This book is truly one of my favorite's in the Alice series. The author promised to go through with Alice through all her years in highschool and a book that highlights Alice through age 18-60. Here is starts off as Alice's first year in highschool kicks off. At first everything is perfect, her boyfriend Patrick, schools going smoothly, and she's even having a coed sleepover at her house! But things start going downhill from there. A new girl, Penny, begins crushing on her boyfriend, and doesn't hide it. Suddenly Alice feels her world crumbling apart, she feels insecure and that no one can help her. And as Alice struggles, she has to handle some news about her dad's fiancee. Alice learns what trusts all about, and having confidence in yourself and in others is the most important thing of all.

I recomend this book to anyone in middle to anyone in high. The Alice series is truly tremendous and knows what she's doing. She's woven up all the characters and put them in a story of love, and self discovery. Truly a great read...

ALICE ALONE is the best book in the series! Alice is in highschool, and it's hard, but really fun. However, things start to get shaky at Alice's co-ed sleepover with a "fake kiss". Penny, the new girl, is taking Patrick's heart by storm. Is he still alice's boyfriend when he shows his feelings toward Penny? More trouble comes with Elizabeth and a very dark secret, Ms. Summers and Mr. Sorringer, Lester and Marylin, and much more. Will Alice be alone forever? With some good friends, Alice can survive. This book is very emotional: funny, sad, and full of life lessons. Once or twice it made me cry and I have laughed at least 10 times out loud. It is an essential book to read for 5-8 graders to learn what you still have to come. I love it!

I have read the whole Alice series and I must say that SO FAR, this is my favorite Alice book ever. Ms.Naylor gives us another look on love, and it's realisitic how Alice's jealousy of Patrick's new love, Penny gives the reader more interesting thoughts to turn the page quickly.

Chapter one ends with a beautiful hug from Patrick to Alice and a special gift he promised her in The Grooming Of Alice. I'll never forget how much I cried when I read the chapter called "Heart-to-heart" where Patrick expresses his undying interest in Penny and his control over his 'space' and 'his own life'.

This book takes a dramatic turn when Pamela and Alice find out a tragic secret from their best friend's past that causes her to be 'saint liz' The best friend's secret will explain partly the whole Alice series, and is the most shocking eventful book ever. Read this! Thats all I am going to tell you...READ IT NOW..ITS REALLY REALISITIC..oh and please vote me for "One of the helpful votes ever" :) Thank you!

This book should come with a warning lable. Highly addictive, proceed at your own risk. You run the danger of buying endless yards of fabric for future stack 'n whack projects.

Every once in a while a book comes a long with an idea so simple and clever, that you think why didn't I think of that? Buy enough yardage of fabric to have the desired number of repeats, stack each of the repeats of fabric precisely on top of each other and whack the pieces to form groups of identical repeats. The beauty of this method is you can quickly make blocks with as little as 12 pieces that are stunning. The instructions are clear and precise with a number of quilts to get you started. The technique adapts easily to other things. The only negative comment I have is that almost all of the quilts pictured were on the loud side and some might assume that it all the method produces. That is not the case. You can make anything from muted, to classy, to wild, depending on your fabric selection.

Magic Stack 'n' Whack features one of the most exciting quilt-piecing techniques I've seen recently and Bethany Reynolds does an excellent job of taking the reader through the process step by step. The photographs and diagrams are clear and helpful and there is a good range of projects for relative beginners or more advanced quilters who are looking for something a bit more challenging. Every quilter I've talked to who has read this book is running to the quilt shop for new fabric to stack 'n' whack.

Bethany Reynolds has brought to the qulting word the greatest new quilting technique in a very long time. It is an exciting new concept in making kaleidoscope quilts: faster, more beautiful, and so much fun it is addictive. The book is excellent, clearly written, with many suggestions on fabric choices, as well as understandable diagrams with the directions.

This excellent new book from Wizards of the Coast gives you everything you need to run a D&D (3rd edition) campaign in the Forgotten Realms. It includes prestige classes, life in the Forgotten Realms, deities, and much more. This book was made with a quality that took my breath away (especially comparing it to the old historical Campaign Sourcebooks)! It includes many color and black-and-white illustrations and maps.

I can't say more than it has *everything*! So, if you at all interested in the Forgotten Realms, or if you are interested in seeing a setting with interesting prestige classes and magical forms, then you must get this book!

I've overall been very impressed with a majority of the 3rd edition material I've purchased, and this is no exception. The Forgotten Realms sourcebook is stunning in both it's content and production value.

