When a young woman attends her high school reunion she gets roped into helping the former school bad boy reach a troubled teen his is mentoring. That she used to have a crush on him complicates things slightly, especially now that she has finally caught his eye. The characters are well developed and the plot tight, but the female lead behaved a tad too selfishly for my tastes. I still recommend it though.

Claire would have preferred to skip her high school reunion, but her best friend Jennifer substitutes romance novels for the astronomy journals Clair packed. Insisting that it's time to shake Claire out of her pleasant rut of stars and solitude, she also sneaks a too-tight red dress into Claire's suitcase. Much against her better judgment, Claire finds herself returning to Port Townsend, Washington.

When she finds herself alone with Blake, the man she'd had a crush on during high school, fantasy hits high gear. Claire longs for a wildly improbable affair with the man she'd once watched wistfully from the high school halls, intending to take sensations and memories back to her mountain top retreat with the stars. Sharing her passion with Blake makes everything in her life feel, better, sharper, more real. She can't stay away from this man who's eyes fill with challenge and speculation.

Blake promises a week of passion and fantasy in exchange for Claire's assistance with a troubled young man. He tells Claire that they are safe -- that there is no danger of falling in love. Blake doesn't have time for a serious relationship. He is too busy working overtime, taking on too many jobs to pay his sister's university tuition. He is already stretched to the limit with the shipyard, his aid to troubled boys, and his family. Blake has a passion for hard work, fast boats, and rough kids. Any woman who enters his life must be strictly temporary.

Soon, however, he won't long be able to deny that he fell in love with Claire when his eyes found her across the crowded banquet room. The years had erased the painfully shy girl, leaving a vibrant, fascinating woman. He can't walk away from this woman with intense blue eyes and passion boiling just beneath the surface. But persuading her to stay may be impossible.

Clair dreams of running her own observatory and finding comets; she's already had her first discovery named after her. Claire also fears the lust that makes her loose herself with Blake. With him filling her life, she's afraid there will be no room for the world of stars, of comets, that she'll cease to be herself and won't know who she is. Nevertheless, Claire and Blake find something that leaves them both open and vulnerable -- not just passion but something far more shattering -- fulfillment.

SEEING STARS becomes a wonderful blend of mistakes and compromise, of dreams and promises. As both Claire and Blake struggle with priorities and self-identity, they learn lessons of love. SEEING STARS balances the heart, career and family with grace. Vanessa Grant has a real feel for modern challenges of career, distances, and the heart. SEEING STARS is Highly Recommended.

I had high hopes for The Civil War Battle Series when I picked up James Reasoner's first volume about "Manassas," but from the vantage point of Book 8 "Shenandoah" it is clear that from the beginning the idea of each volume in this series being about a particular battle was just a hook. The title battle always takes place in the last couple of chapters of the book. It has been equally clear that The Civil War Soap Opera Series would have been a better title.

Actually I am getting tired of making that crack, because the idea was to tell the story of the Civil War from the perspective of one family, the Brannons of Culpeper County in northern Virginia. The family consists of a widowed mother, five sons and a daughter, all named after characters in Shakespeare plays or the bard himself. But it is hard not to think "soap opera" when it is 200 pages before the Civil War intrudes on the lives of these characters. "Shenandoah" begins around Christmas of 1863 when Titus Brannon, believed to have been killed at Fredericksburg but until recently held in a Union prisoner of war camp, arrives home. This would be good news except for the fact that Titus discovers his wife Polly is now pregnant and married to his younger brother Henry. What matters the plight of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia or the Confederate States of America when you have this sort of Greek tragedy being enacted out on the Brannon farm.

The second half of the book does get back to the war, covering the Battle of the Wilderness and Cold Harbor as Ulysses S. Grant takes control of the Union armies and begins the push on Richmond. Phil Sheridan's campaign to make sure the Shenandoah Valley would no longer serve as the main source of food for the Confederacy provides the climax of the book. Reasoner provides general background on the battles, but keeps the focus on how the battles appear to the older Bannon boys, Will and Mac, in the Stonewall Brigade and with Jeb Stuart's cavalry, respectively.

