With the second of his general Southwestern cooking recipe books, Mark Miller has joined the likes of superstar chef Bobby Flay in putting a region long misunderstood on our culinary map. In the early to mid 90's Mr. Miller helped develop our palets to appreciate gourmet where we used to expect less. This book will add fire and and great recipes to any chef's repertoire. It is a fantastic example of what a great cook book can be.

Mark of Amber is an elaborate boxed set adventure that picks up the story of the classic Lovecraftian jaunt, X2 Castle Amber (Chateau d'Ambreville)! Clark Ashton Smith's venomous faerie dreamworld of French romance and intrigue comes vividly alive once more as Etienne d'Ambreville, the most powerful Archmagus in the magocracy of Glantri, is missing and presumed dead... worse, a sinister assassin of seemingly endless power and ingenuity is stalking the d'Ambreville nobles one by one, and only you can save them... how? By plunging yourself into the living nightmares of a dying Immortal. Told you it was fun... :) for levels 4-6.

Here is an interesting mystery, and it does have a little bit of everything, unsolved murders, exorcism, finding your own spiritual path, little romance, even reincarnation. If your are reading it for the religious context it might not be for you.However I recommend it as a mystery, It jumps right in at the beginning and grabs your attention. The characters are not at all what they seem. The Mark of Gnosis is a facinating look at life in an abbey and Catholic traditions. The author's background revels alot of that unknown.
I found I wandered if the author got too specific with Catholic religious points, but remember I was reading it as a mystery, overall, I found it a great fast read. With all the twist and turns,it truly had me crazy trying to figure out the "Who done it". and like all good mysteries you can't figure it out.

This book consists of a concise list and description of a variety of historic sites, markers and museums selected by the Oklahoma Historical Society as prime areas representative of the state's history. Full of side notes, this little book will be a welcome addition to the library of any dedicated Oklahomaphile.

A note that caught my attention (Harold Ross, the first editor of The New Yorker, once said that writers are very writer conscious) concerns Washington Irving. His trip to Oklahoma in 1932 is commemorated by two markers in the Sooner State. One marks his first campsite near old highway 66 in Arcadia. It was here that he hunted wild horses, and experience he recorded in his classic A TOUR ON THE PRAIRIES. The second marker is on US Highway 64, north of Bixby. The authors write, "Because of Irving's visit to the area, an attempt was made at the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention to call the Tulsa area "Irving" in his honor.

There's a handy map in the back of the book, clearly keyed, to help the reader locate quickly and easily points of interest.

Ms. Norton's tales in this instance (two full length novels bound into 1 volume) are set in Karen Kuykendall's Outer Regions, which previously appeared only in artwork, without actual books to provide a backstory (to the best of my knowledge). Yes, we finally have here not only a reprint of _Mark of the Cat_, but its long-awaited sequel. I'd provide separate reviews of both, but the sequel has so far appeared only in this volume, and a detailed discussion of the sequel presupposes knowledge _Mark of the Cat_.

Overview: The Outer Regions are desert country, mostly lacking open water, where life depends on occasional algae pools, where in a famine year (mercifully, rather rare) the Ministers of Balance may be called out to decide which animals live, and which die - and even which people. The great sandcats of the desert are greatly feared, and are hunted despite their intelligence. Paradoxically, the great leopards forming the Emperor's guard are much revered, and as for ordinary cats, killing a 'kotti' is a capital crime.

The people depend on trade between the 5 queendoms: Kahulawe, Thnossis, Azhengir, and Vapala, which have roughly similar governments (all ultimately answering to the Emperor) but somewhat different cultures. These aren't purely hereditary offices; an Emperor competes in various deadly trials to win the office, designed not only to ensure fitness but an acquaintance with the lives of his people. Even to be recognized as an adult, a youngster must pass his or her 'Solo': the youngster is knocked out and stranded in the desert, and must find his or her way back to civilization alone.

Both books alternate between 2 narrators: Hynkkel of Kahulawe, and Allitta, last survivor of a fallen noble house of Vapala. Allita provides us with a close-up view of the capital in the last days of the dying emperor Shank-ji, whose son (against tradition) intends to try to win his father's office. Allitta is also apprentice to the doll-maker Ravinga, whose enchanting miniatures aren't the most magical thing about her. Primarily, though, this is Hynkkel's story.

As a herder and the least-respected member of a warrior clan in Kahulawe, Hynkkel comes to his Solo late since his father doesn't think he amounts to much. The lonely rock 'island' where he awakens isn't entirely deserted, however: a swarm of the vicious rats of the desert occupy it in such numbers that they've killed one sandcat, and would have pulled down another if Hynkkel hadn't intervened with his slingshot. So it is that Hynkkel not only sees the sandcats' dance and song, but gains a blood-brother: Murri, the half-grown cub of the sandcat he rescued. So it is that Hynkkel doesn't return to his clan after his trial, but seeks a new life, leading him eventually to the capital and the dollmaker's shop.

_Year of the Cat_ picks up shortly after the first book, during the preparations for the coronation of the new emperor - when a fallen house such as Allitta's can request reinstatement, if she comes out of hiding. The emperor's first official progress through the Outer Regions will be marked by trouble: the water table is dwindling, and the desert rats are endangering the trade routes that tie the queendoms together. Soon the sandcats and humans must decide to end their enmity, or both peoples will fall to the evil coming out of the Plain of Desolation...

One distracting misprint: the name "Vapala", that of the Diamond queendom where the Emperor holds court, is misspelt all the way through this 1st hardcover printing of _Year of the Rat_, and I mean *every* occurrence, even though it's spelled correctly throughout _Mark of the Cat_ (1st half of the volume). Of the 5 queendoms, this is the worst name to get wrong, since it's named most often. It distracted me to the point where I had to go look it up, wondering if I were imagining things. I got over it, but one wishes it hadn't happened.

Mark T-w-a-i-n was an interesting person with an exciting life! I was a little disappointed with the sad ending though. This book had BIG letters and would be easy for a fourth grader to read, but not too easy. Mark T-w-a-i-n would be good for a biography book report.

Mr. Hinson presents an interesting adventure in science and history. Todd's date with Tina becomes a trek back in time, and his interaction with cavemen and prehistoric animals brings the ancient past to life.

His knowledge of the period and teenagers vividly show how modern teens might react in a setting free of TVs, CDs, and computers. He has given his characters depth, insight, and street-smarts in a world they never dreamed they would encounter.

A book like this could be an asset for augmenting a science or history class.

This is a great book for both the resonably experienced rider and the rider just starting out in eventing. It is clear and concise and has great photographs. His section on choosing a horse is excellent.

We enjoyed the way this book took us on a journey through time. "Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi" carried us from the village of Cahokia to our modern time. We were intrigued by the historical details given in the form of graphs, charts, diagrams, and factual information. Harness vividly outlined the advances in our technology. We liked the realistic descriptions given in the book. The detailed descriptions did tend to slow down the reader's attention at times. It was rather emotional reading about tragedies that have happened in our countries history. These events may be disturbing to some readers. The pictures in the book were realistic, artistic, breathtaking, disturbing, and colorful. The artwork contributed powerful meaning to the story. The illustrations helped readers understand the details and language of the story. We recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Mississippi River, steamboats, or Mark Twain. Mrs. Scott's 7th period sixth grade reading class rates this book with 4 stars. Please read this book and enjoy the wonderful illustrations.

This is a facinating, but terribly sad, portrait of the final ten years of Mark Twain's life. Like a dying king, Twain sees his minions sink into bitter infighting, and he is left alone to die in the unbearable world that he has created.