This book had some of the most evil powers i have every seen. I hope that the other two books have the same stuff in them but for different clans. I wish it would have given a little more background for the clans in the vooks though.

I thought that this book had many good aspects to it, mainly that it covered the differences between the clans in the modern nights and in the dark ages. At times it got a bit confusing, but on the whole it was pretty good.

Is it possible to have a vampire game set in White Wolf's World of Darkness without the Toreador, Tremere or Brujah? I haven't found a way to yet, nor do I want to. All three are staple clans and make enjoyable player characters as well as NPCs. Libelius Sanguinis II shows a more indepth look at these clans than the basic Vampire Dark Age book. And show us it does, the first section, devoted to the Toreador, proves that death does not impede ones love for another or the world of wonder about them. The Tremere shows us, once again, that they are still not well trusted amongst the other clans. For they fear that the Upserpers will not stop what they started with the diaborie of Saulot. The Brujah are, as they are in modern times and as they were from the beginning of time: Idealists. Dubbed 'Zealots' for their willingness to seek their goal of choice. This book does a fine job on each of these clans as well as adding very playable new Merits and Flaws, new Clan specific high level disciplines, combined disciplines, and even new Thaumaturgy paths to aid the Tremere in their current battle for survival.

Although the material here is dated, "Olympic Summer Games 2000" gives a good review of all the events, including 7 pages on aquatics, 10 pages on track and field (including Olympic records), and 1-2 pages each on such diverse sports as Badminton, Judo, Wrestling, and Volleyball. The small book is beautifully produced with color illustrations of track venues, foldouts on "100 Years of Olympic Highlights," winners from 1996 (and places to write in the year 2000 winners), and a brief history of the Olympics. The descriptions are very brief but appropriate for readers around 7-11 yrs or so. The book has over 60 pages, with informative captioned pictures, and a schedule of all the games at Sydney. Let's hope that a similar book is published for the next Olympiad.

The small format of this book enables it to be carried in a pocket and encourages students to make notes in the book. The focus of the book is on introducing each event in a 1-2 page format so general Olympic information is kept to a minimal amount. The book excels at small lists such as the host cities, the calendar of events, 100 Years of Olympic Highlights, and the event logs on each page. Beside each event is the 1996 winner and team, the olympic record if appropriate, and blank lines for the 2000 winner. This book would be useful for individuals and as a springboard for more intense Olympic titles.

This is a great record keeping book, for children and adults. It has colorful pictures, shows the internationnal symbols for each event, and even tells who won the gold medal in 1996. The streamlined size makes it easy to take anywhere. I am going to need to get more for the rest of my nephews and nieces!

By TT reviewer Sam

At the age of four, Sinead Brennan loses her mother due to an accident with a horse. Her father then takes her and her sister from the Irish manor, where he had worked in the stables, to America. The lord of the manor, O'Malley, promises him that he will help him whenever he needs him. 20 years later, Brennan does need him and this is how our hero gets into the picture. It seems that Sinead has married a Catholic widower (in whose house she was a maid) because the widower's in-laws, the nasty Dewitts, want to raise their grandson in the Protestant faith. The widower dies, leaving Sinead in charge of the boy. The Dewitts take the matters to court, not because they want the boy, but because they want the money left to him by his father. And all this time, Sinead is living with the Dewitts, who insist on calling her Jane because Sinead is so Irish, as a nanny lowly servant. Now Brennan, Sinead's father, hatches a plot with O'Malley, where O'Malley's eldest son, Connor, is dispatched to America in order to marry Sinead so that the little boy can be brought up as a Catholic. And for some obscure reason, they all lie to Connor about Sinead's history.

Confused? I certainly was. The characters are very difficult to relate to, especially the heroine, Sinead. For 90% of the book, she stays mad and takes all her anger out on poor Connor. Now, one would think that a woman with that much anger bottled inside her and the will to pour it out on all those around her would be a tad bit assertive with the Dewitts, who after all pose the largest threat to her. But no, she is as meek as a lamb when around them. And as if the plot wasn't so complicated already, the first half of the book describes how these people try to get out of a New York gone mad with riots and mayhem. The biggest problem of this novel is that there are so many strands to keep a hold of, which is a shame, because the book certainly has potential. Ms. Nelson's descriptions of the aftermath of the Conscription Act and the conditions of the Irish are vivid. It is clear that the author has done a great amount of research before writing the novel. But as a romance novel, it is not up to par.

