If you have read the two previous books, "A Child Called 'It'" and "The Lost Boy", I highly recommend that you read "A Man Named Dave." However, if you haven't read the previous two, I urge you to read those first. It makes a big difference.
This is a great book. One if the things I really enjoyed, was that it answered all the questions that I still had about Dave after reading "The Lost Boy," like "Where does his relationship with his mother end?", "What happens to his father?," "Does he ever find true happiness?" and many others.
Another aspect I appreciated was that, like the other books by Dave Peltzer, you could really see inside Dave's head and get to know his line of reasoning. This helps the reader to understand his reasons for reacting to the events in his life the way that he did. It is very heartwarming to see the forgiving spirit that Dave shows in this story.
Although I enjoyed the book as a whole, I found that it did get a little dull near the middle. However, it picks up at the end and has a nice, feel-good conclusion. At any rate, I think that Dave Peltzer is an excellent writer and an amazing person. This book is definitely worth taking a look at.

I read both "A Child Called It" and "The Lost Boy" last year and was stunned at the horror a child can go through and survive. The first two books in this trilogy about David Pelzer's life recount the extreme abuse he went through in his early years and follow him from his rescue to bouts in several foster homes. With "A Man Named Dave: A Story of Triumph and Forgiveness", Mr Pelzer allows us into the young adult years in his life as he marries and becomes a father. With honesty, he reveals the flaws in himself, his trouble with self esteem yet comes away as a person of great strength and intregity to the reader. With his mind set on success and being a better person, he moved forward in his life, not always without hardship and at the expensive of his first marriage, but eventually arrived at a place where he could heal the wounds from his old life and focus on his future. This book ends with hope and, utlimately, shows the determination of the human spirit. Through his own personal tragedy, Mr. Pelzer teaches us that we can overcome even the greatest and most fearful of circumstances---but we must believe in ourselves, work hard and be dedicated to making a better life. This trilogy of work can be looked at as several things: a set of autobiographies, a case study of child abuse and its effects, and self help. The abuse in the first two is hard to stomach, but if he could survive it as a small child, reading it can be no worse. Read these books and see if you don't come away realizing how important life is.

I have read all three books in the series, and I feel I have gained so much from all 3. Dave, as a boy, lived as no child should ever have to live. I am a single mom and have done everything in my power to surround my child with as much love as possible,so it almost was impossible to imagine any mother torturing her own flesh and blood as "The Mother" did with Dave.. After reading this book, not only did I feel extreme sorry for Dave and all other abused children in our world, but I also felt an extreme sense of pride for him and the amazing accomplishments he has made in his life. This is a must read. You will cry with Dave, laugh with him, and get angry at him so many times in this book. But most importantly, you will learn about surviving, willpower, trust, and how we all have to ability to make a difference. Thank you Dave Peltzer for making such a difference. I kiss and hug my child a little longer and a little harder each and every night because of what you've taught me. You're better than Superman!

The Dempseys came from a long line of felons. However, Sophie Dempsey was trying to change that. To date, she was the only Dempsey not to have some sort of police record. She meant to stay on the right side of the law too! Normally Sophie and her sister, Amy, video taped weddings for a living. When ex-actress Clea Whipple asked them to help her video tape her next film they agreed. It was to be about Clea returning to her home town, Temptation, and meeting her high school sweetheart. Things went down hill from day one.

Phineas Tucker was mayor of Temptation. Wes Mazur was the police chief. From the moment the Dempsey sisters arrived their lives had been in ruins. One event leads to another until the gossip mill in the small town cause adultery, blackmail, and then murder! Everyone in town was a suspect and someone was trying to kill Sophie!

**** A story full of funny scenes that will have readers laughing out loud. Be warned, there are a lot of sex scenes though. In fact, that is most of the first half of the book. But once the body gets into the picture, the book is too good to put down! Very enjoyable! ****

and this is my favorite of all her books.

Some of the characters appear here as a prequel to her newest book, "Faking It",but this book is much more satisfying!

Temptation, Ohio is the destination of the Dempsey sisters - wedding video artists trying to make an independent film documentary. It's their destination because they are meeting past starlet Clea, former wife of their brother, at her farm in Temptation. Sophie Dempsey, more closely tied to earth than sister Amy, wants to insure that the documentary does not resemble an X-rated picture, but she's losing the battle.

