Pot thieves looting ancient artifacts from New Mexico, ancient stories and warnings, murder, and mystery all converge in RAVEN, Laura Baker's newest release. Rheada Samuels was once known as Raven, a renowned pot thief. But she's put that life behind her, as she tries to find her place in the world. But sometimes the past won't stay buried. She finds herself drawn back into a life she never wanted. Kee Blackburn is also haunted by the past. He's looking for revenge, and his target? Raven. He's also discovering a love he never anticipated with Rheada Samuels, unaware of her past. Twists and turns abound in this story of a love that surpasses myths and takes on a legendary proportion of its own!

Laura Baker is a gifted storyteller who treats her readers to stories rich in the history of the southwest and passions that will ignite every heart.

Laura Baker has done it again--created a masterpiece with her new novel, Raven. I'm amazed at how she is able to come up with such intriguing, complex, and totally believable plots and characters. Each chapter drew me right into the next-ruthless. As with Baker's previous works, also set in the Native American Southwest, I found the book difficult to put down. I finished it at 4:15 AM on my third sitting. And woke up dreaming about it later that morning.

I loved the way the book started off, eleven years prior to the setting of the rest of the novel with two young girls struggling to survive alone after the death of their father, relying on the only means they know--the stealing of valuable artifacts. The story picks up again with the older sister out on her own, attempting to make a new life for herself. The overlapping and intertwining circles of love and hate and convictions built on fallacies and glimmers of truth and denials of reality are simply mind-boggling. Baker's ability to weave all of the pieces back together by the conclusion of the novel is equally mind-boggling. And thoroughly engaging.

I loved Raven. This latest release is one more indication that Baker is an artist of supreme talent. Those who have read her previous works will not be disappointed. Those who have not, what are you waiting for?

In Grand Rincons, Utah, sisters Rheada and Tilly Samuels helped their father find Anasazi artifacts. Their father convinced Rheada that they were just protecting the treasures, but in fact, he was selling them. When he is murdered, Rheada takes charge of the family pottery business so she can raise Tilly.

Eleven years later, Rheada wants to go legit. She begins a tour business guiding customers into the canyons that were once home for the Anasazi and Aztecs. On the other hand, Tilly, who always was the more adventuresome, continues in the old family line of work over Rheada's objections.

Bureau of Land Management agent Kee Blackburn goes undercover trying to capture the legendary thief RAVEN. Although he has official sanction, this case is personal as he blames RAVEN for the disappearance and probable death of his younger sister. He thinks Rheada is the elusive thief. Attaining a job as Rheada's tour driver, Kee never expected to fall in love with his prime suspect, nor she with her new employee. However, the past and the present leave little room for a future together.

The picaresque tour of the Native American ruins make for a wonderful tale. Paired with stirring characters, readers gain a fantastic blending of Native American mythos with a contemporary romantic suspense. The story line compels the audience to read it in one sitting. Kee and Rheada share more then just love. They are a caring, courageous, and capable couple, but seemingly star-crossed. The secondary cast adds depth to a breathless panorama that will send fans seeking more novels by Laura Baker.

Harriet Klausner

I thought that this book was really nice. It had great picturesand lots of info on her past, present, and future plans. It is worthbuying if you're a really big fan of her.

This book has more biographical information than any other book except "Meet the Stars of Buffy the Vampire Slayer." This book also has a great collection of photographs. If you are looking for the most complete biography as well as bios on other stars of the show, then you should buy "Meet the Stars of Buffy the Vampire Slayer." However, if you want the best mixture of photographs and biography, and you are only concerned with Sarah Michelle Gellar, then you should buy this book.

This book provided an insightful and concise look into the life of one of television's most popular new actresses. The pictures were beautiful and the writing was clear.