You'll go from the beautiful green hills of Ireland to New York ... a city in unrest over the Conscription Law ... on to a peaceful, budding, Thoroughbred racehorse ranch in Saratoga.

Since Sinead Cavanaugh witnessed the death of her mother by a spirited horse when she was four, she's been terrified of the "beasties". But she's more afraid of losing her son, Robbie, to his grandparents the Dewitt's. They only want custody of the boy because his father left him a fortune in his will. Sinead goes along with yet another one of her father's schemes to help her keep the boy.

Bowes Brennan acts on a deal that was made in the 1500's. Since a Brennan saved the life of an O'Malley, one of them has to come to the aid of a Brennan should a severe and odd emergency occur. His daughter's happiness depends on it.

Conner O'Malley is forced to travel to America with his younger brother, Egan, to marry Sinead Cavanaugh in a desperate attempt to form a family to help her keep son and honor her husband's dying wishes. As soon as he consummates the marriage, he plans to return to his beloved horses in Ireland with or without his bride. After all, he can't stay with a woman who detests what he loves to do best ... train Thoroughbred racehorses.

This is the first novel in a series about the O'Malley brothers who wind up in Saratoga during horseracing season. 1863 Saratoga Summer is a wonderful story of love and sacrifice that will leave you feeling good and grinning from ear to ear.

Ms. Nelson has certainly continued to bring forth the best in historical romance that I can honestly say I have ever read. First it was The Gunn of Killearnan, and then she did it again with Unlawful. Now she has not only done it again, but she certainly has clinched her number one spot with SARATOGA SUMMER. I don't know how she continues to do it, but I certainly hope that she never stops.

I guess I'm just fickle. I fell in love with Gerek in the Gunn of Killernan, and then when I read Ms. Nelsons Unlawful, again I fell in love, only this time with Bruic. As if this isn't bad enough, now I am totally in love with Conner. Ms. Nelson's characters are that strong. They don't give you a chance; you fall head over heels in love with them whether you want to or not.

This is not only true of the heroes of Ms. Nelson's books, but also of her heroines. They are strong women. Women who don't rely on their beauty. Women of strong character with personalities of their own. Women who compliment the men in their lives.

SARATOGA SUMMER is a lot more though. It is so rich in it's description of a true historical time in America's history that you feel as if you are actually living it. A time in history that perhaps we should not be so proud of, and yet a time that we all should not forget.

Ms. Nelson takes you on a sightseeing adventure through the streets of New York City that can only be described as very frightening, and heartbreaking. She puts you into the mind and thoughts of two newly arrived immigrants from the green countryside of Ireland. Thoughts that are in awe of what they see, hear, and smell. She brings you into their minds as they try to find their way through the throngs of people and try to understand why many of the people who came from their own country, act and behave as they do.

SARATOGA SUMMER begins in Ireland, in the summer of 1843. Life is beautiful. The Brennan family is happy working the horses on the O'Malley estate. Then something horrible happens. Annie Brennan is knocked off a fence by one of the stallions that becomes spooked. Both she and her unborn baby are killed, leaving two terrified, and heartbroken little girls, and a devastated husband. The owner of the estate, Finn O'Malley wants Bowes Brennan and his two girls to remain at the estate with his four sons, and himself, but Bowes thinks it is better for he and the girls to leave, and perhaps after a while go to America. Finn tells Bowes that if at any time they want to come back, or if there is anything that he can do for them, all they have to do is let him know.

Twenty years later Finn receives a note from America. He calls his four sons to him to discuss the note, which later results in the oldest son, Connor taking a woman he has never met in marriage, by proxy. Soon afterwards he and his younger brother, Eagan head for America to meet his young bride, Sinead, and her young son, Robbie.