She's thrown together with the town's favorite son and mayor, Phin Tucker, and his irrepresible daughter Dillie (and his arrogant mother!). Phin and his friend the sheriff keep close watch on the Dempseys while trying to solve the unlikely murder of Clea's husband Zane. Crusie's trademark romps in the bedroom (on the dock, in and on cars, etc.) bind Phin and
Sophie together, and her sarcastic wit and loony dialogue add to the fun.

A great read!

Jennifer Crusie is in a class by herself when it comes to contemporary romance. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt more than once while I was reading "Welcome to Temptation". Who ever heard of a funny autopsy scene? This book has one that should become a classic. I'm absolutely awed by Crusie's ability to write a sex scene that is incredibly hot but still makes you laugh out loud. This book works on so many levels - the characters are memorable, the dialogue is snappy, the plot is interesting and the core relationship sizzles.

The two main characters are hysterical contrasts. Sophie is the daughter of a con artist who has come to Temptation to make a film with her sister that may or may not be porn. Phin is the unenthusiastic mayor of Temptation who has an election on the horizon and a gaggle of nosy relatives and neighbors intent upon scrutinizing his every move. Both of them recognize the dangers of a relationship between them - she's bound to get hurt in a relationship with a "townie" and he's got to worry about the new anti-porn sentiment in town - but since Sophie's only going to be there for a few days, a light affair seems manageable. Sure enough, Sophie's stay lasts longer than anticipated and things get complicated. There's a dead body to deal with, a daughter to appease, a brother to pacify, and a mother to avoid. Funny and sweet, this is a book to savor.

Will hasn't seen his brother Ken for 12 years. After being accused of raping and killing a neighborhood girl, he simply vanished, leaving his family to pick up the shattered pieces left in his wake. Clues left at the crime scene leave the family to wonder if Ken himself was also a victim that night. But now with the death of his Mother, Will is left with only her final words, "Your brother is still alive." And when Sheila, the love of his life disappears, Will is more determined than ever to find answers Because not only was the murdered girl a neighbor, she was also Will's first love. The deeper Will looks, the more he discovers facts that he would rather not know. How well does one really know those he loves? Is everything connected, or just random circumstance? As the mystery deepens, Will must face the truth, and the danger, that surrounds these questions and more.

This is easily the first perfect mystery of the year. Coben doesn't miss a beat, and there's not a single miss-step in the entire novel. Combining unbridled suspense, and heart-wrenching emotion, Coben has written his best book yet. The reader will be torn between reading as quickly as possible in order to unravel the hidden mystery, and reading as slowly as possible in order to savor each beautifully rendered word. Each character comes alive under Coben's more than capable hand, leaving the reader emotionally spent , yet craving more, chapter after chapter. Do what you must to get your hands on this book, you won't regret it. Just make sure you start it at a time you can finish it, because it's almost impossible to put down. My only complaint, and it's a sad one, is that Mr. Coben has now set an almost impossibly high standard for others to achieve in mystery writing, one that other authors after this will undoubtedly have a hard time living up to. But don't let this stop you from reading this intelligent and moving thriller. It's an experience not to be missed!

I first became acquainted with the name Harlan Coben when I signed onto an Internet book list several years ago. At that time many of the readers were touting Coben's series, which featured Myron Bolitar, the feisty sports agent/private investigator. Although I never read any of these books, it was the premise of Coben's recent stand alone book, Tell No One, which interested me enough to read. Literally gulping down this book, I looked forward to either reading the first book in the Bolitar series or another stand alone by this author. And suddenly there was news of a new book, Gone for Good, which found me snatching it from the shelves the first day it appeared. Now, I consider Harlan Coben one of my favorite thriller/mystery author and I do look forward to making the acquaintance of Myrom Bolitar shortly.

Gone for Good is set in and around Manhattan and the suburban community of Livingston, NJ. Life in Livingston is presumably idyllic where children grow up thinking the world is theirs. But this isn't the case for the ----------family. Eleven years ago the oldest son Ken was accused of brutally murdering Julie Rogers, a neighbor and his brother's one time girlfriend. Feeling from the scene and his family, and while there have been unconfirmed sightings of him in different countries the family chooses to believe he is dead. That is until Sunny, Ken' smother dying from cancer tells her son Will that Ken is still very much alive. With nothing more than these words and then a revealing photo and also realizing that Sunny was on heavy medication before her death, Will decides this might be just enough to find out in fact if his brother is till alive. And while the plot certainly takes off from here, it certainly escalates when Will's girlfriend leaves him a cryptic note and then disappears leaving reader's to wonder if there is any connection between Sheila and Ken. And now the twist and turns come so fast and furiously that as you rush through the pages, you need to pay serious attention to the plot to keep up.

