With the incredible proliferation of Star Trek novels these days, it's rare when I read one that actually stands apart from the rest. This one does just that. For the most part, this is another wonderful Diane Carey book. Kirk saves the evolution of humanity and makes friends with the dinosaurs. Gotta love it! This one'll keep you reading, and it's length (383pp) gets you your money's worth (for a change). I really liked the coverage of the dinosaur-extinction event, although I must confess to still preferring Gary Larson's version!

The only book-specific complaint is the tying together of the events that bring this book together.

The generic complaints are as follows:

* doesn't Pocket Books employ proof-readers? I tire of spending money on books only to find a dozen typos included.

* why do the crews of the different Star Trek worlds use exclusively the 20th Century Earth as their point of reference? (that's the impact of how many atomic bombs? that's how many miles or miles per second? that's in what state?)

If you're interested in dinosaurs and in Star Trek, then this book is for you. With Kirk struggling to fight a dangerous illness, the crew must find a way to get back to their timeline using and old aquaintence of theirs- The Guardian, and put back some very wrong doings. So that the human race has a chance to begin~ Although dinos have never really been in any trek novels I have read it still has the same twist that all trek fans love!!!!!!! :) Perhaps even better because of it....

Then this is the book for you!!!! Diane Carey has teamed up with a fellow who really knows his dino-history and they have truly succeded in making an exciting and beliviable story. Do not wait. Read it today!!!1

This story is very interesting and gives a lot of insight on the conduct of the air war in the Pacific in WWII. The author, Richard C. Kirkland, was a pilot very early in his life, age 20 or around that age. He is assigned to some very noteworthy units, one the famous Black Sheep Squadron where he was acquainted with Mjajor Richard Bong, the noted ace. He was also fortunate to fly with Lindberg, the Lone Eagle who first flew the Atlantic alone. He flew the P-38 and other aircraft and was a very good pilot apparently. The story is not strictly his however, he tells a couple of tales about pilots that he has heard about who have survived stressful situations. They are all interesting, but they are not his story. After WWII he serves in the newly formed Air Force and he is picked to transition into helicopters and this is a fine story of his exploits as one of the first chopper pilots in Korea and one of the first to airlift casualties from battle in a helicopter. This part of his book is superb. I gave this three stars because his tales of WWII in some instances seem contrived. Maybe it is just that he has waited too long to write this, and he does not remember clearly what he writes about. All in all it is a great read of air combat from first hand experience.

I purchased this book out of curiosity as the author's son is a life long friend and recently told me about it. I first purchased a gift copy, to be sent to my father who served with Dick Kirkland, SR. at Stead AFB in the late 50's & early 60's. It was during this time that Dick Jr. and I became friends. Despite a life long friendship with the author's son I never new of his father's historical adventures until we began discussing this book. I purchased my own copy after my father had read his and highly recommended it. I had no preconceptions when I began reading it, but I must admit I was a bit skeptical about a "first full length effort" at the authors stage of life. I needn't have been. It was an exciting read, very comfortable in it's pace with good character development and surprising content. I throughly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to any reader interested in the military during the 40's & 50's or, for that matter, practically anyone who enjoys a good historical tale, spiced up with interesting characters and personal experience!

The real world experiences of Richard Kirkland provide a wonderful source of engaging tales. Although most of the stories involve military aviation, the diversity of the subject matter and truly likeable characters in this book go well beyond the field of flight. From detailed accounts of the action of fighter combat in MacArthur's Pacific campaign to compelling stories of unique cultural experiences in Japan, Kirkland brings his characters to life. He has been fortunate to have flown with (and even rescued) some of America's greatest combat pilots. This book is a fantastic opportunity to gain some insight into a not only military aviation, but the life and feelings of pilots in Korea and the Pacific theater of WWII. This book presents a great combination of fun stories, historical insights, and compelling characters.

Because I'm a sugar addict trying to break the addiction. When I started learning about Stevia, and how you can still have sweets without it jacking up your blood sugar, mood, and general health, I was overjoyed. But after trying a few of the recipes I'm selling my cookbook and chunking my stevia. Maybe I'm using the wrong kind or something, I don't know. All I know is that it doesn't taste anything like it's supposed to, and I'm a decent cook.

