A summer in the South by James Marshall is a brilliant book! I think it has enough suspence in the beginning to keep you hooked! I admire Mr. Marshall's type of writing because it lets you view the different types of perspectives in the story. Although the story has animals in it, It definitely keeps you more hooked than a regular mystery story with REAL people. If you decided to read this book, GREAT CHOICE!

When I rented this book form the library I had no idea how brilliant it would be! It got me hooked on mystery stories and ever since Ive read all of the Nancy Drew series. Why did it get me hooked? Its amazing illustrations, its realistic (althought animal) characters. I took it on holiday with me and ended up reading it at least 20 times! Eleno Owl is brilliant and I especially love the descriptions of Maxine the cook, cleaner and just about everything else at the small hotel setting for this book!

Gosh, what would the world be like without James Marshall? I shudder violently to think of it! Oh my, where TO begin? This is a wonderful way to introduce children to mystery stories---with an obvious plotline and easy character deduction. A mystery story for kids, set at the beach in the summertime, with Eleanor Owl and her bud, Mr Paws on vacation----or are they? The story is hilarious, with the characters as the odious flasher Foster Pig, the typical hypochondriac in the story is "Don Coyote," and silly squirrel twins. The Cootie family really IS a cootie family! "Fennimore Cootie" (tee hee) to be precise! Ah, and don't forget the Ladies String Quartet, consisting of large lady baboons.....this book is a must for any kid who will sit still long enough to make it through 27 short (whew!) chapters---but if they are dying of curiousity and they are hooked on the characters, you won't be able to put it down!

What a SWEET Story! I loved it! Amazingly unlike all the other "Love Stories" I didn't know wat was gonna happen next. The ending didn't keep me hanging. (a definet plus) This book stood out above all the other romance books. Definetly a book to read over and over again!

This book is my favorite of the series. It keeps you readinguntil the end and i guarantee you'll enjoy it. Noah and Meg have sucha beleivable relationship and I think the author did a great job of relating to teens. A must read!

i found that Summer of Love was a great book!! i related to it very easily, and found it helpful. the story itself is really good!!! i really liked noah and meg's characters. i can't wait to read more like it!

In my spare time, I enjoy reading and writing poetry. I'm very selective in my preferences; very few poets strike me hard and passionately. This selection of poems touched me; 'twas painfully unfeigned. Only regret is not owning a signed copy.
Signed, Horace Petrey

This is one of the few precious books I have come across. The solipsistics are carefully moved to the side, revealing a richer view composed of all things tangible, quite alive.. & productive, in some way. My goodness, people. This precious book of poems hits the spot, quite nourishing for ones who are seeking, and equally consumed by self-actualized souls.

Mr. Naiden, I urge you to go national. To the rest of the world, do pass along the discovery of such a treasure. It is an excellent gift. The illustrations are icing on top. Congratulations and thank you for publishing Light, Expression, and Art.

I was thoroughly stimulated last week at a ~Live Reading~ of the author's lines. I suppressed an urge to get up from my seat and hold his hand in some little embrace.

I left that night with a silent prayer.

I encourage people of the world to take the time to say hello to such people. It is a given what is reaped will surpass the energy in the effort.

James Naiden, you appear to very strong in spirit, despite all your pains and vacancies. The feelings evoked from your book are piercingly heartfelt. I wish you the best in this sometimes unjust world.

This book is a classic from my high school years. I read Sunset Kiss first and I was sucked in from the start. This book is the one that started it all, and I high recommmend it if you like the sweet romance sort of book. The writing is superb, and Cherie Bennett has a been a great inspiration for my own writing.

Along with two of her new friends (Samantha "Sam" Bridges and Carolyn "Carrie" Alden), eighteen-year-old Emma Cresswell has been hired as an au pair on Sunset Island, a tiny island off the coast of Maine where the rich and famous like to vacation. Emma is excited about her new job, and not just because it's her first one. This her big chance to create a "normal" life for herself. Having been born into wealth, Emma would never have to work a day in her life, but she doesn't feel comfortable with that kind of lifestyle anymore. By coming to Sunset Island, she hopes she can shed her ice princess image and become a typical middle-class girl. Yet that's easier said than done. Her secret barely survives a week when one event after another threatens to expose her--a girl on the island (Lorell Courtland) recognizes Emma as part of the "in" crowd, and then, her mother's promiscuous artist boyfriend (Austin Payne) shows up at the island unannounced. How long before Emma's big secret is exposed? And if her friends and boyfriend (Kurt Ackerman) find out, will they still be supportive--or will they turn their backs on her?

