Sarah writes with all her emotion and holds nothing back. She writes very detailed however at times it can be a little slow in parts and I found myself trudging through it at times. However, it was an interesting view from a young woman in Civil War times with two brothers in the army and a brother who had been involved in a duel.

Sarah Morgan is a girl of apparent intelligence and wit with a palpable charm. I don't agree that her concerns were trivial. They are those of any young girl thinking about love, marriage, family and her future. Her worries for the safety of her three brothers serving in the Confederate army were certainly not unwarrented since two of the three were killed by war's end. The book is very involving. My sympathy is all with the Northern army but I do care what happens to Sarah and those she loves.

Ms. Morgan's diaries are so beautifully written that they read like a novel; there is never a dull moment as she describes with great detail life in Baton Rouge during the Civil War. Even if the reader is not a Civil War buff, he or she will find this book spell-binding. The book includes informative footnotes, fine copies of historic photographs, and is a MUST for those pursuing courses in women's studies, the American Civil War or Southern history and culture.

This was an awesome Dawson's Creek book. I thought it wasvery good, but I don't think that it was as great as some other DCbooks. The story line was unique, but I don't think thatit delt with the characters feelings as well as some of the other DCbooks. Other than that it was a very good DC book and I wouldrecommend it to any DC fan!

Summer is finally here and the gang nabs jobs as counselors at Camp Takabec. Jack is the football counselor. Dawson does audiovisual, Joey's in arts and crafts, Jen and Pacey are directing the camp musical, and Andie is an academic tutor for challenged kids.

They're managing to have a blast, even though Jen and Joey both fall for the same mysterious college guy from England. Meanwhile, a against the gals. But who will win this friendship tug-of-war?

i love the fued between the group of friends! it all turns out good in the end though.

I like romances in all degrees of sensuality, but after seeing the steamy cover of Starlight, Starbright, I admit I was looking forward to some seriously hot love scenes. Unfortunately, this was the least of my disappointments as far as this book was concerned.

Lovely Serena is a gifted young woman about to be married. She has been hearing voices since she was little and, although, she doesn't know it, her gift is one that will prove valuable to the inhabitants of the planet Ulata. While Serena prepares her future home and wonders if she will ever truly love Trenek, her betrothed, Commander Darian Vondrak watches from afar, and prepares to take Serena away from everything she has known.

How does Serena react? We never really know. We know she is enchanted by Darian and wildly attracted to him, we know she wonders about what will happen to her when the strange people she can't communicate with take her away, but it's a year before we hear Serena's thoughts and concerns about her family back home. In said year she has joined the Sisterhood of Trezhellas, a group of women who have the ability to communicate telepathically, but that, despite their advanced capabilities, have remained stagnated in the past. To say that Trezhellas distrust men would be a serious understatement. They are annoyingly anti-men and remain cloistered in their sumptuous mansion, undergoing training and waiting for the time they will be called to service. Serena is far more gifted than any of the other sisters and she is asked to take part in a mission that will take her farther than any Ulatan has ever traveled.

As Serena struggles with her decision, we find out (via flashback) that she and Darian gave in to their mutual attraction and slept together often during the trip back to Ulata. Serena is not sure she wants to see Darian again, since time in the Sisters' company has convinced her that he merely used her as he has many before and undoubtedly will use many in the future.

Darian is, of course, torn between the woman he has come to love and his duties as Commander of the mission. Actually, he really isn't, because considering how many times he carries her around the ship and how many times Serena forgets protocol and refers to him as "Dar- (insert image of Serena blushing here) Commander Vondrak" it's no surprise the whole crew quickly figures out their relationship.

While Darian remained a blurry - although hunky - figure, he was easily the one I liked the best. He admits and pledges his love to Serena and never wavers, and he must also swallow his pride when she ends up saving him twice. He also realizes Serena is keeping a secret from him, and even though it could mean the difference between going home and ending up like the crew in Star Trek: Voyager, he never forces her to admit what she knows. I ended up howling with laughter, though, when, after a bout of lovemaking, Darian jumps off the bed and announces "we've just fired a probe" - Somehow I doubt my reaction was what the author intended.

