In a way only Jory Sherman can fulfill, he takes you on an incredible journey, through a raging storm in the Gulf of Mexico, to settle the vast, arid, Apache stalked land of Texas. A fantastic read!

Sherman brings history to life, and paints a scene the way an artist would approach a canvas. Perhaps the best of modern Western lore. Sherman is at his best in this one. A compelling story, with dimensional characters you hate to leave

After reading Grass Kingdom, I waited for this addition to Sherman's series on a historical look at the early Texas years and found it to be another great Jory Sherman saga. The character of Martin Baron and his effort to build his own western kingdom was great. The flavor of Spain the character Miguel Fuentes added was wonderful seasoning.

Mrs. Dahl wrote a fantastic book about the history of Raleigh, and being a resident in Raleigh and a member of Christ church, this book covers a great deal of Raleighs history! great book!

Emma And The Civil Warrior is a novel for young adults, set in America 1865. Despite the surrender at Appomattox Court House, the brutal Civil War raged about Raleigh, North Carolina. Twelve-year-old Emma Graham dares to defy the 100,000 Union troops surrounding and occupying her city, by smuggling morphine, spying, and stealing an enemy code book. But her actions could have terrible consequences, for the rest of her family and for all Raleigh. Emma And The Civil Warrior is an exciting book of historical fiction; though its main heroine is an original character, nearly all of the cast are directly from U.S. history. A brief Author's Note at the end explains the connections between the story and the events that shaped the end of America's deadliest war.

I met the author of this book at the Independence Day celebration held on the lawn of the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh. I hope Dahl sold many books that day because EMMA AND THE CIVIL WARRIOR is a delightful tale for children of all ages. The heroine, Emma, is a very brave girl who must learn to accept Lee's surrender and that the Civil War is finally ending. She only knows that her beloved Papa, who has been away fighting for three years, is not a loser or a coward. Emma's mother, however, understands the importance of peace and that her husband will finally return home to his family and a son he hardly knows. As Sherman's troops occupy Raleigh, the citizens fear that their homes and businesses will be burned as other towns had been. Emma has many adventures in her various attempts to assist the Confederate army. Everyone eventually learns that the soldiers have orders to protect Raleigh because the governor has already surrendered the city. Emma is then forced to confront her stereotype of the "demon Yankees," especially when one of the Union soldiers, the kind Lieutenant George Round, befriends and protects her family. This poignant novel is filled with wonderful characters, whether they are Southern or "Yankee," white or black. Simon Battle is an old slave who has become the "keeper of the capitol." He is left with the keys to the building when the legislators flee before Union occupation. Jinny is a free black woman who cares for Emma and her younger brother, Micah. Everyone comes together at the end of the novel for a satisfying, heartwarming conclusion.

This, like the previous book in the series, is a great read. Sherman has a gift for weaving historical information with fantasy and keeping it interesting. Her characters are well developed and easy to relate to. Her story is fast paced, engaging and fun. I hope a third book will follow.

I enjoyed this book and The Shattered Oath immensely. I hope there is going to be a third installment soon!

I am a great fan of Highflight's SERRAted Edge series, and other assorted 'elf' books, including Sherman's 'Son of Darkness'. I have bought both 'The Shattered Oath' and 'Forging the runes', and found them to be an interesting change from the urban settings of others I have read. There is a lot of history casually woven in. Book II sees Ardagh once again trying to figure out his place in an entirely human court, helped by the fact that some of his friends now know what he is. But when King Aedh proposes he act as an Ambassador to another court, Ardagh lands in trouble once again - right in the middle of a blood-drinking sorceror's bid for power. Better, we get to see Ardagh try at being part of an ordinary, human relationship. My only question is, what happened to Book III? It does say 'Prince of the Sidhe Trilogy'.

I really enjoyed this book. It has the makings of a great western movie. I am beginning to read the other stories of the Baron's, stories of Matt's ancestors and i really enjoy them so far.

Wes Lukowsky could stand a lesson in good literary fiction and watch less TV. GRASS KINGDOM is a work of art and a literary masterpiece. If you understand the talent behind novels such as LONESOME DOVE or CALL OF THE WILD, then you'll see what makes Jory Sherman rank with the best. Read GRASS KINGDOM, you won't be disappointed.