I am still working with the recipes in this book but overall, I have been pleased...especially with the conversion chart. I believe this is worth it. I am a low-carber and I'm told that Kirkland has also come out with a Low-Carb stevia book.

My child was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in the mid 1980's. I heard about STEVIA at about the same time and was appalled that we couldn't readily buy it here in the U.S. When we could try it, we used my child's blood glucose meter to compare the readings against natural raw sugar and honey. Her blood sugar spiked upward with the sugar and the honey. There was no change with the sweetner STEVIA. It has opened up a world of fabulous food without the worry!! It allows for more food choices because in the food exchange program, we don't have to swap out another carbohydrate to use the STEVIA. It doesn't change when heated, and it goes a long way because of it's concentration. This is the ultimate sweetners for all consumers! Plus, it has all the other health benefits that are too numerous to mention. The recipes are fabulous...I serve them to friends and NO ONE can tell the difference. Buy this book...tell all your friends!

Shakespeare Alive makes a good introduction to Shakespeare not just for high schoolers, but for anyone who's new to Shakespeare. The book is well-written, being both informative and a pleasure to read. Its relatively light tone is not intimidating to the novice, and the authors don't assume knowledge that a newcomer might not have.

The book is conveniently divided into sections. After a prologue which does a good job of getting the reader to imagine Elizabethan England, we have a section on Elizabethan English life and then a section on Shakespearean theater. The Elizabethan history section provides a lot of general information spiced with intriguing details on everything from how children greeted their parents to the standards of beauty and the status of foreigners. The theater section starts in pre-Shakespeare English theater and ends in today's theater. In between is covered everything from who was in Shakespeare's audience (nearly everybody) and why (for one thing, it was the second cheapest form of entertainment available) to that student bugaboo, Shakespearean language. This section of the book no doubt benefits greatly from having its authors be connected with the theater.

A few people might object to the authors' use of imagination (for example, in showing how Shakespeare used and changed his sources, the authors invite us to imagine a Shakespeare who is leafing through a book for inspiration and dismayed by some of what he finds), but I can recall no instance of such imaginings not being clearly marked as such. Besides which, it would take a real stick-in-the-mud or a fiery anti-fantasist to be offended by the invitation to imagine Shakespeare joyfully tossing his quill in the air. Another possible objection, that it is not thorough enough, is silly, as the book is not intended to be exhaustive.

Shakespeare Alive is a worthwhile book, either for someone who wants a starting point for further study of Elizabethan life and literature or for one who just wants a taste of the background to Shakespeare's plays. As an introduction, I would recommend it even above Norrie Epstein's The Friendly Shakespeare. Shakespeare Alive has more information about the time period than The Friendly Shakespeare does (while the works can be enjoyed without historical knowledge, they'll be appreciated more with than without). Also, Shakespeare Alive has a more coherent whole than The Friendly Shakespeare, which is designed for dipping into rather than reading straight through. I believe the smoother reading and the difference in focus make Shakespeare Alive the better introduction for most people. Buy this book for yourself or for the student in the family.

"Shakespeare Alive!" is an intriguing and enjoyable visit to Shakespeare's London. Joseph Papp, founder and producer of the prestigious New York Shakespeare Festival, and Elizabeth Kirkland, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, created not a scholarly tome, but a delightful and often humorous examination of Elizabethan culture and its impact on Shakespeare.

Other reviewers exclaim how their high school students related to "Shakespeare Alive!'. I only wish I had encountered this little book during my school years. Hat's off to Papp and Kirkland for an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's England.

A prologue casts the reader into 16th century England as a young lad wrestling with a decision to leave his familiar rural setting in search of better opportunities. Daily rural life is a struggle, food is scare, a recession makes things worse, and you have little hope. London is far away and frightening, but you have no other choice. You begin your long trek on foot.

It is an uncertain world. England is in change, emerging from an inward looking isolation, to one in which the world's boundaries seem to expand with the return of each ship from the New World. The Renaissance moved from Italy to England at an almost imperceptible pace, but it did arrive, and nothing remains the same.

"Shakespeare Alive!" explores how the English theater emerged within this cauldron of change. In 1576 James Burbage builds the first structure dedicated to housing plays and calls it the "Theater", the first time this word was used to denote a building. Within just a few years Burbage has competition - the Curtain, the Swan, the Rose, the Fortune, and Shakespeare's Globe - and all were presenting daily comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances.