It is important to keep in mind that this is not a biography of Adlai, the most famous of Stevensons. Baker examines his family and his place within that family's development...as well as his place within the American political system. I grew up in Chicago in a family of Democrats who adored FDR and, later, Adlai Stevenson. (They really didn't know quite what to make of Truman nor, for that matter, did Truman know quite what to make of Stevenson.) I begn to follow Stevenson's career when he was governor of Illinois, delighted by his dry wit. Unlike Lincoln's, his career did not lead from Springfield to the White House. His manner was that of a patrician and his demeanor that of an intellectual. (Eisenhower once called him an "egghead.") On occasion, he seemed to lack an appetite for politics or at least for campaigning for public office. Thanks to Baker, I now have a much better understanding of his Scottish ancestry, of his youth, and of the formative years preceding his governship. Contrary to what the elders in my family firmly believed, Stevenson was no saint. For me, that makes him all-the-more interesting. Perhaps his finest moment in public life occurred when, as our ambassador to the U.N., he challenged the ambassador from the U.S.S.R. to admit that it had deployed missiles in Cuba. That took courage and eloquence which Stevenson possessed in abundance. So many fine books have been written about the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, and the Roosevelts. Another family, the Stevensons, has now received the attention it deserves.

"The Stevensons" is a sweeping story of the American experience, a story of a great American family.

Jean Baker begins the story of the Stevenson saga with Adlai Stevenson II's 1948 campaign for governor in Illinois. As the popular governor is about to run for the presidency in 1952, the author takes readers back to governor's ancestors, following the family's migration to America - moving from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas, on to Kentucky and eventually to Bloomington, Illinois -- a sweeping and inspiring journey.

While the book's focus is Adlai Stevenson II, two time Democratic presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, the family biography thoroughly recounts the life and political career of his famous grandfather, Adlai Stevenson I (1835-1914), a Democratic Party icon in 19th century Illinois politics.

Of special interest to those who remember Adlai Stevenson II's two campaigns for the presidency and his tenure as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, the book presents the complexities of the personality of probably the best known liberal of the post-World War II era.

The only missing link in the story is the period between 1956 and 1960.

Among all the tragic figures in this saga, Adlai Stevenson II, although flawed, shines with a luster that will be remembered as a liberal statesman head and shoulders above his contemporaries.

The author lists 35 interviews and has included 74 pages of bibliographic

Jean Baker's chronicle of the Stevenson family contains Baker's usual hallmarks-- thought-provoking sagacity, a remarkable ability to objectively look at all issues from all angles, and research that in its scope and accuracy is second to none. The Stevensons should be required reading for all Americans who care about postwar American politics and culture. An excellent piece of work by one of America's outstanding biographers.

A Sweet Quartet is a charming tale about the history of sugar, almonds, butter, and eggs, and how each made its way independently into the kitchen and became the foundation of all desserts. She tells the story of each ingredient by weaving history with personal recollections in the field at a sugar mill, at a hatchery, as owner of a patisserie, and other experiences. The story is compelling, and comes complete with 33 recipes. -rkc

Four basic elements make desserts possible: sugar, almonds, eggs, and butter. A Sweet Quartet blends a culinary history of these ingredients with a recipe guide and travelogue. No color photos, but the easy recipes don't need them, while the culinary history of dessert-making is fascinating, adding a literary touch to the results.

Fran Gage's "A Sweet Quartet" is filled to overflowing with gorgeous writing about four basic baking ingredients: sugar, almonds, eggs, and butter. She refers to these with the charming assertion that they are "the DNA of desserts." Although I'd disagree with her here (in my book, flour would replace almonds, much as I love almonds!), this former bakery owner makes her case so winningly and with such conviction that you are swept along in her cause.

The recipes are few--just under three dozen total--which may seem like very little for a cookbook that costs over twenty bucks. But Gage isn't trying to provide you with recipes as much as she's trying to fill you in on the background, the history, the chemical properties, and the world view of these ingredients. On the task she sets for herself, she does beautifully. Did you know, for instance, that:

"The Germans have loved marzipan since it arrived in the sixteenth century from Venice. They sought out the best almonds for it, and trade guilds regulated its sale; only apothecaries were allowed to sell it, much to the chagrin of confectioners . . . Neideregger, a marzipan maker in Lübeck since 1805, still boasts two hundred varieties."

or . . .

