This is a well-researched historical novel with a mystery and a romance. A must read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story.

In the 1850s the Hawaiian Islands were the focus of many people's dreams. Missionaries dreamed of bring God--and "civilization"--to the savage, heathen Hawaiians. Whalers, businessmen, and politicians dreamed of wealth and power--provided they could wrest control of the government completely away from King Kamehameha. And the islanders themselves dreamed of peace and independence. The Island Snatchers tells the story of Anne Cartwright, the widow of a missionary who has become a nurse to the islanders, and of Dr. Matthew Cabe, a man who comes to the islands to find answers about his father's downfall. They are brought together through a murder and a search for answers. Romantic Times said Janice Johnson "knows how to combine romance and suspense into good reading," and they are absolutely right. The Island Snatchers is a gripping novel that you will want to read again and again.

After reading Annie Garrett's "After You", I went in search of other books set on the coast of Maine. Luckily, I happened to pick up this book by Amy Belding Brown at the library and absolutely loved it! The main character, Allison, is an endearing, down-to-earth individual who refuses to be true to her feelings after meeting the potential love of her life, Brent. Brent knows exactly how he feels for Allison the moment he meets her and tries his hardest to sweep her off her feet with his good looks and charm. Allison is also engaged to be married to the wealthy, handsome, yet controlling, Cabot. The descriptions of her intense emotions toward Brent are so vivid and romantic. The scenery description is also very pleasant. I will definately read this novel again!

The book starts out as Allison engaged to the so called perfect man. She goes to an island with Martha, a friend of hers. She meets a guy who gave up a promising career to have a simple life. The book is fantastic. Sparks shoot whenever they are together. She finds out what her fiance' is really like and things change.Amy Belding Brown is a great author. I want to read more of her books.

This is a story of Kori, of the island tribe, her persecution at the hands of her own people and her struggles to survive as an outcast.

Kori's people live on an island that was once an old lava flow off the coast of the mainland. Their fear of 'old ones' (evil ground spirits) has united the tribe in constant 'appeasement' rituals, and virtually eliminated tribal conflict.

Kori, 20, has always been different. She has always questioned the will of the "Old Ones," (the evil ground spirits who guard and harass her people) and the will of her mother, the tribe's shaman.

Unable to secure a mate because of her 'differentness', a conflict with her mother arises which leaves her an outcast.

I really liked this story. While the beginning was rather slow and a little dark (Kori's people's fear of the old ones is at times all-consuming), Kori was a believable heroine, with a likeable personality. Her struggles to be accepted by her tribe, her mother, were at times heart-wrenching. Her eventual romance with a non-tribal male was well-portrayed.

I recommend this novel for fans of 'prehistoric fiction.' You won't be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. It is one of those that you stay up really late at night saying "I'll just read one more chapter then I'll go to bed!" It is well written and not "overly symbolic" like you find in some books about this subject. I charcters are believable and the story is great. I already have the sequel on back-order!

This is a terrific book! Susan Dunne arrives on a Caribbean island with a grant to study petroglyphs. But her agenda also includes an
investigation into her brother's "accidental" drowning on the same island a year earlier. Almost immediately Susan finds that the island's sunny, touristy exterior conceals (barely) a dark, mysterious underbelly where nothing is as it seems, and it is into this world that she is inexorably drawn. Attempts to remain "objective" are swept away, and
Susan is forced to confront her own dark secrets, and the psychic powers that the island seems to magnify.

Stamey's writing is beautifully evocative--her own experience living in the Caribbean and as a SCUBA instructor shine though--and the characters are all strong.

Everyone I know who has read this book has loved it--in fact the most common comments I hear are, "This should be a movie!", and, "When's the sequel coming out?."

...

Sara Stamey's "Islands" is a masterful amalgam of murder mystery, anthropology, voodoo, and scuba diving. Add to this already potent mix wonderful character development and a deft rendering of the physical environment and you've got a real winner of a novel here. I highly recommend it!

This final book in the Some Die Mad series of four books rounds out what has to be a work of pure genius. Parts are done so well one has to say this is as good as literature can get...from any genre, any language and any time.

No question about it; this 44288 guy is right up there with the greats. Not only do you get one [great] story in Islands In Time and the three previous books in the Some Die Mad quatrain, you get your epiphanies, your apotheoses, your enlightened madnesses. You get your streams of consciousness and interior monologues. You get your unreliable narrator and fractured time lines and multiple points of view. You get a whole lot of sex both sacred and profane. You get long segments as good as literature can get written by anybody from anywhere and at anytime. Why this book and the whole Some Die Mad series is an artistic tour de force. This guy ought to posthumously get a nomination for the Nobel Literary Prize from somebody. The whole series sure as hell qualifies for a gold prize from somewhere. Sheer freaking genius. I really wish I was a book publicist....

i know this is a kids book, and i read it a few years ago, but every once in a while i get it out and read it from cover to cover again. every time i read this book i get inspired about life. does that seem a little drastic? i love this book. it's like my security blanket. read this book!

What a truly great book. I read this when I was in 4th grade.It has a beautiful mix of comedy and just plain interesting writing.It's the best book that I've ever read in my entire life. I also own my own copy of it. I would automatically recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. This is a great book for all ages. I would also like to recommend "Heads Or Tails" which is also in the same series. I am also currently reading the third book in the series, "Jack's Black Book". It's great. Everyone should go out and buy copies of all three books and read them.

