a book that only made me want to read more! on to read West with the Night and other Kenyan stories.

So I was a 12 year old tom boy looking for a hero and stumbled upon this bio. What Luck! I honestly can't remember reading of a person more adept at living, more intrinsically intersting and eccletic than Beryl Markham. Those looking for a quick fix can look at it like a story somewhere between Annie Oakley and a Barbra Stanwyk character. I'm 23 now and she's still a hero of mine. PS read West with Night before you order this.

I found Tomahawk Brown to be a sensitive, exciting novel that seriously needed editing: the many typos detracted from my reading of the book.

The title to Gene Lovell's novel Tomahawk Brown is deliberately misleading. Decline Into Madness would have been a more accurate title. The central figure, Frank Hallowell, is a former CIA spy whose questionable grip on reality is seriously shaken when he learns he has an illegitimate son, the product of a one-night stand from twenty some years ago. As Frank confronts his new son, problems arise with his family. His wife, daughter and son don't take too well to the idea that Frank has another child, and to make matters worse, the child is a half-breed.

What follows is a series of bizarre and intriguing events that take Frank Hallowell to places he never thought he would go and force him to feel things he never wanted to feel. The rock-like facade he has created over the years as a CIA agent does not work so well for him anymore. The appearance of his new son, a young man named Tomahawk Brown, and Tomahawk's mother and her friend complicates what had seemed a nice normal family. A disturbing series of events ensues with Frank eventually falling from the Rock he has always been to a tragic hero of sorts, the victim of a life of abuse and questionable mental stability.

The last third of this novel is especially fast-paced excitement. As one who hates a predictable plot, I was quite pleased by the unpredictability of this novel. One never quite knows what Frank will do next and when one thinks he has him figured out, Lovell surprises the reader with the unexpected.

I kept wondering why anyone would want to read a biography of any one of these women. Together, they make an interesting family. However, Sydney, the mother, is the best Mitford by far.
Through all her children's wild political workings, living with
her husband's gruff demeanor, and living through her son's death in the war, she sails gracefully on, always there for her children and having a few wild politics of her own. I did feel that I knew each one of them so I'll give the author that.

Mary S. Lovell made a wise decision when she took up her pen and joined the Mitford industry. The Sisters (The Saga of the Mitford Family) is a truly fascinating and endlessly engaging book. And there was no way it could not be with those crazy Mitfords: Nancy, Jessica, Debo, Diana, Pam and, of course, the very tragic Unity Valkyrie, conceived at Swastika Canada and devoted friend of Hitler. The story of these sisters spans the twentienth century and travels all over the political spectrum. The author shows her own conservative bias clearly throughout and was obviousaly charmed by Diana Mosely (nee Mitford), the still living wife of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascists during the interwar years. But her prejudices and political naivete (the author's suggestion that World War II could possibly have been avoided if Diana just brought Hitler and Churchill, a relative of hers, together is quite silly and should have been edited out) are so apparent that one can enjoy the book regardless. The portrayal of the mother of the girls, Sydney, is the most interesting to come along of her. A wonderful, delightful read of six powerfully individual women.

As skeptical as I was about how interesting a book about six British sisters of another era could be I am glad to say I was delighted in being wrong. Mary Lovell has made another time come to life in this multibiographical tome which chronicles the lives of what certainly must have been one of the most fascinating (and often most reviled) families in British history.
As entertaining as the book is as a general read it also adds some dimension to the understanding historically of the time and the social and political upheavals then in existence. These girls may have been misguided, naive and sometimes just plain stupid but they certainly weren't boring.

Although this is a highly detailed chronology of Burton's life and writings, it can hardly be called a critical biography. There is little real discussion of Burton's writings; each publication is merely mentioned. Over a hundred years after his death, Burton still has an impressive number of works in print, but to get a sense of his style you'll have to read him, not Lovell. One of the main focuses of the book, as the title implies, is to rehabiliatate Isabel's reputation, which fell into tatters shortly after Burton's death when she was accused of burning important papers, and admitted to burning both of the manuscripts of what was his last major work, The Scented Garden, ostensibly because it discussed homosexuality. Although Lovell tries mightily, she fails to improve Isabel's image--to me at least--beyond that of a woman who determined, correctly, that marriage to Burton would faciliate an active and interesting life for her, who was somewhat obsessive about her husband, and who guarded his memory like a junkyard dog. Still, an interesting read, because his was an interesting life.