I am inclined to think that there is a high level of attrition for readers of this series, especially when I notice that this book has been out for almost half a year and has received no reviews. But Reasoner's books are quick reads and I am stilling hanging in here because there are two things I am having been waiting to see happen for several volumes. The first is for one of the Bannon boys to get killed. I mean, four sons, we are up to 1864 and the fourth year of the year, and all four Bannon boys are still alive. What are the odds? The other thing is for somebody to realize that Polly, the wife of apparently both Titus and Henry, has been in an incestuous relationship with her planter father, Duncan Ebersole. We know how the Civil War is going to turn out for the Confederacy, but it is when and how Ebersole pays for his sins that is taking about as long to be resolved.

There are two volumes left to go in the series: "Savannah" will be out later this year and then the final volume should be "Appomattox." These books are quick reads and with chapters perfect in length for the commuter lifestyle.

I have read all eight volumes (released so far.... there will be ten volumes in the series) in James Reasoner's The Civil War Battle Series, and all of the customer reviews on Amazon. Many of the reviewers are missing the point of the books. They are not meant to be historical texts, with great details about every battle of the Civil War. There are already plenty of those, many of them too dull to read, in print. The books in James Reasoner's Civil War Battle Series are NOVELS about the BRANNON family, as the author himself has made clear. The cover of each book clearly states, in good-sized print, A NOVEL.

All of the books in this series are fast-paced, hold the reader's interest, and are well-researched, providing enough historical facts and details to make the reader feel as though the fictional Brannons really were participants in the various battles in which they appear.

My only complaint with the series is, due to a production problem, the release of the ninth book in the series, SAVANNAH, has been delayed somewhat. Hopefully, it will be available soon.

