The prison genre has often been used in novels, memoirs, and film as a stripped-down, bare-bones symbol of an uncaring, overpowering, and alien universe and humanity's reaction to it. Frank Turner Hollon's THE GOD FILE is a fresh and compelling addition to that tradition.

THE GOD FILE is structured as a collection of vignettes, letters, and essays by Gabriel Black, a man sentenced to life without parole in an Alabama prison for a crime he didn't commit. During his 22 years in prison, Gabriel Black structured his life around a search for God in the most soul-crushing environment. THE GOD FILE is the evidence Gabriel finds both for and against the existence of God.

While I have read a few other prison memoirs during the last year (for example, NEWJACK, and YOU GOT NOTHING COMING), THE GOD FILE did more to capture the bleakness and hopelessness of prison and to relate it to everyday life than those supposedly true accounts. Each vignette is delicately and movingly written, and, taken as a whole, paint a picture of Gabriel Black's life and his stance to his unjust circumstance with artistic economy.

A terrific book that should provoke deep thought even among us atheists.

Dav's Rating System:
5 stars - Loved it, and kept it on my bookshelf.
4 stars - Liked it, and gave it to a friend.
3 stars - OK, finished it and gave it to the library.
2 stars - Not good, finished it, but felt guilty and/or cheated by it.
1 star - I want my hour back! Didn't finish the book.

Frank Hollon has masterfully joined the life of a prisoner, the life of hopelessness, with the source of hope, our creator. What better place to search out hope than serving life in prison for a crime you didn't commit? As I read this book I couldn't help but think of the many prisoners who might actually find hope in their hopeless situations.
On another surprise note, now I know what happen to the mouse game at the fair. All these years I've wondered why they took the gambling away, now I know. Thanks Frank!

"The God File" is a an excellent book that keeps the
reader captivated from beginning to end. The Author has
a gift for injecting the reader into the main
character. The story takes the reader on a
fascinating thought provoking journey to determine
whether or not God actually exists. It is a story
told with brutal honesty. As with Frank Turner
Hollen's first book "The Pains of April", I was left
with a lesson in humility. Today after reading "The
God File" I came up with my own conclusion about the
existence of God. In the process, my own life had a new
perspective. I rediscovered my own priorities.

An outstanding book that will have special relevance to anyone who has had an experience in the wild that brings an awakening of spirit. Exactly the kind of experience not attainable at Disney World, which is the author's point. He has remarkable answers to questions that trouble any environmentally-concerned person. Questions raised in the exceptional book "Wild Echoes" by Charles Bergman, are answered in the Abstract Wild. Anyone who has been put down for having strong views about man's destructive nature will find solace in this book. Turner knows it is OK to rant for wilderness, and only if we all rant together can we possibly make a difference.

Jack Turner's "Abstract Wild" is a book that runs past most Nature or Environmental writings at full bore, surpassing the standard let's save some of it for the future motto. A former professor of Philosophy, Turner abandoned his post to concentrate on his passion... climbing, and is now a guide in Wyoming. He was prodded into writing this book as more and more people he knew realized the importance of his message.

Turner dives to the heart of the matter when it come to the Wild, the Environment, Preservation, Conservation, etc. We as a society have become disconnected with the world at large and the Wildness at its core. This Wildness has become an Abstract concept for for most of us.

This book and a few other core titles (i.e. Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" and "The Monkey Wrench Gang" and various works by the likes of Rick Bass, Barry Lopez and Bill McKibben) would make for a very important class in the Preservation of Wildness that all students should be encouraged if not required to take.

This is a book about wildness. Not about the wilderness where it exists. More importantly this book is about you and me and how we think about wilderness.

I have single-handed my sailboat to Catalina Island many times and watched the dolphins with fascination as they played at the bow of my boat. You cannot help feeling a sense of connection with them as you watch them only a few feet away as they share their ocean with you.

As a young man I stood on top of Mt Whitney and looked out across the many mountain ranges of the High Sierras.

I purchased this book at the visitor's center while camping in Anza Borrego State Park in California. What an appropriate place to buy this book!

I have visited many National and State Parks and National Monuments crowded with people.

