This is not Bradbury's best book, but it shows exactly how strong Bradbury's controll of language is. What makes his language even more powerful is that every sentence, every word, is absolutely given to the story, merging with the strange and wonderous scenes that fill Bradbury's tribute to Halloween. If you like this book you'll love Something Wicked This Way Comes. (Hey parents, want to give your kids a love of reading, read to them from this book when they are young and give them copies of Something Wicked, Martian Chronicles, and Fahrenheit 451 when they are older).

Every year, every single October, I reread this book which my parents gave to me when I was a young child. It is lyrical and evocative of the time when we were children and thought of Halloween as magical. The streets of the town as Halloween begins, the haunted house where Moundshroud lives, the ancient rituals we are led through by Bradbury, the travel through time and history, the underlying message that death will eventually come for us all -- it is ominous yet strangely comforting to read every time. It is not like his other books, but it is a must-read for all of his fans.

I first tried to read this book when I was around the suggested reading age (about 12 years old). Now that I'm 18 I finally tuly appreciated this masterpiece. Never before have I seen the true essence of Halloween captured on paper so perfectly. Life and death, night and day, Autumn and Summer, courage and friendship, Halloween and all it's components are presented to the reader in fantastic imagery that will transport you back to those Halloween nights that we miss so much. The nights when you could taste the magic in the air. Bradbury is an artist and these 145 pages are his canvas. If you are a true fan of Halloween or want to become one this book is for you.

Perhaps the only true definitive biography of
Beatles genius, John Lennon, was his own
music, lyrics, art, interviews, idealism,
and life work itself. Ray Coleman's "Lennon",
however, is a classic work that comes in a close second;
as it remains the very best end-to-end biography and
portrait of the complex, often misunderstood, brilliant, and
legendary Beatle's leader and visionary - spanning his whole
life from child to death. Ray Coleman knew all of the Beatles
first hand as a reporter and traveled and toured with them.
His intimate knowledge is unique and extends beyond the mere
research and interviews (of other would-be biographers) to
having had direct personal experiences with John Lennon, with
the band, and with their whole entourage.
Coleman's biography reveals and explores John's great
personal lamenting and dissastifaction at the very height
of "Beatlemania" and his unprecedented success - the key to
understanding who John Lennon really was and what would
lead to the Beatles breakup and form his post-Beatle goals
and objectives. While exploring John's dispair, depression,
lows, and highs head on - the book also refreshingly explores
John's humor, warmth, charisma, loyalty, leadership,
actitivy, positive ideals, committments, and desire to be
"real" and credible - unlike various cheap, tabloid-style,
one-dimensional, ill-willed, character assassination books
that have unfortunately surfaced in the wake of his murder
seeking to trivialize (arguably) the 20th century's greatest
songwriter and one of it's most influential and inspirational
figures. For a complete examination of John Lennon's life
in-total, this excellant book, and Jon Wiener's book
"Come Together" (which focuses on John's political thought
and activism, solo career, and the U.S. government harassment
and abuse against him in detail) provide and form an
excellant and complimentary set. Other absolutely essential
reading is John's own lengthy 1980 Playboy Magazine
interviews (published in book form) that includes the most
accurately documented song authorship breakdown of the
Beatles songs and also his self analysis of his solo
music. The musical analysis of John's work provided
in "Lennon" is a little bit lacking as it focuses mostly on
just the lyrics. However, the book "BeatleSongs" rounds out
this information as does the book "Tell Me Why". But, if
you are buying only one book on either the Beatles or John
Lennon, Ray Coleman's book "Lennon" provides the best single
and substantive source of insight available into the
phenomena of Lennon and the Beatles - containing none of the
irrelevant aimless drivel of the much ballyhooed "Beatles
Anthology" book and far more substantive information.
This book is the benchmark. A must read for any fan,
Rock archivest, or musicologist.

as a big Beatles fan, i can only say that this book was the most wonderfully written one I read in a long time. John will always be with us in our thoughts, dreams, memories, and of course his MUSIC. The book revives his personal life before, during, and after his Beatle years, ending tragically on December 8th (4 days after I was born) 1980. Those great things he left with us are the reason we remember him, his fabulous art of music, and everything else about him. Ray Coleman's account is a joy for numerous fans who didn't get a chance to live in the same time period as John, and all the others who miss him miss him miss him...............