Jory Sherman brings to this book a love of early Texas and the larger-than-life people who founded it. This is a novel of empire building, and written with such poetry and beauty that it will inspire delight in any reader. It is as if Sherman had borrowed from the history of the great King Ranch in Texas.

A reader cannot help but enjoy this book.

It's "Sherman's Lagoon" before people really saw it! Cartoonist Jim Toomey presents the earliest incarnations of his immensely funny sea-dwelling goofballs, and I am loving every little page of it.

Sherman tries his fin at being a rapper, the Loch Ness Monster makes a cameo at a stamp machine, Sherman learns where he is on the speed dial of love, Hawthorne gets antenna extensions (yes, we see this storyline later in the strip, but it's different and still funny here), and Fillmore makes another doomed attempt at finding his soulmate.

There are some differences between these strips and the later ones. Hawthorne has long eyestalks and almost invisible mouth, there's more emphasis on secondary fishie characters, and some even take place ("Calvin & Hobbes-like") in a classroom with a forbidding teacher. The artwork is a bit rougher, the humor a little more scattered. But these are the same weird, dumb, gag-infested sea creatures we know and love.

In this collection, Jim Toomey takes us back to Sherman's Lagoon in its beginings. While the artwork is a little bit rought back then, the humor is still there. Sherman is a "Great White Shark" and the disposal of all things edible. Together with his girlfriend Megan, friends Hathorn and Filmore, you'll never look at underwater life the same again! Highly recommended for those who enjoy comic strips.

If you like the later books you'll like this one as well. If you are new to Sherman check out the later books (and their reviews), and if you get hooked come back and get this one. You can also find recent strips on-line (with a one week delay). Just search a little ... ...

I have been in a divorce battle for over 2 plus years, paying lawyer fees and not getting anywhere (stuck in the FCS system). Thanks to Robin Yeamans advise and her GREAT books, I have achieved more in 1 month then in the 2 years! I did it, and so can you! Barbara

As we learn more and more about the imperfections of the Family Court system, we find that the usual do your own divorce books just don't work for most of us. If you've used other such books and been frustrated because your case wasn't following the "ideal" path they described, then this book is for you! You should have this even if you are planning to hire a lawyer. You'll learn how to choose and work with a lawyer, how to spot a good/bad one. If you already got divorced, but a new issue is stirring, or you're having problems with your ex, you'll learn how to make changes-step by step. Robin uses clear, detailed, easy to read examples and a sense of humor to help you through one of life's biggest stresses. Includes all the forms you need (saving you time and money tracking them down) I could have saved thousands of dollars in attorney's fees by having this book and the knowledge it gives during my divorce. Knowledge is power, do yourself a favor!

Attorney Robin Yeamans -- who has a fantastic record as a trial attorney in family law -- has penned the ultimate guide for people going through contested divorces in California. Yeamans arms her readers with all the information they need to get through the legal process, from start to finish. I have used Yeaman's book as a reference many times, in investigating the California courts, and I highly recommend it to any litigant who wants to stay on top of his or her case, whether or not the person has a lawyer...

Having come from a traditional climbing background, and having discovered John Gill through Pat Ament during my peak, I evolved into a boulderer for the sake of bouldering, rather than just training for traditional climbing. Why? For me personally, bouldering was the obvious channel for a mortal being to follow while coping with the reality that I am a maturing human. Because the nectar of laying hands on Mother Earth's various forms of lithified artwork was never to evaporate, the need to ascend soaring heights of the stuff has. In short, no more Sentinel Mental Journey's. John Sherman has written an honest, humorous, and quality book that describes the nuances involved with high limit bouldering. Of particular credit is John's painfully objective efforts at describing even those controversial elements of bouldering that exist such as cheater stones, route altering and manufacturing, etc. Don't despair John, it was the right thing to do. The beauty of bouldering is in its inherent variety of ways it can be approached. John Sherman does not advocate one way or the other but does indeed get his beliefs across to the reader without appearing too evangelistic. That is noble. So whether you choose to boulder nude without shoes or chalk, or if you choose to approach bouldering with a flak jacket, John Sherman's book epitomizes its title, Better Bouldering. He should be proud of this book and you should buy it and read it if you too decide that you don't want anymore Sentinel Mental Journeys.