There are thousands of arts and cultural organizations in the USA, including museums and other exhibition spaces, orchestras, dance companies, zoos, choruses, jazz ensembles, theater companies, and botanical gardens. Yet the income earned from sales of tickets, merchandise, and services typically covers only 50 to 60 percent of their operating expenses, according to authors Karen Hopkins and Carolyn Friedman. Hopkins, the executive vice president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and Friedman, the chief development officer of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, further point out that the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts has of recent been dramatically reduced by Congress. "Fundraising for arts and culture in the United States today is a challenging and increasingly complex process," state the authors at the outset. "Because of the uncertain economic climate, Americans are reexamining their charitable contributions and are tightening their belts in all areas of support for nonprofit institutions, including those dedicated to arts and culture." Clearly, arts and cultural organizations facing the challenges of the next century are in need of new strategies and more effective fund development programs if they are to make up the budgetary shortfall with charitable contributions. Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations provides fund raisers a clear-headed, workable blueprint for better and more effective fund raising. This book presumes little or no prior knowledge of fund raising, and yet is thorough enough to provide even experienced fund raisers an opportunity to reassess their own strategies and beliefs, and test them against those of two very experienced fund raising professionals. Steel sharpens steel. The authors proceed step-by-step, right from the beginning: institution building. "The first step . . . in preparing to raise funds is for management to articulate clearly the artistic or programmatic purpose of the organization," they state. Basic? Very. But a step neglected at the peril of the Organization. And far too many arts and cultural organizations fail to construct the kind of dynamic board called for by Hopkins and Friedman. As expected, the authors cover board leadership, focusing on the board of trustees, especially its composition, structure, and even recruiting of the right members. A central premise: that board members must lead in a fund development campaign. Again, hardly revolutionary. But far too many arts organizations stumble in recruiting the right trustees - with disastrous consequences. Senior staff roles are not neglected, either. The authors describe the roles of such positions as artistic or program director, managing director, marketing director, finance director, and development director. A useful section on volunteers is included, as well. Perhaps most useful is the author's comprehensive and pragmatic treatment of the various modes of fundraising, including the annual fundraising campaign, as well as raising funds from businesses, from foundations, from individuals, and from government. Under the chapter covering the annual fund, for example, the authors guide the development director in determining the goals for a fundraising campaign by considering potential projects, estimating income and expenses for each project, and then selecting the programs to be promoted that have both artistic or cultural merit and financial viability. As they do throughout, the authors provide a useful chart to rate the programs to be promoted. Other charts include an outline of the steps toward accomplishing a long-range goal; board members' spheres of influence; material for a board orientation manual; campaign support plan; campaign status report summary; hypothetical corporate research profile; hypothetical individual research Profile; organizational budget, program budget; sample customer track; telefundraising results report; how to fill out an NEA application form; gift tables (gifts required/prospects needed for either a $2.5 million or a $6 million capital and/or endowment campaign); and glossary of giving opportunities. Importantly, the book places each mode of fund raising against the backdrop of the "big picture" in terms of which methods can be expected, statistically speaking, to raise funds most effectively. As if to underscore the practicality of this book, the authors include 13 appendixes (see table of contents below). Especially interesting is Appendix D, "Web Resources for Non-Profit Fund-Raising," a particularly relevant topic these days. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1. Institution Building Chapter 2. Leadership Chapter 3. The Annual Fundraising Campaign Chapter 4. Business Chapter 5. Foundations Chapter 6. Individuals Chapter 7. Government Chapter 8. Special Events Chapter 9. Capital and Endowment Campaigns Appendixes: A. Basic Fundraising Books B. Keeping Up: Magazines, Newsletters, and Newspapers C. Research Resources D. Web Resources for Non-profit Fund-Raising E. State Foundation Directories F. State Arts Councils and Regional Arts Organizations G. State Humanities Councils H. Fundraising and Management Organizations I. Arts and Cultural Service Organizations J. Sponsorship vs. Advertising: Comparing Return K. Fundraising Materials L. Capital Campaign Materials M. Teaching Ideas for Arts Administration Students

This is both a great introduction for those who want to learn more about this field, and a wonderful fresh perspective for development professionals and executives in the arts. Lots of practical info for those seeking funding, but also a great overview on the current climate of funding for the arts. It should be required reading for board members of arts organizations.

I am preparing to teach a graduate-level course on fundraising for the arts, and plan to use this as a basic text.

The authors relate that the paradigm shift in American education has necessarily taken a long time. Still, the systems do change and are changing and their book may be one more stone for completely the arch of change.

What I found most helpful was their stress on teacher empowerment in enacting change. Their research indicates that teachers need less layers of administrative control and more opportunities for entrepreneurial decisions in shaping their learning communities, in determining budget issues, in establishing curriculum and assessments. They applaud recent movemont for fair and rigorous assessments, not only of students but of teachers. If teacher's standards are raised as an educational community, expect respect (financially, socially) to be credited to them. To do this, teachers also need more peer control of their services, control in rating and evaluating each other, and in helping each other find opportunities for collaboration. The results will build better schools beyond the verbiage that blows hard during political years.

I became somewhat bogged down in reading it during the middle chapters. The lengthy reports of how schools have sabotaged their own success, although necessary reading and well presented(especially if one is considering entering education or has just entered the profession), seemed droll. For me, it slowed the journey of reading down.

But definitely read it to the end. Their book would be a good, educational companion suggestion next to Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline.

"Teaching in America: The slow revolution" is a good read.

Particularly interesting, for me, was the history of the developing professionalism of teachers. The authors make the point that the first revolution, brilliantly captured by Callahan (Education and the Cult of Efficiency) which saw the rise of the administrator class while teachers "... remained locked in a (sic.) hierachical system in which they were treated as hirelings whose work was mandated by a male administrative elite."