Ray Coleman's biography is terrific due to its depth. It gets longs and tedious at times, but many of the details are essential to understand such a complex man as John Lennon. Coleman being a personal friend of John also gives the reader great insight, rather than reading a book by someone who has never been acquainted with him. I believe Coleman portrays Lennon warts and all. He doesn't really shy away with faults of John, and tells about how he roughly treated Cynthia and Julian, describes how he hurt many people in his young days being inconsiderate of cripples and deformed people, and tells about how he did get involved with drugs too heavily and ignored many important things going on around him. Being personaly acquainted with Lennon, Coleman also tells about the intimate, vulnerable side of John rarely revealed during his life. The book gives an accurate representation of John as it shows many sides of such a complex man. I believe this is a true must have for beatles fans and those he want to find the truth about a great man stolen from us by some maniac.

Composed of stories originally written for 1950s pulp magazines, October Country is a transparent, insubstantial work most likely to hold the attention of teenagers, or adults seeking only very light distraction. A series of sketchy but atmospheric short tales of the macabre, most offer little challenge.

Bradbury excels at mood, and is consistently able to create one that mixes wistful reflection and nostalgia with tremulous unease; his American small towns and cities are a combination of Norman Rockwell and Edward Hopper, homey comfort and individual isolation defining the landscape hand in hand. More than any other American writer, Bradbury is capable of allowing us to see again through the eyes of our childhood memories, rather than merely providing us with a child's point of view. Bradbury's writing here is often charming and evocative, and readers will want to embrace this book. But it's also very likely that most will wish the stories were more complex and considerably less obvious.

The best pieces are those that offer elements of genuine originality, such as the magic colored glass and odd internal organs the inquisitive, determined boy discovers in 'The Man Upstairs,' or sustained plot intricacy, such as Bradbury's unique approach to the premise of faked celebrity death in 'The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone.' The tabula rasa affect the distressing contents of 'The Jar' has on the townspeople adds a bright angle to the book.

Unfortunately, Bradbury ruins more than a handful of tales by losing control of his keen aesthetic judgement at the last moment, or by hammering home an obvious point the reader has seen coming pages earlier. Beautifully conceived stories like 'Skeleton,' 'The Scythe,' 'The Crowd,' and 'The Small Assassin' simply go too far into crudity, exaggerated climax, or a seeming inability to bring the narrative to a rightfully imaginative outcome which comfortably follows his original idea. Other stories, already slight, end too ambiguously for the reader to determine the possible range of events that might have occurred. Some, like 'The Wind' have titles that tell the whole story: a man is haunted by the wind. Characterization is thin throughout; none of the stories are truly dramatic; interesting premises fall flat.

But Bradbury excels at psychological insight, such as his interesting look at hypochondria in 'Skeleton' and postpartum depression in 'The Small Assassin.' His ability to recreate the mood most of us associate with pre-1960s America and simpler days is evident throughout and much of the book's attraction.

October Country is an immature work, each story a simple elaboration of a simple idea, though a seed of brighter Bradbury works to follow. The author's 1996 introduction is wonderfully fun and informative, and artist Joseph Mugnaini's illustrations match the overall tenor of the book perfectly.

Older readers looking for more involving entertainment of a similar nature should consider collections by Algernon Blackwood or Arthur Machen.