Sherman the Vermin scores again with this wonderful book on the sport of bouldering. A life-long boulderer and a gifted smart-aleck, Sherman lays it out in a fun and informative style that will give you all the tricks of the trade while keeping you chuckling the whole way through.

Verm (Sherman) hits the mark with this guide. Read it and you will climb (boulder) better and will not look or act like a geek. Lots of insider hints and tricks, gently sprinkled with John's particular humor. A must buy.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Leslie Sill's previous books on artists, and now her latest book on photographers. They are wonderful outlines of artist's lives, their work, and how their past experiences have influenced the direction of their art. As an art teacher, I try to incorporate different ways of introducing my students to a wide range of work. Because these stories are so well-written and inspiring, I have designed large portions of my curriculum around Sill's past books and look forward to using this book as well. The stories are thorough, yet written in a way that the average person, who may not necessarily feel that they have a valid knowledge on art, could walk away from it with a new understanding and interest. And just the opposite, for someone who is innvolved in art, this book is beautifully put together and would be a valued part of any art book collection.

When I first read this book, I was moved by these women's lives. I was amazed at how they persevered at their art through all the hardships of life. I find Leslie Sills an amazing writer. This is not the first book I have read by her. I also have the one about painters, and by reading both books I felt that I learned alot. Leslie Sills is an amazing artist herself, and her own life should be the subject of a book someday. I would recommend this book to anybody, but particularly to people interested in photography or art.

Knowing that women artists in all fields tend to suffer from a lack of public exposure, I took a look at this volume hoping to find some good work that I had not seen before. My hopes were rewarded when all six photographers proved to be talented, interesting, and stylistically different from each other . . . and four of them were new to me. With the two artists I knew before, the biographical essays added to my knowledge, making every aspect of the book a pleasant surprise.

The book is organized around the concept that "cameras do copy which is front of the lens . . . [but these images are also] creations of the artist's intention and unconscious mind."

The essays are especially rewarding for their balance in explaining the artists' family lives, their relationships with the men in their lives, how they started into photography, their technique, and descriptions of their aesthetic values. Leslie Sills is pleasantly succinct:

Imogen Cunningham: "liked to examine life closely" and focused on "shapes, textures, patterns" in nature. She also captured the "essence" of people.

Dorothea Lange: The camera was an "activist tool" which "revealed the sufering of thousands and motivated others to help" during the Depression.

Lola Alvarez Bravo: Captured the real "Mexico after the Mexican Revolution" occurred there.

Carrie Mae Weems: Showed the "complexities of being human" especially in "squelching stereotypes" and "honoring African-American culture."

Elsa Dorfman: "Celebrates humanity" with her oversized camera that captures people to look more naturally like themselves than photographs normally do.

Cindy Sherman: Sees the camera as an "instrument to copy her constructed scenes" which are "puzzles that challenge her audience."

It has not been easy to be a woman photographer and these women succeeded because they persevered, as well as because they were so talented. Their stories are as inspiring as any I have read, and also tell an interesting tale of how your work can help you express your inner self.

Here are my favorite images from the book:

Imogen Cunningham:

Magnolia Blossom, 1925

My Father at 90, 1936

Morris Graves, Painter, 1950

Dorothea Lange:

Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936 (Series of 3)

There is a wonderful description of how this series was shot on a day when Ms. Lange was exhausted and had driven past the migrant labor camp in the rain before deciding intuitively to turn back and try her luck.

Lola Alvarez Bravo:

Por culpas ajenas, c. 1945

Elsueno de los pobres 2, 1943

The Two Fridas, c. 1944

Carrie Mae Weems:

Mom at Work, 1978-1984

Untitled (Letter Holder), 1988-89

Her work also included long interviews with her family.

Elsa Dorfman:

Robbie and the Dinosaur Femur, 1970

Terri Terralouge and Aileen Graham, 1989

Cindy Sherman:

Untitled #224, 1990

Given that these styles are so different and so vivid, I encourage you to use this book to inspire you to create some art. It doesn't have to be photography. Whether you like to sketch, sculpt, paint, or make colored soap bubbles, give yourself the chance to live freer and take a little time to express yourself. You'll feel so much better, and the rest of us will be enriched by your gift.

