This book is a "must have" for anyone, especially the Wichitans who live where most of Gino's sculptures are located! Artists, sculptors and painters will also enjoy and appreciate the talent of Gino Salerno. Not only does it serve as interesting piece of local history, it would make a great tabletop book or unique gift for someone.

Unfortunately, some of the statues only exist as photos presented in the book, due to acts of vandalism. Some have been relocated to private organizations or homes. It is such a delight to be able to see them around Wichita, and some are still around for our viewing pleasure.

This truly is a beautiful book, with some insights shared by the author on his favorite types of woods and tools that he uses.

He still does sculptures, and his contact information is in the book. After seeing all these, you'll want one of your own.

As soon as Gino started with his wood sculptures, a kind lady started to secretly keep track of his work, taking pictures and notes of all of his pieces.

Some years later she died, and left Gino a complete record of his own artistic carreer.

That's why this book offers a unique perpective of Salerno's art, from it's origins to his last pieces, including some that have been destroyed by vandalism or weather, and others that have been stolen. You'll be able to see all the techniques, styles and themes that the artist has explored over the last decade. Some of the sculptures are simply superb.

It's 95% photographic, with just enough explanation to get an idea of his personality, the way he works and some secrets of intrest for other wood artists.

I have enjoyed exploring the work that this peruvian artist living in Wichita, Kansas; a work that is just starting it's way into the rest of America.

Holly Jacobs does it again. With her trademark humor and warm emotions, she provides a wonderful romance. The hero is alpha-ish on the outside with a warm beta-center, totally yummy! In fact, I think Donovon is my favorite Jacob's hero to date.

If you're looking for a sweet romance to escape with, look no further. Grab Holly's latest book, sit back, and enjoy!

Courtesy of Love Romances

Elias Donovan, dubbed The Iceman, for his lack of emotion, is quite the lawyer, having spent many years sharpening his image as a hard man strong attorney. His goal is to become a partner at the law firm where he has worked since finishing law school. He has no desire except to make it to the top in his firm and become well known for his skill in the courtroom. The only problem is... he works for a firm where family is the most important priority. When he is told he needs to find "balance" in his life... something other then work, like a wife, to keep him grounded before he will be considered for a partnership, he is in a dilemma. He has no desire to marry, so how can he prove he deserves the promotion?

Sarah Jane Madison is trying to make her new interior design business a success. Unfortunately money is very tight, even more so since one of her clients stiffed her on the bill. Sarah turns to Donovan, her neighbor, in hopes he can assist her in a lawsuit against her client. The only problem is, she has no money to pay the retainer fees. Donovan's prayers are answered! He decides to ask Sarah to pose as his fiancée for an anniversary party for one of the senior partners, Leland Wagner at the law firm, in exchange for his handling her lawsuit against her client. Sarah is hesitant at first, but then decides it can't hurt much to help him.

It is supposed to be a limited engagement, beginning in time for the party, and ending as soon as it is over. Before Sarah knows it though, she is caught in the middle of wedding plans, for a wedding she won't be having! Leland's wife and daughters are so excited that someone finally melted The Iceman's heart, they can't wait to see the wedding take place. Sarah plays along, still knowing the engagement is a ruse, but feels guilty about lying to such wonderful people.

Suddenly, Donovan decides he wants more then an engagement, he want a marriage of convenience, to cement his position with the firm. He asks Sarah to marry him, insisting it is only temporary and he will spell everything out in a prenuptial agreement, so no one loses out on the deal. She grudgingly agrees, thinking she can keep up the charade. However, she finds herself drawn more and more to Donovan, until she realizes she loves him, The Iceman, a man known for his lack of emotion! Now comes the greatest dilemma of all, how to show Donovan a wedding farce may not be such a good idea after all. Will she play along, knowing her heart will be broken? Or will she show Donovan there is more to life then his career?

Ms. Jacobs has done it again! She has penned a delightful tale, full of her trademark humor and pure, sweet emotion. She has taken what could be a tired storyline - a marriage of convenience - and worked her own brand of magic on it, making it different and new. Of course, as said before, humor abounds, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to be found.

