Mason's characters always sparkle with diversity. Sung Wing-kei is a native of Hong Kong who is an offspring of a concubine belonging to a favorite general of Sun Yat-sen. He got his start in business by collaborating with the Japanese. Nina Tizzard is an exotic oriental ballet dancer whose career has been spent mostly in Europe. Add to this a generous sprinkling of smugglers, socialites, soldiers of fortune, ex-patriots and the usual line-up of military types, both foreign and domestic, and you have the ingredients of a typical Hugh North adventure.

Hugh North solves his twntieth case in the GRACIOUS LILY AFFAIR. The story bears the usual Mason trademarks of thorough research, exotic locales, a smorgasbord of intriguing characters and a plot that includes a series of murders and a puzzle to solve within the larger riddle. Bermuda is where it all begins when a Portuguese plane carrying a courier crashes offshore. What stands out most in a Colonel North story is the attention to detail.In this instance we are introduced to more than sixty sites between Bermuda and the Far East. There are also some interesting tidbits on local ethnic customs.

It's amazing to hear how quickly and easily these poems are learned and recited by the children. The expression in their voices and on their faces are proof that these words have made a positive impression. Social skills are easily understood and internalized using this enjoyable approach. The poems are addictive: my students can't recite one without rolling into another. Teaching cooperation and encouraging positive self-esteem has never been easier!

"I Like Being Me" is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers. This thought-provoking collection is filled with practical, down-to-earth "lessons for life" that adults try so hard to share with youngsters . . . usually without success. The book's clear and clever messages combined with supportive photos provides entertainment and insights for children, parents and teachers.

I believe the two books in this series to be the best I've ever read. The character is true to herself. And demonstrates the insecurites she has in a vivid manner. I found this to be a welcome change from the self assured always on top main character you get from most books. I was really able to connect with the character. Well done indeed

This was a GREAT book. The fight Jade Darcy is involved in is only partially the physical disputes that she becomes involved it. At a deeper level this book creates and evolves a strong character that has faced incredible adversity. And being not godlike, Jade has not fully overcome every betrayal.

This is the story of her continuing struggle to win the true battle, mastery over self. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has or is walking this road, when its rocky and sharp.

There is great entertainment value here too. Jade's cynical wisecracking, and sometimes coldblooded, humor is something that I really enjoy. I'm only sorry that there is only one sequel to the book.

I used this book to plan my own kitchen and it helped me avoid mistakes. I was very tight on space in my kitchen/dining area, therefore every inch counted. It gives great guidelines for minimum space requirements. For example, it tells you how much space is needed between a wall and a table; how much space is necessary for each person at a table; how much countertop space should be left by the refrigerator or near the cooktop; how wide an island should be; how much space is necessary for the aisle in a kitchen so 2 people can work, etc.

Also included is assessing your needs and taking an inventory of your current kitchen which I found useful.

Other sections such as choosing fixtures and appliances or selecting materials weren't as beneficial to me personally, but overall I would highly recommend this book to someone planning their own kitchen - it gives some good solid guidelines and things to consider when planning a kitchen.

If you are beginning to think about remodeling your kitchen, read this book first! This book takes you through the basic steps of redesigning your kitchen, covering options for design, layout, storage, and appliances. The kitchens pictured are stunning, and run the gamut from Parade of Homes/celebrity level to actually affordable.

I was able to see some wonderful options that are realistic, along with a couple dream items I may splurge on. While I have bought other design books and magazines since, this is still my favorite. It made me excited about remodeling!

This particular book has absolutely helped me to come to terms with my life. I wanted to better my attitude and the ability to believe in what I can accomplish, this has helped me to see the light, of my life. John Mason is a wonderful writer!

This is the sixth John Mason book I've used. (Note that I didn't say read) Motivational, inspirational, and easy to read. If you want to move forward in life... this book will help.

I just finished a trip to Wyoming and Montana for 2 weeks and was impressed with the utility of this book. I did a mix of camping and staying in hotel rooms, and this book did an excellent job of listing the hotels in each town and the prices. Several times, after I finished some hiking/camping, I looked in this book for nearby towns and went to a town and hotel that the authors listed as being good, but inexpensive. No need to go to Holiday Inn anymore! For the bigger towns, they list only the more recommended hotels - I made the mistake of stopping at one hotel off the highway that was not listed in this book, but was cheap, and ended up at some dive. --- Hey, learn from my lesson.

I also used the book very broadly to review my options for where to go hiking - I had previously gone to all the National Parks in the region and wanted to go to the national forests this time. I picked out the Bighorn Mountains/Cloud Mountain Wilderness from the description in this book, and liked it. (Note that it only gives a broad description of attractions, I also bought a topo map and trail guide once I got to the Bighorn Mountains). It appears that all attractions (restaurants, bars, hotels, various cultural attractions)are listed similarly.

This is an exceptionally informative and organized book.

I had the opportunity last year to visit the Rockie mountains. Mainly Colorado and a fast trek throught or should I say to Montana. Having bought Lonely Planets books on both Australia and South Africa earlier (trips that didn't come to fruition, yet) and also having enjoyed some of the tv programs from the same people I thought this would be the best bet for my trip. And it sure was. Now most of my stay in this erea was in Denver so maybe I could have just bought a book on Denver, but as much as I enjoy travel books they tend to be a bit expencive and this offered more value to me. An the books offers more than adequate information on Denver and it's immideate surroundings. Later on the book gave me what information I needed during my brief stay in Montana. The book also informed well about the strain of arriving in the Mile High City (Denver) when you are a lowland dweller, so it didn't come as a shock. Good thing that ! I'm going back to this region of the US, you can count on that and this book will come along on the next trip as well.