Content-wise, the book has more of the all-important prestige classes, and goes into several pages on every geographical region in Faerun (including plots and rumors, and important characters).

There's some new magic, but WoTC released Magic of Faerun on the heels of this sourcebook which contains a lot more details on magic in the Forgotten Realms. There's also a small section on monsters of Faerun, but again, there's another sourcebook that goes into more details on that.

One other thing I enjoyed was that home regions list automatic and bonus languages that characters from that region would know, as well as (this is the cool part) special feats that only characters from that region can take).

There's a wealth of information on the dieties and religeons of Faerun as well as the major organizations that make the land tick.

There are even a couple of adventures included.

On the production value side, the cover is nice, every page is full color, and the artwork is magnificant - especially the maps!

There's no doubt that the Forgotten Realms is one of the most developed campaign settings there is, and this book is one of the reasons it's that way. All the colorful characters that appear in the multitude of novels that take place on Faerun- the likes of Icewind Dale, the Elminster series, Cleric Quintet, and Dark Elf Trilogy titles- are described in these pages.

The length of this book is deceptive- it is very densely formatted so there actually is a lot more in there than an equivalent size book (say, the Player's Handbook). It is very well illustrated and includes extensive maps of the continent that will surely help you figure out what is where. Even if you're not planning on using the material to actually play the game, if you enjoyed the FR novels and want to know more about the Realms and the characters -like, perhaps, exactly how much damage Drizzt can take- this is a really neat book to look into.

For the DM that wishes to travel the length and breadth of Faerun, this has all you need. The entirety of the lore of the Realms is present, with exhaustive descriptions of locations and culture, peoples and legends. You will no doubt see a lot of things you didn't know from just reading novels, and much of it can be used to add an interesting touch to your campaigns.

Bottom line is, this is one of the best sourcebooks there is, and definitely the most in-depth out of all of them. If you want to hang around the Realms, you should definitely get a copy.

This is a beautifully put together book of interpretations of translations of some of Rumi's work, though I do think other scholars, Nicholson comes to mind, have gotten much closer to the essence of Rumi. Nicholson doesn't water Rumi down; often, very often, Rumi's work was incredibly rambling, and extremely hard to follow--but delightful and compelling nonetheless. Though I do immensly enjoy Barks' work, he makes Rumi too tidy, and much of Rumi's brilliant essence and expansive mind is missed.

I recently stumbled across an absolutely engaging biography of Rumi, and which is a popular, short form account. Why the heck did it take so long for this? is anybody's guess. There is one other very good biography out there by a scholar named Iqbal, but even this is still too academic. This new book, Rumi: A Spiritual Biography by Leslie Wines though is a vigorous and ambitious little book and I think a must read for all those with a real love for this most incredible man and poet.

This book is a wonderful introduction to this very moving spiritual poetry. Rumi has an understanding of God and our relationship with Him that is unlike anything most people have ever experienced. His love and passion come across in this poetry, which has been beautifully translated by Coleman Barks. Mr. Barks has taken great lengths to group these poems into various sections that will allow a reader who is new to Rumi's poetry to see Rumi in a variety of ways. The book is not arranged chronologically or broken down into academic categories, but rather encompass larger topics ranging from bewilderment at God's presence to poems meant to teach. Each poem is carefully crafted to allow the thoughts of this master poet and mystic to shine. This is poetry of the first order. This book is the perfect introduction to Rumi or will complete the collection of any Rumi devotee.

At the risk of cliche, if you only buy a single book this year, please do yourself a favor and make it "The Essential Rumi." Rumi is for Americans who think that Islam is all about harems and terrorists. A sultry serenade to God, Rumi's poetry explodes in the soul with a beautiful force that tears down the wall between the individual and the Divine. Jelaluddin Rumi was a 13th Century Sufi mystic, the founder of the so-called "whirling dervishes", whose inner exploration allowed him to attain a rare level of enlightenment and connection with God. His poems resonate with truth and wisdom so earnest that it is impossible not to be swept away on a tide of pure spiritual longing and fulfillment. This is a book for anyone who loves poetry, religion, God, or love. And if you don't love these things now, you will by the time you finish "The Essential Rumi."

I read this book about 6 months ago and saw it again here on Amazon. I will give credit to Pitino for giving some no-nonsense good advice and some very interesting anecdotes, but he says them over and over again without really getting into much detail. In a couple chapters I found the EXACT same paragraph written twice. It looked like he had cut & pasted from a previous chapter. He also gives little detail about what he says. For example, he says we need to learn how to get in "the zone" (a term used by basketball players which refers to when an average player plays like an All-American without any effort) more often. NO KIDDING RICK! Players have tried a million different ways to get into the zone. It's not that simple. If you want a self help program, get Anthony Robbins' Personal Power II. It's second to none.