Serena, however, went beyond annoyance for me. She is beyond lovely, beyond gifted, she is The Heroine Who Can Do Anything. Never mind she has never piloted a craft before, never mind she hates violence, never mind . . . well, just never mind. She is also aware that there is something in her world that could make all the difference to Darian, but she keeps it secret, questioning his motives although she knows by now he is a decent man. Furthermore, she has the habit of asking too many questions. In her mind. Did Darian know about her secret? Had he guessed? Would he leave her without saying goodbye? Were the zhetlas the same as the teldas in her world? Had she become a Ulatan and forgotten her heritage? And on and on and on, for a total of more than one hundred questions throughout the book. I know because I counted them. Did I grow tired of this? Did I wish I could skip paragraphs with question marks? Was I glad when this book ended?

Add to this the fact that the Great Evil Enemy never makes a worthy appearance and well, just about every aspect of this story failed to engage me. No hot love scenes as indicated by the cover, no substance despite a plot that was promising, and villains that spent 99% of the book off-stage, so to speak. I will continue on my quest to find entertaining fantasy and futuristic romances, but Starlight, Starbright is one book I cannot recommend.

I think this is a great sci-fi love story. Ms. Dawson puts some new ideas about space travel and contact on the table. I like the hero and the heroine since both are gutsy and have the curious nature of explorers. This book - Starlight, Starbright - and Crystal Enchantment by Ms. Dawson are my favorites. I love exploring new worlds through others eyes and imagination. If you want some sci-fi action to go with your love story, pick this up. It's great!!

I've read as much of Saranne's work as I could, because I love sci fi and fantasy romance. This is Saranne's best ever. The plot was solid- not too fast or jerky like some scifi, the characters were solid- their issues of trust between cultures real and moving, the settings were vivid. A top notch romance all the way around, not just in the scifi category. Saranne- please consider spinoff stories for lessa, shenzi, trollon, or serena's children.

One of his lesser known works, Shakespeare's Trojan play is also one of his most intriguing. Not quite a burlesque, 'Troilus and Cressida''s lurches in tone, from farce to historical drama to romance to tragedy, and its blurring of these modes, explains why generations of critics and audiences have found it so unsatisfying, and why today it can seem so modern. Its disenchanted tone, its interest in the baser human instincts underlying (classical) heroism look forward to such 20th century works as Giraudoux's 'The Trojan War Will Not Take Place' or Terry Jones' 'Chaucer's Knight'; the aristocratic ideals of Love and War, inextricably linked in this play, are debased by the merchant-class language of exchange, trade, food, possesion - the passionate affair at its centre is organised by the man who gave his name to pimps, Pandarus, and is more concerned with immediate sexual gratification than anything transcendental. The Siege of Troy sequences are full of the elaborately formal rhetoric we expect from Shakespeare's history plays, but well-wrought diplomacy masks ignoble trickery; the great heroes Ajax and Achilles are petulant egotists, the latter preferring the company of his catamite to combat; the actual war sequences, when they finally come, are a breathless farce of exits and entrances. There are a lot of words in this play, but very few deeds.

Paris, Prince of Troy, has abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Led by the latter's brother Agamemnon, and his Machiavellian advisors Ulysses and Nestor, the Greeks besiege Troy, demanding the return of Helen. However, Achilles' dissatisfaction at the generals' endless politicking has spread discontent in the ranks. Within Troy, war takes a distinct second place to matters of the heart. While Paris wallows in luxury with his prize, his youngest brother Troilus uses Pandarus as a go-between to arrange a night of love with his niece, Cressida. When one of the Trojan leaders is taken prisoner by the Greeks, the ransom price is Cressida.

