Though this book has promise, and the author as deft command of the language, using it beautifully, language is one of the main problems with this book. True, a glossary is provided, but having to stop and see what many of the created terms means interrupts the flow of the story and makes it hard to concentrate. This is the story of the two sons of the last being of a magical race. It is their mission in life to stop the darkness that threatens to consume their world. But, I felt like there was some background lacking. I did not understand where the conflict began, or exactly who the good guys, much less the bad ones were. Presumably, it will be fleshed out more in subsequent volumes, so a reader might wish to wait until the sequel is published and read them together to get a sense of the whole picture.

Elder Earth, having been reborn of a powerful magic, is now on the brink of another "Changing of the Age". Earthrage and Living Shadow are poisoning the land, while the magical power of "glimmer" is diminishing. Ruhvaurog, the Ancient Enemy, is held bound in Mithymuriel (the land of spirit beyond the mortal realm) but his being is reforming as he seeks to rebirth himself in the mortal world. Only the two Great Stewards, Aor and Einaele, can oppose him -- but they have been apart for nearly a thousand years and each has set in motion plans that may differ in purpose with unexpected and cataclysmic results. Robert Halmo's richly woven fantasy novel Children Of The Grove debuts the "Lords of Darkness, Lords of Light" series and is enthusiastically recommended to fans of the high fantasy genre. Children Of The Grove is also available in paperback (0759623171, (...)).

This review I found may be useful to fantasy fans considering this book: Elder Earth, having been reborn of a powerful magic, is now on the brink of another "Changing of the Age". Earthrage and Living Shadow are poisoning the land, while the magical power of "glimmer" is diminishing. Ruhvaurog, the Ancient Enemy, is held bound in Mithymuriel (the land of spirit beyond the mortal realm) but his being is reforming as he seeks to rebirth himself in the mortal world. Only the two Great Stewards, Aor and Einaele, can oppose him -- but they have been apart for nearly a thousand years and each has set in motion plans that may differ in purpose with unexpected and cataclysmic results. Robert Halmo's richly woven fantasy novel Children Of The Grove debuts the "Lords of Darkness, Lords of Light" series and is enthusiastically recommended to fans of the high fantasy genre.

My wife's great-great-great grand father was killed at the Battle of Prairie Grove and the detail Banasik provides goes well with what we have been able to put together. Her great (3x) uncle wrote a letter home to inform the family of his brother's death and that letter and this book go hand in hand in detail. If you want to know about Prairie Grove and Cane Hill, read this one.

Michael Banasik writes in a style that is detailed but very readable. The gist of this book deals with events in the extreme of NW Ark / SW Mo between the Battle of Pea Ridge and Battle of Prairie Grove - the two decisive battles for NW Arkansas. As a native son & student of the local history, those facts I am confident dovetail well with the focus of this book. The author does an excellent job of detailing both sides of the conflict without revealing a bias towards either. The maps are excellent & large print makes even the footnotes highly readable. The smooth chronological flow keeps the reader from getting lost. I found few mistakes - Lindsley's Prairie appears to be misnamed Lindsey's, a minor fact - and I would hope for more information on the Pin Indian troops that literally switched sides during the Battle of Pea Ridge & were the terror of civilians thru the following years of the Civil War but this work is excellent and well worth the buy.

Banasik obviously put a vast amount of effort into his work and it shows! It details the war around Arkansas for only the last nine months of 1862, but from a huge list of sources, he's gleaned nearly 500 pages of information. For some it may be a tedious read (the Prairie Grove Battle is almost second by second and comprises over a hundred pages), but for those of us with ancestors in the battle it was exciting to relive the moment by moment action. The Prairie Grove Battle hasn't been built up like the Eastern battles, but Herron's heroic march and then the amazing luck when Blunt arrived in the nick of time to relieve Herron and the fact that Arkansas was saved for the Union for another year places it as a small but relevant piece of history.

I admit, I had high expectations when I started reading _Happy Endings_; I'd just finished Geras' stunning Egerton Hall trilogy, which I devoured in one weepy night. Geras has a knack for writing straight from the heart of a teenage girl; she seems to recall this perfectly, as so few writers do.