The authors argue passionately for a second revolution in teaching which will see teachers recognised as valued professionals. However the price that must be paid, according to the authors, is that teachers need to "... convince the public that they have the will and capacity to make judgments about who is fit to teach and who should be dismissed for incompetence. Teachers must show that they have standards by which their peers will be judged ...."

The growth of teacher professionalism and autonomy will clearly be at the expense of current administrative roles and this is not examined in depth in the book.

Chapter 9 - Teaching in 2020 was excellent and in a section called "Contrasts between the two revolutions" the points examined are: The nature of peer control; Allocation of time and money; Credibility, serving the public good; A revolution by women; Pressure for more egalitarian outcomes; The nature of markets for professional skills; and Sharing authority with parents.

I thought the book presented lots of useful information and thought that the argument that teaching was devalued among professions because (among other things) it was seen as women's work was a call to arms.

Teaching in America is a book that should be placed in the professional reading section for teachers in every school.

The first book in a quartet that features four sisters, "A Townhouse for Tessa" is a pleasant enough read that focuses on a young woman who successfully maps out a new life for herself and comes into her own.

Upon her beloved grandmother's death, Tessa Lockhard discovers that she was adopted at birth. The only clue to her identity is a beautiful pendant, a 15 year old letter from her mother, explaining why she had had Tessa adopted instead of sending her to relatives -- Tessa's mother was dying of consumption, and her hardhearted maternal grandfather had turned his back on his only daughter for marrying against his will -- and an equally old letter from the vicar who placed her telling her to go to London in order to claim her inheritance.

Upon hearing that Tessa is an adopted child, and that she has no real clue as to her 'real' identity, Tessa's nasty fiance breaks off their engagement, and her erstwhile aunt by marriage not only refuses to release Tessa's bequest from her adopted grandmother, but she also practically throws Tessa out on the streets. Determined to discover more of her background, Tessa makes for London, where she learns that she has aristocratic claims after all: her maternal grandmother was the Countess of Kirkwood, and has left Tessa a townhouse. Soon, Tessa finds herself settling into London life. She makes new and more worthy friends, especially the publisher and editor of a witty political magazine, 'The On-Dit,' Harry Fallbrook. Harry proves to be everything that her erstwhile fiance was not: witty, clever, kind and honest. But Harry seems to have an antipathy for young ladies of society. What will he think when he discovers that Tessa is one of those young ladies that he so despises? For Tessa, that is one outcome she'd rather not contemplate.

"A Townhouse for Tessa" reads a little like a fairy tale. Tessa goes from finding herself friendless and virtually penniless, to discovering she's the equivalent of a fairy tale princess, with a house and monies of her own. Along the way she makes a new life for herself, and discovers the joys of having true friends. She even discovers true love, along with the complications that that can sometimes entail. The book was quite a pleasant read. So why did I find myself being a little disappointed? Mainly because Tessa's past was not developed enough. In the opening chapter, we're told that Tessa has three sisters, and all were placed with different families. The letters that Tessa received from her mother and the vicar explain why the mother was estranged from her parents, but no mention is made of Tessa's other sisters. In fact Tessa has to ask if she has any siblings; her lawyer promises to look into the matter, but nothing further is revealed. Also, I couldn't figure out why Tessa's father's name was never mentioned. All we're told is that he is the younger son of a viscount, who because he ran away to join the army, was estranged from his family (again information from the first chapter). You'd think however that Tessa's mother would have made some mention of her husband's name in her letter to her daughter! And then there is the perplexing manner in which Tessa moves about society dos as Miss Kirkwood, but never seems to run into her Lockhard relatives or her erstwhile fiance at all -- well she does have a run in with him, but since they don't have a face to face confrontation, that didn't really count. Given that the Upper Ten Thousand seemed to have been a rather in-bred bunch, you'd have thought that she'd have run into one of her nasty Lockhard connections at least once! I kept waiting for the confrontation, and was quite disappointed when it never materialised.

