This is a great book because it explores the emotional and physical attraction between two beautiful women that lead to love. When I visualize Lane I cant help but picture Michelle phieffer and for Diana.... Mitzi Kapture, of Silk Stalkings. I have read the book so many times that I have begun to wonder how would it read if the story was told from Lane's point of view instead of Diana's. I think that many ppl would like to read what was Lane thinking when the cabin door at Lake Tahoe opened and in walked Diana...

This is my first Katherine Forrest novel and I'm hooked. This was such a pleasure to read as it had the best of romance, friendship, and adventure of two beautiful women and the people that surround them. I can not stress to anyone enough - READ THIS BOOK!

It is such a moving, wonderful story and can mean so much to someone just coming out. It provides the hope of meeting that special person. The love between the two characters is so well portrayed and I became enthralled in the book immediately - couldn't put it down. Enjoy!

I heard about this book a long time ago, and once I found it, settled in for an objectively good read. I just couldn't put it down! The characters are griping, the writing is superb, and from time to time I still get the warm fuzzies whenever I remember these two wonderful women and the tentative, beautiful love they shared. Definitely a true classic. And 100% Highly Recommended!

Heidi is ranked up there with, "Where the Red Fern Grows" with it's genuine love and care of the hearts of children and adults. I read this book to my children when they were in 1st and K...several times I had to stop to choke back the tears.. or laugh in exhuberance. It's a heart-warming tale of a little girl who didn't understand the "status quo" and sought to make sense of not only her own world, but those around her. Her innocense, genuine love and acceptance is so moving and so inspiring.

Heidi is very exciting. She is very outgoing and adventurous. She gets sent to the Alm Mts. with her grumpy old grandfather. She shows him how to be nice and friendly. She meets a boy named Peter and they become good friends. He then shows her his family. Heidi meets his grandmother and falls in love with her and everything that she does. She then gets sent to a weird house.She soon came home.
This book is recommended for all ages to be read to or read by you!
Why am I telling you this go read it for your self!!!

A while back when I was in my 30's (never mind how long ago that was!) I was sick with the flu, and I found a copy of HEIDI, so I crawled into a nice warm bed and re-read the book -- as an adult.

What insight into human nature! And as an adult I appreciated the dry, understated humor. I also appreciated the spiritual insights -- that God will give us what we desire, but sometims uses circumstances we don't like to teach us truths that we couldn't learn otherwise.

When I was a girl I was often turned off by what was called "good reading," but for some reason, I enjoyed Heidi and it never seemed sappy or corny.

Very much worth reading!

Move to Strike is my first introduction to lawyer attorney Nina Fox Reilly in the acclaimed mystery-courtroom Reilly series - and it's wonder that Perri O' Shaughnessy garnered raves for their thrillers. In its more adventurous sixth outing, Nina is engaged by his son Bob to defend his friend sixteen year old Nicole Zack who is suspected of murdering his uncle Bill. The usual suspects come centerstage with Nicole's mother Daria who is conned by Bill to sell him the piece of Nevada land that is worth millions. His plastic surgery career has also earned him enemies where a deranged woman is bent on getting revenge for a nose surgery done to her daughter. What about his wife who still mourns over the loss of their son Chris in air-plane crash? Could the death of the son-and-father be coincidental or foul play altogether?

Detailed with forensic evidence like PCR and DNA, courtoom wits and high tension emotional drama with Nina battling her demons in a past incident that claimed her husband, MOVE TO STRIKE is relentless suspense. There is the romance between Paul, a PI who is struggling with his vigilantism - and all the research on Japanese swords, opals and airplane failures makes this read fuelled with grit and intelligence. The final verdict? It is good enough to rival masters like John Grisham and Michael O' Connelly in its thrills and wits.

In my community, among us avid mystery readers, the release of the the "latest" book in Perri O'Shaughnessy's Nina Reilly series is an eagerly anticipated event. This annual reunion with Nina Reilly, Paul van Wagoner, Sandy Whitefeather, Bob Reilly and Nina's brother, Matt, and sister-in-law, Andrea, is much like spending time with "old friends" and catching up on their latest trials, tribulations and exploits. Even so, this sixth book, MOVE TO STRIKE, is far more than a welcome visit with people we've come to know and love. It's a fast-moving story shot through with action, suspense and psychological turmoil.

