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Seattle Homes is loaded with info specific to Seattle and the Puget Sound while still serving as complete manual for a first timer like myself.

After paddling about Lake Union a few weeks back, I decided to check the multiple listings for houseboats. I couldn't figure out why two seemingly identical homes would vary in price by over $100,000. Now I know.

The reviewer who said the book has nothing to do with Seattle must not have read past page 49. The remaining 400+ pages focus on the Seattle area, in addition to providing a thorough general education in the ins and outs of buying, selling, and investing in real estate.

Definitely a must read, if you're looking to buy a home or invest in property.

Solid work with lots of detail on the Seattle market. Very useful if you need to get a feel for the types of homes in the area, strategies for finding the right home, etc.. I read this book cover-to-cover to get all the information, and have referenced it a number of times. The author has a quirky sense of humor & seems to enjoy the topics. He is also very "pro-consumer" in his portrayal of the real estate industry...

Jim Stacey also teaches a local class on buying in the Seattle area. Details can be found on the University of Washington "Experimental College" web site...

I'm writing this because of the review that says it's not about Seattle. I read this book cover to cover, twice, before buying my first home.

Absolutely it's about Seattle. Contains tons of information about what is unique about buying a home in Washington state and the Puget Sound region. Unique laws, quirky regional behaviors of local real estate agents, all of this is covered by Mr. Stacey.

A lot of the information isn't regional, there isn't THAT much unique to Seattle's real estate market. But the information that is regional is priceless and it's obvious the author knows it well.

I, along with three of my fellow court reporters, have now read this book and think it's great. While you find out the outcome of the case in the legal system, it sure leaves you with a lot of "I wonder" questions in your mind that we may never know answers to. I think all of us who have read the book have had a really hard time putting it down once we got started. I put my housework on hold and read it over a weekend. I love reading about factual stories, and this is one of the best I've ever read.

I guarantee that by the time you finish this book, you'll be shaking your head wondering how people can live like such animals! I've read a lot of true crime, but I haven't encountered characters like these anywhere else: Stella and her family are just plain bad news, and you will find yourself wishing they'd all be put away. (At least get their children into loving families and away from these so-called parents.)

The author calls Stella cunning and smart. I just call her a nut.

A good book, but sometimes hard to follow. How about additional pictures in the next printing?

Stella Nickell: a South Sound skirted skinny, with pointed-rimmed black glasses, and straight long black hair. Something right out of an early 1960s yearbook. Looking like an all-American Tuesday night bowling leaguer in a working class suburb. "A bottle of bud and a shot of whiskey, please" to boot.

The cyanide random poisonings sent waves of trepidation throughout the Puget Sound. Your stop for pain relief off of a random counter can relieve everything.

To help her secure more insurance money in knocking off her husband, she put cyanide in a random bottle, placed it on a grocery store shelf, and then waited for an innocent person to die. This would take the focus off of her when she decided to rid herself of her boring tee-totaling spouse, and have authorities conclude it was the result of the random cyanide killer.

But there was one unfortunate self-derived detour for Stella. After the coroner listed Bruce's death as the result of natural causes because of his chronic poor health, she realized she could get more insurance money if his death was listed as a homicide. She contacted the police and told them of her suspicions, leading to new tests not performed on the autopsy. His death was then listed as homicide. But her push for more ended up doing herself in.

The one major mistake she made was not washing out a bowl before the mixing up the cyanide ingredients in her kitchen. Read the book for more chilling and dysfunctional details....

This recent attempt at story telling by Earl W. Emerson suffers from the basic malady found in both his series of murder mysteries featuring the male characters Mac Fontana and Thomas Black (as well as the insipid female, Kathy). Enjoyment of these works is greatly impared by a pervasive macho stupidity. All of the stories convey "...a false sense of charisma" (Morons and Madmen. Earl Emerson. 1993:156) embodied in the male protaganists. An obsession with female breasts and sexual conquests bring a derisive burden to an otherwise interesting story. Insensitive, sexist commentary from a supposed studly point of view mars otherwise accomplished writing skills. The conflict always seems to revolve around men "...whose macho territory has been invaded by women" (ibid, page 175).

Earl Emerson's mystery the "The Dead Horse Paint Company" was a novel that caught me off guard. This being the first of Mac Fontana novels that I have purchased, I was a little disappointed at what I found. I expected a novel similar to a forensic medicine novel, only with a firefighter taste. What I got was another middle of the road murder mystery.

The story is about Mac Fontana fire chief in a small Seattle suburb. Fontana formally worked in Seattle when the disasterous Paint Company Fire occured, killing nine other firefighters. Years later the fire chief who botched up the Paint Company fire is found dead in a burning car in Fontana's new hometown. Fontana investigates and finds many past enemys of the former chief. The characters that make up the list suspects are the best thing of the book.