The problem, I suppose, is that I prefer novels that have a little more 'meat' in their plots; "A Townhouse for Tessa" on the other hand is a rather straight forward and pleasant read. The bits that dealt with Tessa making new friends, and discovering that she has made a rich, new life for herself, after the cruel treatment that she was meted out, was vastly satisfying. I'm just a tad spoilt: I wanted certain questions answered and was disappointed when they weren't. So all in all, I'd say that this was probably a better read than I've portrayed it to be.

Successful businesswoman Samantha Jones gets the emergency call just minutes before an important meeting with her boss, Cal Tremaine. Her sixty-nine-year-old grandmother has had custody of Kippy since the baby's parents died just before Christmas. Now her grandmother is hospitalized, and her niece placed in temporary foster care. Somehow Samantha must balance Cal's substantial staffing needs and her own personal crisis.

When the call comes, Samantha knows it would be irresponsible to walk out forty-eight hours before the massive screening process at a recruitment open house. She hadn't come aboard Cal's company for the generous salary, but for the promise of a seat on the board after two years if she does an effective job. Walking now would jeopardize her goals, and make her personal life very public. Samantha has maintained a strict distinction between the two, not even telling her boss about her sister's death five months ago. The careful distinction allows Samantha to remain in perfect control of her life; something she refuses to give up. But control has suddenly been wrenched from her grasp by way of circumstance, and Samantha doesn't quite know how to cope. Especially when Cal insists upon helping.

Cal's fascinated and impressed by the woman who put his company in shape. After being burned by his previous partner, Cal had been hesitant to bring in high level help, but Samantha had quickly demonstrated her proficiency at organizing and delegating, making a remarkable difference in the success of the company. Samantha seems to have no personal life, spending eighteen hours a day on work if needed. He admired her ambition and drive, and believed her too valuable to risk a temporary romance, despite his attraction. Then he sees her barefoot, hair down to her waist, holding a baby, and everything changes.

I find romances refreshing when the guy falls head over heals first, and spends most of the novel convincing the girl that he's right for her. Watching this hero convince his lady love is hoot! Further, as a member of the Information Technology industry, I find a delightful humor in the references to the industry, such as developers don't like stodgy companies, and outdoing IBM. But fear not, folks who don't know what a developer does will still find THINK ABOUT LOVE a high powered romp not to be missed! Highly recommended.

This strategy guide is an exclent start for the intimidated newcomer to the game (Newbie; Newblood), and offers a good range of tips and hints when it comes to starting out. Now as nothing can be better than experience, this is a great way to get into the game and know what button you are pressing.

With this wonderful strategy guide, you will be conquering bases across the Wilderlands in no time! From tips on finding the best armor to the most useful strategies (strafing, jump pack usage), this guide has it all.

For an extensive and mostly favorable review of Mr. Grant's, The Trouble with Prosperity, by an economist that shares Mr. Grants's sympathies with the Austrian school of econoimics go to the following URL:

Mr. Grant's book is good and again he demonstrates great knowledge of the history of financial markets. His writing can be a little bit dry at times, making it sometimes difficult to follow the thread of argument in each chapter. Grant gives a compelling case that the cyclical nature of booms and busts isn't over and suggests several times that these cycles are really beneficial to a country's economic health. He suggests that efforts by governments (notably the Japanese) to suppress the effects of natural market cycles inevitably lead to disaster. I think, however, his thesis is undercut by his own research that suggests that moderate economic expansions yield only moderate economic contractions. Several times he suggests that we should strive for stronger expansions, thereby ultimately leading to more severe contractions, but never really provides a compelling case as to why. In other words, Grant does not present persuasive reasons as to why moderate economic cylces are inferior. In any event, this is another first rate book by Grant. I strongly recommend it for those people who think markets (and economies) only go UP

I'm sure this book contains many insightful teachings, unfortunately, I couldn't understand any of them. The language is archaic at best, which is not surprising since these writings are supposedly over 2000 years old. I gave up half way through. I'm sure this book has inspired many people, and I'm not taking anything from that, what I'm saying is that this book just didn't offer me any help. But just because *I* couldn't find anything of value here, doesn't mean others won't.