"Sunset Island" is the first book in this series, followed by a couple dozen other Sunset... books, including a spin-off series called Club Sunset Island. If you're a fan of Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High series, then you'll probably enjoy this series. In my opinion, they're a little better than SVH. Recommended for 12+ year-old girls.

I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't sure at first if I wouldlike it but it was really good. I like the fact that it deals witholder teenage girls, because it is hard to find books for olderteenagers. I enjoyed the book so much that I read the whole series and I enjoyed each and everyone one of them.

I found this book to be enlightning, yet disturbing, and it presents the clearest case for ET visitation I have read to date, including Whitley Strieber. The one problem I did have with this book however was the
somewhat guru-ish tone to it. Overall, however, it is a valuable source of information for anyone who is concerned about what the future holds for humanity and what lies out there. Whether you are willing to accept it or not, we are being visited by beings who are neither benevolent, nor evil, but are here to employ us in their hive-like 'collectives', and are willing to use whatever means are at their disposal to manipulate us into giving up the resources of our planet, as it appears that our planet is a rare biological treasure, a rarity in this area of the universe. Though these beings do not have great numbers and are somewhat physically inferior to us, they are skilled in the manipulations of the mind, and lack our ability for compassion and feeling and do not share our human traits, which have been bred out of them. Humanity is at a disadvantage at this time due to our tribal, warring mentality, and our lack of leadership, which only works in the visitors favor (divide and conquer). As the case is stated in the book, we must take control and responsibiliy for our own destiny and planet, or it will be made for us by beings who do not share our views and feelings and regard humanity as reckless, irresponsible, and inferior. Ignore this book at your own peril. The invasion has begun!

The Allies of Humanity is essentially the call to action for a spiritual revolution. This clearly written book outlines the extra terrestrial intervention. The Intervention is currently underway and threatening human freedom and planetary sovereignty. While this news is alarming, Allies offers hope that humanity can be empowered to maintain our freedom through education and the development of wisdom. Humanity's hope is within ourselves, and Allies encourages us to find our strength inside, and to develop access to our spiritual intelligence. Aside from being the spark for a human freedom movement, this book is also a gateway into the ancient spiritual tradition, The Greater Community Way of Knowledge.