"The rhythmic slapping of balloon whisks beating egg whites in copper bowls is more than a romantic holdover. Atoms from the copper bind with one of the white's proteins, which promotes cross-linking between the protein molecules, resulting in a foam that is creamier and not so easy to overwhip."

or . . .

"There is real butter, and there is fake butter, and they are not the same . . . Spurred on by a challenge from Napoleon III in 1869, Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès came up with a cheaper substitute. Relying on shaky biological knowledge of how a cow produced something that became butter, he mixed the oil from beef fat (oleo) with skimmer milk and water, throwing in a strip of cow udder for good measure. His invention was surprisingly like the veritable item. He called it margarine, after the Greek word for 'pearl,' a name that reflected its glossy appearance. People liked the price, and some may have liked the taste. The new product became popular."

"A Sweet Quartet" is filled with fascinating nuggets like this, studded with information that way one of Gage's desserts might be studded with dried cranberries or chocolate chunks or, well, almonds. This is a super book for anyone interested in peeking behind the bakery curtain to see the whys and wherefores of the way these essential dessert ingredients work and how they affect both each other and other ingredients. And the recipes, by the way, are wonderful!

I will disagree with others that say this is not for the novice. I will agree that it is not for the casual reader but an interested novice would do well to start with this book. Although very detailed it is very well written and the illustrations are superb. While not cheap this book is an excellent value. This is not an Operational History and does not cover the employment of these ships in naval operations. It does cover the design evolution and the modernizations and changes that were performed to them as well as some that were just considered. The coverage of alternative designs and the tradeoffs that went into each iteration of the American Battleship is superb.

This is a great book for those who are interested in the technical information about the US Navy battleships. In great detail the book covers the evolution of the battleships from the early monitors of the post Civil War period to the cancelled Montana Class during WWII. Although a bit outdated since it was printed during the period when the Iowa Class was being reactivated, the seventeen chapters greatly explain each class of battleships as well as differences among the sister ships. Technical information regarding design, design proposals, dimensions, types of guns/calibers, machinery, armor, internal hull arraignment, etc. are included. This book is not for the novice, but for those naval historian/architectures or those who simply enjoy reading/studying the technical aspects of the book is a must have.

The only reason I did not give this book a 10 rating is that its publication pre-dates the inactivation of the IOWA Class Battleships. A later revision to include all the modernizations of the 1980's will boost this book up that last notch. Norman Friedman is generally considered the last word in technical publications. The only work of his that I have read that dealt a little more with the human aspect was his excellent treatise on Desert Storm. But we're talking Battleships here. About the only technical detail the author left out was precisely how many rivets were driven in each ship. But then, only an ex-riveter like me would really want to know that. If you want to know what kind of bureacratic requirements were involved along with the technical requirements and the state-of-the-art capabilities at the times of conception, design and construction of U.S. Battleships, then this is the book for you. No serious student of Naval Architecture or Naval history should be without this book on their shelf within easy reach. Richard A. Landgraff DREADNAUGHT CONSULTING

I am happy to see that this wonderful book has been reprinted. I read this book many years ago and was so impressed with the detailed revelations of heaven and hell that I bought them by the case and gave them away as handouts. I have since read it over and over many times myself...

If you want to get a good picture of what lies beyond our earthly realm this book has it. God poured out his Spirit on simple street beggar children and they tell of the visions and experiences he gave them. The book gives very detailed descriptions of Heaven and Hell; the Kingdom and God and the devil's Kingdom. The book can be read over and over because it will change your perspective on why we are alive today, and what's really going on behind the scenes.

The information related in this book is timeless. I thought the authors did a pretty good job of recording what the children saw, balancing the visions with just the right touch of description of the children by the authors. Periodically, I reread this book. It is inspiring to get a pictorial idea of where my deceased loved are and what awaits me in heaven. The book is balanced by also expressing the reality of hell. Really good book.

My children LOVED this book! It has no words, but each page is a view from a boys window in his house, from birth to when he starts a family of his own! It shows the changes in the area where he lives. I loved having my children tell me from one page/view to the next what had changed looking through the window. It also lends itself to having children make up their own story and dialog for the characters seen.