In an engaging, amusing style Papp and Kirkland provide a broad understanding of Shakespeare's world, his language, his sources, his creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed (and found most useful) their sections on Shakespeare's vocabulary, his creative use of rhetoric, and his near obsession with puns. "Shakespeare Alive!" is a uniquely fascinating book.

This book was used for a 200 level Shakespeare course at Edmonds Community College and really converted me into a Shakespeare enthusiast. The bibliography is extensive for those in need of further scholarly inquiry. I love this book--engaging, well-written, downright fascinating introduction to the cultural fabric of the Elizabethan age. I'm currently re-reading this to prep myself for Titus Andronicus, which I want to digest before the movie comes to town. Between entries in the Columbia Encyclopedia on Elizabeth and Shakespeare and this book, I can't think of a more concise and effective means of preparing oneself for one of Shakespeare's plays. Interesting b/w photos of New York stage productions are a nice extra.

I purchased this book a couple of years ago. I was taken with it right away. It brings back wonderful old memories of Christmas long gone. It is beautifully illustrated!! The illustrations attracted me to the book, the words won my heart!

It was a simpler time and these succulent memories bring back my own. Better yet, my special little ones are privy to what it was like to be a child in the "olden days". A beautiful thing to read together. Loved it.

I loved this story of a time in rural Texas before life was so rushed and hectic. This is a beautifully written and illustrated story and a wonderful Christmas gift. I originally was interested because of the author, Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. And this book gives a new look at her altogether. I gather it is a true story written by Kirkland for friends and family and then this publisher picked it up to share it with a larger audience. My husband and I have given many copies of this book to friends who have loved it. They all identify with the relationship between the girl and her family and the wonderful old-fashioned Christmas. What a great Christmas gift for such a reasonable price!

Ben wanted revenge on Phoebe when Phoebe left him 8 years ago. She left him because she thought that Ben was a rake and now Phoebe is a factory worker and Ben has land and a title. By chance, they meet together in bed. They were snowed in together so for the next few days they were stuck together. But Ben has this scheme to make her pay for the pain she caused him. He makes up a story about how he had amnesia and forgot about the past, a convenient way to take revenge on Phoebe. But the problem is that the revenge plan would backfire and he would remember why he had loved Phoebe 8 years ago...

Also incorporated into this story is a mystery. The furniture and the prized possesions in Ben's family home all disappeared save for some not so glamorous chairs and tables. Where has all the furniture gone and what's with Ben's dotty old aunt who believes there are ghosts in the house ? Read to find out!

I enjoyed this book, the story and the plot. I love how everything played out but I didn't rate it with a 5 (it really could have been a 5 but i didn't) because it ended too quickly. The setting, the plot, the scemes and the characters were all played out very beautifully but I found the ending to be bum-rushed, as if the printing press, editor or author were trying to finish up THE RAKE'S FIANCEE quickly and to just sell it off.

The characters were most deffinitely most fun to read, especially Ben because he's so devillish and Phoebe with her elegance and dignity. So enjoy this tale with the delight I had while reading THE RAKE'S FIANCEE !!

^_^ ~ Izzy

Miss Phoebe Lowell had thought nothing of taking a position at the Coalport Pottery Works, but Lieutenant Bennett Holden and his contemporaries thought it beneath a woman to have such menial employment. As Phoebe tired of her lodging in a women's dormitory, she wished to live at Holden House. Posing as Ben Holden's fiancée, she sneaked into the house, but it wasn't long that the engagement would soon become real. Martha Kirkland writes a very endearing story of Regency life here. Phoebe is a strong heroine, doing what some consider menial, but it is truly work that she loves. The interplay between Phoebe and Ben is witty, and the conflicts strong.

I love all Ms. Kirkland's books, and though it took me a few more pages than most to get into RAKE, it was worth the effort. I loved it. Romantic, highly amusing, and informative to boot.