Express yourself . . . to find yourself!

After reading the first few chapters of "It's the End of the World, and I Could Use a Drink", I realized I had jumped into an action-packed book with a compelling storyline. As stated on the book cover, Scott Sherman has written a work of fiction that, incidentally, happens to be true.

Despite the dire situation spelled out in the first pages, the book's humor is what initially captured my attention. It had been a while since I laughed out loud reading a novel. I found it oddly reminiscent of Neil Simon. It is genuine humor, derived from the uniqueness of the individual character. Instead of jokes, which any character can recite, the funny stuff here comes from a misunderstanding of speech or action between the colorful cast of characters, or from a simple play on words. As someone who doesn't relate to most of what passes as comedy in the entertainment realm of today's culture, I enjoyed the natural, pure humor in Sherman's writing.

Sherman wrote the book in first person as well as third person, alternating by chapter and denoting with different fonts. I found this to be unique, and it helped the flow of the story while giving the reader an insight into Sherman's struggle as a writer. It is one of the book's strengths.

The general style of writing is fluid. Easy to read, yet very informative of the momentous challenges facing the world, as we try to balance the demands of commerce with the growing realization that our planet is fragile and its resources are far more precious than we have perceived.

Man's relationship to nature has been the subject of many books. What makes "It's the End of the World, and I Could Use a Drink" different is that it is told with an ecological urgency that is noteworthy. In Sherman's world, time is of the essence and the result not only gives the reader a significant reason to think a bit more about the environment and our sources of energy, but also provides a fun, action-packed reading experience that would translate easily to the big screen.

The author has written an amazingly complex, yet entertaining, work parodying those environmentally correct views we all hold so dear. This is an unusual find for the enviro seeking a chance to laugh at herself, and at the same time be engrossed by a well crafted comic drama. This is a finely written and readable work for a first author. You have to read this book.

Scott Sherman's book is a must read. From the second I turned the pages, I was thrown into a fabulous adventure full of intrigue and suspense. As if that wasn't enough, there were so many parts where I just couldn't stop laughing hysterically. This book has it all!!! Most importantly, Sherman skillfully illustrates concerns about the environment and provides positive prescriptions of what we can do as individuals which left me inspired and hopeful about the future. Sherman is undoubtedly my favorite new author of the year! I can't wait until his next book comes out.

Since it's a comic people probably don't pay as much attention to it as they should, but those people would be wrong. What Lutes has created here is a neat little tale that is both poignant and beautiful, tragic and uplifting, all at the same time. The story of a failed magician, doubly haunted by both the death of his brother and the failure of his last relationship, watching his mentor slip into senility, Lutes weaves the themes of magic and loss into the stories of his characters. None of the characters, from the con-man trying to raise his daughter, to the ex-girlfriend trapped in a dull existance, seem to be where they want to be, but that seems to be as much their own fault as the fault of life itself. Lutes evokes a sense of sympathy for his characters, even when they fail to see what their actions do to themselves and the thrill of the story is seeing whether they'll realize it in time. Lutes uses the comic format to its fullest, creating a fine synthesis of words and pictures, letting the art speak for the story when necessary (the silent moments are perhaps the story's finest pages) without forcing it to labor under weighted prose. In the end he creates a tale as richly detailed as any prose story, made that much better by the comic (I'm sorry "graphic novel") format, a medium he does his part to prove it can be so much better than it is. Get this and maybe more comics like this possible.

Indeed, tragic in its scope. Varying degrees of human suffering are revealed by Lutes' sketches. Illumination is found in identification with the characters' woes. For me, the scene in which the stage magician stares out through a rain spattered window looking out on an apartment-cluttered alley set off a surprising emotional trigger. What misery pervades the lives of each character, the reader is able to mirror to some measure in their own lives.

An admirable work- not as depressing as 'Jimmy Corrigan' by any stretch, but still a charming, well-written, aptly-illustrated tale. I look forward to future volumes of his Berlin work.

Jar of Fools is an amazing story that stands as one the best graphic novels ever written. Jason Lutes is an author to be watched.