40 Acres and No Mule by Janice Holt Giles was book about life in Kentucky. It told of the hardships and the good times and how everything always worked out. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about KY or living in a rural southern area.

I loved this book because it took me on a journey to a part of the United States that is not known to most readers. And to a time that is not today. And to know people who are unlike any neighbors I have ever had.
I really enjoyed learning the landscape and the problems and the social activities of mountain people. Someone who lives in an urban area (or the suburbs of an urban area) may feel superior to these characters, feel privileged compared to such country types but I really admired many of the people for coping so well with their circumstances. Many seem heroic, even.
I'd like to say Thank You to this author!

You will enjoy reading this.

I did.

Reading about love in an historical setting can be romantic init's own right, but when you add a little cupid romance it becomesmagical. The authors in BE MY VALENTINE present the readers with history, romance, passion and the blessings of love. I enjoyed the talents of all three authors even though I did feel the intimacy of the characters were too sudden and detailed for such inexperienced, young ladies in the times the authors are writing in, but hey that's romance!

Cupid's Arrow by Constance Hall (Cornwall, England - 1802) I found the opening in Cupid's Arrow cute, a great entrance into a sweet short story. Fitz and Brooke have an interest in each other, but commitments and consequences with those in their families is most likely to keep them apart...until two little cupids step in, that is.

Meg's Secret Admirer by Cheryl Holt (London, England - Popular Society) This has a heroine who will pull at your heartstrings and a hero who will most likely at some point aggravate you, and then win you over. In this one Meg creates her own secret admirer, but faces some unusual circumstances when she is found out. The gift giving and parties create a Valentine atmosphere.

One Special Night by Jackie Stephens (Blue Plains, TX - 1849) I appreciate it when an author successfully creates that early Texas atmosphere, and Ms. Stephens is very good at it. Her characters were touching, and her town was realistic. Two kinds souls ache to reach out, but their past and present circumstances and others around them continue to stand in the way. Let's hope the Valentine dance is the answer to Doc and Cara's need to find an eternal love.

My novella, "Meg's Secret Admirer", which is the middle story in this great Valentine's Day anthology, was selected as the "Best Novella of 2000" by the National Readers' Choice Awards. It's great, and I hope you'll check it out.

Anthologies are usually a risk to buy because it is rare to like all of the stories. But with this book there is no risk; all three of the stories were excellent.

"Cupid's Arrow" by Constance Hall is about a very proud young woman whose family is experiencing financial problems. So she reluctantly decides to rob a carriage not knowing that it is the new magistrate (someone she has always had a crush on).

"Meg's Secret Admirer" by Cheryl Holt is about an emotionally abused woman who finally gets to have a little excitement. It started as a game, and became a wonderful tale of true love.

"One Special Night" by Jackie Stephens is a sweet love story. It is so easy to fall in love with the hero. These were two people destined to be together.

So if you are someone who likes to root for the underdog, you will love these three stories.

The book is of course too long, and there are stretches where it is dull, but there are many stretches herein with considerable interest. The Cloister and the Hearth, to which it has been compared, is a much better book. The same is true of The Three Musketeers. But the first part of the book is quite good, and the historical part involving Napoleon has its moments. But in general when Anthony gets to the USA the book becomes of less interest. The ending is long drawn out, and one reads just to see how it will come out. Hard to believe the book was the no. 1 bestseller in fiction in both 1933 and 1934. I wonder if anyone has ever read it twice. I certainly won't.

When I was an early teenager, I went on a reading binge, and intentionally sought out very long books to read (I guess I saw them as challenges). I found many good books this way ("The Count of Monte Cristo", "Doctor Doolittle", "Gulliver's Travels"), as well as some clunkers. The treasures I found were generally well-known classics, but "Anthony Adverse" was one of the little-known treasures I stumbled upon. This is the fictional biography of a boy who grows up poor and nearly homeless at times, and ends up a complicated, mostly successful man. Along the way, he faces many challenges and many issues common to adolescents, even though the story takes place long ago. The writing is highly detailed, giving the reader the sense of having been to the places described and having actually known the characters. It's the same sense that one gets from seeing a very good film: a visual memory is created of the people and places. This book is not for everyone, but is an excellent one for introspective adults and bright teenagers. Patience is required, though, as it is long.