There is only one character in 'Troilus' who can be said to be at all noble and not self-interested, the eldest Trojan prince Hector, who, despite his odd interpreation of the quality 'honour', detests a meaningless war, and tries to spare as many of his enemies' lives as he can. He is clearly an anachronism, however, and his ignoble slaughter at the hands of a brutal gang suggests what price chivalry. Perhaps the most recognisable character is Thirsitis, the most savagely cynical of his great Fools. Imagine Falstaff without the redeeming lovability - he divests heroes and events of their false values, satirises motivations, abuses his dim-witted 'betters' and tries to preserve his life at any cost. Written in between 'Hamlet' and 'All's Well That Ends Well', 'Troilus' bears all the marks of Shakespeare's mid-period: the contrapuntal structure, the dense figures, the audacious neologisms, and the intitially deferred, accelerated action. If some of the diplomacy scenes are too efective in their parodic pastiche of classical rhetoric, and slow things down, Act 5 is an amazing dramatic rush, crowning the play's disenchantment with love (with an extraordinarily creepy three-way spaying of an infidelity) and war.

The New Penguin Shakespeare is the most accessible and user-friendly edition for students and the general reader (although it does need updating). Unlike the Oxford or Arden series, which offer unwieldy introductions (yawning with irrelevant conjecture about dates and sources) and unusable notes (clotted with tedious pedantry more concerned with fighting previous commentators than elucidating Shakespeare), the Penguin's format offers a clear Introduction dealing with the play and its contexts, an appendix 'An Account of the Text', and functional endnotes that gloss unfamiliar words and difficult passages. The Introduction is untainted by fashions in Critical Theory, but is particularly good at explaining the role of Time ('When time is old and hath forgot itself...And blind oblivion swallowed cities up'), the shifting structure, the multiple viewpoints in presenting characters, and Shakespeare's use of different literary and linguistic registers.

Troilus and Cressida is one of Shakespear`s many romances, and, like most of his romances, is a tragedy. Since time immemorial, Shakespears` works have been used as plays, literature and (least often) just casual reading. While Troilus and Cressida is one of the less known plays, it is no less a good one. It is based in Troy(as the name might imply)during the much renowned Trojan War. The valiant Troilus, son of the Trojan king is enamoured of Cressida, also of Troy. Meanwhile, the Greek hosts have laid siege to the city, and the warrior Achilles refuses to fight, encouraging further interaction between the two sides. Cressida, however, is the daughter of a Greek sympathizer(if that is the correct word)and may not be able to honour her commitment to the Trojan prince...

I think this is one os Shakespeare's most underrated plays, probably because of all the uncouth characters. Based on Chaucer's rendition of the story, T and C are Trojan lovers, and she is then traded to the Greeks in exchange for captive soldiers. Aside from this, the women of Troy are wanton and lustful, and the men are prowess driven. If you can deal with this, you will really enjoy Shakespeare's ability to wrap this into all kinds of twists and turns. It delivers a mixture of satire, comedy, romance, tragedy, and a semi-historical (in that people at the time probably believed the Trojan War really happened). Interestingly, this mixture of laughs and tragedy is reminiscent of war novels I have read about Vietnam. The romantic dimensions give this play its edge, and somehow WS manages to make it plausible in spite of all the killing and deceit going on at the same time.

Porter writes as if the North was never wrong, its commanders never fooled or mistaken, its armies never disspirited, and that the Union campaigns always succeeded. We all should know better. According to Porter, every time the Confederates didn't hold a field they were "repulsed handsomely." Every time the Union didn't hold the field, they were merely "compelled to retire." You will see these gross aberrations throughout this stale and shoddy work. His characterizations add nothing fresh about the famous personages surrounding him, and certainly his military perspective offers less in quality of insight than the diary of any Union private. There are many great books on the Civil War by the figures who fought it: this one can wait until you've exhausted everything else.