Mary Lovell's book about the life of Richard and Isabel Burton is a rather hefty tome which brings an interesting aspect to the fascinating life of one of the most interesting characters of the 19th Century - Captain, Sir Richard Francis Burton. Namely the interaction between Richard and his "adoring" wife, Isabel, which previous biographers have overlooked, or only mentioned in passing. According to Ms. Lovell, she managed to uncover new aspects of Richard's and Isabel's life together from previously unknown manuscripts and journals long thought destroyed. The result is a complete and thorough rendering of his life and Isabel's influence on it during their marriage and even beyond. One cannot help but admire Richard Burton, his accomplishments - he spoke 29 languages and 12 dialects fluently - his literary, scientific, ethnological, geographical, and sexual observations of those societies he happened to come into contact with. Ms. Lovell does an admirable job with a mountain of research, prodigious footnotes and exhaustive quotations. She weaves a excellent story of this enigmatic character and the woman who ministered to him till his death in 1890. My only frustration with the book came with all of the myriad quotations interspersed throughout the story. I found these oftentimes lengthy extracts interfering with the flow of the narrative. For someone not familar with the Burton's, a better introduction would be Fawn Brodie's, "The Devil Drives." It is a much easier read, although not as complete as Ms. Lovell's well constructed publication. Aloha!

I have very much enjoyed Lovell's previous biographys (on Jane Digby and on the Mitford family) firstly because she goes all out to uncover new material, secondly because of her meticulous detailing of all sources - especially when going against the traditional view of previous writers, and lastly because I think she makes her subjects real and therefore an incredibly good read. She certainly does that with the Burtons - necessarily so because both Isabel and Richard Burton led full and active lives (it seems almost to be underselling the incredibly contributions they made to Victorian society) and the 700 odd pages which Lovell uses to talk about them barely seems enough.

Having read the other reader reviews on this book I was struck by one person opining that there wasn't enough discussion on Burton's books in here. I would say that there is enough. This is a biography and it covers an awful lot of ground. Each of Burton's books was about his travel, and each trip is minutely detailed in which Lovell uses not just his books, but his notes, his letters, and other sources to track not just his trips, but the dynamics of his relationships with others. I also think it is fair to say that Lovell has talked about the impact his books made on society - certainly many of his books are still in print and in some cases are still used as text books in modern Eastern study as they are still considered relevant.

Both the Burton's come alive under Lovell's pen. Isabel's intense love for Burton - and his for her. Lovell is careful in discussing each of Burton's controversies in life such as his falling out with Speke, and his inability to seem to get on with other men (Rigby, Playfair, the Ambassador while as Consul in Damascus and so on). Again these petty political battles are carefully detailed and the entire growth of each situation shown. Lovell demonstrates how many of Burton's strengths were also his greatest failings. He had a huge intellect, great intellegence but little patience and diplomacy to follow his calling in the Foreign Office. His energy was generally spent on his exploring in which he was ably supported and often accompanied by his wife, Isabel. Certainly with as many enemies as Burton managed to make, coupled with his ironic sense of humour he managed to leave behind a mythology of a rather horrid nature what he did and didn't do. He was fond of telling self-deprecating stories to people - at the expense of his reputation. Lovell has sifted through these rumours and misinformation to find the real man and his exploits underneath. These are no less amazing only less voilent.

Burton was a scholar and a linguist of some note. While in India he learnt a number of the major dialects and would have been officially noted as the foremost scholar in the field had not professional jealousies prevented him from being credited with his last language exams. Certainly he passed top in his class in each of his exams. He opened up inner Africa for future European explorers making it possible for them to confirm the source of the Nile, he also was the first European to make the Haj as a disguised as a muslim - and these are just a few of the explorations he undertook.