So, I have experienced the wildness that Jack Turner talks about and I have also visited the controlled spaces of our current managed wilderness areas that this book addresses.

Because the author has traveled in wilderness areas worldwide and a former philosophy professor from Cornel University and a long time climbing guide in the Tetons of Wyoming this book is an absolute jewel - well researched, eloquently written and straight from the heart.

What can I now write to get you to read this wonderful book? It is more than his opinion. It is a way of thinking about the world we live in and the true meaning of wilderness.

I sometimes end a review with some original poetry. Unfortunately, I am still trying to get my mind around this book. It is such great food for thought.

Here is a quote from the book:

"Do you want to change the world?
I don't think it can be changed.

The world is sacred.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you will ruin it.
If you treat like an object, you will lose it.
.....
The Master sees things as they are,
With out trying to control them.
He let's them go their own way,
and resides at the center of the circle."

Lao Tzu

Yes, this reads like a Zen koan. Don't meditate on it too long -read this book and then keep it in your backpack or sea bag.

This is a terrific story of a young mother's struggles to adopt a 3 year old from China after a nightmare of medical problems prevented her from having another child. Her determination to raise the necessary funds while also being a full time working wife and mom is inspiring. Having finally raised the money and waited the long year, Shannon's turn to travel to China to meet her new daughter Marlee arrives. Marlee turns out to be a very smart, funny little girl whose biggest concern in her life is the welfare of her best friend Chloe who is also 3 and is being adopted by another family at the same time. The love shown between these little girls will make you laugh and cry. This is a great book and should be read by everyone.

I bought Shannon Turner's book, "Miracles for Marlee" and finished it in two days! I loved it! I was amazed at all of the trials that her family endured, and particularly those that Shannon herself endured, as they struggled to add a daughter to their family. Ms. Turner did an excellent job of pulling the reader into her experiences. She dealt with emotions ranging from utter despare to total elation, and I felt every one of them as I read the book!

I am also the parent of a beautiful daughter adopted from China, so much of the book brought back wonderful memories of our own experiences in bringing our child home. Many people ask me about what's involved with adopting internationally, and I will be sure to refer them to this book. You don't just jump on a plane and pick up a baby; it's a long, arduous, expensive process that ultimately ends in a miracle.

Kudos to Ms. Turner for telling her amazing story so eloquently!

As a mother of a toddler, I have very little "extra" reading time. This book sat on my nightstand until I found an evening to dive into it. I was amazed at how quick a read it was for the thickness of the book. In just two evenings of reading I shared this author's heartache of infertility and her inspiring determination to have another child. I was awed at how she overcomes a multitude of obstacles in an effort to adopt. With a sense of being a traveling companion along on the journey to China, readers share Shannon and Marlee's intimate first days as mother and daughter. Anyone with a heart for children will laugh and cry at the interaction between Marlee and her best friend Chloe as they cling to the familiar in the face of the unknown. The emotional highs and lows kept me turning pages. I feel as though I have traveled across the world and back on this adoption adventure with the Turners. Like a personal journal that comes to a last entry on the last page, this book leaves the reader wanting to know "what happens tomorrow?..."

This is the best Lovecraft edition for those who have been acquainted with Lovecraft and like his writings. Definately the best of the Arkham House collections and is the first of the Arkham House books to get. Probably not the best for those unfamiliar with Lovecraft just because of the cost.

This collection includes my favorite Lovecraft story "The Shadow Over Innsmouth", as well as the wonderful stories "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Dunwich Horror". Some of the other better stories include "The Music of Erich Zann" and "Pickman's Model". Robert Bloch's introduction is a nice supplement to Lovecraft's writings. Highly recommended, but I also recommend buying additional Lovecraft because this collection does leave out some Lovecraft gems(i.e. "At the Mountains of Madness").