I was surprised that I had never heard of Hervey Allen before. An historical novel based around 1800, the book starts off in an old-fashioned, almost clichetic episode of intrigue. It develops into a fascinating character-glass of Anthony and those he meets. The point-of-view on topics from slavery to colonialism, cronyism to Bonaparte, the meaning-of-life to our perception of the purer souls amongst us, are all eye-opening, believable and told with a truly refreshing candour. Some passages, indeed, must have been very controversial at its 1933 publication date, when, according to the fly-cover, it sold over 1m copies! It is a huge book, not just by its length, but by its surreptitious dipping into a marvelously connected string of souls, purposes, lives and interactions in such a readable, even gripping, story.

I am taking German in high school and have been using this book since Deutsch Eins. It is very detailed and easy to understand. The wortschatz (vocabulary) at the end of each chapter is a great way to learn new words. The content is broken up into interesting situations and is kept together making it easy to remember. Grammatik (grammar) boxes make it even easier to understand the german language. You also have Landeskunde (culture) pages that tell you about the people and the culture of Germany. The pictures are a little old, but it is the content that is important. In addition to a good teacher, this book is very helpful in teaching me German.

The Holt books for any particular language, not only German, are exceptional. I learned more German with this book in a year than I have ever before.

This book, published about ten years ago, has an exceptional course guideline and is very easy to follow. Of all the other language books that I have used, in German, Spanish, and French, the Holt Series is by far the best.

If you like Victoria Holt novels then you will enjoy this one although it is not one of her very best. The story is a little weak and follows a formula that was common especially to early Victoria Holt novels. The heroine marries for money and an estate, behavior which she eschews in others but is okay for her since she is in love with the landed hero. There are big country houses and a dark mine shaft suitable for someone to throw the heroine or one of the other female characters into.

My mother bought me my first Victoria Holt novel, "Bride of Pendorric," when I was in about seventh grade. I read "Landower Legacy" a few years later and enjoyed it much more than any of her other novels. I loved the character Caroline Tressidor. She is strong willed, independent, and right from the beginning of the story it is easy to see that she differs in EXTREME ways from her sister Olivia. She is not one to be taken advantage of, although she did make one mistake concerning a young gentleman early in her life...When she goes to visit her aunt as a young child, she encounters the Landower brothers who live nearby. She is very taken with Paul, although at 13 years old cannot do anything about it. Four years later when she returns to see her aunt, she again encounters Paul and this time she is old enough for something to come of it. Paul Landower is a man of mystery; he is an enigma. The tension between the two is what kept me turning the pages, both very attracted to one another and forced to stay apart...The secret concerning Caroline's past and the mystery that shrouds Paul make the novel exciting and suspenseful. Did Paul commit murder? You'll have to read to find out. Look for it at the library, it's definatly worth your time.

This is the second Holt novel I ever read, and next to Mistress Of Mellyn and King of the Castle, it's right up there as one of the best. Victorial Holt's writing is so thought out and well written, you almost hear her voice. After every one of her books, I feel as if I just watched a movie, her characters take such form and her descriptions are so vivid. What can I say, close your eyes and pick anyone of her novels, you can't be disappointed.

I've read about a dozen or so soldier memoirs/diary accounts, and this one ranks as one of the poorest. I find most of these have a generic nature to them - seems like if you've read one, you've read them all! Mr. Holt wrote this in his latter years, so Goodness knows how the years have treated his memory of things, although a fine editing job by Cockrell and Ballard keep things on the straight and narrow. Much of the memoirs involve Holt's escapades that have little to do with the war effort. Lot of it reads like a Mark Twain tale, with Holt often relating some of the hijinks and sit-com like situations he experienced as a soldier.

Holt really conveys the attitudes, feelings, deep convictions, and courage displayed by those who fought in the war. (Not only on the Rebel side, but also on the Yankee side.) He also goes into some of the other reasons besides slavery, that caused the South to secede. Very well written and extremely interesting. It makes you feel as if you're right beside Holt following him as they go down in history. Also shows how life for the Confederate soldier was awfully harsh in the latter part of the war. Holt doesn't have shoes and is walking through snow along with men who are dying of starvation. Holt entertains readers by detailing what he and his group would do for fun, ie., sneaking away from camp to meet girls, etc.

I knew Holt was in the 16th Miss. Co. K. I was hoping it would mention Co. H where my relative fought, but it didn't.