What awaits the O'Malley brothers is anything but what they were expecting, and certainly enough to make Connor think twice about staying in America. But Sinead is determined to stay in New York City. She doesn't care if Connor goes back to Ireland or not. She is only concerned about Robbie. As they run for their very lives.............

If you never read a historical romance again in your life, you have to read SARATOGA SUMMER. It will absolutely astound you. I cannot put into words the power Ms. Nelson puts into her characters and scenes. Power that will absolutely take your breath away.

I learned things about that summer of 1863 that I never knew existed. Things that were both exciting as well as terrifying. Things that I never would have known if I hadn't read SARATOGA SUMMER. And all of those things that I learned were all wrapped up in the most exciting and wonderful story a person could ever ask for.

Ms. Nelson is a three-time winner with her wonderful books. And SARATOGA SUMMER wins the Triple Crown.

My only question is when will there be more.......and how can she possibly top SARATOGA SUMMER!

Loved the movie and wanted to read the book version. Was disappointed when I received the book and it was the "play" version. Buyer beware.

I am a playwrite, and this is my favorite play.

Most people asssume Tennessee Willams' master opus to be 'A Streetcar Named Desire', or perhaps even 'The Glass Menagerie'.....But even these masterpieces seem overdone and overbearing when compared to this short, seemingly insignificant little play.

Here's the story: Catherine Holly, a beautiful and outspoken young woman, has been stuck in an insane asylum for the last few months. She has been put in there due to the stories, the awful, violent stories, she forces herself to tell......Stories concerning the death of her cousin, the poet and socialite Sebastian Venable.

She had been vacationing with him on that last summer of his life, and was indeed with him when she died.......But the version of Sebastian's death which she presents is too horrible for those who knew him and loved him, namely his mother, Violet Venable, to accept.

Violet wishes for her niece to stop repaeting these awful stories....She wishes for Catherine to be lobotomized. The play takes place in Violet Venable's house, where Catherine is examined by the young doctor who will decide whether or not she should be operated on or not, and thus we get to hear first hand, her hideous story of what had happened, Suddenly last Summer.

I will not spoil it further.....You simply must read this play. It tackles the subjects of Death, sexuality, mortality, and most importantly, the suffering and the shame that comes with and is the fruit of complete and utter honesty, with such skill....It is amazing, when you think of it, how underrated this play is.

This play of Williams' (originally presented with the one-act "Something Unspoken" as "Garden District") pulls together a number of themes that ran through his earlier works -- violence, sexual exploitation, cannibalism, alienation -- and combines them in a work that is both powerful visceral and hypnotically dream-like. The story concerns Catherine Holly and the strange story she has to tell about her cousin Sebastian. Her tale wreaks havoc within her family, particularly with her Aunt Violet, who places the girl in an asylum and wants her subjected to a lobotomy. However, the action of the play is negligible; where Williams places the chills are in the various stories told by all the characters, filling in a portrait of the bizarre, sinister Sebastian Venable. The effect is all the more disturbing for the fact that we see the events in our imaginations rather than onstage. An true original from an American genius.

but it had nothing other than a relationship developing with two characters who are so basic. really shows a collector of NR how far she has come ::smile

Very enjoyable early Nora Roberts about a famous pastry chef and the hotel owner who hires her to revamp the tired menu in his restaurant. Great book for cooking fans too! There is also a sequel to this book called "Lessons Learned", which continues the story of Summer's sexy Italian chef friend, Carlo.
Excerpt from the back of the book:
"Chef Summer Lyndon had quite a sweet tooth, though she knew that giving in to her craving for her deliciously handsome boss would be a hazard to her peace of mind. How could she stick to a "no Blake Cocharan" diet when she found him simply too tempting to resist?
Hotel owner Blake Cocharan had always prided himself on his good taste, which was why he hired lovely chef Summer Lyndon. But never had a tough cookie been such a tasty-looking morsel..."