In total this is a good mystery, but don't expect anything too deep. Emerson's writing style is choppy, as the stories pace is not very fluid. Emerson also has a tendency to throw to much masculinity throughout the book. Not for everyone.

Just like Thomas Black, Mac Fontana is a character I--a macho-disliking female--love! I'm wondering if some people miss the irony in Earl's books. I started reading him because I was with a friend on vacation and she could hardly put "Dead Horse" down. I ordered one of his books off Amazon, devoured it in about 2 hours, then went out the next day and ordered every other single title of his I could get my hands on, and read them one per day.

Dead Horse is my favorite of his books, next to "The Portland Laugher". It's Mac at his finest--uncertain, a little vulnerable, but determined to do the right thing. Even if he doesn't always know what that should be...

Yes, his writing can be a little choppy at times, but that's a style thing. I'm used to it, and I like it. I don't think it's a good idea to ever come in at the end of a series, particularly when so much of the character groundwork has already been laid. It begs the comment "....

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it's been far too long without a sequel. Earl! Please! The suspense is killing me!

Having decided recently to look into making the big move cross-country, I checked out this book and found it to be a much better than average moving guide. After reading it, I felt like I lived there - maybe not quite a native, but not a newbie either! The author is clearly very familiar with his city, and his stories contain just the right blend of humor and insight. All in all, I thought it was a very enjoyable read...and I just might move to Seattle!

I tend to be a big list maker and have drawers and files crammed full of newspaper clippings and magazine articles. Considering a move to the Seattle area from the mid-Atlantic, I picked up Mr. Steele's "Relocating to Seattle" and found that I had hit the jackpot! Sort of like One Stop Shopping - I found all the information I could possibly need for anticipating and making the move westward. He even had advice and suggestions on topics I hadn't even thought about! Also, expecting - as with many travel books - rather dry text, I was thrilled to find that Mr. Steele's book was a truly enjoyable read! Lots of personal annecdotes and well-placed humor made it a book I will hang onto for years to come.

This is one of the very finest "relocation" books that I have had the pleasure of perusing. My career consisted of forty years in the Navy (1948-1988) and twenty different living locations. If ONLY Guy Steele had been around during that period of time to provide advanced information about even just ONE of my living locations, it would have been a blessing.

Altho I have visited Seattle from time to time, Guy almost challenges me to try it out for a permanent residence. After reading his book, can I leave Honolulu and head for Seattle? No! But almost!

The first page just sings off the page and grabbed me with the descriptive prose and sardonic voice. I could see Seattle 2051 shimmer and morph before my eyes as the pages turned.

The beginning of the book builds slow as Ortega introduces the reader to intricate, yet well-defined characters who linger in your imagination long after the story ends. Where ((Frequencies)) could once have been considered a stretch of the imagination, it's evident in our post-September 11 world that this novel ironically mirrors life.

In an effort to control terrorists at the turn of the millennium -- following a 7-year stretch of time known as the Terror Years - the government implements a new type of technology that reads brain waves (frequency emissions) like a polygraph detector. The Freemon or FREquency Emissions MONitors (agents of a special division of the FBI) monitor communities for evidence of violators who emit brain waves that fall into the overly active omega range that is typical of subversive thinkers and terrorists. (Side note: "Wired Daily News" reported recently that Lawrence Farwell, a neuroscientist from Iowa, helped develop a real life neuro-imaging test that is being field-tested with some success by the FBI.)

In the government's zeal to maintain peace and control evil, the Freemon are accorded excessive power and lord it over the nation, like Big Brother in the age of Blade Runner. The pace of the novel quickens in a rush, revealing a plot twist that hits with the force of a synaptic disruptor.

On the surface level, this is a highly enjoyable read. Peel back a few layers, and you realize there is a depth and complexity to the novel that is not immediately evident. The infinity symbol and Omega, delta, and alpha characters representative of various frequencies within the electromagnetic spectrum also symbolize main characters in the book. Ortega has included a glossary that not only defines various technical terms and concepts, and contains additional information that was not evident in the story. Detail lovers will find a treasure trove to explore in both the content and book design.

My only critique is that I would have liked to have seen more conflict resolution with a few of the characters - Ignacio, McCready, Ashley and her brother - to wrap up what is promised to be the first in a trilogy. Overall, though, I highly recommend this read. Ortega is an author to watch.

Frequencies was an action-packed adventure set in future Seattle. What imaginative scenery and characters! The issues presented are eerily parallel to the direction in which our society to moving. Very deep concepts and interesting, thought-provoking themes are paired with science-fiction like characters (although they may not be considered so science-fiction in the near future) which cause you to look at our world now and compare it the their world. In a freeky way, the two worlds don't seem very different at all! Action and adventure in this intricately-planned out society keep you wanting to read more and more. Joshua Ortega is a master at creating the picture in your mind to let you feel each character. You definitely want to check this one out!