Nikki Zack may have murdered her uncle, Bill Sykes; she may have caused a plane crash that killed two people; and she may be mixed up in a mysterious mining claim. But when Nina Reilly's son, Bob, insists his friend, Nikki, is innocent, intrepid defense attorney, Nina, takes on Nikki's problem-ridden defense.

Masterful both at making minor characters memorable and major characters unforgettable, O'Shaughnessy brilliantly draws the reader into Nikki Zack's nightmare by making this stubborn, smart-alecky and rebellious teenager both likable and sympathetic and then spices up an already delicious plot by mixing in Paul van Wagoner's struggle to deal with his prior act of vigilantism. A satisfying "read" that's sure to please both long-time devotees and newcomers alike, MOVE TO STRIKE is yet another tour de force that will undoubtedly insure Perri O'Shaughnessy's preeminence among today's mystery writers.

Lake Tahoe attorney Nina Reilly's latest outing, finds the single mother still grieving over the murder of her husband ("Acts of Malice") and worrying over her son, subject, like herself, to horrifying nightmares of the killer still at large.

When Nicole Zack, 16, a friend of Reilly's 13-year-old son, is accused of murdering her uncle while attempting a burglary, Reilly takes the case, though the troubled girl seems determined to thwart her through lies, stubborn silence, and even defiant courtroom dress.

Reilly calls upon her ex-lover, private investigator Paul Van Wagoner, for help. Van Wagoner, struck by the coincidental death of the victim's son in a plane crash the same night, takes that angle but he's hampered by a terrible secret - unbeknownst to Reilly or anyone else, he killed the man who murdered her husband.

Nicole and her hapless mother are sympathetically drawn and the story is an absorbing one with a surprise ending but the real meat here is the continuing development of Reilly, her pubescent son and Van Wagoner. O'Shaughnessy gets better with every book and this one will have you thinking about the next as you turn the last satisfying page.

This is an extraordinary novel about sacrificing what you most want in life and shattering dreams in the process.

Lawson has set the story in rural Ontario revolving around a farming community. The descriptions of the land and encompassing environment is both stark and beautiful. The author has demonstrated her ability to tie the surroundings in with her characters and plot. Both are reliant upon each other.

The story is narrated by Kate, the second youngest in a family that has just learned that their parents have been killed and they are now orphans, struggling to stay together and exist as a family. Through this storyline the author is able to reveal the true nature of family relationships and ones expectations on certain outcomes. Unfortunately, as Kate learns, things are not always as they appear.

By way of vivid characterization of all the siblings, Luke, Matt, Bo and of course Kate, the reader is able to fully capture the reality of their situation and how the past and present often collide with one another.

This was a wonderful read for me. I will look forward to Ms. Lawson's next novel.

I had the pleasure to see Mrs. Lawson in Calgary during Canadian Book Week. Mary Lawson read to us from her novel 'Crow Lake'. She started the story of Kate and Matt and their two other siblings Bo and Luke.

Kate Morrison, now a 26 year old successful zoologist and professor tells us the story that began when she was 7 years old and the the day her parents were killed in a car accident. Leaving her older brothers, Luke and Matt to care for herself and her baby sister, Bo. Luke gives up a chance at teacher's school to raise Kate and Bo and give Matt, the smarter of the two, a chance to go off to university.

Kate tells her story of the next year of her life and about how she got to her present day predictament. Throughout the story, we can see some great siblings relationships but also resentment and tension.

This book is a 5 star read and I suggest everyone read it. Mary Lawson brings out emotions and Northern Ontario like no one else out there.

Mary Lawson's debut novel, Crow lake, is by far one of the best books I have ever read. When I started reading, I could not put the book down. I was automatically drawn into the story, as if it were my own. It is about four kids and their struggle to survive after their parents die in car accident. It takes place in Northern Ontario, in a small farming community called Crow Lake. The story is narrated by Kate Morrison, as a devastated 7 year old, and a 27 yaer old zoology professor at a university in Toronto. Kate reveals her life story, along with those of her three siblings, Luke, Matt, and Bo. They make compromises and delay their indivual dreams in order to stay together, as what was once a family. Kate feels a tremendous amount of guilt, simply because her older brother's gave their dreams up in order to raise her and Bo, the way their parents would have wanted it. She hardly ever sees or talks to the three, until she receives an invitation from Matt's son. Now she is forced to revisit her childhood and those haunting memories of Crow Lake.