I highly recommend this first in a series of Arkham House books which comprise the collected works of H.P. Lovecraft. As Robert Bloch points out in his introduction, Lovecraft was the premiere horror writer of his day and even now we owe much to him. The genre of horror fiction (and cinema) owes and insurmountable debt of gratitude to Lovecraft. His existential vision of an uncaring universe, his colorful and panoramic prose, and his penchant for turn of the century vocabulary (such as "phantasy")takes the reader into *his* narrative like few other writers of horror can. Consider writers like Stephen King, who like Lovecraft sets many of his tales in their familiar and beloved New England and you realize the unmistakable presence and influence of Lovecraft. This edition published by Arkham House is the definitive edition of Lovecraft's work, corrected, re-edited, and thoroughly revised.

Lovecraft's work does for the horror fiction tale what David Lynch's films do for cinema. It takes the genre into a stratum of the unconscious so abstract and frightening that one finds beauty in the macabre madness that exists there. "The Dunwich Horror and Others" is the ideal starting point for any Lovecraft neophyte. All of Lovecraft's most important and frightening short stories are found in their original forms in this beautiful Arkham House hardcover. There are a few omissions such as "The Lurking Fear" and "The Dreams in the Which House," but these stories and more are easy enough to locate in other Arkham House or Del Rey collections. To sit and read this volume cover to cover is to experience horror fiction at its most dismal and horrific. In "The Dunwich Horror," the reader visits the damned Whateley farm, where an extra-dimensional being has been summoned. In "The Colour Out of Space," a farm in Arkham, Ma. has been hit by a meteorite that carries with it a pestilence that drives the land and its inhabitants to madness and death. The maddeningly eerie "The Whisperer in Darkness" an isolated man describes his encounters with a malign alien colony that has taken residence near his home in backwater New England. "The Whisperer in Darkness" is one of Lovecraft's most potent tales due to the fact that it's narrative is largely drawn from letters, journal entries and even phonograph recordings of the extra-terrestrials themselves.

This is a lovely book. Each page adds a new ribbon to the pretty rainbow that is forming as you go through the book. I was fascinated by the way the ribbons were added. Very ingenious.

The colors are gorgeous and the story is cute. The drawings are charming. I find the book to be sturdy as well. I would certainly add this to my must have list of books for children. What a nice way to learn and review colors.

I just picked this book up for my 2-1/2 year old daughter. She was so intrigued by the ribbons, just kept turning the pages, then flipping them back. As each page is turned, another color ribbon appears. The last page has a large pop-up rainbow (paper, not ribbons). The story is simple. Baby bunny goes to ask each of his friends "What makes a rainbow?" Each of his friends answers based on their own personal color (red ladybug, orange fox, yellow chick, green grasshopper, blue bluebird & purple butterfly). Baby bunny learns that rainbows are made up of rain, colors and sunshine. The text is easy, my daughter was repeating it after several readings and enjoys hearing me re-tell the story even without the book - as she calls out each color. The book seems pretty sturdy and I haven't had any problems with the ribbons, although my daughter has yet to pull on them very hard.

I think everyone has had a chance to go outside after it rains and notice a bright rainbow hight up in the sky. I know I have, and the first thing I always notice is how many colors their are in it. This book really brought that out with its pictures. It showed all the ingredients and gave all the colors that really make up a rainbow. They not only gave examples of animals for the colors, but they used a very creative way of showing the reader examples. Since it was a pop-up book, the things that would pop up would be ribbons that represented the color in which the book was speaking of. I'm pretty sure that young readers that read this book would find this book not to be a very big bore. They would be attracted by the many varieties of colors in the pictures. I also noticed that this book not only teaches younger children colors, but it can also teach them some different animals. But all together in the end, it showed the ingredients of a magnificent looking rainbow. All it needs is rain, colors(red,orange,yellow,green,blue,and purple), and sunshine. Now that's what makes a rainbow.

I didn't buy this book; I sat down in the library and read it cover to cover in about an hour and a half. It's a quick read, but there is more solid, practical advice on finding the right piece of land than any book I've ever seen. In addition to the how-to's of finding that land, there is advice on other factors to consider, such as water tables, utility service, and such. When it's time for me to get serious about buying some land, this will be my first purchase. Highly recommended

Ralph Turner tells an interesting and useful story of his quest for a piece of land in rural Iowa, and an antique tractor and a tiny house to go with it. He feels that the key to his success was to eliminate middle men. So he gives eighteen different ways to find sellers on your own.