For all of the reasons I really enjoyed this book, not the least of them are Coben's wonderful characters. Beginning with Will and his family, we meet Ken's two old school buddies The Ghost and Phil McGuane, both violent men who will stop at nothing to protect themselves or their interests. We also meet Squares, a one time racist now turned Yoga guru who is more brother to Will than friend. From the seamier side of Manhattan, we meet Wanda, a transvestite who leads Will to Sheilah's former boss, Louis Castleman, an unsavory man who is now a quadriplegic and is care for by Wanda. And as we meet these characters We walk the mean streets of Manhattan and the tree lined streets of Livingston where Will and his father spend time reminiscing about Little League games, Ken and their family life.

This book is a hair-raising roller coaster of a read, which never lets up or disappoints the reader. Imbued with family values the book also explores the themes of friendship, loyalty and betrayal.
The ending can best be described as both shocking and poignant. From the first page to the last, you will be riveted and when the book ends you'll wish you were starting it for the first time.

Sorry I must hurry but I must get to the bookstore to pick up Deal Breaker, the first book in the Bolitar series. Writing this review has left me with a yearning to return to the books by Harlan Coben.

One more time, Harlan Coben has written a superb mystery where every page adds another totally unexpected twist. This book didn't have as many extreme plot turns as his last, "Tell No One," but it is really close.

As you have read, the plot revolves around poor Will, who has to be the unluckiest man in love ever. His first love is murdered, his worshipped brother is the suspected killer and has been on the lam for 11 years, his current lover is missing. Can things get much worse? Of course they can because Coben makes up good stuff!! I refuse to say any more about the story because to do so would ruin it for you.

Suffice to say, the different story lines become interwoven, and downright creepy. I have followed Coben's writing since his very first novel and, in my humble opinion, he keeps getting better and better.

If you only read one or two novels a year, this is a don't miss for sure. If you read hundreds of novels a year, this is one you won't forget. "Gone for Good" is a great read, filled with suspense and the knowledge that Coben won't let you figure it out; he always has one more surprise up his sleeve. And the surprises just keep on coming. Buy it, Read it, Relish it. This book is one of the year's best!

L.A. Requiem is one of those rare detective mystery thrillers that transcends the genre into becoming a fine novel. Mr. Crais has taken on one of the most difficult challenges any mystery novelist can in L.A. Requiem and pulled it off extremely well. He has developed a complete, rich characterization for Joe Pike, Elvis Coles's (the self-described "world's greatest detective") detective partner, based on disclosing no contemporary internal thoughts by Pike and almost no dialogue involving Pike. Instead the character is built through a series of flashbacks into the violent, troubled past of Joe Pike that show how his personal values and strength were forged. At the same time, Mr. Crais has built a rousing tale with lots of action, conflict, a love story, and a particularly dense mystery that is unveiled through intricate development of police procedures. The book's only drawback is that it draws upon an excess of depravity, violence and gore, putting the book squarely also in the same category as the most noir of the Raymond Chandler works. If you miss this book, you cannot consider yourself to be a serious fan of top mystery writing in the classic style of the tough guy, but honest, P.I.

The flashbacks are connected to Pike's troubled relationship with his former police partner. From those same days, a former girl friend mysteriously disappears and is eventually found murdered. Her father asks Joe to help find the killer, and Elvis joins in as well. This is a bad time for Elvis because Lucy Chenier has just moved from Baton Rouge to Los Angeles with her son to be closer to Elvis. Soon the investigation puts their relationship on an awkward footing. At the same time, the police seem to be stonewalling. What could be their motive?

Before long, great danger is revealed that connects back to the past in unexpected ways. Finding the killer and keeping loved ones safe turns out to be an almost impossible challenge. You'll be rooting for Elvis and Joe, and feeling your heart pound as the tension builds . . . and builds . . . and builds. I recommend that you start the book early in the day, because you will probably not be able to put it down.