I am an 18 year old high school senior preparing to graduate and go to college. The idea of the "I'm okay, your okay" self help book disgusts me, and that fact made me skeptical to read the book at first. But the attitude presented by Pitino is like no other that I have ever seen. He places a heavy value on being positive and making attainable goals. Pitino makes everybody feel like they are important and will succeed. He never bad mouths or makes you think negatively. Even if you have never followed basketball, this book will help you in ways you may have never thought possible.

The age old ideology that our success and happiness ultimately depends on what we think, while obviously nothing that we haven't heard before, is masterfully explained by Coach Pitino in this highly motivational book. The book is full of sound principles that can be used in any walk of life. While the underlying theme that success is a choice is simplistic and easily understandable, actually choosing a positive attitude in your everyday life is one of those things that is easier said than done, and the inspirational stories that Pitino tells from his experiences in the book are fuel for anyone's motivational fire and help make choosing and maintaining the positive attitude that is necessary for success an easier choice to make. I would rate this book right up there with the best self-help books of all time like those by Dale Carnegie and Stephen Covey.

Jade Green: A Ghost Story is another good book by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, and it's a great ghost story!

15 year old Judith's parents have both died, her mother in the madhouse, so she goes to live with her uncle. He said one strange thing, however - not to bring anything green. She can't part with a small, green silk frame that her mother gave her, however, so she takes it secretly.

Soon after Judith reaches her new home, strange things begin to happen - she hears of a girl, Jade Green, who died by her own hand in the same house, 3 years ago. Terrifying things begin to happen, and she doesn't know what to do!

A romance with the boy next door, a new job, and avoiding her threatening, grown cousin, complicates things further, and she wonders if things will ever be all right.

This was a great book, with an exciting plot, well developed characters, and things that were truly scary! I'd recommend this for ages 12 and up.

I must say, that this book had me hanging on until the end! Judith Sparrow is a girl who is left with no money when her parents pass away, so she jumps at the chance to be taken in by her strict Uncle and his cook. Soon, she has found a love for her newfound family and she is also happy to have a job and a new beau! But, ever since the first night at her new home...weird things have begun to happen. Judith fears her happiness will be threatened by the ghost of Jade Green, a girl who lived in her new home and commited suicide just three short years ago. But Judith also thinks this is her fault because before she came, her Uncle told her to rid herself of anything green...but Judith couldn't part with the green silk frame from her mother...could she have disturbed an unsettled spirit and brought it back? There is also the worry of her strange 40 year old cousin who has tried more then once to touch her inappropriately. Is Jade Green back to get revenge in a spirit form? You will love this book, I urge you to read it...you won't regret it.

Both of young teenage Judith Sparrow's parents are dead, her mother locked in a madhouse. Leaving orphan Judith no where to go until her wealthy Uncle Geoffry adopts her into his home full of ghostly secrets. The only condition was that Judith bring nothing green into the house. However she couldn't bare leaving her most prized possion, her mother's picture surrounded by a green silk frame, with her.
After disobeying her Uncle's one rule, Judith quickly learns what a big mistake that was when scary, unexplainable things begin to happen. Judith soon realizes that she is being followed by the ghost of Jade Green, a girl her age who took her own life. She sees heart-stopping ghostly sights and is too scared to sleep at night for she never knows if the ghost of Jade Green is powerful enough to take Judith's life or drive her insane..

This story is truly a spine-tingler, I read it all in one night and was constantly looking over my shoulder the whole time. Definatly an amazing book and also down right scary! A must read!