Could a cordon blue chef be a junk-food addict? The more Blake Cocharan learned about Summer Lyndon, dessert chef extradinaire, the more intrigued he became-and the more determined he was to hire her.Blake wanted the best, and Summer looked extremly good to him. Her superb credentials were the icing on the cake. Summeer was accustomed to traveling around the world, creating the pefect ending to perfect meals. But Blake had a unique appeal. Summer found herself responding to the challenge, both professionally.. and personally. For the first time, Summer was creating a meal from start to finish-and creating a perfect ending all her own.

There is good news & there is bad news re: this book. The bad news is, its just not that well-written, for the most part, its repetitive, and the characters are caricatures. However, the premise and plot are very promising - it involves a family of Holocaust survivors, and the narrator is one of the daughters. That is excellent - that is also my background, and we need more books on this topic. The plot involves the survivor family who run a chicken slaughter house in south New Jersey; towards the end of the novel, the youngest daughter is accidently killed (?) by the older brother. This creates a suffering of its own for the narrator, another daughter, who must mourn for her lost sister. But this part is just not well-written. What is well-written, surprisingly, are several interviews of the survivor parents who tell their tales of their Holocaust experiences to Yad Vashem archivists (this was pre-Spielberg). This part of the book is absolutely riveting - it almost make up for the rest. The author should have spent more time on developing good characters and less on the repetitive anecdotes re: life down on the farm.

With this first novel, Barbara Finkelstein has given us a look inside a family deeply traumatized by one of the most irrational and devastating events in modern history. In Brantzche Szuster she gives us her spunky young heroine, a 15-year-old girl determined not to let her entire life be blighted by history. I hope I have not created the impression that this is a bleak novel. It has many passages of wry humor and sharp observation both of place and of character.

I, for one, am looking forward to Ms. Finkelstein's next novel. She is a writer of subtlety and finesse, and Brantzche Szuster is a heroine for our time. I would like to know what becomes of her after this novel closes. Encore, Ms. Finkelstein! Encore!

Summer Long-A-Coming is a well written and moving account of the coming of age of one young woman, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her parents are emotional shells, numbed by their experiences in Europe during World War II. Their world--the insular world they have created for themselves on a chicken farm in southern New Jersey--is seen through the eyes of a bright and rather precocious girl on the brink of maturity. The complexities of family relations are rendered with great finesse. This girl's perceptions of life are very acute. We see her assessing her parents and herself, piecing together her own picture of the world.

I was impressed, too, by the way the author rendered the girl's dawning sexuality. Upon meeting a boy, she knows "within a nano-second" whether or not she will ever want to kiss him.

I cannot recommmend this book enough. The writing is clear and forceful, and the observation of character is deft. Let us hope that Ms. Finkelstein will give us more work of a similar calibre. In particular, I would like to see Ms. Finkelstein follow her character's subsequent life. What becomes of this bright young woman? Does she become a journalist? A public relations executive? Does she meet a handsome man in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel in New York? There is material for a future novel here.

I was really impressed with her ability to keep the suspense and romance all going at once, without the plot getting confusing. The characters were easy to visualise which created another dimension to the novel. A definite thumbs up!

This book was skillfully written, I love being hung on a string about what was really going on and the connection between the characters, i would read this book againg and again a love it everytime

This book is really worth reading for anyone who loves romance cum suspense. It has all the elements in it to bind the reader to the book. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. For those who have read her previous works, you will see the unique style that Susan Lewis always use in her books. As for those who have not, I strongly recommend this book as a starting point

the poems in this collection range from merely mediocre to bad. the major theme is being indian and the wrongs done. but if you are familiar with alexie's worth than that won't surprise you. and his sister's death by fire makes an appearance in several poems. the problem is alexie never says anything new in this book. you could pick any five poems at random and that's all you need. the other poems say the same thing. there is one bright spot, the first section of his poem "Inside Dachau", but it completely falls apart after that first section. i hope that one day alexie will select his best 10 poems and the best of his short stories and put out a selected poems and prose, that way instead of having so many mediocre books, maybe we can get one book that is really good.

This book seems the most abstract of Alexie's works to date. Containing the same insightful, introspective and powerful images and descriptions as his past works, this one differs in that it is slightly less "in-your-face". Keeps the reader thinking, wondering what the underlying meaning of the work could mean. This is not a spoon-fed collection of easy to read poems. Keep this one around awhile for study and contemplation. Truly inspired.