Mr. Bradbury is truly one of the most creative, macabre, intelligent writers of this or any other century. This collection of 19 stories is a fine example of the range of Bradbury's abilities. I must admit, after the first couple stories, I wondered aloud the excellent reviews the book received. After I'd finished, however, I realized how remarkable this book is. I gave it a 9 (out of a possible 10) rating; the above graphic is actually 4.5 stars. Of the 19 stories, only one or two are veritable duds. About half are above average reading, and the remaining seven or eight are simply enchanting. Or harrowing. Or, well, touching. "Uncle Einar" is touching. By the way, here's my top five stories in "October Country," which I'd recommend to any reader wishing to enjoy a Poe-type experience: 1. The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone 2. The Scythe 3. The Wind 4. The Crowd 5. The Small Assassin

Bradbury, who had always wanted to write poetry was heartened when a collegue told him that he already was a poet, then read him some passages from Martian Chronicles. October Country,an edited version of his first collection called Dark Carnival, also shows this same promise. These are mostly tales of horror written for pulp magazines of the thirties and forties. They are frightening stories which resound with Bradbury's own unique poetic voice. These are tales that could easily have been told 'round the fire and that may be their best setting. Accompanied by Joe Mugnaini's lovely illustrations, it only leaves you wanting to know what the original edition was like. Unless you have great luck, or a large book buying budget, October Country will have to suffice.

The Ecology of a Cracker Childhood By Janisse Ray

"The Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" is a delightful book, beautifully written and filled with wisdom. Janisse Ray made me feel like a child again. What it is like to have a soul of a poet and live in a junkyard in rural Georgia with a family of fundamentalists. Her love for South Georgia's vanishing natural beauty and history is infectious. She beautifully illustrates, through the story of the long leaf pine, that in saving our ecosystem we save ourselves.

Oooooooo-eeee. I cannot tell you the number of times you will pause while reading this extraordinarily sensitive and profoundly moving life-story. Some of your pauses will feature your face wreathed in smiles, for Janisse Ray's "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" is a celebration of both place and family, and her finely-delineated family sketches and gloriously-rendered anecdotes and teeming with respect and affection for her family. Other pauses will find you, I am sure, hands on knees, weeping. For there is great pain in this book as well...the pain of a place that is gradually disappearing, the pain of understanding your place in that place, the pain of coming to grips with the flaws of your heritage.

One reviewer, Wes Jackson, said, "Janisse Ray is a role model for countless future rural writers to come." I believe that he understates Ms. Ray's importance. To tell the truth, she is a role model, plain and simple. It is my hope that this stirring memoir will vault her into our nation's consciousness and conscience. This daughter of a Cracker junkyard owner has a significant message to tell us, and her language is simply remarkable. Her verbal imagery is astounding; her precise descriptions -- of humans, flora and fauna -- are models of elegance.

I am willing to bet that there are more than a few readers who could only imagine the possible union of Ms. Ray and Rick Bragg ("All Over but the Shoutin'"). These two white Southerners have much to teach us about family, conscience, commitments and reverence of place.

"Ecology of a Cracker Childhood" will emerge as one of our century's most important works. Be glad to have read it when it first came out.

With "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood," Janisse Ray has reminded me of what it was like to grow up in South Georgia. Being from south of Hazlehurst, I know our childhood homes were less than 15 miles apart. But her junkyard near Baxley was a far different experience from my life on the farm. Still, I know what it's like to fall in love with trees and want to preserve them. And all those characters she had to put up with, I know them too -- or people much like them. Readers of Amy Blackmarr, another South Georgia writer who lives closely with nature, will love reading Janisse Ray, whose greatest thrill about the forest is "how the pine trees sing...This music cannot be heard anywhere else on the earth." Indeed, it can't.

I enjoyed "Until There Was You." However, based on previous books by Ms. Ray I was somewhat disappointed with the ending--several things were left to one's own conclusion. I was expecting a happy ending to include Catherine's ability to have children which would have really been a happy ending. Also, what happened to the vet and his newly hired assistance. Maybe there is a book waiting to tell us about their happy romance since her ex-husband is no longer a problem. Also, what about Luke's brothers and his sister. While I enjoy some suspense, I do read romance books because of the happiness that is part of any great romance. In reading several books by Ms. Ray, I have come to expect a happy solution to every problem. I have truly enjoyed reading about Daniel and his family.