The characters are delightful, With Sarah and Donovan shining in the spotlight. From Amelia and Mac, totally in denial of their own love story going on, to Leland Wagner and his ebullient family, everyone is a joy. And also happy to note, Pearly Gates makes another appearance, known in other books for her rather long-winded but always funny stories, always with a moral.

This reviewer never tires of reading one of Ms. Jacobs works, and is always pleasantly surprised with the road the tale takes. The talent evident is brimming over. It can't be said enough, Ms. Jacobs is making her mark in the category romance genre. Run out and buy a copy today, it is well worth it!

The scene is Hannahstown,Pennsylvania, a "day's ride" from Pittsburgh, where the story begins in the bleak winter of 1777.

This novel combines details of the daily life of a pioneer family with actual characters from the history of the area. It is recommended reading for anyone who has "roots" in early American settlements and wishes to enrich their understanding of the trials of their pioneer ancestors.

Agnes Sligh Turnbull has authored many short stories and articles. The Rolling Years,Remember the End, The Wedding Bargain, and Many a Green Isle are other novels by the author which are worth reading. But, The Day Must Dawn has always been one of my favorites.

This historical novel is centered around the burning of an actual village in Western PA by indians in July of 1782.(About 40 min.fm Pittsburgh) The town is an historical landmark which you can visit complete with guided tours.It was the site of the first courthouse west of the Allegheny Mountains during westward expansion.

John Gardner is wham-bam back on pedigree form with Day of Absolution, his best book since Werewolf Trace, Dancing Dodo, Complete State of Death, Every Night's a Bullfight (don't settle for 'The Director', the bowdlerised version) and Garden of Weapons (if you haven't read these books, you should get out more!). JG is the best - complex where Le Carre is merely complicated, out-detailing Deighton and, with his penetrating Greene-like insights into the human conditon, relegating the rest of the spy-hacks (with the exception of Eric Ambler)to also-rans. Read this book and then go back and enjoy the complete canon. JG is the spy writer's writer.

Recently retired Foreign Office employee Charlie Gauntlet marries Metropolitan Police Detective Bex Olesker. Since she works in the Anti-terrorist Branch, Charlie has had a difficult adjustment because his former job has taught him how dangerous her work is.

Bex's latest case involves the deadly, legendary Alchemist, a wizard who has eluded police around the world for more than a decade. As Bex follows her lead, traitor Kit Palfrey visits Charlie with a tale about ancient Christian scrolls found in Moscow. While Bex journeys to Ireland, Charlie travels to Scotland to substantiate the scrolls that allegedly provide a new light on the last days of Jesus. However, neither Charlie nor Bex realize that their two divergent cases will soon intercede at a point that could leave both of them dead.

DAY OF ABSOLUTION is a great thriller that expeditiously combines elements from espionage, political, police procedural, and religion into a classy tale. The story line is fast-paced, filled with action while containing two major subplots that cleverly blend into a wonderful climax. The lead characters are fully drawn and the assassin is shadowy enough to seem real. This novel proves that John Gardner is the Man.

Harriet Klausner

Hard to believe but my 21st birthday was the day Bucky Dent hit the Home Run to beat the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

I was a senior at Providence College in Rhode Island that year. During my four years of college either the Red Sox or the Yankees were in the World Series every season. At Providence half the kids were from NY/CT and the other half from Boston. It was bedlam every Fall. We didn't get a lot of studying done October nights.

I grew up in the New York area a life time Yankee fan but only went to my first game in 1965 when they began a period of years being terrible. My first real baseball memory was going to Yankee Stadium with my Father for a Sunday double header. In those days they hung all the Championship banners off the roof top facade on Sundays. It was impressive. For years I rooted for the Horace Clarke Yankees, then rejoiced when Sparky Lyle was obtained from the Red Sox for Danny Cater. When the Yankees got good in the late 1970s it was my first taste of seeing them win anything.

I got into broadcasting in college and had the chance to go to several Yankee and Red Sox games to interview players like Catfish Hunter, Oscar Gamble, Cliff Johnson, and Jim Rice. Rice put me off the first time I approached him for an interview, then he came back and said, "You still got those questions?" I even interviewed Bily Martin one night before he got fired and replaced by Bob Lemon. Billy was very nice to me when I talked with him. He answered my questions and then said "Glad to have you with us". Of course I was dumb struck listening on the radio to Old Timer's Day from my summer job and hearing the announcement from Bob Shepard that Martin would come back the next year as manager.

