After the somewhat disappointing "Troika", Louise comes back with one of the strongest books fo the series, a little slow at he outset, the climax and resolution are almost a hundred pages of reading that you have a hard time putting down. I think Machiavelli would'vwe appreciated the issue Louise Cooper confronted in regards to powers that be. She also keeps you guessing, and while a few parts were foreseeable, there were some good twists to keep it interesting. I feel that Indigo really comes into her own in this book, and doesn't appear as reckless as she has in the past. Nice maturation of her character. This book, and the series it is a part of comes highly recommended.

Once pregnant I began to search the library for good baby books to buy. I liked one this best and it has proved itself to be the best, compared to the other baby books I have also purchased as it has all the answers to my questions and these answers are found instantly in comparison to my other baby books.

This is simply a picture book of a bunch of baseball games with some organization and text fill. The games are organized by century (18th & 19th), and by type (player-endorsed, non-endorsed, card, action and coin-operated). There's a bit of baseball history, but what you'll want this for is the attention to historical detail in the games themselves. There are hundreds of games photographed in a reasonable (if not exceptional) amount of detail; most of the text is just a description of what's in the pictures. Many versions of popular games are compared, with information on how to tell the versions apart, which will be invaluable if you're a collector. For some reason there's four pages on Cadaco, but neither APBA nor Strat-O-Matic get a look in, nor do more contemporary games from 3M or Sports Illustrated or Avalon Hill. Don't expect a forty-dollar art book with prose that'll entertain you into the night. The printing quality, photo quality, and text-quality are only so so. I'm still waiting for the book that compares how the different games are designed strategically and how they play. This one's aimed more at collectors.

"Be Brave Little Noddy" is #13 in a series of 24 books written in the 50's by Enid Blyton. The book, written for children (ages 3-8) is about Noddy's experiences in Toyland with his little wind-up car. He uses his car as a taxi in Toyland. When Mr. Honk damages the car in an accident, Noddy is very upset and goes to his friend, Big Ears, for help. Mr. Honk is now the town taxi driver, and takes all of Noddy's customers while Noddy's car is in the garage. But all is well in the end. Mr. Honk leaves town, Noddy's car is fixed, and he is once again able to make a living as a taxi driver in Toyland. The illustrations are definitely a plus. My children loved hearing these stories over and over again when they were little.

An extremely well-written and inspiring work, Cooper succeeds in bringing us Beethoven the artist.

This is a great assortment of fiction. Just when I was getting tired of gay anthologies comes this very different bunch of tales. From Jim Provenzano's scorching account of a gay-bashing to Adam Klein's "the Medicine Burns," the voices vary and the styles differ enough to provide a great sampling of gay men's fiction from 1996.

I was disappointed that some were novel extracts (Michael Cunningham's, Chris Bram's from "Father of Frankenstein" and Edmund White's) but on the whole an interesting collection, particularly Kevin Killian, Stephen Beachy and Michael Lowenthal's touching account.

Also recommended:
Father of Frankenstein (or anything by ) Christopher Bram
Shy by Kevin Killian
Mysterious Skin and In Awe by Scott Heim
PINS by Jim Provenzano

Moving stories about human relationships - adolescent angst and families who fail to communicate. I got reminded at times of the late Tom Lehrer's jibe "If people can't communicate why don't they shut up". Much is left unsaid and I was reminded of Richard Ford and Raymond Carver. THat sounds like high praise and accounts for the 5 stars but a genius should not remind us of anyone. Even Magendo Men, the African story, reminded me of Paul Theroux. The most original was Kerenyaga - about an African in Washington DC. I looked for more work by him but find his novels are out of print.

"The Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds" is not just a book; it is a work of art, and a book-lover's delight. Executed in the tradition of the great 19th cent. bird folios of John Gould and J.J. Audubon, Cooper's paintings must be seen to be fully appreciated. His birds live and breathe on the page, and one can almost feel the humidity of New Guinea and northern Australia as the background of each plate is studied. With expertly written text by Joseph Forshaw. Although this enormous book is difficult to find and expensive, it is well worth the money and effort expended in securing a copy

The story was enthralling, and I could not put the book down until I had read the last word. I loved the characters, and all the past lives Doug experienced,and how everyones lives revolved aroung each other. The only disappointing aspect of the book was that it ended. I want to know more about their lives and what happens to every-one. I hope Bill Rowe and Peter Cooper contiue to write, and keep entertaining us all!!

This book will drive the new millenium to a healthy sense of self for all readers. The book gives caregivers the tool to work with the damaged souls of the people that they work with. This book also gives the reader a guide to live a more healthy life. I recommend the book strongly for all to read to better understand and face their fears about something talked about but never really put to words.