This is a great book to read for entertainment and useful tips, but if you're seriously interested in rural land, you probably also should have Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country by Les Scher.

I just got the book yesterday from Amazon.com and read it cover to cover. In a non technical easy to read first person account, the author tells his tale of CHEAP LAND quest. The boyhood dreams of a small quiet. peaceful place in the country that is low maintenance and CHEAP is not the authors alone. Others myself included have had similar fantasies. The book reads like a novel, not a tech manual. Besides being easy reading the book is informative and worth the price. Its light and introductory and may not satisfy the more advanced and professional reader. The techniques are sound and can be expanded to suit your individual needs. The chapters on buying a cheap tractor and the chapter on building moving are both interesting and different from other country real estate books. One old time farmer told me the tale of buying 100 acres for $6,000 and then buying a tractor for another $6,000. Years later with the appreciation of land he lamented that he had bought that tractor instead of a 200 acre farm! Land is such a thrilling and basically fulfilling purchase. It has the lasting power of no other purchase, and the appreciation potential of few other investments. It may not make you as rich as Microsoft stock, but there is a strange spiritual satisfying feeling attahced to a land purchase. The author brings out the peace and quiet calming nature of a country land purchase. I recommend both the book and the land purchase.

For this author to write this book, it had to be ordained by God. Ms Harris was able to tell her secrets to help us realize that our God is a forgiving God. Even when we don't feel we deserve it, He keeps on blessing us over and over again. I had some doubts when I was asked to read this book. I really thought it would be another of one of these self righteous books about what you better do, how to do it and what is going to happen if you don't. Ms Harris told a story that I could find a lesson for myself and a lesson to witness to others. This is a book that I have been and will continue to recommend to those who feel the need to overcome shame, guilt and doubt.

I read this book and at first, I must confess, I was a little sketical, but as I read on, oh my God! This precious author, Patricia Harris reveals herself that we may be healed. The Holy Spirit uses this book to minister to deep, dark, hidden hurts that we as women never want to talk about. If you want to be healed than read this book with an open heart. Write notes to yourself as things to mind, pray and God will do the rest. He will bring life to your dead situations and heal your broken heart!

Patricia Harris has given me the hope that I've longed for and searched for in believing that I, too, can be free from the shame that has kept me in bondage since my early childhood. Her transparency in revealing the details of her shame and the way she portrays the forgiveness, mercy and redemption of our Heavenly Father will only draw you closer to Him, to a place where He can minister to your own wounds. After reading "Imprisoned by Secrets of the Heart," God began to open the prison doors of my own heart, and I am now in the process of walking off the chains that bind. This book may be a divine appointment for you... don't miss it!

This book is absolutely wonderful. Deborah Turner takes you on an enthralling journey to ancient Persia, into lives of servants and royalty and thoughts of greed, power, loyalty, honor, and romance. Deborah's vivid descriptions give evidence of extensive research, enabling the reader to visualize every scene. She gets inside the characters and convincingly conveys them to the reader. The story is well written and fast paced; each step is an experience you won't want to miss! I look forward to her next book.
Marcyle Taliaferro, Louisiana Author
...

This book is absolutely wonderful! Deborah Turner takes you on an enthralling journey to ancient Persia, into lives of servants and royalty and into thoughts of greed and power, loyalty and honor and ... romance.
Deborah's vivid descriptions give evidence of extensive research, enabling the reader to visualize every scene. She gets inside the characters and convincingly conveys them to the reader. The story is well written and fast paced; each step is an experience you won't want to miss. Can't wait for the next one.
Marcyle Taliaferro

"If I Perish" is the story of Esther and comes from the old testment. It is the tale of how a young Jewish woman becomes the wife of Xerxes and Queen of Persia. King Xerxes is tricked into ratifying an edict that condemns the Jews to death. The brave queen, with the help of Yahweh, is able to overcome the plot of a madman who wants to take the throne away from Xerxes and annihilate Esther's people.