This talent shows up in _Happy Endings_, an earlier novel, as well. Unfortunately, the heroine, Mel, doesn't have as juicy a plot to work through. Here's the premise: Mel gets a part in a community-theater production of Chekhov's _Three Sisters_. She is instant friends with Clare, the sweet and worldly stage manager, who is recovering from divorce and finding love again with the director, Chris. But when Clare goes out of town, Mel suspects he is having an affair with an actress, and starts meddling. Alongside this plot runs the story of Mel's own romance with a "mysterious" boy who won't talk about his home life, but this mystery is quickly solved, and the relationship between him and Mel is never looked at deeply. They kiss in the prop room. That's about it. Mel's heart is more engaged in worrying about Clare's love life than her own. It feels like Geras wanted to write about Clare but decided to write from Mel's point of view to make it a teen novel, and so both Clare's and Mel's stories lose some immediacy.

The final disappointment came at the very end of the book. See, the beginning of the story featured Mel, homebound with a broken ankle, reminiscing about the production of _Three Sisters_, and the broken ankle is talked about enough that I expected its breaking to be a major plot point--like maybe the catty actress tripped Mel to take over her part, or something--and at the end it turns out *SPOILER* that the broken ankle is basically irrelevant to the story. It just seems to be a device to get Mel on a couch where she can sit and write. *sigh*

All in all, it's a pretty good book, but it can't hold a candle to the Egerton Hall books. Look for _The Tower Room_ and its sequels.

My expectations were very low for this book, becuase it started out slow, but once you get into it, its a really beautiful story. It depicts the life in the theater, and the hardships and stories that you may never know are going when the curtain falls. Although light reading, the book really captures the unity people find when they all share a common goal. This book is real-- it does not necessarily end with "comeuppance" and shows us that not all things were meant to be. A definite book worth reading!

A beautifully written novel for young adults. Geras explores the magical world of the theatre with fresh characters and heart-warming understanding. Never preachy yet very intuitive. I've read it every summer since I turned 15. I never tire, and always laugh, cry, and am constantly surprised at the beauty Adele Geras finds in the everyday.

Having just finished reading Twain's "Roughing It", and having received this book as a gift, I decided to read them back to back. This is a compilation of the correspondence Mark Twain was hired to write from Hawaii (then the Sandwich Islands) for the California newspaper the Sacramento Union. These letters were written before he had published his first book, so he was still young and inexperienced as a writer. Yet all the elements of classic Twain are in here--the humour, the keen observation, the ear for vernacular speech. It is informative to notice that he used much of the material from these letters--at times verbatim--to create the last few chapters of "Roughing It". I would almost recommend reading "Roughing It" instead of these letters because the writing is more polished and edited for more readability, were it not for the fact that the letters contain some very interesting material that does not appear in "Roughing It". Specifically, Twain does an excellent job covering the trade and commerce of the Islands, specifically the whaling and sugar industries (I am a sucker for 19th century whaling stories), and delivers an exclusive report on the fate of the clipper ship 'Hornet', a ship that completely burned while on the open sea, stranding 31 men in open boats near the Equator. One boat made it to Hawaii and Twain was able to get a report off to California, the first anyone there had heard of it. This report later bacame the source for his piece "Forty-Three Days in an Open Boat".

I would recommend this book to those interested in early Hawaiian, or even California, history and those who would enjoy some early Mark Twain. The subject matter jumps around a bit, as is the nature of this kind of compilation. The introduction by A. Grove Day is very informative and helpful for placing the readings in context. The reading is not always easy but usually entertaining.

This book is an excellent and quick read. It presents a picture of Hawaii that, unfortunately, will never be seen again. If you love the islands and/or Mark Twain's writing style, you'll love this book.

What is it about the Hawaiian Islands that is so profoundly affecting? Twain was the ultimate skeptic, yet the Islands won him over in a minute. This collection of newspaper columns tells us why, and it is story that remains relevant to Island visitors and lucky residents. Twain was as well travelled as anyone of his day, and had no trouble identifying Hawaii as not just a pleasant place, but a unique place on earth. He hoped to live out his days on the Islands, but never made it back. Modern travellers sometimes wonder about the attractions of the Islands versus other places with warm climates. No one has explained it better than Twain.