Windows is an amazing text free picture book that manages to say it all. Extremely relevant to the present times, Baker uses collage to view a boys life through a window. He grows up in the country and as he becomes older the scenary changes from his own house to a developed city. At age 20 he gets married and decides to move back into the country. In the last window we see the grown man with a child of his own and a sign across the road reading house blocks for sale. Very moving!!

This is an excellent wordless picture book that depicts urban sprawl from outside and inside a boys bedroom window. It is appropriate for children of all ages and can prompt some great discussions on environmental topics. It is poinant without any preachiness. This would be an excellent book to introduce an environmental education lesson!!!!

If you're new to backyard astronomy and are seeking a guide, here's the ticket. This covers all the bases, from the moon, sun, planets, and constellations to the locations of deep-sky objects, from lunar and solar observations to how to pick and set up the appropriate telescope (good information from a man who has designed award-winning telescopes). Shaffer starts at the beginning with the basic layout of the night sky and continues into greater detail without getting overly technical or confusing the neophyte. Every topic is presented in a friendly and engaging manner, with touches of dry humor, that eases the unfamiliar into the techniques of backyard astronomy without overwhelming them. Along the way he adds details about general scientific concepts as needed (such as explaining photons and spectrums) and includes sky maps, charts, graphs and other things to help guide the reader.An altogether excellent guide.

If you enjoyed the "Star Wars" and "Star-Trek" films, and your visits to your local planetarium, you're in for a treat. This book helps you uncover stars, comets, galaxies, nebulas, planets on your own time. Equipped with the maps, photographs and the space parameters given you in this book, you can step out at night in your own back yard, gaze at the sky and chart your own course. No rocket ships included. You won't need them to apply this excellent handbook to the heavens.

This is one of those books from which you can take as much or as little as you want. Shaffer is not intent on making an in-depth astronomer out of everyone (although if that's what you're bound for, this book will be a fine first leg up). His presentation is clear and friendly, good for browsing, for reference, or for reading straight through. Use it however suits you.

The first three chapters cover basics -- longitude and latitude and why they matter; how to read sky maps; paths of the sun, moon, and planets; basic terms; how telescopes work; etc. These might sound like intimidating topics but they're covered in just enough depth and not a bit more (e.g. "A Very Short Primer on Light").

A nice feature is on page two, a section titled "If You're in a BIG Hurry, What to Read First" (i.e. what parts of this book).

After discussion of telescopes, including how to choose one and what to do with it, there are five chapters on sky-watching. First there's the close stuff: artificial satellites, the moon... and then there's the farther away stuff: planets, stars, nebulas, groups of galaxies.

There's a sky map for each month; the maps are easy to read. Beginner that I was, with this book I was able to identify a few stars I'd noticed several nights in a row -- turned out to be one side of Orion. The fact that what I saw in the sky was recognizable on the map here is a big plus.

This is a book that will last you long past the very-beginner stage.

This is an excellent commentary, easy to read, full of encouragement and analysis. It has a superb emphasis on contemporary application. Not to be missed.

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Have you ever wanted to just become someone else? Ever had the feeling that you were meant to do something else with your life? Ever been bullied, and wished that just once you could fight back? If any of these themes grab you, then you need to get Able, Baker, Charley by John Maxim. This is one of those rare reads that just keeps getting better chapter by chapter. I noted that this excellent book has recently been re-released too, so should not be hard to find. I have reread this book a half dozen times, and will probably continue to do so until Mr. Maxim DOES A SEQUEL.

This book is a rare JEM. From beginning to end you are totally engrosed by action and suspense. The main Character(s) Baker is one that is likable from the start. My uncle gave this book to me and said this is a MUST read. He was right. This book is like a hit song, one hook after another. Just when you think you've figured out what is happening, BOOM, you're totally floored by the unexpected. The story of multiple personalites has been done many times, but never wrapped around an adventure like this. Baker is not unlike all of us. He's just been able to separate emmotions into separate people. If it's possible, find this book. You won't regret your effort