Marshall Summers is a spiritual teacher who channels material from the "Unseen Ones" and in this case from a committee called "The Allies of Humanity." The committee is made up of members from planets that have succumbed to intervention in the past and had a very long and hard struggle to recover their autonomy. Fans of channeling know that there are thousands of channelers and that many of them offer pretty lean pickings. Not so here. Marshall has helped put out several impressive books, tapes and even a video. To be honest, I picked this one to start with because it was the thinnest, it passes the taste test. The book is roughly divided into two parts, the main message and questions about the main message. The main message is that extraterrestrials are here (not so new) and that they are up to no good, but not in ways that you hear much about in print. The message section is a bit repetitive (it really does need to sink in), The gist of the message is that the visitations we are experiencing now (called the "Intervention") are from a hive-minded entrepreneurial collective which would dearly love some more worker bees (us) but who are far too few to want to engage in what we think of as conventional warfare. Their stock in trade is psychological warfare of the mind manipulation sort carried on patiently over time and directed specifically at political and religious leaders to slowly alter values taught by the churches. This program operates in conjunction with a breeding program that will interject bright new leaders into our society (yes, they are living in our midst right now) and a pacification (acclimatization) program. We are told that personal freedom will be the first fatality if they succeed. "Such is the greater reality into which humanity is emerging--a universe filled with wonders and horrors, a universe of influence, a universe of competition, yet also a universe filled with Grace, much like your own world but infinitely greater. The Heaven that you seek is not here. However, the forces that you must contend with are. This is the greatest threshold that your race will ever face." "They come seeking power, resources, dominion." Well there you have it delivered in low key, almost boring, presentation. The writing is patient, very literate and more or less free of the panic style writing seen elsewhere (like Extra-Terrestrial Friends and Foes by George C. Andrews, which is a good complement to this work). The visitors are not really portrayed as evil, personal freedom is just out of their hive element and is seen as a very undesirable human trait. They would come to treat us the way we would treat the workers in a country like Guatemala and in the end idealists and intellectuals would be treated like they were in Argentina (disappeared). The Q & A section is a bit more lively, personal and brings out a level of wisdom that shows the book in its best light. "There will be many questions that you cannot answer. You will have to live with them. Your education about the Greater Community is only at the very beginning. You must approach it with great sobriety and care. You must counteract your own tendencies to try and make the situation pleasant or reassuring. You must develop an objectivity about life, and you must look beyond your own personal sphere of interests in order to put yourself in a position to respond to the greater forces and events that are shaping your world and your future." One characteristic that the visitors can be depended upon to exhibit is that they will capitalize on our rosy expectations for the future. The mental and technological powers that they have can be used to project holographic illusions as well. Also "the visitors will utilize the fundamental idea of allegiance to a single leader in order to generate allegiance to their cause." The book suggests that the visitors will stage a Second Coming. "He will be one who is born and bred for this purpose by the collectives that are in the world today. He will appear human and will have significant abilities compared to what you can accomplish at this moment. We will seem completely altruistic. He will be able to perform acts that will engender either fear or great reverence. He will be able to project images of angels, demons or whatever his superiors wish to expose you to. He will seem to have spiritual powers. ...Eventually, for those who cannot follow him, he will encourage their alienations or their destruction." We have an expectation that the visitors must be more spiritually advanced than we are and thus we will tend to look up to them for guidance, kind of like asking an executive at Enron for investment advice, a really bad idea. This book some big assumptions, the biggest is that homo sapiens will ever amout to anything but greed based, planet trashing barbarians themselves. It points out that the collectives consider themselves to be saviors that will keep man from destroying this planet. Man has a long way to go spiritually and very little time left to do it in. This is one of those books that really needs to be seen by a wider audience than it is getting now... The ideas are valuable and presented in a respectful tone. The channel who has come forward with the material is seen by respected authorities as sincere and convincing. The content of the message is in linguistic and spiritual keeping with quality channeling standards. Those unfamiliar with channeling may feel at a disadvantage in not having developed a sense of discernment for this genre of writing. Touchstones with which to compare this book are works by Seth, Immanuel as well as A Course in Miracles. A real appreciation can only come with a full read, not just the tidbits seen here.

This great book took me back to the 50's. The plot dealt not only with friendship but family relationships, growing-up, lonliness, and trustworthy sacred relationships. This is the way I remember the 50's. An enjoyable read. It left me feeling good and humbled.

This book took me back to the fiftys in a big way. It captures the small town flavor of even the large cities and the wonderful innocence of growing up then.

This is one of those books that will have you thinking about its characters long after you've finished reading it. Kathryn and Christy became so real to me, their friendship so alive and dynamic, that it's hard for me to believe they didn't really exisit.

The unlikely friendship forged between Christy, a 14 year old coming of age during a hot Baltimore summer and Kathryn, a beautiful 23 year old stricken with polio in her teens, is so poignantly rendered. The characters are so complete! Their exchanges are witty and wonderful. Okay, I'm gushing. But this book affected me pretty deeply. It's rare to read a book that makes you laugh, cry and ponder the nature and the mystery of human relationships. I wish there could be a sequel that follows Christy throughout his adult life (there is a very brief epilogue dealing with this, but it was too brief for me).

The relationship between Christy and his family (particularly his father) is also an important part of the story--how his father's actions shape Christy's perceptions of the world, how Christy grows to understand a bit better the complexities of adulthood. There is also some wonderful interaction between Christy and his sister Sue after she is raped by the neighborhood good guy.