This collection of poems is woven beautifully together. Like his other books of poetry and novels this book is thought provoking, humorous, disturbing and wonderful. Once again I am left breathless at the end of one of Mr. Alexie's book wanting more. I found myself weaving in and out of the book, reading one poem then returning to a previous poem because of the way they interconnected. A truely wonderful experience and cannot wait for the next release be it novel, poetry or film by this young talented writer.

I know the other reviewers found the simplistic style of writing enjoyable but it quickly begins to read like an undergraduate creative writing final. Also, the writing suffers from character overdose: "Sheryl and Jeff and the other people with them left, leaving Sean and Patty and Eileen and Adam and Phil with about a quarter of a case of beer." I have read some of Levi Asher's poetry so I know he is capable of more artistic writing.

Levi Asher somehow found time between his web project ..., poetry gatherings, and day job to write this wonderful story about youth, love, confusion, and of course the David Lee Roth-Sammy Hagar tragedy of the 1980's.
Summer of the Mets follows a young boy day to day through suburban life. Beef ravioli, masturbation, vinyl albums, and all things high school make appearances in this book. Asher writes his characters with symphathetic detatchement, placing them in ordinary situations while dissecting their emotions and thoughts. It is written in a simple style which is to the point and hits the mark every time. We can marvel as our main character does at Times Square in New York City, feel the euphoria he experiences as he gets high with his first love, and cringe at the painful shyness he experiences in his high school art class. We can enjoy a novel written with honesty and emotion, free of prententiousness and full of life.
Summer of the Mets is for all those who ever experienceed adolescence. Or for those who had to live through the 1980's, no matter what age.

This is an enjoyable and unusually simple story, lacking the typical complicated pretensions of the literary genre. You could call it a picaresque novel, in that it shows a young man of the tender age of 15 learning hard lessons and gaining maturity. He gets in a fight with his so-called best friend, then goes away and meets the girl-of-his-dreams, and gains a few insights into how to act cool along the way to getting his heart broken. He picks himself up, brushes himself off, and watches his favorite baseball team beat the Boston Red Sox. Besides being a Red Sox fan I liked this book a lot ! Levi Asher the author is from the LitKicks website.

I went into to reading this book with an open mind, and was disappointed. The writer could have easily used this medium for more than self promotion. While I sympathize with her about her obvious problems with critics it detracts horribly from the work itself. There were very thoughtful sections of the book that were highly thought provoking but they were few and far between. Sorry if this offends the author, (as it will surely disturb "Little Self") but I am your audience and my opinion does matter.

Each of us is made up of three parts: who we are now; the Child Within (who we were); and the Wise Old One (who we will be). The Wise Old One is also known as our Higher Self. Trined in Twilight, Mary Summer Rain's latest book, is the account of a very special meeting between her three selves.

The Wise Old One, Granny, age 94, and the Child, Little Self, a precocious six-year-old, meet at twilight. Although the clock shows the passage of time during their lengthy conversation, the twilight lingers until it's time for them to part.

The two talk about a huge variety of subjects. Little Self is full of questions which Granny answers as best she can, imparting wisdom and patience as she does. They also spend time doing things together, like making orange pomanders, as well as simply sitting in companionable silence.

Whether, talking, working, or sitting, love permeates every moment of their visit.

In Trined in Twilight, Summer Rain, an internationally renowned visionary author, provides "a spell-binding conversation between [the three] aspects of the feminine consciousness that explores issues directly affecting the spiritual lives of all women and the potential of human consciousness." Readers will find it compelling and enlightening.

Summer Rain always suggested that spiritual "truths"were easy to understand,simple.In this wonderful, treasure of a book Mary covers many seemingly"complex"issues and illustrates through her story How These are NOT complex,confusing..but the mere "nature of reality"in it's purest form.Even an openminded child could understand!The "story?" is engrossing(I read in a few hours)Cant put down!Like Mary's other books....you can read over and over.To those searching for truth,meaning,understanding....a must read!