This book is well written, with well-drawn characters and vivid settings. The hero and heroine are likeable enough and the secondary characters add extra dimension to the story. However, the main problem with this book is that it is often boring. While reading this book, I kept wondering where it was going and when the pace was going to pick up. Although there are some exciting action scenes towards the end, they seemed out of place and added only to give the book a semblance of a rousing conclusion. I even thought that the romance between the hero and the heroine was rather mundane. Overall, I would recommend this book for a pleasant enough waste of time, but this isn't an exceptional romance and it has a rather placid plot development.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, because it was one of those that I saw sitting on a shelf at the library and thought it looked good. But I am glad I read it. Martha Kirkland does a great job with everything in this book! She made me want to love the main characters and dispise the evil grandfather! Basicly the plot of this book is that Lord Gillmore (evil grandfather) is attempting to make his granddaughter, the shy Lilia wed his heir Lilia's cousin Andrew. Lilia's sister, and our herione, Judith, is willing to do anything to stop this evil planning! Judith feels that her sister should marry for love not because she's being ordered to do it! So when the Heir and his brother arrive she attempts to do whatever she can in order to stop any wedding of this type to happen which requires the help of Andrew's brother, Zach. Who just so happens to be our hero. Overall this book is a pretty good book that is very easy to get into. The characters are well thoughout and you can feel and see when they fall in love! I give this book 4 stars because I think the end could've been played out to include the evil grandfather but oh well it was a great read without it!

Just try not to love the characters. A very enjoyable read.

"Taking Care of Business" is a scathing attack on the shortsighted, bureaucratic, business union approach of the leadership of the AFL and AFL-CIO over the last one hundred years. None of the presidents of these labor federations from Gompers through Meany and Kirkland escape the author's thoroughgoing criticism.

Of course, those leaders can only reflect the nature of the overall trade union movement. Trade unions in the US have historically been both exclusionary and, since WWII, controlling in their relationship to the working class. Most trade unions, until only very recently, have focused on protecting the relatively privileged position of white, skilled craftsmen within the economy while either outright excluding or only rhetorically supporting the largest portion of the working class due to differences in race, ethnicity, gender, or skill level. The rise of industrial unions in the WWII era, despite being a small step in the direction of inclusion, ushered in a labor relations regime where labor unions' role became one of enforcing constraining collective bargaining agreements as much as the representation of workers.

By the early 1950s union officials, as typified by Meany and Kirkland, came to see themselves as the counterpart to business leaders in a labor-management accord. They adopted the same lifestyles and moved in the same social circles. Labor officials, in their newfound role, had no problem with making the world safe for business interests. So-called radical unions and unionists with their demands for worker activism at the point of production were purged from the AFL and unions. The AFL and AFL-CIO under the regimes of Meany and Kirkland collaborated with the US intelligence community through a series of front committees and councils to defeat popular movements in favor of pro-US, right-wing thugs in foreign lands, especially Latin America. Even though the PATCO fiasco of 1981 clearly showed the shredding of the post-WWII domestic social compact, the focus of the AFL-CIO remained on expending tremendous amounts of federation resources on dubious foreign operations.

Clearly, Meany and Kirkland did little to advance the interests of US workers, but the author does not really address the weakly federated structure of organized labor in the US. Given the independence of the AFL's constituent unions and the history of organized labor through WWII, were Meany and Kirkland types not almost predictable? Perhaps they do deserve the author's scorn as symbols of the ineffectualness of organized labor, but the problems run much deeper.

The author more than hints that the Gompers-Meany-Kirkland threesome squashed the desires of the US working class to establish some sort of workers democratic regime - his admiration for the syndicalist Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) being a tip-off. But that view may be mostly wishful. He cites the Knights of Labor as indicative of working class interest in social unionism, but it is clear that only a small portion of the membership of that organization supported the KOL position of transforming the US into a cooperative society. In fact the KOL impaled itself on traditional, yet failed, strike actions. The author does not attempt to quantify, or place in a broader perspective, the impact of the 1890-1920 movements of populism, the IWW, and socialism on the wider society. Though Gompers, a socialist in his early working days, was clearly unsympathetic towards these movements, the attribution that he was a major factor in their demise seems very questionable. His power to influence events pales in comparison to power of various organs of the state, especially the judiciary, and corporations to adversely affect the working class.

