I found this book to be extremely informative. I recognized the characteristics of my youngest son in the well-written case histories. I, also, recognized traits of my oldest son in the text which eventually led us to a diagnosis from a professional of "auditory processing difficulties". We enrolled both our sons in the 3-week intensive course at the Melvin Smith Clinic in Sacramento last year and have been reaping the benefits of their instruction and suggestions every since

I read this book shortly before meeting Joan Andrews at a pro-life event in Houston. Words cannot express the feeling one gets upon being introduced to this very courageous yet extraordinarily humble person. Joan has spent her entire adult life fighting the evil which is abortion. She has always done so in the most passive, peaceful, Christlike manner. This book is essentially a diary of the two and a half years she spent, mostly in solitary confinement, in a Florida prison on a five-year sentence for dismantling a suction machine in an abortion "clinic". During this time, she was denied everything which most of us hold near and dear, including that which mattered most to her as a devout Roman Catholic, the Eucharist. The indignities to which she was exposed and the humiliation she was forced to suffer in an attempt by her captors to coerce her into recanting her beliefs make this a painful story to read at times. However, Joan's triumph over all this adversity, her indomitable spirit, and the way in which she has always loved & prayed for even her worst enemies make this a rewarding book to finish reading!

In You've Got Rhythm: Read Music Better By Feeling The Beat, Anna Dembska and Joan Harkness effectively collaborate to present a practical yet imaginative guide to improving one's ability to read music. You've Got Rhythm focuses entirely upon the skill of understanding musical rhythm, not musical tones or keys. Pages of examples written in simple musical notes help the beginning, intermediate, or advanced musician better understand syncopation at a visceral level through abundant opportunity to practice. Highly recommended for music students, You've Got Rhythm is an excellent text for classroom instruction or personal tutorials.

Reverent but not gooey, with a strong, simple text and very attractive illustrations, this is the sort of book I've been trying to find for years. Now I've got it for my kids and will probably start stocking up soon for my godson's birthday and all the other religious gift giving occasions --Easter, Christmas, baptisms, etc.-- that are coming down the road.

Hope Yancey is the main character of the fun and food filled adventure, Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer. Hope is a 16-year-old girl who has been raised by her Aunt Addie ever since her mother left her as a baby. Hope and Addie both work in the restaurant business with Hope as a waitress and Addie as a manager who's always coming up with a new dish. As the story starts they are leaving Brooklyn to go to Mulhoney, Wisconsin to work in a new restaurant. Hope hates leaving and every time she has to leave she writes hope was here somewhere on the place she's leaving. So after writing hope was here in tiny letters on the old boarded up diner they set out for their new life. Well there are great adventures ahead for them in Mulhoney. Not only in the restaurant business but also helping in a campaign, meeting new friends, finding romance and so much more.
Joan Bauer's writing style, the fast paced plot and the fact that the story is told through the eyes of a 16-year-old make this book very appealing to young adult readers, but it is also written in such a way that adults will enjoy this novel as well. This is certainly one of Joan Bauer's best books and is totally deserving of the Newberry Honor Award, which it received in 2001.

Our story begins when Hope and her Aunt Addie, being swindled in the former home of New York City, move to a small Wisconsin town. Hope has been living with her Aunt where her mother left her, while Addie has been victim to a cheating husband. In Wisconsin they begin working at the Welcome Stairways, a small diner run by a man named G.T. Stoop. Business is as usual until G.T., who is suffering from lukemia, announces that he is running for mayor, against the considered unbeatable Eli Millstone and his corrupt and dishonest ways. Hope somehow ends up helping G.T. on his campaign, alongside a cast of friendly, fun characters. Braverman, the honest boy who flips burgers at the diner to support his family, who Hope finds a friend and maybe more in; Adam, the high school politician who insists on dragging his spin doctor uncle down to help, despite G.T. 's protests; Gillian, with whom Hope becomes good friends with; Lou Ann and her ailing baby, who, with a little of a mother's love and care from those around her, makes it through her difficulties; Flo, the happy, friendly waitress; Aunt Addie, who's rocky relationship with G.T. grows into a budding romance. And last of all, G.T. himself, with his kind and gentle ways and good intentions, who is intent on exposing Eli and improving the town while fighting his battle with cancer. Read the book to find out if he suceeds. This is a sweet and heartfelt novel that I think almost anyone would like. I would highly recommend to any avid reader.

