This book is a work to savor, rich with stories, lore, wisdom, e.g., the tale of Grand-Uncle Three and his coffin, the man who put rat's meat in egg noodle soup (ugh!), the description of Ms. Tham's bossy paternal grandmother, the author's coming to terms with the death of her younger sister (Jadegreen Plumblossom) and father, and so much more. I wasn't left at a distance by the fact that the memoirs are about a girl growing up (i.e., would there be something that I as a male could relate to there?) because Ms. Tham captured so much that is universal. If she or the book were more akin to the Princess Nohran or Fadzillah whom she described in it (Ms. Tham was, at one point when she lived in Malaysia, a tutor in English and Mathematics to princesses in a royal family), i.e., bubbling over with fascination regarding the merits of Revlon versus Elizabeth Arden skin-care cosmetics, that would have been a turn-off. But not the beautiful rendering of the past that deals with family, love, marriage, death, mythology, and art that is in evidence throughout the memoirs.

What do you get when you combine a teenage girl, two drug dealers, and an unplanned kidnapping? The answer and a great story are all part of Last Seen on Hopper's Lane by Janet Allais Stegeman. Kerry Blake is a teenager attending high school who loves to ride her bike to the old abandoned house on Hopper's Lane. When she finally gathers the courage to explore the gloomy mansion she stumbles upon an illegal drug drop-off. This is Carl's second drug deal, and his first with Ax, a guy with a bad reputation who got his name from the gash across his face, left there by a heavy blade. Before they leave the mansion, Benny, an old enemy of Ax's, shows up. When Kerry is forced into the back of the dealers' van with Benny breathing down her neck she doesn't think it can get any worse, but as she soon find's out, it does. This story is set in Blanton, Georgia, a small town with a "run-down" side. Kerry and her mother live in this part of town, a part containing crumbling mansions. END

Review of "The Legend of the Flying Hotdog," by Celeste White and Dan Lane
It's a shame the publishers allowed this children's book to go out of print, for it's a gem to rank alongside Dav Pilkey's "When Cats Dream" and Janell Cannon's "Stellaluna." The flying hotdog of the title is an animal -- a former weasel who one day sprouts "wings of pure malice" and thereafter amuses himself by stealing mittens from unsuspecting children. Then one day, he swoops down upon a little boy named Patrick, but Patrick's mother has tethered his mittens to his coat, so the hotdog ends up taking the boy home with him to the Never Summer Mountains of Colorado... The book is full of subtle humor, making it a joy to read. But I especially liked the way Patrick wins over his captor by being KIND -- not by trying to outsmart or trick him. This book gives the reader three wonderful things: an engrossing tale, a hero worthy of emulation, and something to think about. I for one will never look at a lost (or found) mitten the same way again. Celeste White has succeeded in writing a modern folktale. And Dan Lane's color illustrations are absolutely charming.
--Jody Kolodzey

The late, great Anthony Newley and his writing partner Leslie Bricusse gave us some superb standards from their shows over the years. All the greats such as "What Kind of Fool Am I" and "Once In A Lifetime" from "Stop the World" are included as well as songs from the TV "Peter Pan" that they wrote in the seventies and "Candy Man" from the film "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". Along with photographs on stage and off, as well as personal memories from Bricusse, this is a great way to remember Tony Newley. This kind of music will never die! Paul Goodhead/President of the Anthony Newley Appreciation Society.

As a Uruguayan reader and book-lover, I take offense at an editorial review by the Library Journal which, in spite of its literary name, doesn't seem to have bothered to check the accuracy of the information it gives about books' authors. F.Y.I., Juan Carlos Onetti was not Argentinian. He was Uruguayan, and ranks with his countrymen, the literary geniuses Horacio Quiroga, Eduardo Galeano and Felisberto Hernández, in originality and quality of craftmanship. I can only say how sorry I am to see erroneous information happily published online, to the confusion and misguiding of readers.

I enjoyed George Rizo's style of writing very much. The narrative presents and develops the ideas, while the dialogue allows the characters to realize or, at least, imagine the ideals these represent.
Both the narrative and the dialogue flow smoothly, and held my interest from start to finish.
I have read the book twice. And plan to read it again because it made me laugh, and most of all, it made me think. The story stays with you.

Steve Matchett, the author of this book, is if you did'nt know, a mechanic. Not only is he a mechanic, he is a mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. A mechanic writing a book is a rarity indeed, which makes "Life in the Fast Lane" very special. Matchett, thankfully, also is a good writer (or maybe he had a good editor), and he has a great story to tell about his experiences in Formula One.

Basically covering the 1994 Championship winning season, the book runs through all the rounds of the Championship from Brazil to Australia. Benetton had a particularly turbulent season, as there was a lot of pressure on the team, what with being Championship contenders, the lauch control affair, Senna's death, the fuel fire in Germany (Matchett was the guy on the rear jack), the fuel filter affair, and Schumacher's collision with Hill at Adelaide. All these are in the book, and Matchett gives his (or Benetton's) side of the story.

Matchett has done extremely well with this book by choosing to present his tale in a personal way. You learn about how he has his coffee, how he did the decor in his cottage. You also learn about the struggles of an F1 mechanic for the Benetton Formula One team. The early morning starts, the late nighters, the trials and tribulations of travelling across the world to 15, 16 different countries is related very well in an easy to read style. There many little interesting tidbits that Matchett tells us about; Michele Alboreto coming in for a seat fitting for the Benetton as an outside candidate for the vacant number 2 seat prior to the start of the season. His tales of nights out with fellow mechanics. His desire for "his" driver to well; Matchett was mechanic for Jos Verstappen, JJ Lehto, and finally Johnny Herbert during the season. If there is a downside to the story, it is that Matchett can say no wrong of anyone in the team. However, he did have to continue to work with the team after finishing his book, so I cut him a little slack on that one.

All this makes for a captivating read. A recommended read, and if you like this book, you should try the follow up book "A Mechanic's Tale", which covers the other years in Matchett's career with the team before he quit in 1997.

Steve Matchett, now appearing on Speedvision's F1 TV coverage, was a mechanic for the Benetton F1 team during Michael Schumacher's rein. Steve can explain the most intricate technologies in an easy to read style. The book covers the exciting and not so exciting aspects of being a front-line mechanic for a top F1 team.

Life In The Last Lane is an engaging novel by Barbara L. Mahoney and tells the story of three elderly women who are living in a senior center in a small New England town, and their center's director Pat. There is a thriving community around them all, including an aging gangster, a hit man, a hospital chaplain, a long-undiscovered murder, and hectic husbands! A flavorful story with just the right seasoning of humor, Life In The Last Lane is a lively and wonderfully entertaining read.

Gilman was a woman who went through much pain and suffering this book tells of her life being taken away from her by her Psychiatrist whom she hated for the rest of her. She speaks of being put on the Rest Cure for Post-Pardom Depression and how the doctors told her not to have anymore children. She speaks of her 8 years being locked up in her own house and in an insane asylum and she tells how her doctor put her on a regamine for the rest of her life. She also speaks of how she was not able to write and generate what she loved most--writing; because her doctor told her not too. She speaks of her publication of her first short stories and "The Yellow Wallpaper" and many others of her stories. She also or the author also speaks of how Gilman commits suicide in the end. It gets really depressing, but you really see how Psychologists thought in the 19th century and how a great writer had to live her life.