A few years ago when I was new to the mystery genre, I was introduced to Richard Barre's Wil Hardesty series through a book review in my newspaper. After reading the review of "Blackheart Highway", I decided to invest the time and money and "surf" my way through the series (4 books) from the beginning with "The Innocents". What an exhilirating ride! I have been hooked on mysteries ever since and appreciative of this author's talent. The character developments and story plots got better and better with each book. Barre delivers a perfect balance of suspense, action, and emotion in his books.

Wil Hardesty is a well-crafted, believable, interesting, and complex character. A middle-aged Vietnam vet and surfer P.I. with a lot of personal baggage - the loss of his son due to a surfing accident, subsequent drinking problem, and the crumbling of his twenty-plus year marriage. Wil is also a likable character as more and more about him and his background is revealed with each new book.

It was a bit of a wait for the latest installment, "Burning Moon", but again Barre does not disappoint. The story line is captivating and the writing is crisp and intelligent. This is a book about two Vietnamese brothers who made it good in America, but on different sides of the law, and also about a hierachy of rival Asian gangs fighting for control. A character from a previous book and Wil's past surfaces again, and at the end of "Burning Moon", the reader is hopeful about Hardesty's relationship with his ex-wife.

I am an avid reader of mysteries now and have read books by other excellent writers. If you enjoy Connelly, Lehane, Pelecanos, and Crais, to name a few, I highly recommend Barre. He definitely belongs in their league and deserves more kudos than he is getting. Hopefully, "Burning Moon" will not be the last time we get to read about Wil Hardesty, and I trust that the wait for the next book won't have to be as long.

Once again Richard Barre displays his mastery over words. He's always used them sparingly, never more so than in Burning Moon. The style makes his novels easy to pick up and hard to put down. It's been years since the last installment in the Wil Hardesty series, and it's a joy to see him again.
When Jimmy Tien and his pregnant fiance are killed in a boating accident, Jimmy's father suspects foul play. He hires Wil to investigate the incident. Wil follows the trail, which becomes more and more complicated. Every answer he finds leads to another question. As in all the Hardesty books, Wil's past both haunt and comfort him.
One of the reasons I enjoy Barre's books so much is his ability to handle intricate plots. He weaves subplots into the story, and somehow manages to tie up all the loose ends by the last page. If you like intriguing characters, complex plots, and a few surprises, you will love Burning Moon.

Unfortunately, I think the somewhat quaint words "folk" and "lore" in "folklore" throw people off and make them dimiss folklore studies as a trivial or insignificant field of scholarship. "Folklore" just doesn't have the imposing sound of similar fields like anthropology and sociology. Admittedly, before reading Toelken's book, if I thought of the word "folk lore" I probably would have pictured my grandfather sitting in a rocking chair telling stories from his childhood. Of course, that is also a part of folklore, but I realize now how much more there is to it. Before reading this book, I didn't have a good understanding of what folklore was. Even now, folklore's not so easy to define. I think the best description of folklore is this: it is what makes our cultures unique, and what makes belonging to whatever social groups we belong to, significant.

Jokes, food, songs, religion ... Toelken covers these topics and more in his book, which reads kind of like an introduction to folklore studies. Until I read this book, I probably would've laughed at the suggestion that I myself belong to several folk groups. Now that I better understand the complex social groups that we all belong to, it's left me more curious to discover what makes different folk groups unique. This is not the type of book that you read and think "ok, that was nice" and then never think about it again. This book will open your eyes and make you question the things that you take for granted in everyday life.

A must-read!

Barre was given a special gift for understanding cultures and in this volume brings together many personal experiences in the real world of real people of varying cultures. He helps us see beyond our own cultural blinders and takes us into the real world of folklore. The many photos add to the first person experiences of which he writes. This is a lesson in life for our multicultural world.

There are obviously far better books on the subject available in Japanese, but this is the best English-language text I've ever found on the subject of Japanese ghosts.

However, readers should be forewarned that the first half of the book reads like an "Introduction". Lay readers who are just looking for stories and aren't interested in the authors' theories and sociological opinions would be better off to start reading from page 43 (or even page 60 for some readers). In fact, I'd go so far as to recommend that most readers start at page 43 (or 60) and read the earlier parts of the book later.

Not only is this a very readable text, but the hauntingly beautiful illustrations pulled from a variety of sources add a very special touch. One learns so much of Japanese culture in reading this work.

I think this book is one of the best books I have read. It's about Heather going to the attic and finding herself as a guest star in Sleeping Beauty. She sprains her ankle,so she can't dance.In the end,she learns a lesson. I do ballet myself,but I'm not on toe yet.