I think Isabel comes off a lot better under Lovell's pen than I have read about her before. She has also suffered a great deal of bad press in the past - again her own deeds are obfuscated by rumour and dislike. She was not the most likeable woman in the world, but in conclusion I did feel she was the only woman who could have matched Burton, especially in that stultifying conventional world which Victorian England limited their women to inhabiting.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a long read - hard to do with a young baby handing around - but each chapter was almost like a new story. Lovell was excellent in tying each chapter in the Burton's life together into a fresh story - a fresh outlook on the Burton's altogether a satisfying read.

I was surprised to find this book on the shelf of books recommended for high-school students at my local bookstore, but the subject intrigued me, so I decided to take a chance on it. Like all decent sex manuals, it gives good advice in many matters -- foreplay, treating one's partner with respect, and so forth, but often lacks the detail necessary for one who actually needs the advice in the first place to follow. And like most sex manuals, the people who need it the most are the ones who will be the least likely to bother with it. There is a long catalog of various names of the sex organs of both males and females which was half-amusing, half-tedious. Suffice to say that they are not all that different from the ones in use today. Also, certain idiotic misconceptions abound, which will probably not be helpful to most people -- that in order to satisfy a woman, for example, a man should be rich and have a penis roughly a foot long. Also, certain cultural assumptions are made which may strike some readers as odd, but which in fact are very telling -- for example, in the period and location when this book was written, fat women were considered very erotic. Hearing a man tall about how he adores his wife's double-chin is rather amusing (in this sense it makes a good introductory study towards ideals of beauty as one finds in Wolf's "The Beauty Myth"), and lets one see that contemporary idea of beauty are not by any means universal. Another interesting aspect of the book was the notion that sex is an important and decent part of one's life as it is given one by god. The author was obviously Islamic and this shows over and over again, but unlike in Christian writings of the same period, sex is portrayed as something beautiful to be shared as a gift from heaven and not as a "dirty secret". This is really quite refreshing -- in the west, we still suffer from this lamentable malady today. The Sheik also takes it for granted that women enjoy sex as much as men, and places a strong emphasis on female satisfaction; something that only recently has become fashionable. On the negative side, the chapters on beastiality and tribadism were left out in Burton's translation -- necessary considering the time in which he lived, but an omission which nevertheless leaves the book incomplete. As a study in cultural values, it is quite interesting, as a sex manual, it is obviously dated and could use much improvement -- modern ones are much better. Depending on what you are looking for, it may be an interesting read, but still comes across as rather dull; it won't replace the Kama Sutra anytime soon.

I came across this book at random in a book store, never having heard or seen it before, and spent some time perusing it, reading several of the chapters, so although I haven't read the whole thing, I have some idea of what's it's about. This is basically the Arabic Kama Sutra. The Cheikh obviously intended this book to be useful as a practical manual for any man in his sex life, and, considering it was written in the 16th century, it just goes to show you that not much has changed when it comes to sex. Some of the sections are downright funny, such as the chapter that begins with all the Arabic terms and descriptions for the different personalities or "types of vulvas." They are described in words such as (I forget the Arabic terms, but anyway, the definition is the funny part): "The Hungry One: this is the vulva of a woman who has not had intercourse in a long time. It will not allow you to withdraw until you have entered it again and again." Other names translate as "the great one," and "the playful one." There are other even funnier descriptions, which I don't recall right now, but anyway, this will give you some idea of what they're like. Anyway, this book is entertaining if only for some of the choicer sections such as the above.

A highly erotic, exotic and curious manuel written in the 16th century is the Perfumed Garden of the Cheikh Nefzaoui. This book was reccomended to me in the readings of Aleister Crowley on one of his many discourses on sexual magic. The purpose of the Perfumed Garden is to inform the individual of "proper" sexual practice, the wheres and whens and know-hows and know-whos. Describing all sorts of positions (and the author comments that the reader is welcome to make up their own), to the different sizes and shapes of the male and female genitals (amazon forbids me to say those dirty nasty words). In almost each instance, the author gives a story in how to seduce a woman and what to do with her once you have. When not to fornicate and what to consider once you have. The book does have a male bias, as it is written from a male point of view, and being that of the Arabian society, men were the seekers or the hunters while women were the focus. It would appear that women have less of an option in many cases, however, there is respect given to the women as they dont neccesarily have to "give it up" when a man wants her, but rather the man has to "win" her over. It is the womans job to look as beautiful as she can (personality not included). Sadly, at least, being a male I like to think it sad, that the author does give the message that any male ample enough in their virility to make a womans eyes pop out of her head and their jaws drop to their knees can win any women. Yet, the Perfumed Garden does not by any means neglect technique, which as modern day sexologists would agree is primary for any sexual compatability from both sides of the court to exist harmoniously. A good companion to the Karma Sutra, the well known Hindu Manuel of Erotology. I enjoyed the book purely for the erotica involved, which I found completely stimulating in all areas of the body. I also found it curious and practical in many ways that it can spice anyones life, as well as make one think about size; length, width and depth...and of course, their compatability.