We went to the Sunday game of the four game sweep in Boston early in September and I remember how dejected the Red Sox faithful were. We hustled back down to New York to see a game of the followup series at Yankee Stadium the next week. The Red Sox were gritty to come back and tie the Yankees on the last day of the season setting up the playoff game.

The campus was dead quite that afternoon of Oct 2nd as everyone who absolutely didn't have to be in class or at a team practice crowded around tvs to watch the game. We had a party in my Fennel Hall dorm room watching on my old black and white set. The suspense was amazing. When Bucky hit the home run it seemed important but not yet decisive. There where innings left to play. The outs counted down. At the end of the game we poped a Champagne cork out the window. (the drinking age at that time was 18).

It is fortunate to have had such a great memory for a 21st birthday. I can hardly remember the World Series that year, the rivalry with the Red Sox had been so intense. It was a great time when a baseball game still can still be one of the most important things in your life. I look forward to reading this book.

Ken Kraetzer White Plains, NY

kgkraetzer@aol.com

Unless you are a Red Sox fan, you may not know about the Curse of the Bambino. In the early part of the 20th century, the Boston Red Sox dominated the American League. One of their best players was a pitcher named Babe Ruth. The owner traded the Babe to the New York Yankees in exchange for the money to invest in the Broadway production of No No, Nanette and it's been no cigar for the Red Sox ever since.

Jonathan Schwartz has one of the worst cases of Red Sox addiction that I have ever heard of. He has been a radio announcer in New York for over 30 years (that's enemy territory for Red Sox fans). To stay up with his beloved Red Sox, he spent almost $15,000 in long distance charges from 1970-77 to listen in to the air check for WITS in Hartford of the games (calling in from Paris in some cases).

This is a story first published in Sports Illustrated in 1978 and covers one of the worst periods in Red Sox history: The season when they blew a late 14 game lead to the dreaded Yankees. I lived in Boston at that time, and it was painful to recall the swoon. Yet at the end of the season, they pulled a comeback and tied the Yankees. There was to be a one-game playoff in Fenway Park (determined by a coin toss) on October 2, 1978. In a prior playoff against Cleveland in Fenway in 1948 (also on October 2), the Sox had lost 8-3.

During the slide, the worst time had been when the Red Sox lost four in a row in Fenway to the Yankees with less than a month to go. Schwartz recounts his reaction. In a funk, he impulsively walked out of his apartment with $50 and a credit card, and flew to California. Only after arriving did he remember to call his live-in girlfriend and tell her what he had done.

With the big game coming up, Schwartz thinks he should take it easy and watch the game on television. At the last minute, he cannot resist and calls in some markers to get a press pass.

Most of the book recounts the game. It is interspaced with pre and post game comments from the key players.

The ironies continue to abound. You'll have to read the book to get them all. The Sox took a 2-0 early lead, but the faithful were fearful. Bucky Dent, the light-hitting shortstop, fouled a ball off his leg and play was stopped temporarily while he was treated. On the mound, the delay cost Torres (the Red Sox pitcher and former Yankee) his concentration. You guessed it. Dent hit a home run. Gossage replaced Guidry later on and stops the Red Sox from rallying back.

The final score: New York 5, Boston 4 (or as Schwartz puts it "Destiny 5, Boston 4).

Required reading and rereading for all Red Sox fans until the Curse of the Bambino is lifted!

Overcome your disbelief that anyone team could have so much bad luck with so much talent by reading this engaging story of baseball tragedy!

This lively story tells the meaning of Dia de los Muertos--honoring loved ones--with beautiful illustrations, a good mixture of English and Spanish text, and accuracy. Great teaching tool.

I have read this book to my 6 year-old daughter ab out a dozen times in the last 2 weeks. The colorful and rich illustrations are awe-inspiring and capture the spiritual side of this Mexican holiday. The story reflects the anticipation of the children as their parents prepare for this day of feasting and honoring passed souls.