Though the author continually raises the issue of worker democracy as a rebuke to the policies of labor leadership, there is scant reflection on what worker democracy may entail. It would have been unthinkable that the author's much admired IWW would have tolerated third-party bureaucratic organizations like unions negotiating contracts for workers. The IWW wanted direct worker control at the point of production for all workers. But then the practical questions of social and economic coordination arise quickly with such radical decentralization. Nonetheless, the author does not attempt to resolve in any practical way the conflict between actual democracy and the current form of organized labor in the US. Nor is there any real assessment of the desire of the American working class to participate in some form of IWW-like democracy.

The author does not limit himself to the personalities that have led the AFL-CIO. He is determined to identify countless former communists and socialists of labor organizations who renounced their radical pasts and joined neo-conservative political bodies or collaborated with the intelligence community. The fact that the author is a socialist undoubtedly is germane to his mission of identifying those who have abandoned the cause.

A book that is so intent on skewering personalities usually suffers as a result and this one is no exception. The author hints at but does not pursue some worthy topics. What is worker democracy? Are trade unions compatible with such democracy? Aren't centralization and bureaucracy necessary in any complex society? Now those are topics worthy for a book on the labor movement and the working class.

A scathing analysis of the flaws of Meany and Kirkland as leaders of the AFL-CIO. Well-written, well-informed, and passionate. Must reading for union activists and scholars, especially those who are sympathetic to Kirkland or Sweeney. But for rather different views, see Mort, Not Your Father's Labor Movement, and, especially, Taylor Dark, The Unions and the Democrats.

A pugnacious, elegant and devastating critique of the Cold war liberal, business unionists who have corrupted American trade unionism and delivered the wimpy, pathetic federation we have now.

This is a book of poems for adults remembering childhood. Poetic forms and "nonsense" rhymes merge with adult loves. Even in these "children's poems," Lorca's affair with the theme of death emerges, in poems like The Rider's Song:

Cordova. / Distant ... alone.

Black mare, big moon, / olives in my saddlebags. / Though I may know the roads / I'll never arrive in Cordova.

Through the plains, through the wind, / black mare, red moon. / Death is watching me / from the towers of Cordova.

Aii how long the road is! / Aii my valiant mare! / Aii Death that waits for me / before I get to Cordova!

Cordova. / Distant ... alone.

I don't particularly like Will Kirkland's translation. Frequently, he translates "Ay" as "Aii," when an English "Oh" seems more appropriate. In the example above, "Aii how long the road is" would read better "Oh, how long the road is." In many instances, the technically correct translation loses the poetry of the original Spanish. I wish more attention had been paid to retaining the poetics, even, perhaps at the expense of a literal translation. Maria Horvath's illustrations are quaint, reminiscent of a bygone era.

Five stars for content, four stars for translation & illustration. Don't get it for your children, get it for yourself. A great excuse to polish your Spanish!

(If you'd like to email me about this review, click on the "about me" link above. Thanks!)

Lorca's poetry has this wonderful way of combining folk song elements with children's rhymes and underneath it all there is something very real and very moving. His imagery is wonderful and simple, his rhythm is unique, and there a genuine and beautiful melancholy to it all. Yup.

I wanted to buy a GOOD book to make myself up for my wedding. Victoria Jackson loves to talk about herself... lady this is not an autobiography. And the entire USEFuLL info can put in 10 pages maximum. The information is very basic, any woman who has been using makeup and reading articles in magazines will know. No Creative looks, and even for eyes just one way of applying eyeshadow is given. Nothing about highlighting or glitter... not even the smoky eyed look.... Plus all she does is advertise her products, how everyone loves them. A book is supposed to be objective not preachy. And info on tools is very limited too.
DON'T BUY THIS ONE........

When I first saw this book, I didn't think I'd appreciate it because I already had a step-by-step makeup book and another would just be an extra. However, I was very wrong: not only is this book extremely extensive, including topics about kodak moments, hair, fitness, self-esteem etc., but it had the most amazing makeup tips! I thought I heard everything and had mastered the art of makeup application, but apparantly I hadn't. I always drag this book around with me because Victoria Jackson is *so* inspiring, and has tips for everything. EVERYTHING. It's not just makeup, it's about "making up" your LIFE. Plus, it's just a gorgeous book with great photography. If you're gonna own only one makeup book, this should be it.

Victoria Jackson's book is WONDERFUL! The chapter 'Mirror, Mirror' greatly enhanced my self esteem. I also love Jackson's tips for foundation application. Much more detail than I've seen in other beauty books.