I have each and every book written by Mrs. Ray. I find her style of writing exciting and real. Until There Was You is a good book. I enjoyed it, but it did not keep me tied to every word like her other books. There were times when I had to re read to keep focused on the plot or timeline. I also had a hard time taking in the overall impact of Luke and Catherine's relationship. I did like the exchange between them and the inter play of their family and friends. I especially like the way Mrs. Ray portrays loving, supportive and happily committed men who "take care of thier loved ones". All of her books have unique qualities that make them special. I look forward to reading about Morgan and can"t wait for Sierra's story! I am looking forward to her next book! Keep up the good work Mrs. Ray.

This was absolutely a wonderful story! I must add that the models on the cover that actually matched the characters was definitely a plus! I enjoyed the story so much that I have read it twice (so far)!! I can't wait to read about the other Grayson's. I love the respect they have for their mother, who is meddlesome, but loving, and obviously wants to see her children happy. This was my first book by Ms. Ray and I quickly went out and purchased her previous books.I hope we hear more from Luke and Catherine's unfinished story. Will they adopt?!! You, Ms. Ray, have found yourself a #1 Fan!! I'm anxiously awaiting the BET movie, Incognito!!

I was reading slow, I didn't want it to end. I am now looking for more books of Jeanne Ray's. I normaly only read book dating in the 1800's. I loved it

After reading several less than satisfying books this summer, I finally hit upon a winner. Step-Ball Change by Jeanne Ray is one of the most delightful books I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it to one and all. In the tradition of authors like Susan Isaacs and Elinor Lipman, Jeanne Ray approaches family life with both tears of joy and sorrow. And we as readers can't help falling in love with both her characters and writing.

Mimi and Tom McSwain have raised four children over the course of their marriage while Mimi owns and runs a dance school while Tom, a lawyer, works for the prosecutor's office in their town. During a rare and tranquil evening come almost two simultaneous phone calls. On one line comes the voice of their third born child announcing her engagement to a most eligible bachelor, while on the other line comes a sobbing phone call from Mimi's sister, Taffy, announcing that her husband has left her for a much younger woman. While their house is undergoing what was supposed to be a minor renovation, Tom and Mimi are beset by a host of problems with Ray treats with great wit and pathos. While Mimi worries if they have enough money to host a wedding of nearly 800 people, she must also contend with her sister's arrival and her poorly trained dog who bites everyone, her daughter's future mother-in-law who is busy choosing colors for bridesmaid's dresses and making appointments with a wedding party planner, her dance studio and a contractor and workmen who are now making the McSwain residence their second homes. As you can imagine this book is filled with wonderful characters and some of the funniest scenes I've read recently. Mimi who at 62 dreams of retiring although she still likes to do a step dance number or two, her husband Tom a calming influence for all who insisted that he and Mimi elope many years before, their youngest son, a law student, who also teaches at the dance school and everyone thinks is gay, Taffy, Mimi's younger sister who typifies a high maintenance woman and who also has a few dancing surprises in store for Mimi and finally George, the black man hired to build a sun porch who winds up teaching the McSwain family a thing or two about life and love.

This is the perfect book for a hot day in the summer or come of think of it at any time. If you liked Jeanne Ray's first book Julie and Romeo, you're bound to love Step-Ball Change. And let's see if you don't consider taking tap dancing lessons the way I am doing now once you've finished this book.

If this were a movie, it would be one of those wacky screwball comedies from the 30's. Some of the scenes are so funny, you find yourself laughing out loud - particularly when food is involved.

The cast of characters includes:

The husband and wife who just want to make it to retirement and a well earned quiet existence by a lake who find their lives turned upside down by ...

The sister whose husband has left her for a woman younger than their daughter who arrives for a visit (of undetermined length) with her little dog who loves to bite ankles.

The daughter who becomes engaged to a man whose mother is planning a reception for 900 ("And how many do you have on YOUR list, dear?") but who gets distracted when her ex-boyfriend (who always seems to be around - especially at meals) becomes attracted to her exotic cousin.

The contractor who is adding a Florida room on their house. Major foundation problems have come up and he also always is around - eating and giving advice.

Read it, enjoy it and share it. This book is a keeper.

Hi, everyone ! My husband and I are about to take delivery of our very first RV, and bought Your Home on Wheels through Amazon.com. It's a great book and full of useful tips and hints for newbies like us. I highly recommend it.