The book is also noteworthy for providing great character development of two members of the police.

The plot is particularly rewarding for its ability to test major characters to explain who they are and what they stand for in ways that no amount of dialogue could ever do.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you ask yourself what principles you stand for that you would back to the death. Hopefully, you will never be tested in that way, but this book will undoubtedly raise that issue in your own mind.

Do the right thing!

I've been lazy about leisure reading, but since my first year of law school has come and gone, I had no excuse but to pick up my next mystery to read. The book was L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais.

Ever since I read his first book, The Monkey's Raincoat, I've loved Crais style of suspense and humor. But as one critic noted, this book is on an entirely different level than any of Crais' other works!

This book is clearly much more thought out. There's a lot more police procedural aspects to L.A. Requiem, and Crais' linking of one shred of evidence to the next twist in the investigation is both credible and meticulous, without being tedious.

There's not much I can say about the plot without ruining the story for everyone. But I will say this: Crais delves deep into Joe Pike's (Elvis Cole's mysterious friend and partner) past and psyche through flashbacks and ties them in nicely to the mystery Cole and Pike are currently engaged in in L.A. Requiem.

I'm a veeeery slow reader. That being said, I finished this book in one weekend. That's how hooked I was. If you're into Michael Connelly-type books, you'll probably like this one, too.

If you read a lot of Elvis Cole novels you realize that they are heavily centered on Cole. Finally Robert Crais has given us a novel that takes a peek into the life of Cole's partner Joe Pike. We know from previous novels that he was a former police officer and military man. However Crais never bothered in telling his story, making him out to be a mystery man. It was cool for a while but after nine novels it was time too expand the Joe Pike character.

The start of this novel is different from most. It does not take place in Cole's office, but on the streets of Los Angeles when Pike was a cop trailing a known child molester with his partner. Then it jumps to the present with a missing persons case involving one of Pike's ex-loves. The father hires Pike and Cole to keep an eye on the police investigation, headed by a officer who hates Pike. The search leads to death, corruption, redemption and new loves and lost loves ....

This is by far one of the better Cole novels. Even thought you can't go wrong with any of them. The look into Pikes past was great and well done by Crais. I wonder if when Crais started this series that he planned on leaving Pike's past hidden until much later. Either way it was a wonderful read. If you are new to the Cole series I do suggest not jumping in with "LA Requiem", but go back and read a few of the older novels and come back to this one.

I'm not sure how well Seamus Heaney translated Beowulf into English, but he sure made it easy to read. I've tried to read Beowulf many times in my life, and each time I hit a brick wall because the dumb author throws some archaic word at me. You shouldn't have to be an Anglo-Saxon language student to enjoy literature. The English poem is done in the alliterative style, which is okay, although I prefer rhyming poems. But I guess Beowulf wasn't meant to rhyme and neither are translated works. It's nice to have the brief synopsis footnotes at the side of the pages because it quickly tells you what happened, sparing you from reading the passage umpteen dozen times to understand it. You'll get the basic idea pretty easily, but you won't understand all aspects of the storyline the first time around. I wish there were more breaks in the text. I had a heck of a time finding a place to stop, so as a result I finished this book very fast. Professors, complain all you want, I like this book because you can READ it without running to a dictionary or calling your professor on the phone every other line. Highly recommended.

After reading Tolkien's "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" as well as his epic fantasy, my own path was set: I became an English medievalist and, in fact, as a senior graduate student, taught Beowulf under the direction of William Alfred of Harvard before graduating and going on to become a writer of fantasy and science fiction.

I've tried to do my own alliterative translations: Mr. Heaney's translation comes as a delight for a number of reasons. Chief among them is this: he's the best poet to tackle BEOWULF since the original -scop-. Even 20 years after my grad school days, I read Old English. Heaney has produced a translation that is profoundly moving. If he sometimes diverges from the four-stress alliterative pattern, with the third stress being the main one, it's by design -- and he's explained it. He spares us the most convoluted kennings, but gives us, instead, the tautness, the spaces between the words, the pauses for thought, tension, and what Tolkien and Auden referred to as the Northern Thing -- the austere combination of faith and darkness that is Wyrd. It's a solid translation and a fine poem in Heaney's hands.