The many photographs in the book are great. A great collection of photos covering 90 years of Police bikes. However the author assumes a lot of things that are not factual. Simple things like a motorcycle that has the radio speaker mounted on the handlebars he says "The red light is turned to the rear, which is a mystery to this author". He then identifies the famous picture of four 1920s police sidecar units in front of Ernest Cerini's Donora, Pennsylvania Harley dealership as "somewhere in West Virginia". He shows a photo of the Los Angeles Police Dept. Drill team on page 116 and again on page 117. but on page 117 he identifies them as riders in American Legion uniforms. He shows a photo of an officer wearing the early CHP uniform with what he identifies as a 1936 Indian Chief with early CHP logo on the gas tank. He then misidentifies the officer as a Los Angeles County Motor Patrol officer. The L.A.C.M.P was merged into the CHP six years earlier. These photo misidentifications are just part of the errors in the hastily prepared book
The photographs in this book are priceless. But don't put a lot of faith in the authors description of what is on them. The author really needs to do a lot more research on this subject and learn how to use spellchecker.

This is a perfect introduction to feminist theories. It covers how these theories have affected the past and allows the reader to conclude how they will affect us in the future.

FREE-LANCING: A GUIDE TO WRITING FOR MAGAZINES AND OTHER MARKETS is one of the most useful textbooks that I acquired as an undergraduate journalism student. It provides clear and understandable descriptions of types of writing (personality profiles, roundups, reviews, travel writing, etc.) as well as good tips on how to get published (marketing, querying, and submitting your work). The many sidebars give good illustrations of what to do and what NOT to do. This text is a practical and down-to-earth textbook, especially valuable for freelancers who are new to the field.

This small yet simple looking book, has taught me so many different ways to arrange various types of fresh flowers. Even my 13 year old daughter is able to make beautiful arrangements using this book. This is a great book for beginners. I hate to admit this, but my daughter's arrangements are better than mines.......

Andre Norton has a soft spot for cats, and she includes a wild cat and her two kittens in this latest venture into magical Escore. American Kelsie McBlair falls through an ancient stone gate in the Scottish Highlands while rescuing a wounded wild cat. She and the cat (who promptly gives birth to two kittens) are besieged on the other side of the Gate by a Dark Rider and a pack of skeletal hounds, almost before Kelsie realizes she is no longer in Scotland. (It will take the rest of the book to persuade her that there is no way back to her home world).

When a dying Witch bequeaths her true name and her jewel of power to Kelsie, the American finds herself compelled to take up the woman's sorcerous mission into the heart of Escore, where magic lies in "trembling balance between the forces of Light and those of the Dark."

"The Gate of the Cat" is a stand-alone fantasy in Norton's fabulous Witch World series. It takes place (roughly) after the conclusion of "Sorceress of the Witch World" and "Trey of Swords," since characters from both of those novels also play roles (or are at least mentioned) in this book. Yonan, a former border guard of Estcarp and the main narrator of "Trey of Swords," is one of Kelsie's companions on her reluctant quest. Their other companion is a rather nasty, man-hating witch who is known as Wittle. (Sometimes Norton attaches clunky names to her characters, but Wittle really is Wittle).

The magic and the narrative pace are vintage Norton, and she takes us into one of the vilest places of the Dark to be found in any of the Escore fantasies.

"The Gate of the Cat" is a must-read for Witch World fans.