Kate describes Crow Lake as somewhat of an isolated world. The neighbors, the Pyes are known as a very disturbed family. They are relentlessly violent, and somewhat infectious. It seemed to be passed on throughout the generations of the family, and could not be ignored. Eventually the worlds of the two collide in unexpected ways.

Lawson has an immense talent for story, giving just enough along the way, to keep you going, but distarcting you from what is really happening and without giving too much away. She pulled me into the story, and kept me there and I am still there. Her descriptions are rich, without being mind numbing, and allows you to enjoy it. You definately will not struggle to finish this book; you will want to read it over and over!

We already know that Sara Donati is an adept researcher and a master storyteller. Her first two books proved that she is all that and more -- there's enough torrid romance and character development for the books to work on a few levels.

So, expect the great research and the carefully plotted storylines, but you're going to get more than that. Donati is no author of bodice rippers. This is a book that explores the damages of society and the implications of that damage on several levels. Through the character of Hannah, Donati explores the issues of slavery, racial and cultural prejudice and the US's policy of westward expansion.

We are left with satisfying resolution to the many plots, and a warm sense that goodness prevails -- at least in Paradise. While her characters triumph, Donati leaves us with the sinking knowledge that the suffering and corruption that we glimpse here are only the beginning.

That's the danger of well-done historical fiction, really. The reader's perspective of "today" becomes the silent character throughout. Donati is a master of the craft.

While a fourth book would be welcome -- it's almost enough to close the back cover of Lake in the Clouds and wish all the characters happiness, love and long life in the wonderful world that has been presented in this trilogy.

Ms. Donati has yet, agian, written another superb book! Having read "Into The Wilderness" and "Dawn On A Distant Shore," I was somewhat disappointed that the relationship between Nathaniel and his newly discovered eldest son, Luke (Luc) was not further explored as I had expected it would be. No to mention how the knowledge of a son impacted the lives of the rest of the family members. I would imagine that meeting a son you have never kown for the first time can weave a story of its' own as Luke went from being an orphan to having brothers and sisters, a family. Including the relatives in Scotland. With that aside, the book itself was wonderful, and like the others, I could not put it down. I enjoyed the increased story line about Hannah, especially her growing relationship with Richard Todd to becoming a married woman. I just love Curiosty and how her life seems to impact everyone elses. Hawkeye is another character that I love, only, I would like his character to be more pronounced. I just think that Ms. Donati's writing is so enthralling, no matter what the story line, it just draws you in and makes you wish you were there! When can we expect the next one?

This third book in a series takes a large step in time, but Donati holds true to her grasp of the wilderness and the characters, who fortify her stories with warmth and poignancy.
"Lake in the Clouds" allowed me to see the fruits of Elizabeth and Nathaniel's love. They have been tested, but their courage, strength and playfulness return through their children. The storyline portrays a trying time in U.S. History. Run-away slaves, bounty hunters, fevers, and un-timely death all jockey to reek havoc on the Bonners. The extended family members and towns people are clear characters which drew me deeper into the story. The pace is quick, the love is tender, and the adventrue is un-predictable.
This is Hannah's story, and she is forced to make some life-altering decisions. Nathaniel and Elizabeth gain the grace, through these adventures, to have the faith in their daughter that they posess in each other. Donati pulls well researched history into these challanges, and she weaves them into this un-easy phase for any family. The Bonners story has gracefully been delegated to their children. I can only imagine the grasp this family will have on me when Donati has finished.

Richard Henry Dana suffered from measles while a student at Harvard in 1834. Rather than suffer a slow recovery from weakened eyesight, he shipped out as a common sailor, rather than as a passenger, on a long sea voyage. After becoming a lawyer, he published his recollection of his voyage in 1840; it was an immediate success. He became an active member of the Free Soil Party, and represented fugitive slaves. This first and greatest book shows his sympathy for the suffering and the oppressed, and his courage, unselfishness, and fair-mindedness that characterized his life. This important book describes California before statehood and the gold rush, and life in those times. RHD hoped this book would promote religion and moral improvement for seamen, and diminish their hardships.