Heather's Aunt is the star in the Sleeping Beauty, and sends enough tickets for her family. Heather promises her friends tickets for the ballet. But oh no! The tickets are all sold out. Heather sets aside that problem. She puts on pink tights,a tutu, and point shoes- you guessed it! A ballerina. She walks through the mirror and finds herself the star of Sleeping Beauty. During rehersal, she slips on a jete and sprains her ankle! She telling her friend, Jillian huge lies. She's in a tough situation, but being Heather manages confessing.

A delightful young heroine and realism on the westward journey. A clean, delightful read for myself, my children, and grandchildren!

Retta Barre is truely an engaging character. She is 12 yrs. old the summer her family leaves Ohio to travel the Oregon Trail. The days are long and boring for Retta,but that doesn't last for long once she meets up with the indian Two Bears and his family.....the adventures begin. Retta finds herself in in fixes that she knows God is leading her through. This is a fun little series.

Don't miss the rest of the books in this series:

Book 2. The Buffalo's Last Stand
Book 3. The Plain Prairie Princess

A lovely ramble with a fascinating old gentleman, quaint, charming, sunny and a true picture of one aspect of a bygone age and of the way our great-great grandfathers talked and lived. The fishing lore and natural history are hopelessly out of date but who cares? Has been in print for centuries and deservedly so.

Filled with poignant statements and detailed descriptions of day-to-day life, The Journey Of Navajo Oshley covers the life story of a respected Navajo man of the San Juan River Basin area in southeastern Utah from 1879 to 1988. The style is simple, immediate and vivid. Many details are carefully explained in footnotes, such as the significance of the Navajo's reaction to livestock reduction (p.131). Many black and white photographs help animate the autobiography. Navajo Oshley was a man well respected by both the dominant culture and his own. He was kind, gentle, hard-working, honest, and he always met his responsibilities. He deeply loved his family. He also was evidently blessed with a gift of a sense of humour. This is well described in the final chapters by McPherson on his "Later Life." When Navajo Oshley speaks in his own voice in the narrative, many emotional nuances must be inferred by the reader. It is said that though he never spoke English, he was a gifted comedic sign-language maker. The Journey Of Navajo Oshley is a rich contribution to the genre of Native American autobiography and history of human experiences in the southwestern United States area.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

L'enfer de Brest (The Hell of Brest) tells the story of the seige of Brest which lasted about forty-nine days during August and September, 1944. While General Omar Bradley's 12th Army Group, partilarly Gen. George S. Patton's U.S. Third Army, were making spectacular gains driving eastward across France, the need for Brest as an additional deep-water port deminished. Neverheless, Bradley and Patton kept Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton's VIII Corps in Brittany with the mission to take Brest. The month long battle for Brest involved the most bloodiest combat encountered anywhere in Europe. The Fortress commander, Generalleutnant Herman B. Ramcke and his hodge-podge collection of defenders, centered around the 2d Fallchirmjager Division, put up a tough fight. Because it was fought hundreds of miles behind the Bradley's front, this battle has received scarce treatment by historians.Floch & Le Berre's book is written in French. This fact should not deter anyone interested in appreciating this little known battle. The author's research is impeccable. Hundreds of photos and some of the best maps I have yet encountered grace its pages. Created from the French perspecive, the authors highlight the role of the French Resistance working in conjuction with the Americans--a little known aspect of the Brittany Campaign.I hope an English translation of this work is forthcoming. Until then, look at the pictures & maps--they are surely worthy of its price tag.

The story of Ben and Rose in SOLOMON'S PORCH touches my heart deeply. This book is a riviting story of overcoming adversity and shows pure devotion and love enduring through trying times. I have never read a book that helps me see things through the eyes of the "care-giver," which puts quite a different "twist" on this wonderful book. The characters were "brought to life" as I read each page. Although the story is fictional, it is inspiring and educational, and I might add that it taught me many things I had never known about Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I smiled and I cried through-out the reading of this book. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone to read it.

Ben and Rose face a long and trying battle with Ben's Guillan-Barre Syndrome. Jane Riley's sensitive yet constrained writing style reveal the strength and foibles of the characters, health care institutions and churches with no rancor. It is a book that I was not able to put down.

I recently finished reading Solomon's Porch and found it to be a beautifully written love story. Ben and Rose are a devoted couple through some very difficult times. Ben suffers from Guillain-Barre Syndrome and the love and care that he receives from his wife Rose is inspirational. The story is not told as a self-pity book, but rather told through the eyes of love while holding on to a sense of humor.

Caring for an ill loved one is a very traumatic experience. Trying to hold on to a sense of normalacy is difficult indeed. I would highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in reading a story of adversity, hope, and love.

It's about time this book is written. I remember that day very clearly. I was only 11 years old and did not know if my father was alive or dead. Thank God he survived, he was one of the last survivors....John Gadomski and his half brother George Mazur.

This was very good for my project

Provided much information about the Knox Mine. It was a big help with my research paper.