- It wasn't until I started reading "Small Vices" that I realized how much I'd missed Robert Parker and his Spenser series. During an 18-month period about two years ago I read all of Parker's books. I haven't read any of his books since. And then recently I picked up this new book and, although I was having a bad day, I was soon smiling and laughing. Spenser was back and I was sure enjoying his company. I've tried before to determine exactly why I love this series so much, since the basic concept is so cliched: Spenser is a tough, strong private eye, but with a heart of gold, who usually gets the bad guy. He's very ethical and serious at times, like Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder character, but he is also quite funny at times, a la Donald Westlake. Mostly, though, he is witty, sharp and smart. I suspect that part of me thinks that I could be Spenser if I buffed up and learned how to throw a punch. The writing is always tight in his books. During one conversation, for example, Spenser tells the reader simply, "I had nothing to add to that," whereas other writers would elaborate on that thought. There is also a racial element to the series, with Spenser's buddy, Hawk, a black tough guy who acts dumber than he is and plays to the racial stereotype but is actually quite intelligent and uses people's expectation of him to his advantage. All of this results in great dialogue. At one point in this book, for example, Spenser is injured. "I don't need that much help," Spenser said. "He ain't heavy," Hawk said. "He's my brother." In this book, Spenser is hired by a law firm concerned that a black man convicted of murdering a white girl in an almost all-white college may actually be innocent of that crime. The suspect is guilty, though, of raping other women so few go out of their way to help Spenser unravel the truth. Spenser also encounters great deal of racism. Soon some tough guys tell Spenser to quit his investigation and throw him some muscle. He pretty much ignores the threats until he starts getting followed by a guy who prefers to let his bullets do the talking. And then things get really interesting. Meanwhile, Spenser's long-time girlfriend, Susan, wants to adopt a child but Spenser is against the idea but doesn't want to make her mad either. This is certainly not Parker's best book, but even a weak Parker book is better than much of the novels currently available. Part of the problem may be that Parker has been writing this series for too long, more than 20 years now, so it will be interesting to see how a new non-Spenser book he has out compares. And when I read that one, I'll tell you my conclusion.

After more than 20 crime novels, Robert Parker can still pique my interest. And twenty of almost anything usually equates to a snore. Not so here.

In "Small Vices", we revisit one of the best known ensembles of the genre; sexy invincible Spenser, seductively naive Susan, and without a doubt, the intimidating irrepressible Hawk. We also meet "The Gray Man", who wishes to put Spenser into an earlier grave than anyone, including the self-effacing Spenser, desires.

Add a friend asking for Spensers help in his framing of a murder of a young female college student, the search of suspects through Boston to the elite Manhattan crowd, and voila, another gritty up front Parker crime action in full motion.

The dialouge snaps, the plot crackles, and the .22 pops.

Thank you for your interest & comments--CDS

Small Vices just an excellent novel. It displays Spenser very well, both with his funny observations on life and his moral rigidity. I think that had Atticus Finch become a P.I., he would be quite a lot like Spenser. Seeing Spenser in a vulnerable position for the first real time was very interesting, though I wish they wouldn't have put it on all the summaries of the book. It would have been much better as a surprise. Also, I believe that the Gray Man is the best villian Parker has created, and one of the better I've encountered in fiction. He goes right up there with Koontz's Egler Vess, King's Randall Flagg, and Martin Fletcher from The Last Family. Finally, I highly recommend this novel. It's perfect for all Spenser fans, and it will be sure to snag some new ones.

I really didn't like this book at the beginning, but it improved to the ending. I did find it rather predictable throughout.

A Gracious Plenty is the story of Finch, a girl who suffered a disfiguring burn as a child. She is a caretaker of the graveyard and talks with the dead throughout the book.

Sheri Reynolds' writing style leans a bit too far to the dramatic side for me, which was my complaint with the beginning of the book. To try to illustrate Finch's angst over her burned face, she repeatedly had her doing some rather dramatic and unbelievable things, like sleeping with sliced meat on her face and waking up to the smell of rotting meat. But if you're a fan of Sheri Reynolds and have read other works of hers, you know this is her style. The excessive drama lessens as the author finally reaches a point that she feels satisfied she's painted Finch's trauma adequately for the reader.

The symbolism was interesting and what made the book a success to me: The dead in the cemetery cannot pass on to higher realms until they've confronted some of their demons and talked about things, and Finch can't move on with her life until she's confronted her own demons. Narrow views and assumptions she's made are challenged, and she in turn challenges others to reevaluate their judgments. It's interesting to watch the characters and their views soften and change.

The main character in this book is a lady by the name of Finch Nobles. As a child Finch gets picked on and called names by everyone. Through her life this never seems to go away. She only has a handful of friends; her mother and father, animals and the dead. All through the book the dead people are telling stories about their lives before they died. They talk about stuff like childhood and what let to their death. I think the only part that threw me off was the cross dressing man who breast fed a baby. That didn't really make sense to me and I don't think I want it to make sense. The book was a good book and should be read, especially if you like books that will give you mixed feelings about the characters and their stories.

