You will love Winifred and Quinn and their adventures! Try it, you'll like it!

Okay so Winifred spends most of her thoughts in la-la land and I'll have to agree with Quinn that the dreamy picture she painted of Marshall Travis was far fetched.. but all in all it was a good light hearted book that was funny. The sub romance of the second characters "mom" sped by a little too quickly but all in all this quirky woman Winifred was a delight and Quinn a loveable hero even in his poor tortured hat :-)

My sister recommended this book on the basis of the equally good Portugese version. I bought her a copy and then promptly used it myself. It is not a full reference work but a very useful carry-in-the-bag issue. Translations are more than adequate and although my French is beginner level I was easily able to cope. I have a more extensive dictionary as well but very rarely use it as the Cassel Gem so far has been very thorough and certainly covered the vocabulary and phrasing that I have come across and/or used.

I have had this dictionary for four years and it has never failed me. I only need search my big dictionary for the most obscure words. It is very easy to read and has the french equivalent of every form of the word, including adverbs and adjectives. It also has "keywords" that can take up a whole page showing all the different meanings in certain sentences. I have gone from beginner to fluent and this dictionary has helped me the whole way and will continue to.

This is the first book I have read by Donna Valentino- and I read a lot of romance. I enjoyed it because the character development was significant- you really felt for these characters and the plot was not predictable - Rothgar- all I can say is what a guy! Perfect reading for a rainy day.....

This was a great book. One of those books you just do not want to put down because you are so attached to the characters. I would recommend this to any romance reader.

Though Bulgakov is perhaps best known in the West for his Master i Margarita, the tale of Satan's vist to the capital of world communism, these tales well exhibit his literary genius and his satirical bite. One of the stories in this collection, Fatal Eggs, is in my mind one of the master's finest works.

"My goodness, what are you saying," Korotkov exclaimed in distress, sensing that here, too something strange was starting, just as it had everywhere else. He looked back as if he were being hunted, afraid that the shaven face and the bald shell would emerge from somewhere, and then he added in a clumsy way, "I'm very glad, yes, very . . ." A motley flush passed lightly over the marble man; raising Korotkov's hand delicately, he drew him toward a little table, reiterating, "I'm very glad, too. But here's the rub, imagine it - I don't even have a place where you can sit down. We're being kept in a pen in spite of our significance." (Mikhail Bulgakov, Diaboliad p30)

A brilliant blend of magical and realistic elements, grotesque situations, and major ethical issues. Its story lies between parable and reality; its tone varies from satire to unguarded vulnerability. Its publication represents the triumph of imagination over politics...

I usually enjoy Karen Harper's books, but this time in EMPTY CRADLE she stretched credibility too much. First, the reason Alexis wanted to become pregnant was too far fetched. Then, as fragile as the pregnancy was supposed to be, Alexis was practically a G.I. Jane with all her heroics. Also,the relationship with her mother and with Nick were not too believable either. Admittedly I read and read until I finished the book, but I enjoyed DARK ROAD HOME a whole lot more and BLACK ORCHID was terrific.

Just before Geoff McCall died during the Gulf War, he had some of his sperm frozen so in case something tragic happened to him, his beloved spouse Alexis could still have the child they always wanted. Alexis, a TV anchorwoman, turns to the Santa Fe Evergreen Clinic for help.

The clinic, run by Doctors Nathan and Jasmine Stanhope, are on the cutting edge of fertility research. Initially, Alexis is elated with what the charismatic medical duo tells her. However, after becoming pregnant, she begins to see a nightmarish side to the clinic. She turns to nearby art dealer, Nick Destin, who she once did a TV piece on, for help. As their feelings for each other grows, so does the danger. Someone(s) wants to insure that the deepest skeletons of the New Mexico fertility clinic remains buried in the sands.

Karen Harper is one of the more dependable writers of romantic suspense in the nineties as her books are always top rate. Her current novel will please the fans of the genre as the lead protagonists are wonderful and very believable, The story line is fast-paced and loaded with suspense, especially having a vulnerable pregnant woman struggling against a highly regarded medical institution. EMPTY CRADLE is a fulfilling terrifying yet romantic tale.

Harriet Klausner

Everyone should give this book a go. Fal goes on a quest and on the way discovers a lot of things he never knew.........

Man, this was one good book. I've read it 3 times and I'm in the process of reading it again! I love the way the story is layed out, it doesn't jump around too much and there's plenty of action and intrigue to keep the reader interested. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes true fantasy stories with magic, dragons, and plenty of humor. Another interesting thing about this book is that some of the songs sung in the book are accompanied by actual music in the back for those adventurous enough to try them out. I haven't done that yet, but I imagine they are just as much fun as the book!

This book is funny and touching and cute and everything else you want in a book. The only reason I didn't rate it a 5 is because some of the writers to it too seriously and some didn't take it seriously enough. A must-read for girls 12-16.

I bought this at Christmas for my younger sisters to share around. They are newly 13 and 16. I thumbed through it before wrapping and, although I found myself (31) really enjoying it, I was afraid they might find it preachy or silly. Well, the younger sister started reading it immediately - in between opening other gifts - and didn't stop until well past bedtime. I think she finished it the next day. The older sister has since had a chance to look through it as well, and says it's interesting and not dumb. High enough praise.
So I recommend this for any teenage or nearly-teenage girl, and maybe for older girls as well. It's chock full of good advice and written in very friendly tones all around. No patronizing allowed.