I read Grant's "Memoirs" on the recommendation of a cigar-chomping friend. It was a revelation. I began reading with ambivalence about Grant. By the time I was finished, he became a hero for me, for entirely unexpected reasons -- the clarity of his writing, for one; his modesty and straight-forward manner, for two others. I followed it with other volumes about Grant (including Bruce Catton's set) but it wasn't until another friend whom I discovered shared my feelings for Grant's genius recommended Horace Porter's "Campaigning with Grant" that I discovered an equally satisfying successor. Horace Porter's "Campaigning With Grant" is the next best thing to Grant's "Memoirs." Again, the clarity of writing, the descriptions of Grant's decision-making process, the anecdotes from the Wilderness Campaign on through the sieges of Richmond and Petersburg, and on to Appomatox come as a revelation -- at least, in part, when you realize this is one of those "source documents" all the great historians of the era have relied upon.

Apparently Porter assisted Grant in writing his "Memoirs" although there is not much (if any) dispute that Grant wrote them himself. While this may explain some of the similarity in style and substance, it probably says more about "like minds" than anything else. No matter. This is well worth the read and very rewarding.

If you had to read one book about U.S. Grant as a man this is it. Horace Porter knew Grant quite well and thought he book was written in 1896, it still retains a vibrancy and modernity to it. Porter wrote the book in an almost conversational style which is entertaining and interesting. Do you want to know how much Grant weighed or how tall he was? What kinds of foods he liked? How about a description of him necking with his wife in full view of Lincoln and his staff officers? Look no further than between the covers of this remarkable book. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!

Jeri Howard is not among the strongest representatives of the female PI genre, but these stories are well plotted and believable. This installment has a neat plot twist after making an early point on the evils of stalking and harassment. This book is recommended for a solid, entertaining read.

As always, Janet writes a great story

I have consumed every one of Janet Dawson's series involving private eye Jeri Howard. I love the characters and Jeri's sense of humor, as well as the realism in the issues which she confronts. I heartily recommend any of the Jeri Howard series to anyone who likes mysteries involving female detectives and lots of character!

I made my way to the WB as a result of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," so while I knew that "Dawson's Creek" was their teen soap opera but when a SNL skit made reference to Pacey I thought that was a different name for a girl. But when my students in Popular Culture begged to be able to write about this show for their television papers I started watching it (the gang was graduating from Capeside High in that episode). Last month when the show went into syndication and was available on DVD I was able to go back and watch the show all the way from the beginning and on through the grand finale (For the record, no, I was not surprised by who died or who Joey picked, not that I necessarily approved of either decision). In that context it is interesting to check out "Dawson's Creek: The Official Scrapbook" and relive the beginning once more.

The most interesting thing is that Kevin Williamson and the producers clearly thought that Michelle Williams as Jen, who had been an alien in "Species" and was about to co-star in "Dick" with Kirsten Dunst, was supposed to be the main female on the show. Of course, it ended up being Katie Holmes as Joey. Then there was the matter of Dawson's hair during that first season, which might not have made James Van Der Beek look five years young, but certainly made him look immature (although the book claims the look is supposed to be "poetic"). Then there are the "More than 80 photos!" promised on the cover, almost all of which are the four main heartthrobs in various combinations (but none of Joey and Pacey, oddly enough), and which easily convince me that Michelle Williams smiling and showing her teeth looks a lot better than smiling with just her lips (you have to pay attention to details like this to really appreciate a show).

The main thing is that this scrapbook is fan friendly. You get short bios of both the four characters and the actors playing them, shots of the locations where the show was filmed, shots of some of the favorite scenes, and the best lines from the first season (e.g., "I just think out emerging hormones are destined to alter our relationship and I'm trying to limit the fallout"). There is also a brief section on "Styles of the Stars" where we learn Pacey is "a D student with a Julius Caesar haircut" and a couple of pages of actual scripts from the show (that is "couple" as in two). The chief attraction remains the inside tidbits, as to who was creator Kevin Williamson's high school sweetheart that served as the model for Joey (Fanny Norwood), the name of Josh Jackson's Rhodesian Ridgeback (Shumba), and where they film the exterior scenes for Capeside High (University of North Carolina at Wilmington). So, what you end up with is not great, but certainly worthwhile at this price.