Maybe some people will find this book too tame or lacking in action. But to me, it was a wonderful "slice of life" kind of novel about how what appears to be an ordinary summer can actually turn into extaoridinary, life-altering experience.

"The Beach House" was great, but "Another Summer" is even better! When I first began reading, I was a little disappointed because there are all new characters, and Eric and Julia are not a part of this novel. However, this book has exceeded all of my expectations!

The book opens three years later with Andrew, the man who owns the house that Eric had been staying in in "Beach House," who attends his 20 year high school reunion to meet up with his high school girlfriend, Cheryl. They attempt to rekindle their relationship.

June finds Kelly, a young lawyer, staying at the beach house to attend a class at the local university. Just getting off a bad relationship, she is drawn to Matt, the man teaching the class. She must come to a decision about whether her priority is her personal or professional life.

In July, a man and wife and their ten year old son stay at the beach house. The family has recently experienced the death of their infant daughter and befriend some special people who help them overcome this tragedy.

In August, Cheryl, who is a social worker, returns to the beach house with three teenage girls who she has brought in hopes that being outside of their urban lifestyles will be inspiring for them. She challenges Andrew to accept the girls; if he does, she knows a relationship between the two of them is possible.

This book is terrific because it ties up the loose ends left from the "Beach House". We learn what has transpired in the past three years between Julia and Eric, we meet up again with Chris Saddler- average teenaged boy turned Hollywood star, and we even hear again about Joe and Maggie.

"The Beach House" brought tears to my eyes, and "Another Summer" is equally touching. The characters are believable, with real-life problems. I hope that Bockoven will come out with another book to add to this series! I can't wait to read some of her other books!

If you like this book, I would suggest books by Nicholas Sparks, Kirk Martin, and Mary Alice Monroe.

If you haven't read a book by Georgia Bockoven, then you are missing out. Another Summer is truly another winner and a must read for fans of Bockoven's The Beach House. And for those of you who are new to Bockoven, I highly recommend searching for her backlist. She is a not-to-be-missed writer. Can't wait for her next book.

"Another Summer" is a collection of tales centered around a near-magical beach house, and is a sequel to "The Beach House" of a few years ago. The various people who pass through the house, and people related to them, are the subjects of a deftly drawn tapestry of great stories that make you laugh, cry, and smile.

This book faced the angst of growing up in an era where female roles were changing - we were supposed to start stating our needs yet the male roles were still failing to deal with this new definition. The obsession of love - lost or not yet won - in the teenage years is strong in this story. So are obsessions with other things! A great read for the seventies child, an exploration for children of other decades. I, for one, loved reading about a resort setting that was not in a US coastal town. I hope Mary Jo Pollack's next book comes along soon.

Then this book will hit home for you. Written in a clean stark style, Mary Jo really captures the angst and choices we all faced in high school. I hope to see more from this author soon!

Seen through the eyes of a teenage girl, a summer resort town comes alive in this impressive first novel by Mary Jo Pollak. The main character, Joan, explores a confusing friendship and meets an array of characters, many of them men who attract, repel, protect, or threaten her. Through most of the book, she successfully avoids the pitfalls of a drug- and sex-soaked summer, negotiating the landscape of parties and casual encounters, making choices and handling conflicting emotions. Vignettes are presented in unblinking honesty, depicting scenarios ranging from mind-bending highs to a bizarre babysitting experience. Unfortunately, Joan's luck can't hold out forever, and Pollak crafts a gut-punch last page that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.

I have never read a book as good as this. Katerina is a couragous young woman who sets out to gain her horses back after her village destroyed and she sets out to find the man who stole her virginity. The tables turn on her though. I loved this book and I know you will too.

This book makes every pore in my body want to cry. It's a battle of wits and pride between the heroine (kat) and the hero. It is by far the best book written by Fern Michaels. It takes place in an interesting time nad makes you wish you a bystander to watch all this happen. Read it!

WhiteFire by Fern Michaels is wonderful. Although Russia is not my favorite setting for books, this one is an exception. From word go you fall in love with Katerina. She is wonderful as a character. You have to read this one for a really great book!