And it consoles me for not having a full translation by Tolkien and that John Gardner never lived to translate BEOWULF as he had hoped.

It is also delightful to consider that, for the first time since the death of T.S. Eliot, poetry is going to the top of the best-seller lists.

Mr. Heaney, although he is not a ring-giver, rings true, and has given us a great gift.

I imagine almost everyone has heard of or read Beowulf. It's the kind of book that is excellent to read as a child because it's full of neat battles and lots of bravado. This new edition by Seamus Heaney seems to be a better version then the one I remember reading as a child. Many translations attempt to turn this tale into a prose story. Heaney's translation tries to show Beowulf as it really was: an oral poem that was told around endless campfires until it was finally written down. The epic of Beowulf is most notable for showing how Christianity influenced the warrior class in early Europe.

Beowulf contains tons of early medieval imagery. Everything from references to early Christianity to the codes of the warrior class can be found in this poem. Gold takes on a magical aura, and evil skulks incarnate in the forms of Grendel and his mother. Even if you're not looking for any symbolism, this is still a cracking good adventure/fantasy tale.

Mounds of books and monographs have been written on Beowulf. Even such an august personage as J.R.R. Tolkien delved into the depths of this epic. Heaney's version includes the original language of the poem, side by side with the English translation. This in itself is a real treat, as we can see where are language eventually came from (albeit through a long, circuitous route!). I dare you to decipher the original words!

There's not much more to say, I suppose. If you're not familiar with the poem, buy it here or check it out of a library. If you're white, you should learn more about where you came from! Recommended.

James Van Praagh's book, Talking to Heaven, should provide comfort for anyone who has lost a loved one, or who is curious about the afterlife.

In this books, Mr. Van Praagh gives us some background on how he became a medium, relays several readings, and gives pointers on how to develop your own intuition.

He uses many of his readings as examples of love, thoughts on suicide, as well as AIDS.

It seems Mr. Van Praagh has garnered much attention from this book, as well as from his second book, Reaching to Heaven. What's put him in the spotlight even more is his television appearances, which is targeting him for much criticism.

It seems a few skeptics, who make a living out of proving others wrong, seem to find glee in calling Talking to Heaven, as well as James Van Praagh, a sham.

I feel that this is a deeply moving book that should be read by anyone who is on a spiritual jouney. What he says coincides with many other books on the after-life that have been told by people who have had a near-death experience, as well as people who claim to have the same powers Mr. Van Praagh does.

It's up to each individual to decide. Everything cannot be proved with science. If Mr. Van Praagh is a sham, then he cannot keep up the lie forever. If he's isn't, then those who aren't blessed with an open mind are missing out.

This is a wonderful book and I'm glad more books like these are being written.

"Talking to Heaven" came to my attention, as part of my spiritual journey led me to information that explained the things that continued to happen around me, as my son Jason and I began a new way of "being" together after his transition to Heaven. Many things happened and I was always led right to the source of information that I needed, at just the right time, by following what "others" around me suggested...following only the things that resonated in my heart. I find James Van Praagh to be sincere, and humble in a very likable way,and his manner of sharing his gift of healing resonates in my heart, assuring me that he is truly genuine and I appreciate the information he shares. I believe he speaks the truth when he mentions an "inner knowingness" as the way to access this information, and all of the things happened before I read this book, and I assure you that we are definitely connected to our loved ones always, in "all ways" and gifts of love are the blessings we receive from our loved ones when we realize that being "aware" in a new way and trusting our feelings is all we have to do...just believe!

James Van Praagh was the most visible and daring medium of the 20th Century, and TALKING TO HEAVEN was the book that galvanized America's attention to this subject.

This book is a first, and brought Van Praagh's remarkable talents from behind the scenes and into print to allow the reader to formulate his or her own judgments regarding remarkable claims of communication with those in "an afterlife."

As a mental health professional who has interviewed close friends and sitters who have had readings from Van Praagh in Los Angeles, I have seen enormous therapeutic gains in some cases as a direct result from Van Praagh's work. TALKING TO HEAVEN offers top notch case studies and an accurate history of Van Praagh's background before going public on TV to perform demonstrations for millions of television viewers.

My personal belief is that TV is not the best medium for mediums, while books are (next to private readings). And this book is a winner from beginning to end.