This author really knows the area and gave great tips and tidbits of history and information to make our trip more interesting. Her restaurant reviews were right on target. We ate incredibly well the entire trip! If you go to Key West, take her suggestions - ours too, and try the following restaurants: Louie's Backyard, Camilles, Blue Heaven (a must for breakfast or a fabulous lunch). As for tours and excursions, we tried the following based on information in her book and had a great time: Tall ship dinner cruise; The Butterfly conservatory (Wings of Imagination); Truman's Little White House; Hemmingway House; Audubon House. These restaurants and tours were not all we tried but they topped the list.

Go enjoy the Keys - and don't leave without this book.

I like using guide books, and have used others when visiting Key West, but this one is the ultimate. I felt like the author was sitting in the back seat of our rental car, providing a narration as we wandered around looking for sights and scenes that we had never seen before. The restaurant reviews were right on, and funny even. My husband and I liked the discussion of Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and, believe it or not, we'd never heard of a wonderful movie, 'The Rose Tattoo,' filmed in Key West - which we never, ever miss when they show it late at night. We read about it in this book. Also, she recommends lots of books about Key West which we will read in preparation for our next trip. There are free sights to see on the road between Key West and Miami, and we'd never have known about them, either. Along the Overseas Highway there are some terrific beaches, libraries, a Pioneers Cemetery - on a beach! - a Hurricane Monument - that you don't know about unless you read about them in this book. Anytime someone we know is headed for the Keys, we give them this book. It's a winner.

Sweet without being saccharine, luscious illustration, an incredible book for kids and grown-ups about friendship, adventure, and longing. We've given a dozen of these this year.

It may be the Year of the Ox, but thanks to J. Patrick Lewis, The La-di-da Hare is the book of the year. A Mouse and a Bear set sail for the Island of Oh where they discover the Zsa-Zsa Gabor of Hares, with a two- carrot ring. She offers her guests Bermuda shorts, designer shades in an irresistible vacation spa. It is here that the Bear and the Mouse decide they will stay until pigs fly. On a more ontological level, it is the story of Eden after Adam. And what child--indeed what adult-- does not want to experience life like that: the abode of the La-di-da Hare, especially when delectable bagels and lox await us. That, and a virtual Zabar's of haute kosher cuisine. Susan G. Marceau

If these delectable guides' plentiful pix don't get you drooling to explore, you need to get your salivary glands checked. The text is also noteworthy

One of the best travel book series, with attention to detail, plus numerous color photographs and fine maps. Lots of instructions regarding practical travel matters. (Travel Books
Review)

Last Train From Mendrisio is an epic adventure novel set in the treacherous world of international finance and Offshore Trusts. With a colorful cast of characters and a fast-moving, inventive plot, it should appeal to a wide general readership. The labyrinthine logic of the international stock market has always been fertile territory for the thriller writer. In this case, the strength of the story lies in the time and trouble that the authors have evidently taken to establish an authentic backdrop. They also take great care not to swamp the narrative with superfluous information, incorporating enough financial material to provide the characters with credible motivation, without spoiling the flow of the plot. In this respect, as in most others, the authors prove themselves to be taut, economical writers--every line of prose is used to advance the narrative a little further and they exercise an impressive degree of control over character development and realization. Sam, the thoughtful, introspective history professor, is perhaps the most intriguing and fully-realized character. His obsessive dedication to discovering the truth about the shipwreck provides a nice counterpoint to the main action. By the same token, I felt that the sub-plot involving Charles Fountain and the Old Captain adds greatly to the sense of intrigue and danger that is always lurking below the surface. The story of an old-fashioned paternalistic entrepreneur who dies in mysterious circumstances, leaving a tangled financial legacy, is very much a parable for our times and over the course of the manuscript, the authors skillfully exploit this rich seam, making full use of dramatic possibilities that it undoubtedly contains. It is very tempting to talk about the authors' work in cinematic terms. They clearly have a highly visual imagination and a sense of timing that would stand them in good stead as screenwriters. The marvelously flamboyant set-piece finale is a case in point, with its clever religious symbolism and imaginative use of color and scenery. Equally, the taut, snappy dialogue that the authors give to the characters is very much in keeping with the bold, sweeping style of the piece. It would, clearly, translate into a first rate screenplay, combining a witty commentary on the foibles of the financial classes with a keenly observed portrait of social conditions in the Caribbean. On the whole, then, I found much to enjoy in Last Train From Mendrisio. It has a distinctly playful and tongue-in-cheek feel that makes it enormous fun to read but, at the same time, it is blessed with a solidly-constructed plot, and a range of credible and entertaining characters.

Though "Last Train from Mendrisio" succeeds in making strong moral arguments against greed, I value it most as a wonderful adventure/mystery story peopled by fascinating and memorable characters. The locales -- Santa Fe, the Caribbean, Switzerland -- are superbly drawn, the protagonists as colorful and interesting as any you're likely to meet in exotic backgrounds. The story is a page-turner, a book you may be tempted to re-read within days after finishing it. For me, it was most cinematic, evoking powerful images, and left me with the conviction that it'd make a great movie.