I highly recommend this book. Like 1984, Atlas Shrugged, and Brave New World, it considers one possible future based upon trends in both politics and technology. Unlike those stories, however, it makes its point without being particularly heavy handed. The oppression of the frequencies-monitored society is part of the richly-developed back story; it is not a part of a sermon.

((frequencies)) works on several levels. On the surface, it's a sci-fi action story with chases, gadgets, and intrique galore. The novel features several excellently developed characters, and the writing conveys a great deal of compassion as well as irony, humor, and loss.

As I mentioned, the subtext also presents a great deal of food for thought with regard to human nature, the imperatives of committees, and the balance of benefit vs destruction that accompany any technological advance.

Mr. Ortega's greatest strength is developing great characters and putting them into readily understandable situations. The bad guys are not 100 percent evil, and the good guys (with one notable exception) are not completely untarnished. This makes them incredibly interesting and compelling.

Alas, the ending is just a bit open-ended for my tastes. It's very clear that this isn't the end of the story; that at least one (more likely, two) installment will be necessary to tell the complete tale. Assuming the writing is at least as good in the next book, however, I think I can live with that. I definitely want to read the next installment(s)....

So, buy this book, and make it compelling for Mr. Ortega to finish the next one soon!

This story intrigues with its portrayal of the power of music and human longing. I love a book that moves me, and Marley's, as usual, does. This story is both sweet and sharp, giving an unflinching glimpse at exploitation and privilege, including a courageously mixed view of Benjamin Franklin. Check out Terrorists of Irustan for another great Marley read.

Louise Marley's first sci-fi trilogy really impressed me. Her latest novel The Glass Harmonica, is another winner.

The book shifts deftly between 1770's London and a near future time. In the London section, a poor street musician meets the inventive Benjamin Franklin and helps him develop his glass harmonica, an instrument of spinnning glass cups that is played with clean, damp fingertips to create an etherial, pure sound. She is somehow connected to a musician in the future who is a virtuoso on the glass harmonica, which is enjoying a revival.

As usual, Marley (an opera singer when she isn't writing novels) calls upon the magical, spiritual power of music as a theme. The "Dickensian" quality of the London scenes is well-done. The glass harmonica is exotic and adds the right touch to a deftly-written science fiction novel. Brava, Louise!

This book, written in Louise Marley's impeccable style, is a lovely tale of mystery, musical history, family responsibility and romance Two young girls both of exceptional talent are connected across time by the instrument called "glass armonica". One girl lives in the 21st century and one in the l9th century. Each has the responsibility of a young brother. The story involves the strong emotional ties to their music and to their brothers which draws them to communicate across the years. Ms. Marley has researched carefully the history of the glass harmonica and Benjamin Franklin's part in developing the instrument This is a lovely book for ages l5 and up . Tuck it into your bag to take along on your next trip. You won't regret it.

I've read all of Emerson's books, and this one just wasn't quite as great as the rest of them. It's hard to find fault with this writer since his protagonist is such a likeable character, living and working in my favorite city, but this was just kind of a downer for me. Eagerly awaiting Earl's next effort. Where in the damp Northwest will Thomas have his next (mis)adventure? I'd like to write Mr. Emerson personally, but don't know how. Please keep us up to date on coming books.

PI Thomas Black, an ex-Seattle cop, is asked by his old partner, Luther, for help finding Luther's daughter. The daughter had been driving a car later found turned over in a ditch with a dead body in the back seat. Did she kill him? Is someone trying to kill her? Is she already dead? This was an exciting and very well-written mystery. The tunnel scene at the end had me so riveted I missed my bus stop. Now that's something! Highly recommended!

This was the first of the Thomas Black mysteries that I have read and I am hooked. Emerson keeps the action going in each chapter and the ending was unpredictable. The charcaters were well established and so was the atomsphere around the city.

There are a lot of reasons I like Juniper Tree Burning. Primarily, Goldberry Long presents this story in such a way that I feel right there beside Juniper Tree Burning. I'm with her on that school bus when the kids ridicule her and throw her book bag out the window. I'm also there when Ray whips her in that chicken coop all because of his own shortcomings and frustrations.

I grew up in the era of hippies and I thought a lot about them, then and later. But I never thought about the children of hippies.

Goldberry Long, I want you to know from someone who doesn't know you from Adam's housecat, I loved this book. You are a great
storyteller.