Danielle Steel's biography of her son, a brilliant, handsome boy who was finally diagnosed as atypical manic-depressive, and his eventual suicide at age 21 was a disappointment. It is also an autobiography of Ms. Steel's struggle with her son, the disease, and the medical-psychiatric community over her son's condition. While a compelling story (the photographs throughout the book make the suicide all the more tragic), Ms. Steel's narration can be taken as somewhat one-sided. I would wish more insight into the effects of Nick (the son) on the family, his adoptive father, and those around him. These relationships she handles in almost off-handed observations ("all the children loved Nick") but several pages later ("the family was delighted to have a dinner without Nick's disturbances"). While Nick was sent to numerous psychiatrists, hospitals and schools, Ms. Steel had the tendency to allow him to leave the schools or care of the psychiatrist(s) the moment he decided the treatment became in any way uncomfortable, and seemingly on just his say-so. We never are told the incidents that get him expelled from schools with warnings never to return.

With a bit more depth, this story might have been a truly great and helpful narrative of a tragic figure, and might have been of immense assistance to those with similar children who would wish to attempt to prevent the same fate from befalling their child. Perhaps the author can re-look at the events of Nick Triana's life in several years, after the understandable pain of his death has more time to heal, and write a revised and more insightful edition.

it took me a few days to finish the book, for one thing, I was afraid of what I might dicover about being manic depressive because I got this nasty feeling that I am but maybe not as worst as the condition of Nick. I think the book would be a great help for people like me, coz somehow in the words of her beloved mom, you''ll have an idea how painful would it be for your loved ones to be left and wonder why on earth can't you help yourself. I just wish that I'll always remember this book, I wish every person on earth would take time to read this. Life is a struggle and we have to face the fact that it is inevitable to feel so much pain, pain that you can't even imagine you can handle, but that's life has to offer. And for Nick, I think he's a great guy and really really funny. I just wish he had learn to hold on. I adore Danielle Steel for everything she had done and Julie, and I'd like to thank D.S. for writing this book. I think those people who have lived with Nick and known him are one of the luckiest persons on earth because they got to live with someone like him.

I absolutely love Danielle Steel after reading this book and I am so thankful to her for sharing this very sad, personal, and heartwarming story about the life of her son, Nick Traina, "an extraordinary boy." Never have I read a book that was more powerful or compelling than this one. I was deeply touched by this book. In her own words, Danielle Steel recollects her son Nick's ongoing struggle with manic depression/bipolar disease up to the point of his untimely death at the age of nineteen. She shows us not only what a person afflicted with a mental illness goes through but how the disease affects the people around them. Steel's passionate writing style makes you feel like you are living through the experience right along with her. You really get to know these people on such a personal level which makes this book so entrancing. Aside from his illness, Nick was a fun-loving boy with a brilliant mind. He was also an extremely gifted writer and talented musician. He used these talents as a way to release some of his anger and frustrations. One way he did this was through his journals. He wrote in them it seemed on a daily basis. Steel reads to you directly from these journals allowing you an in depth look inside Nick's heart, mind, and extremely tortured soul. She doesn't hold back when repeating Nick's own words exactly as he wrote them and I admire her for having the courage to share such a personal side of him with her readers. At times his expressions are dark and disturbing and sometimes full of courage and hope. Danielle tries everything humanly possible to help her son escape his deep depression. If something doesn't seem to be working in his treatment, she desperately searches for other solutions. This is a very important message the author stresses in the book. To never give up no matter what because this illness is literally a race against death. "His Bright Light" is a learning experience and a tribute to the son that Danielle Steel loved so dearly.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has written the best book of the year and maybe several years. Right from the start I felt my heart touched by her words and the wonderful characters she created. Except for Trevor, the characters are all damaged people. Rubin, the teacher, was in Viet Nam and suffered the loss of half his face, and the use of one arm. Despite his appearance he is a really good man, and a wonderful teacher, the kind we wish we all had. He becomes a surrogate father to Trevor.

Arlene is Trevor's mom. Despite her alcholism which she is fighting, her love for Trevor is important. She works two jobs to keep up her home. Trevor adores his mother and wants to make her happy. His father Rick, is not married to Arlene, but is an unfaithful husband. He disappears in the beginning of the story.