This was the first book and the BEST book I bought on RV life. Carol Ray writes as if she were your best friend speaking with truth and honesty.

Her advice on picking a dealer and dealing with him on your RV sat inside my head while working on my order. I wasn't afraid to ask for more, to ask for different, to ask and ask again. And I got all I asked for, got all those EXTRAS and I walked away from the table the winner.

My trailer is coming fully loaded and I'm not paying a penny more then the original asking price. My husband said not a word at the table...just listened as I went down my list of wants and needs. Which I would not have had had I not taken the time to read Ms. Ray's book not once, but twice! I found the book easy to read, so I read it again to make sure I got everything she wrote and spoke about inside me.

Ms. Ray saved me over $2000.00 in extras and because of that my life on the road will be much smoother to get used to. Thank you Ms. Ray for taking the time to share your ideas, and to do the research you did.

My wife and I have been thinking about full time rving for a long time now but had no idea as to how to get started. We found "your home on wheels" to be just the ticket we needed to enter this strange world.

The book was full of all of the information we needed to begin looking for a recreational vehicle (thank you for your help in choosing an RV dealer), what we needed to do to get started and also gave us the enthusiasm we needed to push us over the top. The stories were not just funny but a warning about what to avoid. The tips, hints and checklists will be of great value to us when we get started. And at the top of our shopping list will be plexiglass and velcro. We highly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about having this way of life.

Not only did I read the book, I recently saw the t.v. documentary on the discovery channel. I admit that in the beginning I thought that this story had the potential be quite frightening. And then, in stepped the Warren's and I pretty much tuned it out.
The Warren's also participated in the Amityville Horror and The Haunted. While I do not know much about the outcome of the family in The Haunted, I do know, as the rest of the world does, that Amityville was a hoax and the Warren's love to scare people.
I love ghosts and ghost stories but any story that the Warren's are involved in should be taken with a grain of salt (just my humble opinion). I'm thinking that had the family involved employed someone like Sylvia Browne, the outcome would have been COMPLETELY different and there would have been no talk of demonic forces.
The book is worth reading if you enjoy getting the creeps like I do but as to it's validity, I have some serious doubts.

THIS BOOK WAS VERY SCARY AND I ENJOYED IT ALOT, BUT THERE WAS ALOT OF THINGS I FOUND UNBELIEVABLE, IF YOUR HOUSE WAS HAUNTED BY A DEMON WOULDNT YOU FIND A WAY TO MOVE TO A SAFER PLACE FOR YOUR FAMILY? AND AS FAR AS THE DAD (AL) GETTING RAPED IN THE REAR BY THE DEMON WAS A BIT TO MUCH. THERE WAS A SHOW ON DISCOVERY ABOUT IT LAST NIGHT CALLED "A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT" THAY WERE CALLED THE PARKERS IN THIS SHOW BUT IT WAS DEFINATELY THE SNEDDECKER STORY ( IF THATS EVEN THERE REAL LAST NAME)
I WENT TO SEE THE HOUSE A FEW YEARS AGO AND I SPOKE TO NEIGHBORS AND THEY TOLD ME ALOT WENT ON IN THAT HOUSE WHEN IT WAS A FUNERAL HOME. BUT THEY DIDNT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE SNEDDECKERS STORY. I BELIEVE THE HOUSE WAS HAUNTED BY SOMETHING BUT IM SURE NOT TO THE EXTREME THE SNEDDECKERS SAY IT WAS.

This book, In A Dark Place, is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. It's exceptionally written, terrifying, and unsettling: just to think that such a thing could really happen to a family like the Snedekers. The most frightening thing, for me, was Stephen's transformation from a happy, normal boy into the dark, brooding, evil person he became, as he was, in essence, posessed by these demons and spirits in the house. I still wonder if he's ok now. The description in the book is so vivid, and I felt as though I was there. With the spirits in the basement, the voices that were heard, all of it. Stephen, Carmen, and the whole Snedeker family, I wish you the best of luck in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone, who, like me, is an unofficial, though truly dedicated, ghosthunter.