The book has an intriguing plot that carries you through the novel and keeps you turning pages. Deborah usues multiple view points which gives you a well rounded idea of which each person thinks and feels. It is especially interesting to see the villain's motovation behind his deeds.

I think people who enjoyed "The Red Tent," will also enjoy "If I Perish." Turner has written a novel that gives you the feeling for the time and how people lived in that era. It also makes one apperciate living in the 21st century and in a free land. I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to her next novel.

This novel is one of a series, and makes the presumption that you have read the earlier novels in the series, with references to previous action. It is written in a narative style. The main character is not fully identified by name until page 74 (part of the assumption that you have read the previous novels). Tony Whats-his-name from book one in the series reappears, along with other characters from previous books. There are numerous digressions, and a tendency to use foreign language terms.

The plot is a whodunit as various characters search for the lost Trojan gold that disappeared from Germany during the final days of World War II. In the chaos at the end of the war, many valuable items disappeared, apparently looted. Now a story has emerged that the Trojan gold (artifacts that had been in a German museum) was carried to safety and hidden. Many people have an interest, either for museums or for their own profit.

With two people murdered, and an assortment of people just happening to be on the scene, there are questions about some people's motives (other than the fact that several men are trying to seduce Vicky). Vicky finds her life in danger, as various people follow clues in attempts to track down the gold. There are indications that it had been hidden in a schrank (a type of wooden cabinet). The good guys prevail over the bad guys, but the story leaves things unfinished and the schrank disassembled.

This book was such a satisfaction to read and reread. I've grown so attached to Peabody and Vicky Bliss, not to mention their fellow characters, that waiting for Barbera Mertz to write more books about them is torture. I hope Ms. Mertz lives to an active old age for the selfish reason that I want her to keep pumping these books out as long as possible.

In Trojan Gold she really delivers the good stuff. John and Shmidt's personalities get a good filling out, reading it is like eating Godiva chocolates, only better. Words can't say enough. In her previous Bliss mystery, Sihloette in Scarlet, the plot seemed weak, but the follow up made up for it. Apologies for misspellings.

I must admit that, as much as I loved Street of 5 Moons and Night Train to Memphis, this is the best of the series. The humour is wonderful: I had to put the book down several times due to hysterical laughter. However, this is not the only reason to read this exceptional Book! The mystery is compelling, the setting is beautiful, and the characters gain much more dimension. After being dissapointed by Silouhette in Scarlet, this book more than reaffirmed my faith in Elizabeth Peters. And for those of you who are also in love with John, he's back in top form here with very few traces of the obnoxious twit he was in Silouhette. He's absolutely charming and romantic. How lucky Vicky is!

I checked out this book from my school library a few years ago, and loved it. It was the first 'Vicky Bliss' book that I read, and since then have bought all the others. I have been trying to find a copy of this book that I can buy, but have not had luck so far. This is definitely a wonderful book, and displays all of the wit and humor that is in all Elizabeth Peters books.

Our protagonist, gorgeous and brainy, Vicky Bliss is again on the move when she and her boss from the National Museum of Munich discover that someone is making excellent copies of the most famous jewels in the world. In this case it's a replica of the Charlemagne talisman. Vicky's who has a PhD in Art History and Medieval European History is also an amateur sleuth. With the only clue that she has, she goes to Rome to locate the street of the Five Moons where she hopes to find a connection to the thieves. Well, of course she gets into trouble and is rescued by a "dangerously exciting young Englishman." Sir John Smythe is truly charming and the chemistry between he and Vicky is terrific. This is a lovely romantic mystery and the second book in the Vicky Bliss mystery series.

Another great story by Elizabeth Peters who is also Barbara Michaels!

My mother introduced me to Elizabeth Peter's writing and suggested I check out a book from the library just to test her out, and I was certantly glad that I put my toes in the water...because I'm hooked! This was my first Vicky book (though out of order...thankfully it's not horribly essential to read in order) and I loved it, and read it twice in a row. I've gone on to read the entire series...but in the order: 2, 4, 3, 5, 1 and have found each book equally wonderful. Her characters are so complete, and I find myself falling for the crafty yet humorous Sir John Smythe :)