It starts with a social studies project initiated by Rubin. What can you do to change the world? Several children choose projects. Trevor comes up with a plan he calls pay if forward. He will help three people. Instead of them repaying him, they have to pay it forward to three other people. This is to continue and continue until the whole world is changed and blessed by these good deeds. It is a concept I believe in.

Well, it doesn't seem to work for Trevor at first. He doesn't realize what is happening with his plan. Even his efforts to get his mother and his teacher together seem to fail after a time. Trevor is not really discouraged. Even after the class is over he continues to work towards setting up his pay forward plan.

Meanwhile the movement is going on quietly and is reaching from their small town to L.A. A reporter wants to find out who really started this movement. He digs and digs until he uncovers Trevor.

This is a beautifull written book with many poignant and heart warming moments. I absolutely loved the character of Rubin and Trevor as well as Arlene. The love which develops between these three people is one we wish we all had.

If you have time to read only one book read this one. It will change your life for the better.

I loved this book, but was not going to take the time to review it--but the last review about it being "overly utopian" ticked me off. In the movie, the teacher tells Trevor that the class thinks he's come up with an overly utopian idea. He says, "So?"

I'm on his side.

Also, I wish people wouldn't review books unless they have read them carefully. In the movie Trevor is 11. In the book, when he makes that comment about Chelsea Clinton being "a major babe" he is just a day or two shy of his 14th birthday. And it never says the world is perfect and there is no greed. Also the book starts with the gift of a 2-year-old Acura, where in the movie it's a brand-new Jaguar. In the book the boy helps an old lady with her garden. How can anyone say the favors in the book are outrageous and unbelievable compared to the movie? I don't know what book "Overly Utopian" read, but it wasn't the Pay It Forward I read.

Please, people, it's okay not to like a book but be fair and get your facts right.

Maybe I think too many books are good, but this book has to be up there with my favorites. I started reading it at work, just wondering what it was about because the movie looked so good. I ended up taking it home and reading a majority of it until early last night, fighting with the allergy pills that were trying to make me go to bed. It is such a great book. It warms your heart in such a big way... you finish it hoping that it is a true story. I can't wait to see the movie and see how the Movement is passed throughout the world. This book can definately change your life.

It is about a little boy named Trevor who, for a social science extra credit project, invents a concept called "Paying it Forward." He does good deeds for three people... selfless deeds... and instead of having them pay him back, he tells them to pay it forward-- he makes them return the good deed to three other people. His dream is to make random acts of kindess an every day thing. Although he thinks he fails, he does end up reaching his dream.

So read it! Read it before the movie comes out! Read it because the movie is coming out! Learn the wonders of paying it forward... maybe it isn't just a dream.

'Peace Like a River' is an excellent book club selection. There are so many aspects of it that cry out for discussion. How does Davy's life on the lam compare with Swede's 'Legend of Sunny Sundown'? Why does Reuben Land's father use his miraculous abilities to cure the man who fires him but not his own son? Are Jeremiah Land and Jape Waltzer symbolic representations of
God and Satan? Does Reuben's nickname, 'Rube', mean Leif Enger wants us to him as an unsophisticated yokel?

Most of the book reads like a cool drink of water. It's refreshing and goes down easy. Seen through the innocent eyes of children a story with lots of room for gray areas is portrayed mostly in shades of black and white. As a child, Reuben understands goodness and so describes Roxanna's goodness in rich detail. His understanding of evil is not so complete and so his description of Jape is sketchy at best. We know there's something evil about him. We're just not exactly sure what it is.

One final question that merits discussion is, 'Why the lame ending?' Don't get me wrong. Fore the most part, the book is great. It's just that I've seen drunkards' zippers with more closure. With Swede and all her western romanticism, one would think that that there would be something at the end akin to riding off into the sunset. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

My favorite book of all times is Catcher in the Rye. This book rivaled my enjoyment of Salinger's classic. One of the greatest compliments I can give a book -- is that I miss the characters when I am finished reading it. I have thought about Rube and this story so much that I even listened to the book tape to further study the character development. Leif Enger's Peace Like a River is outstanding.

I LOVE the way Mr. Enger puts words together!! He is not verbose but acquaints one thoroughly with each character and place. It is a thoughtful, beautifully written book. I had no trouble with the miracles because I believe anything is possible--why put a limit on a universal energy we can all tap into? It was spiritually uplifting and Jeremiah Land is someone we would all do well to emulate. I am from North Dakota originally and thoroughly enjoyed the trip across the state to the Badlands. I can't say enough good things about this book. If you want lots of warm fuzzies and sweet, gentle humor, read this one!