Juniper Tree Burning is one of those books that I hesitate to praise too much because it is so good, so courageously told--and I don't just mean the subject matter, which includes a poverty-striken childhood among hippies, suicide, and a not-entirely likable main character--but the literal telling of it. Ms. Long weaves back and forth in time masterfully, gradually revealing the reality behind the half-truths that Jennie, the former Juniper Tree Burning, the self-named Ugly Chick, has told us with more than a mere glaze of rosy glasses. The story also blends points-of-view, sometimes in Jennie's own voice, in a third-person storyteller, and often in a stepped-back voice of Jennie, admittedly speaking of herself from the outside.

This is, at its most essential, a book with a beating heart. Let this complicated woman into your life--watch her play pool as a bloodsport, let her husband finally pierce her toughness with how lovingly he makes guacamole for her, and weep for the determined resilence of the young Juniper Tree Burning struggling to make breakfast before school--you will not soon forget her, and her many journeys through these pages.

I just spent two days sitting on my couch unable to do anything but read this book. This impressive debut novel bounces the present off the past (and vice versa) with an ingenious narrative that tells the stories surrounding Jennifer Braverman's struggle to cope with the suicide of her brother. It explores how we use memory to define ourselves and how emotional growth involves not only confronting our past, but the stories we tell ourselves about the past. I couldn't stop reading it - the prose is mesmerizing and the interwoven story lines beautiful, touching and compelling. It's a fantastic read that left me wanting more, not fewer, pages to read.

A wonderful blend of first-hand, eye-witness reporting and even-handed analysis. Jeremy St. Clair's 40 page "Seatle Diary" alone makes the book worthy of reading. Perhaps the best piece of journalism to emerge from the growing body of Seatle stories. Two clips involving WTO delegates (one pounching a black lady in the face, another waving his revolver at a protestor baracade) utterly blew me away. And in the spirit of the lively and diverse protesters, the book is also funny at times, as when a South Central LA youth named Thomas replies to St. Clair's question, "Why are you here?" He answers: "I like turtles and I hate that ... Bill Gates." To which Sinclair replies, "Good enough for me." You won't be able to put the book down. It has a very genuine, honest and human feel. Along the way, you will run into Brower, the famous French cheese-maker Jose Bove, some interesting college professors, Sierra Club's Carl Pope, many of the so-called "anarchists" which every major media venue categorized all protestors as, and many other important people who turned out for the "Battle in Seatle." The book will not only give you a comprehensive understanding of the issues surrounding the protests and the subsequent media storm, it will also make you feel like you were there. St. Clair's writing is that good.

America had never seen anything like the mass movement that took over Seattle to confront the World Trade Organization in the fall of 2001: environmentalists, religious & human rights groups, farmers, civil rights organizations, ordinary people. They came with a message of peaceful protest. They were met with shock troops, billy clubs, rubber bullets and tear gas. 5 Days that Shook the World takes you onto the streets of Seattle and the protests in Washington, Philly and Los Angeles that followed during that remarkable year. But this book isn't about illusions or myths, but about the hard truths. St. Clair and Cockburn were eerily prescient in their prediction that the vaunted coalition of labor and greens would be difficult to hold together as the demands of political reality set in and as the corporate press and the government moved to counter and undermine the movement(s). Big labor and the big greens soon abandoned the cause by endorsing the campaign of pseudo-Democrat, Al Gore, the chief broker of NAFTA and the WTO treaties. Other leaders turned away from the protests following the bloody reprisals of the police in
Quebec and Genoa. But that doesn't mean the anti-globalization movement is dead. Cockburn and St. Clair point out the fakers, but they also show you where the true heart of the movement for global social and environmental justice beats. This book is a a much needed guide to what just may be the most important struggle of our times...

Within the growing literature of the anti-globalization movement is the book Five Days that Shook the World, which intimately puts you on the street for the events of N30, through St. Clair's Seattle Diary, the DC protests with JoAnn Wypejewski, and the Democratic National Convention in LA. In addition to the firsthand accounts by the people involved in the protests, the book chronicles the growing consciousness of the anti-globalization movement and the concurrent repression of the movement by the police state. This book is an excellent account of both the success of a movement that has unified people throughout the U.S. and world, including steel workers and environmental activists, and also shows how the heads of labor and the environmental movement had their own agenda during the Seattle protests and sold out those on the streets for a seat at the table with the WTO. The photographs by Sekula add a visual element to the work that complements the writing of St. Clair and Cockburn and gives a personal face to the fight against the WTO, as well as shows the facelessness of the jackboot state. Five Days that Shook the World is a vital narrative in the growing history of the anti-globalization movement and the authors are uncompromising in their analysis of where the movement stands, who betrayed the movement, and how the State has begun to work to limit the voices calling for an alternative to the WTO, IMF, and the destruction wreaked by global capitalism.