Chapter IV tells of being chased by a black hulled ship that flew no colors. They were able to outrun this ship, then lost it in the dark. Chapter V tells of the bad weather while rounding Cape Horn. They passed a whaler from Poughkeepsie NY. Chapter XIII gives his impressions of the Californians. RHD knew that local officials were appointed from the capital, but didn't ask if they controlled the local economy as a colony: produce raw material, buy finished goods. Chapter XVII tells how their captain, known for his flogging, could not hire any new seamen. Chapter XVIII tells of Easter celebration in California. The crews of Catholic vessels get about three more weeks of vacation in a year, and "Yankees don't keep Christmas". Chapter XXI tells more about California politics. Since the independence of Mexico the missions and their lands became the prey of administradores, and became diminished and decayed. RHD describes the lack of common law, and the private morality. It was a rich country waiting to be exploited.

Chapter XXIII tells of the advantages of a bigger ship over a smaller ship: more hands make lighter work. But a smaller lighter ship can catch a slight breeze that becalms a bigger ship. Chapter XXV tells how the heavy import taxes of Mexico are handled. A vessel puts in to declare a moderate cargo, then sells a large part. It then sails to another port; but on the way it gets other goods to replenish its cargo. RHD describes his visit to a whaleship, whose crew resembled fishermen and farmers. [Whalers got a share of the profits, not a wage.] The chapter ends with a description of a 3-day gale. Chapter XXIX tells of preparations to sail home: ballast is dumped, the ship sealed and fumigated to kill vermin. Then the hides are loaded, then steeved to pack in more. This hard work was fueled by a constant diet of fresh beef. Chapter XXX tells of the return trip by a shorthanded and inexperienced crew; they would round Cape Horn in the dead of winter, the worst possible time. Chapter XXXI tells of the sailor's need for rum or hot coffee in wintertime; and what it is like to have a tooth-ache at sea. Chapter XXXII describes the terrible times in the iceberg fields. Chapter XXXV tells of the haste to get home by keeping sails aloft. Scurvy had broken out on the ship due to no fresh provisions. They met a brig and got potatoes and onions for a cure.

The Concluding Chapter tells that drudgery and hardship is a sailor's life, not romantic fantasies. The captain must control everything, and be responsible for everything (mistreatment of seamen). Passengers on board (independent witnesses) result in better treatment of seamen. The lives of merchant seamen are shortened by a lack of sleep. RHD would not abolish flogging: most seamen are foreigners, the cast-offs of war vessels, and unknown to the captains. Force is needed to control them. Gradual improvement will correct this, he claims. RHD strongly objects to the practice of granting leniency to a convicted captain or officer because of previous good character, or a family to support. First, they don't know what it was like there, and this excuse is never granted to seamen! It is just a reward for class differences. Moral improvement is the seamen's best friend. RHD visited California 24 years later and writes about this in the last chapter.

The book descriprion on this page is good and I enjoyed this edition of the book with the help of the glossary provided in this edition which contains definitions of sailing terms and and few archaic usages that are in this book. It made it much more enjoyable and understandable.

I liked the grueling portarit of life at sea, reading some first written observations of early California, a fine and admiring description of a very able-bodied seaman that Dana encountered and many other points.

I think to that this challenging adventure for Mr. Dana restulted in restored vision for his failing eyes after he removed himself from life perhaps largely behind a desk. Could the neccessity of challenge and needed to see have contributed?

There are many facets and admirable points in this book. I think you would enjoy it.

After finishing this book, I am amazed that this book is not more prominent in famous literature. Much of US and Sailing history can be learned through this true firsthand account of a Harvard student gone temporary salty dog. I am not from California or even the west coast but still found the stories contained throughout the book fascinating. Dana did an excellent job of describing the life at sea in the early 1800's without a moment of boring reading. I would recommend (and have been recommending) this book to anyone and everyone.

In 1880 Union General Lew Wallace was stationed at a Western outpost when he began writing Ben Hur to dispel the boredom of his job. General Wallace who fought in some of the major campaigns of the Civil War was also questioning the meaning of his faith when the novel was written.

There are few who do not know the basic premise of this novel and fewer still who have not seen the monumental MGM film based on it. This story chronicles the life of Judah Ben Hur and his desire for revenge against the Roman Messala and all of Rome for the wrongs done him and his family.