This book was good in one way. I love world war two. I'm reading this book in english class at the moment, and thats why I was reading it. Some thought it was good, it's not my type of book. Anyone that likes an ACTION\DRAMA, this is the book for you. Even give it a try, you might like it. Ronan Ferguson. SCORPION Harare International School

This novel, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, is an interesting story about courge and hardships for the Kawashima family. Yoko Kawashima Watkins is the the author of the book and she displays excellent language and courage as she explains the war that tore her family apart.It is a great book, suitable for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The llanguage that Ms. Kawashima uses is vivid and descriptive. I like that that because it helps me picture a detailed scene in my mind. When i read this novel, i could just see the sorrow on the faces of the people who lost a loved one and the pain of the injured. Read, you'll like it.

This is a true story of a young girl's struggle during World War Two. Yoko, the main character and author is a Japanese girl living in Korea with her brother, Hideyo, sister Ko, and Honorable Mother and Father. The Communists are killing all refugees and Japanese. The Kawishima's have to get to Japan safely, which was a very hard struggle. Along their journey, mother had died, Hideyo was almost killed, and their father was held captive in Manchuria. I definetly recomend this book to any one. It is a real tear-jerker though!!

It was necessary to bring this book into the new framework of the post Reckoning world of darkness, and this book pulls it off with substance as well as style. Like the original it covers the denizens beyond the pale and thier dark and twisted agendas, but this version does things in a more sinister style and was worth the price for an upgrade. I recommend it, but if you aren't planning on dealing with these elements, the book may best be avoided for your campaign.

I admit it - I'm a relative newcomer to the world of Mage: the Ascension, and to White Wolf in general (right now, I'm in the midst of my first game ever, for which I'm the ST *gulp*). But I have to admit - next to the Guide to the Technocracy, this is probably the most solid and useful Mage book I've seen.

The book is divided into four sections - Nephandi, Marauders, Infernalists, and Umbrood. The Nephandi chapter is probably the best - it gives scads of information on all manner of Nephandic beings, practices, and yes, even the Spheres of the Qlippoth. The Nephandic chapter is solid and useful. And the art takes a turn for the disturbing . . . *shudder*

The Marauder chapter is also fun, but not quite so fun as the chapter on Nephandi. There's a lot of chatter about just what Marauders are. In short, it tells you all the things you need to know in order to create a Marauder or even to play as one.

The chapter on Infernalism is detailed and interesting, and probably the most utile one in the entire book (utile, yes, but not as interesting as the one on the Nephandi). There's information on Soul Trade, various demons, and anything you need to add the ultimate seeker of power into your chronicle. However, I wouldn't give the players the power of infernalism, considering how easy it is to become powerful quickly . . .

Finally, the chapter on Umbrood. This is where the chapter falls down. It's done almost entirely in a series of letters, which can get old really fast. In truth, I didn't even read the whole thing. It just got old very, very quickly.

All together, the Book of Madness is an essential read for anybody who wants to create a Mage chronicle involving the wilder side of the Mage universe.

Ben Dewitt's third novel, "Graveyard Grove", is a knock-out thriller. Once you pick it up and start to read, you won't be able to put it down until the last page has been turned.

The book follows Jefferson Davis Treat, a retired wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, as he joins up with Floyd Carter, a gay detective with the Detroit police force, as they investigate the murder of Treat's father-in-law, a successful businessman and closet homosexual. As they journey from Detroit to Chicago to El Paso, Texas, they hook up with Bennie Myers, the sexy daughter of another businessman involved in the plot, and the three of them go to work to get to the bottom of a criminal ring that specializes in drugs, prostitution and murder.

DeWitt's specialty is character development and political intrigue, and he delivers these strengths in abundance in "Graveyard Grove". Bennie Myers is DeWitt's most interesting character yet, and her strong personality and intense sexuality give this book a great deal of bite. The interplay between Floyd Carter and Jefferson Treat Davis is always interesting and honest, and DeWitt makes the most of these two very different men working together for a common cause.