"WELCOME STAIRWAYS. THIS WAY TO THE BEST DINER IN AMERICA." Hope Yancey read that sign in Mulhoney, Wisconsin.
Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer is a story about effort. Hope, the main character, gave effort to something she thought was worthwhile. She is a 16-year-old girl who lives with her aunt. The setting of Hope Was Here is mostly Mulhoney, Wisconsin...well, all but a few pages! Between the beginning of the book and the end, around two years passed. The setting affects the plot because if Hope didn't live in Mulhoney, she wouldn't of known G.T. Stoop, and without G.T. the entire plot would be different! Speaking of the plot, Hope moves to Wisconsin to work at the Welcome Stairways, a restaurant, with her aunt Addie. While she's there, she meets G.T. Stoop, the owner of the Welcome Stairways. He unfortunately has leukemia but decides to run for mayor against the powerful current mayor. With a group of other teenagers, Hope tries to get G.T. on the ballot and then elected as mayor. But because of the terrible current mayor and people who support him, they run into some problems.
As I said, this is a book about effort. I really liked Hope Was Here, and I think that people ages 10 and older would like it too, particularly girls, because of the small romance near the end of the book.

I very much enjoyed this book because it was full of pure fun reading. Some books drag from the very beginning, but this children's story didn't. There were surprises from the start. This book is an all original example of using your imagination. Lewis Carrol was gifted enough to let his imagination go wild, and to write it down on paper. This book inspires me to write any sort of crazy thing that is worth writing. This book is about Alices adventures from the time she saw the peculiar White Rabbit with a waistcoat and watch. She meets thrilling but very arguementive creatures and charectors such as the caterpiller who smokes, the Duchess and her baby which turns into a pig, a Mock Turtle, a gryphon, and the most famous the Chesire cat and the Queen of Hearts. This book is a bit different than the Disney movie. There are other charecters in the book that are not mentioned in the animated movie. and I think the book is more bizarre.

'Alice in Wonderland', by Lewis Carroll, is an excellent book for both adults and children. It details a little girl's wild adventure through a make believe world. The writing was clever. And so were the characters and situations created by Carroll. Everyone is familiar with the principal idea of the book, but reading the book forces you to remember all the particulars. It it clear why children love this book, which it's fantastic situations.

Being a software developer and a computer science major, it was also interesting to pick up on concepts such as reasoning and logic skattered within the book (Carroll was a mathematician). Of course these concepts are skewed in Wonderland.

If you've never read this book before, put it on your "must read" list. It's a short book and a fast read. If you you're read it already, why not read it again?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most clever and entertaining books yet written. The author's use of language is extremely appealing to the younger readers. These young readers are attracted to this book because of the author's use of many songs. For instance the lullaby sung by the duchess to her child. The Mock Turtle also sang to Alice and the Gryphon a song about the Lobster Quadrille. The author also uses poems that are entertaining and fun to listen to. "You are Old Father William" is one of the many poems. Not only does the author use poems but she also uses commonly known poems and changes the words to fit the character saying them. For instance the Mad-Hatter sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in different words saying "Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky." If this isn't a unique way of writing I dont know what is. Another style of her writingthat is appealing is when she creates a picture, using words in a poem, about the poem. Yhis is used on page 37. The words in the book are nbot hard so the book can be enjoyable when it is being read, not stressful. The author brings animals to life which is an interesting style of writing. This is Lewis Carroll's style of writing. The main character in this book is a little girl with blonde hair named Alice. This child is full of fantasies and dreams, which is what the book is about. Alice is very curious and likes to know every little detail. She thinks she is very smart. For example, when Alice is listening to the Dormouse's story she asks questions like "What did they live on," and makes smart comments such as "They could'nt have done that you know, they'd have been ill." She is also a little bit bratty, especially to the Dormouse when she says: "Nobody asked your opinion." These characteristics pull together to make an interesting main character and to create a fabulous story. The theme of the story is sometimes you need to take a break out of every day life and dream of fantasize. This makes your life more interesting even if you dream about things that will never come true. Alice does this when she dreams about changing sizes and listening to talking animals. Dreaming doesn't hurt anyone except the people who don't do it. If nobody ever had dreams life would be extremely stressful and boring. The plot of the story is all about Alice trying to find the white rabbit, which of course is in her dream. Following the white rabbit takes ALice to interesting places, such as the Courtroom filled with animals, and the Duchess' house, along with meeting interestingpeople such as the Cheshire-Cat and the Queen. This amazing cat hes the ability to disappear whenever it wants to and it always smiles. In the end Alice finds the white rabbit and then wakes up from her dream. This is the plot of the story. The story is effective to the reader. This is so because after listening to such acreative dream and fantasy, it inspires people to take a little time out of the day and be creative and dream once in a while. All the parts of this five star story; the writer's style, the main character, the theme, and the plot; come together to create the overall effectiveness of the story. This is why I rated this book five stars.