PS I have since ordered and looked through the 1st volume, "33 Things Every Girl Should Know". While it is also full of great information, I prefer this volume. I'll post a review for that book once I hear from my sisters on it. Right now If I could only have one, I would choose this book.

Modern Oriya short story took its birth, about a hundred years ago, with the prodigious exuberance of Fakir Mohan Senapati. It has come a long way since, experimenting with multifarious forms and subject matters. However, the subtle influences of Fakir Mohan persist in the works of the later writers, no matter what style they adopt. Perhaps that is the greatest tribute to the genius of Fakir Mohan.

Characteristically, the collection under review opens with the master storyteller, `The Bride Price'. A stingy and heartless father, Madhu Mohanty, is busy haggling over bride price, oblivious of the growing miseries of his two daughters. The story's twist comes through the local mahant, Lachhman Das, who `being quite young, was fond of practical jokes and pranks -- anything for good clean fun.'

Although the story touches on many social problems of the day, it is the misery of women in a male-dominated world which comes to the fore. Malati and her elder sister Madhavi are portrayed as mute spectators of a cacophonous drama played around them, maybe at their expense. The same theme, albeit at a psychological plane, recurs later in the collection. `Dispossessed' by Kishori Charan Das and `The Rape' by Sarojini Sahu, dramatise the predicament of modern women, as they come to terms with unsympathetic husbands and apathetic kins. The female psyche remains a vast grey area -- incomprehensible, unfathomable and unpredictable -- as it longs for a little love and care from the male partner. For once, one feels as if man and woman are inhabitants of two different planets, brought together by some unknown force.

Stories like `The Old Bangle Seller', by Laxmikanta Mahapatra, `Bouli' by Raj Kishore Ray and `The Stigma' by Pratibha Ray also revolve around the changing fortunes of women. While the classic, `The Old Bangle Seller' depicts the sufferings caused by widowhood, `Bouli' portrays the tribulations of a childless Sarasi, who loses her dear cow Bouli by a sudden quirk of fate. In both these stories, the props on which a woman's life rests prove to be too fragile : a slight force would sweep them away, plunging the unfortunate woman's into an abyss.

If frailty be the lot of these women, it is not so for everyone else. Serenta's Ma and Sukuta's Ma, in the story `The Slanging Match' by Faturanand, spit fire throughout and exude tireless energy in their verbal duels.

It goes on and on and you say : here at last are two women, with firm grip over their small lives. But is it so really? Even these cocksure women are playing out the slanging match as part of a dubious scheme of their male neighbours! Besides the problems of womanhood, other social problems like poverty, the rural-urban divide, class conflicts are also reflected in the stories. `Maguni's Bullock Cart' by Godavarish Mohapatra presents the poignant tale of destruction of the traditional, rural ways under the impact of modern machines. The rural-urban dichotomy acquires a new dimension in a delectable piece `Father and Son' by Bama Charan Mitra. Trapped in their small-time office jobs in a city, a father and his son find it impossible to visit their wives, left behind in their village. They try to come to terms with their predicament philosophically.

Such philosophical musings, however, have no place in the fascinating, anarchic world of a child in `The Thief' by Kamalakanta Mohapatra. The innocence and candour of the protagonist Sasank brings a whiff of fresh air to this collection of short stories, which otherwise abounds in familiar often depressing, social concerns and psychological problems.

The editors have brought together thirty one representative stories which give the reader an idea of the evolution of the short story form in Orissa. The translation has a vibrancy and power : the images and the idiomatic usages deftly weave together vignettes of Oriya life, creating an enjoyable and comprehensible pattern.

The nicely turned out collection should interest anybody curious about Oriya life and literature. The translator-editors should be commended for filling a gap by bringing these oriya stories to a larger audience.

I picked this book to learn more about life in Orissa, but found it was well worth reading just for the stories themselves. I've always been a short story fan and these are excellent, by any standard!

This is definately the best modern Italian dictionary on the market today. Not a travelling book. It is HUGE. I used this book for a big translation project and did not need anything else for the Italian portion. A definate must for the professional translator or student of Italian.

Has tons of words! Many Italian idiomatic expressions and past, present, and future tenses with examples. I bought and returned several others prior to this one. The only downside, it's a little on the expensive side but for the quality, in retrospect, it's worth it!

Why all this strange words? I have no problem what so ever with the English language, but this book, have a lot of slang that is not so easy to translate. I don't say it's a bad or anything but..My classmates did actually agree with me when I said it was too difficult to understand. Hey, I'm from Sweden, and the english we learn in school is NOT the same language that English people talk, or write for that matter. Well, Harper Lee is one of the better authors that I can think of and To kill a mockingbird is kind of a great book if you learn to understand all the slang that follows. Thank you!

I thought his book was extra-ordinary. The characters are so interesting and complex. Harper Lee is a brilliant writer and really brought this little southern town to life with her descriptions of the town and the people in the town. She has a vocabulary to die for. I have to say my favorite character is Scout because she is so innocent and really wants to know what is going on but can't quite get the clue. She is so adorable and she knows who she is and how she thinks she should act and she doesn't bother herself by responding to the snotty remarks of Miss Stephanie. This book is really amazing and I would recomend it to anyone that is looking for a good read.