict.

Robert Graves' sequel, CLAUDIUS THE GOD, will likely be devoured with equal literary relish.

This book would also serve as a colourful source for students of history, politics, psychology and anthropology.