So you think you know all about Dracula? Seen the dozens of movies, including the badly misnamed "Bram Stoker's Dracula". Read the hundreds of vampire novels? Big fan of "Buffy"? Tired of the subject? Even if you can say yes to any of the above, going back to the original novel will be well worth your while. Although the vampire legend goes back centuries in many cultures,it took an obscure writer in late 19th century England named Bram Stoker to create the basis for the most enduring and pervasive of horror characters. At times, the dialogue is almost ludicrous (where in the world did Stoker get the idea of how Americans talk?), the plot drags a little in the middle, the language is often too flowery and ornate for 21st century tastes but if you read this novel with some suspension of our modern tastes (and don't play amateur psychologist and try to overanalyse it), it is a great story. Love, horror, history, culture, suspense, action - this book has it all and even the best movie, book and/or miniseries has yet to fully do it justice. The characters of the Count and Van Helsing are written so well that it is easy to see why they are classics, but most of the other characters - especially Johnathan and Mina Harker - are also memorable. The best of the action and narrative take place in the opening and closing chapters, while in Transylvania, but the entire book is one that any horror fan should add to their collection.

Dracula is a masterpiece of Horror fiction, undoubtedly a classic and a necessary read for anyone who would consider him/herself a Horror fan. The title character has been forever imprinted on the minds of the world as the true name of the Vampire, and almost anyone who you could possibly ask could give you a pretty good description of the framework of the story.

A rich, reclusive count from the dark land of Transylvania tires of his homeland and searches for a home abroad to quench his thirst. Not for riches, not for glory, but for blood. For this count is a member of the damned breed, the Nosferatu, the Vampire. A demon condemned to live off of the blood of the living, while being neither alive, nor dead. It is a sad and frightening tale, filled with action and suspense.

Dracula is not only famous for its introduction of the mythology of Vlad the Impaler (in somewhat diluted form) to Western culture, but also for its formula. The inescapable evil (Dracula) to be confronted by a small, yet wary band of people lead by one who knows all of the creature's secrets and weaknesses (Van Helsing) has become a Horror staple. And folks never seem to get tired of it. The subject of Van Helsing, a character who almost, but not quite, overshadows Dracula in popularity is long overdue for a novelization of his own. Van Helsing's encounters with the supernatural would most definitely draw a fanbase.

If you're a Horror fan, or just like good old storytelling, Dracula is a book not to be missed. In fact, this novel should be required reading. It just might help increase the literacy rate!

Note: this edition has an awesome cover drawn by Boris Vallejo and it claims to be unabridged (abridging this story ought to be illegal!)

The book that I read on Dracula was the unabridged version and it's not this one. However, I strongly recommend reading Dracula because it really scares you. It is told by a series of notes, journals, diaries, and letters. At first, i thought it was very boring because there's a lot of dialogue and everything is descibed in great detail. Fortunately, that's exactly what kept me hooked on the book. I would not put it down and I would stay up until 1:00 am reading it.So,here's a quick summary. Jonathan Harker travels to Romania to help a strange count buy an estate in Britain. He stays in the count's house only to slowly realize that he was a prisoner. After many horrifing and intimidating experiences as the count's "guest", he decides to enbark in a daring and frightning escape from the castle, to return to his loving fiancee, Mina. However,when Count Dracula is in the city, Jonathan sets out with a band of brave souls to destroy the evil count. There's a lot more in the story because it's 414 pages long. I really reccomend the book because it's 20 times better than the movie. I really think anyone can give it a try, and even though at first it's boring, you should make an effort to read it to get to the really good parts.

I bought this book, thinking it was a biography. Disappointed when I saw that it was fiction, it languished on my shelf, unread, for 6 months. Once I began reading it, however, I found it an easy and entertaining read.

The myth of a female pope has existed for a thousand years. Donna Woolfolk Cross has written an entertaining novel based on this premise, and allows the reader to step into the 9th century.