This is good for fans of dawsons creek. Its full of pictures, but most are from the first season. Its not got a story line or anything its, just something to look threw that you would do very quickly and probably never look at again. If you just love the show, your gonna want to get this, but i would recoment getting one of the Dawsons Creek novels instead because they are far more entertaining!

This book is a must have of any Dawson's Creek fan! The book doesn't have a story line like any other Dawson's Creek book but describe the lifes of the 4 main characters in the Creek and in real life. By reading this book you find out about the star's past , present and future television and film jobs . The book gives you information about which star bring's his dog to work every day , what starsign they are and what there nick-names were ! You also find out about the characters in the creek which is a great help to those people who haven't seen Dawson's Creek and don't know the back grounds of all the characters. If this hasn't grasped you there is a piece by the producer Kevin Wialliamson with his thoughts and comments. The book also has a copy of some of the original T.V script with Kevin Williamson comments . My favourite part of the book is a page full of some of the most famous quotes ever in Dawson's Creek which reminds you of past events in the Creek. Over all I find this book a inspiring guide to the minds of 4 of the most confused teenagers which makes it a perfect guide to Dawson's Creek!

India is a colorful country. A myriad of colors can be seen in the clothes people wear, product packaging, architecture, designs on vehicles and many other places. This book purports to have captured the essence of Indian advertising but ends up shocking the reader, even those who have lived in that country all their lives. It is true that the advertising there comprises of large billboards, generous use of colors and use of every available inch of space. It is indeed more colorful than anyone in west would have ever seen or imagined. That being said, it should also be pointed out that the garish advertisements pictured in the book are seen more in the southern part of India and are not representative of the entire country. The author seems to have concentrated his picks on certain regions, selected the gaudiest images he could find and ignored the tasteful advertisements that now dot the Indian landscape. Every country has its pros and cons. Selectivity of the author tends to strengthen the stereotypical image of India as a rural third-world country. To be fair to the author, his book does highlight the individuality and skills of the artists but even that would not encourage recommendation of this book. Whether you are an Indian or someone looking to visit India, money spent on this ugly book would be well spent somewhere else. Artists and art students may want to thumb through the book. Not recommended for other folks.

This book is fascinating on several levels. As a photography book of the street advertising in India; great photos of the very colourful and strange ads found there. As a graphic design book; creative inspiration for advertising in ways not done here in the U.S., using materials and styles we don't see here. As an insight into Indian culutre; symbols, colours, methods that make sense to them, seem wonderful and exotic to us. Keep this handy as the kind of picture book you like to look through occasionally; it is fascinating, creative, inspriational, and a good buy for the price.

This book really conveys a feeling of what it is like traveling through India. For me, is really allowed me to reminisce about my trips with my parents to Madras. I can't think of a better book that gives the feel of what traveling through India is like. The colors and creativity are really special. I think this book makes a great gift and coffee table reading.

I didn't find the story interesting at all. I read this book because the story outline looked appealing and because of the warm review. I was disappointed. The story has not much substance and it is loosely-knitted.

I enjoyed reading this book, and would suggest it to others looking for a good romantic novel . . .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever

This is a really fascinating story about a man who has a near death experience at the Battle of Waterloo, and afterward sees visions about a woman he's never met. It's full of twists and turns and lots of great romance. I loved it!

This book is very good in it's purpose and it's text. It gives the stories of teens in crisis and the author offers solutions on how the teens can get out of their mess by trusting in the Lord and realizing he is the answer, which I have done personally. Although things get long-winded, it is very helpful. I encourage anyone with questions to get this book

Any book aimed at helping teens out of trouble is great in my eyes. Why would a person criticize a book aimed at helping kids? It's a great book and very insightful. i would recommend that parents and youths read it. Everyone would benefit. Read it with an open heart & Mind.

Chances are this book will be used a lot as a last straw of hope. Some kids will listen - some won't. It's value is with those who are close to the edge. Those over the edge may just react with anger and chuck it. But, it's worth a shot.