In plot the story is simple enough. Ben Hur has been wrongly convicted of an attempt to kill the Roman Governor of Judea and sentenced to death on the Roman galleys. His fortune has been stolen and his family locked away in a dungeon. Ben Hur survives the galleys and defeats his enemy in the now famous chariot race at the Circus at Antioch.

If this were the end of Wallace's story we would have been left with a decent story of revenge and nothing more. However, Wallace incorporates into his story (bookends it really) with the story of the Passion of Jesus.

Wallace uses the coming of Jesus to examine the issues of his own faith. To analyze the dual nature of Jesus as King and Redeemer. To Ben Hur and the fiercely nationalist Jews of his time the world was waiting for a King to come to overthrow the power of Rome. Ben Hur sees this king as an element of his revenge against Rome and uses his restored fortune to build an army in support of the king.

By the end of the novel Ben Hur realizes that the King was not to come to overthrow Rome but to be a Redeemer of souls. That the kingdom to be created was not to be one of this world.

Wallace's narrative takes some time to get used to. It is sluggish and detail oriented. Literally everything is described. If you are looking for a fast read this book is not for you. If you are looking for a novel in the grand scale which also works as a powerful religous meditation give this one a try. The book was a great best seller when it was written and it can still be powerful 120 years later.

When this book was first publised in 1880 and up to the late 1920's, Ben-Hur was one of America's favorite books--many many households had a copy. This book is as relevant, accessible and awe-inspiring today as it ever was. If you want to read a life-changing book, pick this one up. You won't be able to put it down.

Ben-Hur is a story of a young Jewish prince who is sent as a to the galleys of the Romans. Saving the captian's life he gets adopted by the captian. Even then his troubles are not over. This book is to the very end. Even then you want to read more!

"Under the Lake" is one of Woods' earlier books, written long before his Stone Barrington series. We have a house that was buried when a rich developer decided to put in a lake; we have lots of incestuous relationships; we have a washed up reporter who takes on the autobiography of a chicken-chain store magnate; an undercover reporter out to expose a corrupt cop; a family of psychics who know everything; the ghost of a little girl who once lived in the now subterranean house; and all this in the little borough of Sutherland, Georgia. The critical endorsements by such authors as Stephen King indicate that this is "one of the most frightening books ...ever read..". I expected a lot more out of it, but once you get through the whole thing, you can look back on it and say it's a worthy ghost story. Some of the dialogue and situations are very strained, but there are a few surprises and plot twists that I did not expect. Not the chiller it claims to be, but worth a rainy night reading.

I am not saying in the least that I did NOT like this book..in fact, I did. The problem was that I thought the plot to be way too unbeievable...and it really was not formed... I mean a town under a lake?!?!? To put it bluntly...it was weird!!! As a matter of fact, after reading this book, at first I was hesitant to read another one of Mr. Wood's books, but since I did not hate this book, I decided to give him another one of his books a try. Hopefully it works out....if not oh well...nothing lost...nothing gained.

This is the first Stuart Woods book that I have read and it has stirred me to go out and buy many more of his books. Mr. Woods has a way of bringing the people and places of his stories to life as no other author that I have read.
--Borrow it, Buy it, Read it!

Gone-Away Lake and its sequel were my favorite books as a child, and I have also re-read them frequently over the years. I feel a kinship with the other people who have reviewed this book and love it as I do. I now have introduced it to my 8 year old son, and am so happy that he shares my love for this book. I love escaping to this gone-away place, and wish that I grew up in an era when children could safely wander, explore, and discover during the long lazy days of summer! How much more wonderful than today's summers filled with shopping malls, television, and Nintendo!

"Gone-Away Lake" is a delightful, beautifully written story, just this side of fantasy and filled with interesting, likable characters. A brother and sister from the city take the train to visit their country cousin. The children discover an old, mostly abandoned summer colony of houses near a swamp that used to be a lake. There they meet the most charming people in the book, an elderly sister and brother, Minnehaha Cheever and Pindar Payton, who are living happily in the place where they spent summers as children. The pair wear old-fashioned clothes stored away many years ago by their family, cultivate a variety of gardens, and have chickens, goats, a duck, and a cat named Fatly. Once a month, Pindar cranks up the antique Franklin car and drives into town for supplies. The children are adventuresome and imaginative, and have no need of TV to keep themselves amused. The descriptions of the country are amazingly vivid, and there's plenty of humor too. Don't miss the sequel, "Return to Gone-Away." And Elizabeth Enright's series about the Melendy family is also fun to read.

