Even the famous need a sounding board..a friend who will listen and sometimes advise. Rowan, the popular straight-man of the 60's hit TV show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" finds his attentive "ear" via correspondence with novelist John D. Macdonald. Their letters, gathered by MacDonald, aptly describe Rowan's fight with fame, his partner, and success. True Travis McGee followers will want this volume in their collection simply because, on occassion, MacDonald quotes Meyer--McGee's intellectual friend--when offering advice and wisdom to Rowan. A hard to find book, but one worth looking for.

Back Cover description: "Don't think you can come sneaking back here if you are ever out of a job!" Florina's father was furious when, after a lifetime of drudgery, she finally plucked up the courage to rebel. But there was no danger of her returning home. Florina loved her new job as cook in the household of eminent consultant William Sedley. And it wasn't long before she realized that she loved her employer, too. But she had no chance of attracting his attention when he was engaged to be married to the glamorous Wanda!

I liked this for the nice pacing of the story. Florina's character wasn't wimpy, just loyal. The buildup of the attraction between her and William was nicely paced. I did think the ending was slightly rushed, but all in all this was one of the better stories the author has written. Too bad Ms. Neels didn't include some recipes in this one.

Not only woulde this story be frightening for children (its a forth level book)but it also was a little scary for me! One reason is probably because I read it just before I went to bed for the night, another because it really left you in suspense until the very last couple chapters of the story. I believe this is a good book for older children because it had some very climatic parts that would keep them really interested. Personally, I enjoyed the book because I like a little scare every once in a while. It was very easy and fun to read as well.

Back Cover description: Unlike her two bright go-getting sisters, Lucy's goal was to find a man she loved and settle down with him to a life of happy domesticity.
But Mr. Right seemed to be peculiarly elusive. Until the day that Lucy encountered the eminent pediatrician William Thurloe and fell head-over-heels in love with him.
Not that she had the faintest hope of attracting his interest. Especially with the glamorous Fiona as direct competition. And yet Lucy knew there had to be some way of making William notice her....

One of the better books by this author. William is a doctor, and Lucy is working at an orphanage. She lives home with parents and sisters and unlike a lot of Ms. Neels' heroines, doesn't need the income. The plot moves along, William is one of the nicer heroes this author has written and the ending is very good. Try it.

This is the story of goldilocks & the three bears written very simply with repeated words & colorful drawings. My not yet 3 year old loves to count the chairs, birds & porridge bowls. He's learning the hard & soft, going up the stairs & such. I would think that this book would be a little dull for an older kid, although it's easy to read. But definitely a keeper for us right now.

Two friends and I recently went on a four day backpacking trip into Bandelier. While one guy dealt with the rangers to get the permit, I wandered the book racks and found two guidebooks. I asked the ranger which one he'd recommend and he indicated the Dorothy Hoard book. He was right. Good basic info about what you'll see in different corners of the park--plants, animals, etc. It also features excellent drawings of the terrain and trails, done in a three-dimensional style that clearly shows what you're crossing.

If your tastes run the gambit from crystal sets to early tube sets and novelty items, check out this Guide. Plenty of history and tips, lots of photos, and some listings with prices and manufacturing dates. Plenty of cool old ads too. An intriguing trip through the early days.

This book gives you lots of ideas for embellishment techniques, mostly of the "heirloom" variety--pintucks, hemstiching, etc. There is a lot of info on making your own trims--e.g., re-embroidered lace, mock Swiss embroidery. There are projects for each technique which range from the elegant to a bit tacky. I've had a lot of fun trying out their ideas (folks, stock up on stabilizers, you're gonna need them). Unfortunately, some of their instructions have typos that are a little frustrating--like referring to info on another page that isn't there. The book is well illustrated with both color photos and illustrations, so it is pretty easy to understand what to do, even if the text isn't always perfect. To get the most from this book, you should have a machine with some "fancy" stiches, although quite a few projects can be done with more basic machines. Summary: if you have mastered the basics but just want some ideas for fast heirloom touches (like I did), this book may be good for you. However, the highly experienced "heirloom" sewer may not find much new info here.

Betty tells it all -- the good, the bad, and the ugly about running estate sales for profit. Not to be confused with garage sales or flea markets, estate sales are selling the contents of another's dwelling. This book discusses everything from contracts and cleaning through pricing and publicity -- even how to handle rough customers. Great examples and witty illustrations make it an interesting, informative, and enjoyable book whether you are selling or shopping for treasure.

...This is an awesome collection of short stories. If you want a glimpse into the inner workings of family, male-female relationships, or other human interactions with a lilting accent and a fresh perspective, this is for you.