Holt leaves for the war as a boy, but returns a man.

Great book. I highly recommend it.

Holt's memoirs are entertaining as well as informative. This book becomes hard to put down as you read. Very good details of life in the Army of Northern Virginia. He gives the "personal" side of the war so often left out by other memoirs. Reading this book was like having Holt tell you the story himself. Excellent.

I am a devoted fan of Johanna Lindsey and was looking for a writer with her style. I believe I have found this with Cheryl Holt. Her characters are a combination of fire and tenderness. A really nice read.

Excellent story. Cheryl Holt's characters are so real you wish there was a series of books about their lives. Loved it!

Cheryl Holt not only knows what we like but she enlightens us to love those who are lovable. Bravo Cheryl!!! Jane is my hero. She is strong, compassionate, intelligent, beautiful and not afraid to give her passion to a man. I am so tired of reading about woman who run away and try to escape what they are feeling. Blah, Blah, Blah!!! Phillip is such a jerk that you can't help but feel sorry for him. Like I always say,"beside a weak man is a strong woman". This story proves it. The ending was so good I couldn't help but cry with tears of joy and love for Emily. If you want to read a really touching story please buy this book. You will want to keep it as I've done to read over and over again. Thank You Cheryl for a truly beautiful story. Please Please give us Emily's story....

Lenore lives and grows up in the house of the Sallongers along with her grandmother whom is very skilled at dressmaking. The Sallongers have had a long time feud with an extended part of their family, the St. Allengeres, about which of the families is the best in the silk making business. When Lenore marries one of the Sallonger sons a mysterious chain of events unfolds involving seduction, greed, murder and revenge. I have only started reading Victoria Holt's books and I am hooked. She is an excellent mystery-romance writer and am determined to read all of her books. I highly recommend her books, especially for those romantics out there.

This was the first Victoria Holt book that I read and I have reread many times since then. Her main characters are very beilvable and I didn't expect the ending at all.

this was the 9th victoia holt i read and i loved it! It combines romance and suspence.

While the info in this book seems sound it is a great shame that the book design takes so much pleasure away from reading it.

With too-small margins (no space to write your own notes), a chunky font, few photos or drawings, and no quotes or side bars to provide visual relief, reading through it was a chore.

I hope for a future edition that addresses these problems.

Half-marathoners will get everything they need from David Holt's newest book. Great starter program to move from 20 to 35 or more miles per week and your first half marathon; 10 to 20 weeks or more programs to become faster at all levels...all levels of both mileage and ability.
The pace tables show you the speeds to train at to reach your full potential and to avoid overtraining. The 40 pages of cross training insights will keep you healthy and running for years.
Great book, great motivation, beautifully organized and researched.

Best Half-marathons will take you to your first 5K and then to your first half-marathon, but gently with small increases in training.
He believes in no aches and no pain to avoid injuries and to keep your motivation yet you will:
Run up-hills, but starting with just a few easy repeats up gentle slopes;
Run at all paces which the half-marathon world record holder trains at...but at your speed, with the same heartrate intensity which the world record holder runs, and starting with a half mile and increasing gradually.
Holt includes motivation tips, stretching, weight and aerobic cross-training and how to peak for faster half-marathons.
Excellent and easy to read with training programs for everyone from jogger to experienced runners at 25 to 60 plus miles per week.

I was a bit unsure about the book before I read it, seeing as Jean Plaidy usually writes about specific historical persons and not general history, and I like her other books. After reading the first chapters though it was as absorbing as all the others. The story is about three generations of women. It tells you about London and Australia and how life was then.

Having read all of Victoria Holt's novels, I moved onto her other books written under other names. I had started other Jean Plaidys, but found them boring, but Beyond the Blue Mountains is excellent. The only thing I did not enjoy was the portrayal of Kitty in her daughter Carolan's section of the novel. Also, not enought time was actually spent in Australia to warrant the title of the book. The Australian part is by far the best in the book.

I'm only sixteen and I read this book age eleven, but even I can see how good it is. It shows us the cruelty and evil that existed in the Georgian era and the horros of transportation. The heroine Carolan is engaging and it's heart breaking to see her changed by her experiences - she goes from well-meaning girl to hardened woman. The good thing about this is that it is shown belivably. Every facet of this story counts, so it merits much rereading.