As Portia climbs aboard the train headed to Pork Ferry where she will spend her summer vacation with her cousin, she expects only the normal adventures: bug catching, finding mosses and looking up birds - what they always do. But this summer is different. On the first day of exploring they find themselves in a vast swamp with ruins of ancient houses around its borders. Once this swamp was a beautiful lake, a summer resort. But two people never left, the two people who can tell the story of Gone Away Lake and the many magical summers spent there.

It is a thoroughly exciting book you can't put down until finished!!! It is most definitely a must read for all people, young and old.

This is Verne's classic story of the trip of Phileas Fogg (who is obsessed with time), Passeportout, Aouda, and Detective Fix around the world on a wager. The book is filled with beautiful time and space imagery throughout (I would bet that one could write an entire thesis on all the time and space references in the novel). Thirty-three years after its publication, the world first learns of the space/time continuum (although I'm certain Verne was not anticipating Einstein). Fogg bets his fellow club members that he can circumnavigate the globe in a mere eighty days. He leaves immediately with his valet Passeportout and is pursued by Detective Fix, who thinks he is a bank robber. Through many adventures, including the rescue of Aouda from immolation, they all return to London. Interestingly, a few years later, after a number of improvements had been made in railways and roads, a U.S. journalist named Nellie Bly (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane) decided to attempt to break Fogg's "record." Leaving New York on November 14, 1889, she was able to circumnavigate the globe in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. But, she didn't rescue a Hindu princess! It should be noted, however, that one has to be very careful concerning the translations of this novel. There are some terrible ones being sold. Perhaps that's the reason for the few poor comments by earlier reviewers. There is an excellent translation by William Butcher that appeared in 1995.

Before there was any kind of high-speed travel an English gentleman named Phileas Fogg betted 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 or less days. He starts his journey in London. On his way he meets a beautiful Indian Princess. Fogg also gets mistaken for a criminal. During his whole journey he has a detective following him trying to arrest him when the warrant arrives. In the book you follow Fogg's adventures through four continents when he is racing against time. The book is fast-paced, action-packed adventure with both romance and danger.

The characters in the story were introduced very well, especially Phileas Fogg. In the beginning of the book you get to know that Fogg is a very private gentleman. He never goes to any social places except the Reform Club. A remarkable thing about Fogg is that his life is centered around the clock. He is very precise and always on time. Every day he follows the exact same schedule. Phileas Fogg does not have a wife or any kids.

The setting of the book was very jumpy. Since Fogg travels through many continents and countries the setting changes all the time. You still feel you know a little bit about every place that he comes to, even if he only stays there for a couple of hours.

When I started reading the book I thought it would be a really good book and it really did meet my standards. I would recommend it to any one who likes adventure and action. Since it is written in so many different versions a person almost any age can read it.

I think this book is a superior book because it is full of action. This book is about a man named Mr. Phileas Fogg, and his faithful servant, Passepartout, that wager a bet that They can travel the whole world in eighty days stopping at Suez via Mont Cenis and Brindisi, then to Bombay, then Calcutta, Hong Kong, Japan (Yokohama), San Francisco, New York, back to London, all within eighty days, and by steamboats, and trains. However, a nosy detective, Detective Fix, tracks them down, and tries to arrest Mr. Fogg because he believes that Fogg stole fifty-five thousand pounds. As one may guess, this greatly detains Mr. Fogg, and it seems like he may not make the trip around the world after all. However, the Fix never seems to catch up with Fogg, and Fogg triumphs over most of the obstacles that come his way, like missing boats, missing trains, missing people, and Fogg even meets and rescues a beautiful Indian Princess called Aouda. However, Fix finally catches up to the detective, and everything seems lost for Fogg until Fix discovers that Fogg was not the robber, and Fogg is released. Even so, Fogg is one day late, and in doing so, misses the train that would have taken him to London precisely to win the bet. He ordered a special train, but even in doing so, still misses the bet...or so he thinks. The ending of the book is a very unexpected one. Read this book and find out!