The Joan of this novel is born of a poor, pious but mean-spirited cleric and his Saxon wife. Joan has a thrist for learning, which is contrary to the teachings of the church at this time. Her thrist leads her into conflict with her father, leaving home to attend school, disguising herself as a man [taking on her brother's identity at his death] and joining a benedictine monaster, going to Rome and serving as the pope's doctor, ultimately becoming a cardinal and then pope.

Cross has done an excellent job of background research. The reader accepts being inthe 9th century, as s/he is soaked in the appropriate atmosphere: we learn of the medical practices, the hierarchy of the church, daily life, the "zeitgeist" of the age.

However, I found the character of Joan too perfect. Joan was portrayed as more intelligent than men, more honest than men, more caring than men. She was so perfect that there was no opportunity for her character to develop. I felt that Cross' underlying purpose was to promote a feminist viewpoint, not to honestly examine the historical evidence of whether or not Joan indeed existed. This bias of our time undermined what could have been a great novel.

I thought this was a great book. I enjoy historical fiction, especially tales of women, ordinary and extra-ordinary, during the dark or middle ages. I actually read this book a year or two ago, and today I saw a documentary about Pope Joan. I was astounded at how much I had actually learned (and retained) from this novel. The historic evidence reviewed by the team of scholars was obviously known to the author of Pope Joan. I can hardly wait for two things: 1. The Pope Joan film (pleasepleaseplease do the novel proud!); and 2. The next novel from Donna Woolfolk Cross.

"Pope Joan" is truly a page-turning epic that will keep you reading until your done. Extremely well researched and detailed! Albiet, it's not a tale for the faint-hearted, as it deals (often in gruesome detail) with the attrocities which occurred in ignorance during the Dark Age. The victims of such ignorance, were usually women, who were treated as less than human. However, it is a book which most history-buffs and avid readers alike will be interested in, as it is intertwined with real life settings - and an unforgettable legend of a determined woman's triumph.

I read this book cover to cover on a long flight and had a wonderful time with it. As light entertainment, it can't be beat. But I never took it seriously. It's a typical movie star bio, only the characters aren't movie stars. They are historical figures (senators, presidents, ambassadors) so I find the fact that some people took it seriously a little disturbing. I have read biographies before, a lot of them. That's how I know silliness and hokum when I read it. For example, there's a passage in here where a secret service agent recounts what Jackie and Joan are wearing 35 years after the fact as if he was an editor of Glamour magazine. He even comments on Jackie's brand of cigarettes, how many she smoked in a day and her cologne. I'm sorry, but I can't take that seriously. This book reads like a made for TV movie. Don't get me wrong. I loved it. But I took it as seriously as I would take a paperback romance novel. I suggest you put your desire for serious information about the Kennedys aside when you pick up this book and just enjoy it for what it is: a breezy, gossipy way to spend a few hours. Like indulging in a candy bar, it's fun, it hurts no one, but it has no real value.

This is the first book I have read by J. Randy Taraborrelli, and I was impressed. I am distantly related to the Kennedys -- a distant cousin -- so I like to think I know a little bit (probably not much) more than the "normal" reader. But even I didn't know this material. Taraborrelli approached his women of Camelot with such grace and evenhandedness, he makes other biographers of the women seem like samari warriors. I most enjoyed reading about the differences in the Kennedy women's background prior to their marrying into the powerful family. These are three very different people --- Jackie, Ethel and Joan -- and in reading about them you wonder if they ever would have known each other or spent a second with one another had they not married into the family. (Though I do think, from reading this book, that Jackie and Joan may have been friends, anyway ... though I don't know how they would have met.) Taraborrelli writes about the rumors having to do with Jackie and Bobby (not true, he says) and Marilyn and Bobby (again, not true, he says) and Marilyn and JFK (very true, and much to Jackie's ongoing unhappiness.) Plus there's lots of political suspense in the book, too -- though we all know how it works out in the end. I enjoyed this book tremendously and would recommend it to anyone. You don't even have to like the Kennedys to enjoy this, it's such a good read. A-Plus effort, and thank you Amazon for giving me a chance to voice my opinion.