This book is a part of the AMORC library - "Ancient Mystical Order Rosea Crucis" (The Rosicrucians) - and can therefore be seen in line with their philosophy. The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, is superb in their perspective on mysticism; they really know what they're talking about. It is claimed that this publication is the first time these specific manuscripts have been allowed to be seen in the West and that the Dalai Lama himself approved this translation.

I keep a copy of this book on my Sanctum and turn to it often. Reading the aphorisms in this book is like being counseled by a master of the mystic arts. The advice on how to live and the goals we should strive for are as fresh and true today as they were when they were first taken down. A must for any student of mysticism.

I'm a reader who happens to think Richard Grant is one of America's greatest living authors. I could go into raptures describing his other books, but this one falls short of the mark for me.

Sure, its full of Grant's amazingly language, stunning metaphors and brilliant descriptions. There are wonderful, groovy, pithy sentences everywhere in this book worthy of being put on a needlepoint pillow. But its also a confusing welter of language that leaves me loster than the book's lost hero. I'm guessing as this is an earlier work, Grant was still learning writerly junk like pacing and clarity. Honest to Gaia I try to follow the story here, but after a few paragraphs am lost again.

I have such high respect for Grant that I will try reading it again to see if it makes better sense a second time. Still, I'll still rate it a 3 because it is after all a Richard Grant book.

Richard Grant often teaches by example -- examples seldom drawn from slavishly literal rendition of the reality to which most of us subscribe. _the_Oldest_House_ is plausible; it is not hard to see it in our future, and our obligation to find it in these pages. A mountain, maybe; a maze of flora; a labyrinth in the finest style of Nabokov, Philip K. Dick; an illustration of the Organizing Principle that Dr. Hyata herself would be proud of: the picaresque messiah leading an improbable, contortedly subversive insurrection against the encroachment of the slick, authoritarian, mealy.

Classic Grant: powerful images, poetic language, attention to nuance, detail, sincerely reflexive, wryly astute. No potatoes yet, but we've just ordered his most recent; here's hoping Monksboa survives into Grailnet and beyond, at least in some form.

"War on the Mississippi" by Jerry Korn and the Editors of Time-Life Books, as the subtitle notes, deals with Grant's Vicksburg Campaign although it does reflect the entire fight for control of the great river from May 1862 to July 1863. Chapter 1, "Defiance from Vicksburg," establishes the strategic and symbolic importance of the port city to both sides at that point in the Civl War. Chapter 2, "The Bayou Experiments," covers Grants ambitious attempt to bypass the city by having his soldiers dredge a canal across a bend in the Mississippi. Chapter 3, "A Beachhead on the East Bank," despite the title, deals more with Porter's running the guns of Vicksburg and Colonel Grierson's 16-day raid through enemy territory (which inspired the John Wayne film "The Horse Soldiers"). Chapter 4, "The Sweep to the Big Black," details the Federal assaults on Jackson and Champion's Hill. Chapter 5, "Closing the Ring," relates the 48-day siege of Vicksburg that resulted in the city's surrender on July 3rd, at the same time of Pickett's charge across the fields of Gettysburg. This particular volume in the Time-Life Civil War series is above average in terms of the contemporary drawings, etchings, lithographs, maps and paintings, which says something since it is the illustrations rather than the text which makes this series worth having. The Vicksburg Campaign lacks the great battle that defined the battle in the East with the Army of the Potomac, but in many ways it does preshadow the way the war would finally end, with the siege of Richmond.

Time-Life is dependable. This installment is readable and has great illustrations. What it lacks in detail, it makes up for in sheer entertainment and overall scope. Good introduction to the topic.