Hard Headed Jess, thought he had the answers to everything, mistaking Ariel as another women wanted for murder and bank robberies. She soon doesn't take long to get under his skin and the tavles are turned on him as he finds hes isn't always right. Very funny. Will read again!

I thought that Jess and Ariel were perfect for each other. They could not stand each other at first and they could not get enough of each other at the end. I like the way Jess was so possessive when Ariel was concerned. It was really hilarious reading about how they fought. It was my favorite Connie Mason book and what started me reading her books.

If you like the T.V. show Malcolm in the Middle, you will love this book! It is just like the show and it's really funny! It really made me laugh a lot! My favorite character is Dewey because he is a little cutie! My favorite part is the end.

When Malcolm gets nominated for Class President...he doesn't like it! So, he, he...let's just say he does something not so nice, wait I meant TERRIBLE!

Now, Stevie (whose in a wheelchair; is Malcolm's former bestfriend) is no longer his friend! And Malcolm is forced to make... make someone else his campain manager! He makes... He makes... oh I can't say it... He makes his older brother, REESE his campain manager, while they're playing "THE FRAME GAME" where they try to frame eachother to win a concert ticket from their oldest brother, Francis, who was sent to milatary and is at thier house for vacation.

Too often, the best books published in any given year are doomed to obscurity. I discovered 'Masters and Servants' in the New York Review of Books in a review by one of America's best critics, Roger Shattuck, author of the famous 'Banquet Years' and 'Forbidden Knowledge'. Shattuck was reviewing a book called 'Degas in New Orleans' published by a big publisher. Shattuck added a review of 'Masters and Servants' into the review, saying that everything that the Degas book tried to be and failed at was everything that 'Masters and Servants' was. Guess what? Shattuck is right. 'Masters and Servants', five stories about painters, is one of the finest pieces of fiction published in America in the 90's. So what are the virtues of this brave book? Great writing, writing that 100 years from now will be around, if there's anything like literary justice. Michon, a Frenchman regarded by intelligent critics as the finest living French author, has published a variety of books in France, most of which are novella-length accounts of lives. 'Masters and Servants' looks and five famous painters-Vincent van Gogh, Goya, Watteau, Piero della Francesca and Claude-via the prism of other people. In the van Gogh story, that person is a postman whom van Gogh painted, Joseph Roulin, a bearded fellow who worked for the mail service in Arles when van Gogh lived there in the late 1890's. There has lately been a trend towards 'faction,' that odd blend of fact and fiction that drives big books like Oates 'Blonde'. Usually an ungainly form that has neither the rigor of history or the whimsy of fiction, 'faction' could not be farther from what Michon is doing. His 'lives' aren't wide-eyed glimpses through history's keyhole at the private lives of famous people. Rather, he uses the barest bits of biography, a single line from Vasari, a famous portrait, as the equivalent of a chalk outline at a crime scene: suggestive but incomplete. That admission of incompletion is the purgatory that Michon fills with his paradisiacal art. And it should be said that Michon isn't an 'easy' author. He rewards the effort his writing requires. But just as when we switch from reading Dickens to Joyce we have to adjust our expectations or else be frustrated, we must adjust when reading Michon. I can't recommend the Michon enough, nor sufficiently praise his translator, Wyatt Mason, for the quality of his work. Too often, translators use the work of foreign authors as a springboard for inventions that bear little resemblance to the originals. Mr. Mason's work is accurate and felicitous, capturing the rhythms and the sonority of the original-a great feat. Finally, not that such things matter, the little book is also beautifully designed, including a series of elegant illustrations by Mr. Mason that seem to indicate he possesses other gifts. I urge you to read this book, and to pass it on to people who know that literature matters.

I'm glad to know that one of the greatest living French prose writer is now available in English transalation. His stories on art and artists are splendid examples of his central concern: to catch and describe these moments when an individual life either becomes a destiny, or, on the contrary, is denied its destiny, is robbed of its destiny. For instance: How a seemingly ordinary man (Goya) discovers that he is in fact different from his fellow painters? How, on the contrary, an Italian painter, maybe a genius, ends up with two lines in Vasari? At the time of his death, what remains of Watteau's life, of his work? The style is without any doubt one of the most original, personal, and powerful, of this century in French litterature. Michon is not a very prolific writer. I hope his other books (in particular his masterpiece, in French: Vies Minuscules) will soon be translated in English.

This is an outstanding guide. My parents bought me this book when I was just starting out in Jr.showmanship...I read this book every night, studied it 24/7. It tought me every thing I needed to know to win in the ring. I remember quizing my self in the A-reveiw, thanks to that I was always prepared! I must thank Marsha Hall Brown and Bethny Hall Mason, as they created a well rounded, complete guide to the world of Jr. Showmanship! It helped me.... I became One of Canada's top Jr.'s...with records that still have not been broken.I retired from Jr's in 98' thankful for all that I have acheived!

This book provides easy-to-understand answers to the who, what, why, when and HOWs of junior showmanship. It discusses the importance of your appearance in the ring, your dog's grooming, potential careers for junior handlers, and many other subjects, in addition to the basic patterns used in the junior showmanship ring. I highly recommend it if you are able to find it!