Simple Selling is truly the finest book I've read on selling. It's a really FAST and complete read. No one else has the flair for writing so to the point as Thomas Ray Crowel. I would recommend this book to anyone in the sales field. It will change your life!

This book is a gold mine! Everytime I go back to it, I find a few more nuggets of knowledge and wisdom. Anyone in the sales field MUST read Simple Selling. It makes success seem easy.

As a working mother in sales for over 10 years, I have read many books on sales and motivation but none compare to Simple Selling. Since reading this book I have found it to be an invaluable tool. I often find myself distracted from what is important in sales. Referring back to the principles in Simple Selling puts everything back into prospective and my sales have never been better!

This book takes an in depth look at two practices that have been hotly debated in Christianity since the Reformation: Baptismal efficacy and the Real Presence in the Eucharist. It takes the reader back to the Old Testament to establish foundations, through the Gospels to examine Jesus's teachings, and to the Pauline epistles. From there, it examines writings that as a former Protestant who has found a home in the Catholic Church I had never considered: early church fathers.

The Fathers were the immediate successors to the Apostles--they worked side-by-side with them and learned their theology from the Apostles (in the middle of the first century the New Testament as we know it did not exist, the gospel was handed down by word of mouth). These men wrote prolifically to churches all over the Roman Empire and their teachings as represented here are in lock step with one another. While not accepted as canonical (by Protestants or Catholics), their writings give us profound insight into the verbal traditions passed down from Jesus to the Apostles to their successors, and the uniformity undergirds the credibility of the Catholic position on the issues.

Exhaustively researched and thoroughly documented, Ray draws generally sound conclusions.

From a layout standpoint, I found this book to be difficult to read. Many pages have footnotes that cover 3/4ths of the page and even continue onto the next page. To skip the footnotes is to miss a substantial part of the argument but to read them along with the text is distracting at best. Considering the importance of the footnotes to the development of the arguments, a rewrite would have been in order to incorporate footnotes into the text.

Steve Ray, once a fundamentalist Baptist, and now convert to the Catholic faith has written an excellent conversion story. When Steve converted his whole family converted with him. This is the story of that conversion.

As with most conversions, Steve did a lot of soul searching. He also did a lot of research.

Part of Steve's research into the Catholic faith appears in a very readable, but comprehensive, form in this book. Aside from a conversion story, this book is also a thorough treatise on baptism and the eucharist. Steve's remarks on these topics are concise and heavily supported by scripture.

Steve also provides a wonderful commentary on how the early church fathers believed in the Catholic understanding of the Lord's Supper (Eucharist) and baptism. As Cardinal Newman, a convert from the Anglican faith, once stated, "To be deep in history is to cease to be protestant."

These words bode true for Steve Ray. Sometimes it can be a hard pill to swallow when you realize that your suppositions that the Catholic faith had engineered their position on baptism and the eucharist to conform with pagan belief and custom is utterly false and not proven true by scripture or early (i.e., 1st & 2nd century) church history. Steve does a great job of refuting these suppositions.

Steve swallowed this bitter pill and the result was his conversion and this excellent and well thought out book. The treatment of the eucharist and baptism is thorough so take your time in reading this.

Most importantly, this book is a charitable presentation of Catholic truth. Steve Ray, like many converts to the faith, does not find it necessary to denigrate the faith of protestants in order to make his points.

His argument is forceful because it is well made and has the ring of truth. Most protestants, I think, would enjoy reading this book. A good book for all.

This is truely an amazing book that every Christian should read. It draws heavily from the Old Testament, New Testament, and early Church Fathers to show that the Catholic Church is what it claims to be - the Church Jesus promised his disciples, for this is the only Church that adheres to the teachings of the apostolic tradition and early Church Fathers. I love to challenge my Protestant friends to read it. It encourages discussion about the real issues, not religious prejudice. I also love that Ray does not feel the need to bash the Protestant tradition. This is important. Though he exposes their shallow theology and even how modern Protestantism disagrees with the thought of Calvin, Luther, and other Reformers, he does not denigrate it. Truely, Truely, a great read.