Another plus in this book is the use of the Spanish language. Scattered throughout the book in short phrases, the words can be interpreted by context for the non-speaker.

I love this book and so does my daughter. We live near the border of Mexico and can attest to the fact that it is culturally accurate and reflects the Mexican culture in a beautiful way. I highly recommend this book!

This book is a "must-read" for those seeking to better understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the personal affect of oppression, in general. The author is a Palestinian who shares poignant personal stories of what it means to be Palestinian, while interweaving insightful political and policy comments concerning Israel, Zionism, and U.S. foreign policy. Toubbeh tells his story powerfully, with sensitivity, honesty and at times,scathing humor, and stinging sarcasm. Additionally, this is a well-researched, well-documented informative offering.

"Day of the Long Night" seems a perfect title in reference to experiencing first hand, upon reading the book, the referenced Nakba (catastrophe). We experience this both through the author's teenaged perspective and through the lens of his subsequent 50 years of accumulated wisdom, eloquently expressed with insight and humor.

I read this book as a child and it was my favorite book growing up. I must have checked it out of the library 25 times. Unfortunately, I remembered the story, but not the title. I had a vague recollection of the author, but could never find the title. Thanks to Amazon, I can now find a copy for my daughter (and read it again myself!).

This is one of the first books I ever read when I was about five. To this day (22 years later) I still remember it vividly. The wonderful story is enhanced by frequent illustrations of the hideous Ness. Any child will love this book.

P.I. Harry Stoner is a fine addition to the literary tradition of Phillip Marlowe, Travis McGee and Lew Archer. He inhabits the street of Cincinnati like a second skin. This story is one of the better ones in the series and it is also one of the darker ones. Stoner's adventures are nevr pretty, but they are well worth the ride for fans of P.I. fiction.

Jonathin Valin is one of the legitimate heirs of Ross MacDonald and detective Harry Stoner is very much in the mold of Lew Archer. Stoner rides the streets on Cincinnati in his Pinto, looking for runaways, armed with nothing but his righteous indignation and his Colt Gold Cup revolver.

Harry's been hired by Mildred Segal to find her 14 year old daughter, Robbie, who has run away from their placid suburban home. Harry, who grew up in just such a place, knows all too well why kids flee Eastlawn Drive & mothers like Mildred. But then, while looking for Robbie's boyfriend Booby Caldwell, he finds the boy's corpse & suddenly, Robbie's disappearance looks more ominous.

He backtracks the kids to a local guitar god/guru named Theo Clinger and a degenerate socialite, Irene Croft. But Croft is protected by a gangster, albeit a hyper-polite one, and Clinger has a Manson family style farm in Kentucky with armed guards. So getting Robbie back is not going to be easy.

Valin hits all the right notes here & with similes like this one, the farm was "a fenced in field with a lumpy dirt access road cutting through it like a keloid scar", you know you're in the hands of a pro. Personally, I believe that this is the best of the modern private eye series.

GRADE: A

I first read this while in college in the 50s. It burned a place in my memory. And have thought of it often. There are a lot of things that have escaped me about this book, except the deep feelings I have, when I think about'Day On Fire'! A mellow feeling which could come from the descriptions of the absinthe scenes. It was so real that one could almost feel and taste the lucent green fog that the drinker of absinthe experiences. And the slow descend into maddness.Caused by the wormwood= Artemisia absinthium, mixed with other aromatics. And the nightmarish hell it produced. I will be anxious to read it again, now, 43 years. later. I still have that feeling that I was there even now.
ciao...yaaah69

While reading this book I got the feeling that I was experiencing the exact same emotions as Rimbaud. James Ramsey Ullman got it right in the same air as Dostoyevsky in the life struggles of a genius. This in depth look of a revolutionary France makes you want to go there are retrace this amazing poet's steps. Rimbaud wrote all of his poetry before the age of 19, and spent the rest of his life doing an amazing assortment of travels that anyone at the time would have been crazy to do. The desperate moments with his mother, his highly emotional relationships and stoney display of emotion while working in the slave trade... it makes for an eye opening experience, all from the armchair.