I love the fact that some of these reviews are as bitchy as Ethel was to Jackie when Jackie wanted to marry Onassis, at least according to this great book. Rehash? Maybe, but only if you spend your whole life reading books about the Kennedys, which I haven't done, and know every little thing about them, which I don't. This is my first Kennedy related book, and I loved every word of it. I had a whole new respect for these women when I read this book, especially for Jackie. Some of these Amazon reviewers don't get it: books like this are for entertainment. You want boring history? Go to the library and read Profiles in Courage by JFK. (Or maybe read a snoring-book by that Donald Spato guy. Yawn.) You want fun and an entertaining read with tons of foot notes and source notes to validate it all, then buy this book, "Jackie, Ethel, Joan" ... or, as Ethel would say, 'shut your trap.' LOL

I read the novel Of Mice and Men, which was recommended to me by my cousin. He told me the book wasn't that long and the story was really nice. So I went to the library and checked it out. When I first started to read the book it seemed kind of boring because the two main characters where just talking back and forth, but after the first two chapters I couldn't put the book down. It was a wonderful book and I had a great time reading it. While I was reading this book it made me think about me and my friends and what friendship really is.

Of Mice and Men is a story about a relationship between two friends who travel around California, working on farms. Lennie is a big, giant, strong man with the mind of a small child traveling with George, a short, smart guy who not only looks after himself but also has to look after his job and take care of his mentally retarded friend, Lennie. George is like Lennie's older brother who watches out for him all the time. Lennie does unintelligent things like carry around dead mouse in this pocket and George always yells at Lennie and gets mad at him yet, George can't go on with his life without Lennie. They travel together working hard on farms and saving up money so their dream can come true. All they want is a place of their own with chicken, rabbits, horses, and other farm animals. On their way to their dream they stop at a farm to make some money where things go wrong because Lennie likes to touch, pet, and hold on to soft things. Their dream is ruined because of Lennie's habit. Lennie likes to touch all things that are soft, and I mean all things that are soft, even a woman's soft pretty dress, or her soft silky hair, which gets Lennie killed by his best friend. George decides that he can no longer protect Lennie from the horrible things that he hadn't intended to do. This was a really hard decision for George but he knew the outcome was going to be the best for both him and Lennie.

Of Mice and Men takes you through life changing events, problems, and dreams of two poor laborers who just want a place of their own, which is just like many people in the world. Many families and friends work together so their dreams can come true. This book also made think of friendship and how we treat our friends and others in the world who are different, and less intelligent then us. People treat others bad, and put them down just because they are different. Even though the ending of this novel seems sad, and heart breaking, I think George did the right thing; he didn't want his friend to live the hard harsh life, in this unkind world. After reading this book, it made me realize that John Steinbeck is a wonderful author and I loved his writing style. It simple, easy to understand, relates to life, teaches you something and leaves you with something to think about. I am a person who doesn't like to read much but when I am assigned to read for a class I tend to find books that interest me. In the future I plan to read this book again and I also want read more of John Steinbeck's novels.

My name is Kelly, and I am a junior in high school and I was recently assigned to read John Stienbeck's novel OF MICE AND MEN. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book, for many different reasons. For instance, Steinbeck uses a storyline that grabs the attention of all ages, young or old. In the begining, we are introduced to George and Lennie the novel's two main characters. They are fleeing from their former hometown in search of a new job opportunity on a ranch located in the Salinas Valley. The two fathem a dream of owning their own ranch one day with lots of acres and rabbits. They work out a plan to earn money so this dream can be fulfilled. While on the ranch the young childish Lennie is objected to numerous situations, in which they put George in akward posiitions. George's loyalty is constantly tested throughout the novel. With a surprise ending their dream seems to fade away. This book is one everyone should read, because it teaches the meaning of friendship and the "American Dream".

Although not one of the lengthiest books to ever hit the shelves, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is definitely a warhorse in the arena of American Literature. Illustrating the fierce love between two friends, Steinbeck takes the reader on a journey through the poverty stricken lands of the West. These two friends, George and Lennie, are the two main characters of the novel, and their journeys from job to job hold only one thing in common: they keep their dreams to one day own their own little patch of land. Because of Lennie's combination of mental retardation and incredible strength, he often gets into troublesome situations and ends up leaving town. George always goes with Lennie, but in the tragic end, George realizes that he cannot keep protecting Lennie from the world.

There is much to this book, but it can easily be read as simply a sad story. I found it very readable, and I have always kept it close to my heart. There are some instances of foul language and inappropriate situations, but they in no way are distracting to the overall thematic content. Steinbeck's evocative language and beautiful descriptions are breathtaking. The story is not so complex or farfetched that it becomes unbelievable, and I highly recommend it to anyone that is considering reading it. I truly do love this book.