Finch Nobles tends a cemetery in a small Southern town. She was badly burned as a child, and subsequently never made many friends. Among the living, that is. Finch has been able to talk with the dead for a long time, and considers them her friends. She does things for the dead that they cannot do, thereby helping them be released from their burdens. The closest thing she has to a friend among the living is Leonard, who's the sheriff, but Finch seems to have a crush on one of the ghosts, Lucy. Through the tale of Finch's scars, and the hidden scars of the town, Reynolds explores the power of healing and the power of touch. This book is simply gorgeous overall. I love the way Reynolds also sneaks in social tolerance after one of the dead is discovered to have been a transvestite in life, and the whole town turns against him, even though he's dead. He was a good person, but a tiny detail made a difference in the town's view. The novel might have been a bit longer to better develop some of these concepts and connections, but its length doesn't take away from the power of the novel, because by leaving some connections to the reader, Reynolds gives a nod to readers' intelligence. Not everything needs to be spelled out.

A reader from Berea, Kentucky A good conclusion to the Marty/Shiloh trilogy! Marty and his dog Shiloh come full circle in this last of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's trilogy. Having read each of the books in the series, I must say Shiloh is my favorite, but Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh are well worth a reader's time! Naylor has a knack for naturally developing her characters. We want to hate Judd Travers from the beginning, but we, like Marty, wonder if there's a chance for Judd to really change. The experiences Marty has dealing with Judd and the anxiety that is described mounts to a dynamic conclusion that is not quite predictable, but desired by eager readers. Each of the Shiloh trilogy books has an easy style of writing, one that gives a realistic glimpse into rural West Virginia. We see and understand the struggles Marty goes through and anticipate a happy ending. Sometimes we are left hanging at the end of the chapter, but Naylor wraps up her Shiloh adventure with a satisfying conclusion.

The book I am reviewing is Saving Shiloh. This book is by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. This book was one of the best books I ever read. The best character was Marty. He is very adventure, brave, and suspicious. He knows something is wrong with his neighbor. And the weird thing is that Shiloh the dog used to be owned by the neighbor. Marty cared a lot for his dog. He always cared for him by feeding ad playing with him. On of the best parts was when Marty saved Shiloh from getting away. I don't want to give too much away but you should really read this book. Also read this book if you love adventures in your story.

Marty's beloved beagle is in danger again. Folks in the West Virginia backwoods are mighty suspicious of the resident crank, Judd Travers, the last of a three-generation family known for vicious, anti-social behavior. This shunned man is notorious for his cruelty to his own dogs and his arrogant hostility towards all human kind. Marty's family has tried to win the man's trust by demonstrating basic kindness and offering tentative frienship--social virtues which have never been modeled or extended to him before. But the compasionate boy discovers that it's a steep, uphill battle to convince diehard
neighbors and townspeople that Judd is honestly trying to turn
over a new leaf.

Trouble is: Marty himself wavers in his own belief in the man's innocence, when a man goes missing, then turns up dead, during an alarming series of burglaries. The mystery builds as first a blizzard, then a flood, wreak havoc in the hill-country community. Will Shiloh ever be truly safe from Judd? Despite all Marty's efforts to convince the man of his sincerity, Shiloh himself is reluctant to set foot upon the man's hated property. This final part of the SHILOH trilogy takes up one month after the end of SHILOH SEASON. Can dogs--and men--be redeemed after years of negative conditioning? After all poor Shiloh has suffered, whose turn is it to save him this time?

This is my favorite Alice book so far! I am so hooked on this series that I can't put the book down, I can relate to it so much,especially this book because I(unlike Alice) was homeschooled and am going to school for the very first time this year, what is like Alice is that I am going into the 6th grade and share the same problems with her. I can REALLY relate to this book, even the librarian at the elementary school(who is probably about late 30's early 40's,maybe even 50's!!)likes this series. I think that even though she talks about sex in the other books it is still OK for preteens. I mean come on, i already know what sex is!(and hope other 6th graders do by NOW!!!). I can relate to it so much I am starting to think that Phyllis Reynolds Naylor wrote the book about me!! I recommend this book to girls 10 to 13 because she is only in 6th grade and this book is better if you're around the same age as her.

When I read this book I never wanted to put it down. I was so exited to come home from school just so I could read this book. Phyllis Naylor has a very spcial way of writing that just makes me keep reading. I own all of her books about Alice and have read them all. Phyllis Naylor is my favorite author and I hope she keeps on writing about Alice.

Alice in-between is one of the best young adult books I have ever read. Once again, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor entertains her readers with Alice's hilarious adventures and mishaps. Teenagers can identify with Alice and share her laughs and pains. It's a great comfort book to read if you need cheering up.
I also recommend the rest of the Alice series: Funny and well-written books for teenagers and adults.