DeWitt's knowledge of the workings of the government and the many law enforcement agencies that make up our national security system also gives the book a very realistic flavor. The competitions and jealousies between agencies plays a part in the development of the plot, and an extra flair is the addition of several Mexican agencies since the action takes place mostly in El Paso, Texas and its sister city, Juarez, Mexico.

DeWitt knows the playing area of this book geographically and politically, and he uses both to their fullest extent. If you're looking for a book that captures its plot and players to perfection, "Graveyard Grove" is the book for you.

This is the third book released by Ben DeWitt. The first novel "No Other Way" is a Korean war novel. The second "Death of a Hummingbird" is a another action mystery. Like Tom Clancy, Mr. DeWitt shows a strong knowledge of current military technology, global politics, the interaction between global police agencies and the military, and the underlying continuing love/hate relationship of Mexico and the United States. Mr. Dewitt captures much of the continuing conflict and flavor of El Paso, Texas, the location for much of the action of "Graveyard Grove". Although both Mexican and U.S. officials may be annoyed by the story line, it clearly is more authentic than what is published in the news or seen on CNN. Local and international politics and personalities are interlaced with action that often overrides national borders. As in life, it becomes very difficult to know who to trust. High officials trade knowledge across national boundaries for their own benefit. Much of the real work gets done only when personal favors are repaid, not through slow official channels. Several of the characters in "Graveyard Grove" are interesting enough to become the basis for a series of their own like "Spencer for Hire". Floyd Carter, the Detroit homicide detective, is a hardened, believable cop with a distinctly human side that is not often spoken of in fiction writing. Jefferson Davis Treat, the retired Detroit Lions football player is ideally positioned in his business to have some great stories of his own to tell. A life history of Sherman Christy, the hired assasin, could fill volumes. Overall, the story is excellent, the writing flows well, and the characters are interesting. I highly recommend "Graveyard Grove" as a novel that you will find hard to put down before you finish it.

This is a wonderful book for those who feel "too rushed to meditate". It introduces a simple and easy method of meditation that is practical and inspiring... leaving no room for excuses! The author writes in a friendly and approachable style, and shows us how we can benefit in all kinds of brief and tiny ways, from even sporadic meditating. Exceptionally practical and inspiring - particularly good for novice meditators who would like to "kick start" their practice

Meditation is new to me. I've been kind of doing my own thing and meditating the way I imagined you should do it without any direction (I had in mind that the point was to get away from direction!). I ran across this small book at Whole Foods and am happy to say that I would recommend it as a straightforward guide to what meditation is and different ways to practice it. Within the first 20 pages or so you'll get the basics and be ready to get going.

I purchased this book looking for short simple poems to use for weekly poetry time in my first grade classroom. While the poems in this book promote phonemic awareness, they contain big words my first graders can't yet read and they are way too long for a first grader to try to read.

Perfect Poems for Teaching Phonics blends the teaching of basic phonics skills with delightful children's poetry. This teacher resource book is easy to use and adapts easily to fit any primary reading curriculum. The student-centered, age-appropriate learning activities require minimal teacher preparation and materials to implement in the classroom. Whether you're looking for a creative way to introduce a new skill or simply a way to extend your students beyond workbooks and drill sheets, Perfect Poems for Teaching Phonics is the book for you.

I have used this text for class and find it to be poorly organized. Specifically, if you approach the chapters as ordered, students feel that the course sequence is redundant, yet because of the global and superficial approach, they still need additional work with basic concepts like measurement, validity, and others. Some of the "middle of the book " chapters seem more like enrichment materials, yet these are presented before core concepts are covered.In the future,I will go back to the tried and true Polit and Hunglar text.

I am a senior BSN student in West Texas. We have been studying the research process as it applies to the nursing profession. Our text book we used was limited in explanation. I found Burns & Grove to be a life saver when preparing for exams and assignments. Throughout my research course I used several nursing research books as a reference book. None compared to Burns & Grove. It has explanations of the research process, theories, and statistics. You name it, it has it all. I highly recommend this book to all BSN students or anyone interested in nursing research. My only wish is this would have been the assigned text book for my class! This is one nursing book I definitely will be purchasing.