This was the first Michael Connolly book I read, and because of it I have since bought five others. The plot is engaging from the very start. Ex-FBI agent Terry McCaleb, whose speciality was profiling serial killers, has retired from the Bureau after a heart transplant and is living on his boat in LA harbour. Having turned his back on fighting crime, he has no intentions of helping Graciela Rivers, a woman whose sister has been murdered, until he finds out that the transplanted heart that saved his life belonged to her. With this knowledge, he feels obliged to investigate Gloria's death, against the express wishes of his doctor and knowing it could have serious consequences for his health.

All McCaleb has to go on is a video tape from a convenience store showing a masked man hold up the owner and then shoot the two witnesses. Add to this the hostility he receives from the two LAPD detectives assigned the case, and it seems like McCaleb isn't going to get far. However, it soon becomes clear that the crime is not as random as it seems, and McCaleb is on the trail of someone a lot more sinister than an opportunistic thief.

Connolly writes "Blood Work" with an unrelenting pace and a real flair for knowing exactly how to string the reader along. You'll be as hooked as one of the fish in the harbour!

This was my first time reading a book by Michael Connelly. I saw somewhere that Clint Eastwood has a movie version of "Blood Work" coming out in August and what I read of the plot interested me so I got the book. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed "Blood Work", I'm looking forward to seeing what Clint Eastwood did with it and I am definitely checking out some of Mr. Connelly's other books.

Terry McCaleb is a retired FBI Agent who specialized in profiling serial killers and he's fresh off a heart transplant. His new chance at life is compromised when he learns that the woman whose heart he was given was murdered - and her sister wants his help in finding the killer. McCaleb's unofficial investigation is hampered by his condition (still recovering from transplant surgery) and turf battles with local law enforcement who don't exactly appreciate hints from a former fed that they may have missed something. Plus he's become emotionally attached to the murdered woman's sister and son, and someone seems to be setting McCaleb up to look like a less than innocent recipient of a life-saving organ.

I liked the way Connelly was able to use McCaleb's heart transplant to both drive the plot forward, as a motivating force, and to hold McCaleb back, in terms of the reality of the situation - he couldn't drive a car because of air bags, he had to get someone to drive him or call a cab; he had to take a ton of medication and monitor his temperature to make sure he didn't reject his new heart. Later on in the book, he took a lot of chances that could have jeopardized his health, but it was necessary to the plot (he wasn't going to solve the murder from a hospital bed) and there was always an awareness that he was doing something risky - in fact his doctor was ready to dump him as a patient because of his actions. It put an interesting twist on a murder mystery/thriller.

"Blood Work" is fast-moving and entertaining fiction. It's made me want to read other Michael Connelly books and I'm looking forward to seeing the screen version.

Terry McCaleb, ex-FBI profiler and serial killer point man in Los Angeles, is spending his days recuperating after a heart transplant by restoring the boat he lives on. Life consists of long daily walks, checking vital signs and taking anti-rejection medications. That is, until he looks up one day to see Graciela Rivers coming aboard with a request. She's read about his career and new heart in the paper and wants him to privately take on the murder case of her sister, Glory, who was shot in the head and killed during a convenience store robbery. At first, McCaleb says no, he's not in the business anymore, doesn't need the stress and has to take care of himself. But when she reveals that his new heart belonged to Glory, she was an organ donor, he rethinks his answer and decides to look into the case. As he starts to look at the LAPD paperwork and crime scene tape, one thing becomes very clear, things are not as they seem. The detectives working the case, missed some important clues and it appears that Glory wasn't just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the actual target. And as McCaleb digs deeper, he knows his new heart will never rest easy, unless he solves the crime and finds the killer..... Michael Connelly has done it again. He's written a great mystery/thriller with enough twists, turns and false starts to keep you turning pages to the very end. This is a book that has it all...a great, fast paced, suspenseful plot, well drawn, original characters and riveting scenes that come alive on the page. This is a novel you'll definitely want to read in one sitting. So turn off the phone and lock the door, Blood Work is about to keep you up all night!