What a marvellous story. From the cradle to the grave, we follow a woman who has the (mis)fortune to win the heart of the King. And Plaidy, true to form, plops the story right into the middle of history-in-the-making, where Jane Shore is driven by her passion to love first Edward IV and then finds herself in quite a bind, again and again. Jane could choose a simple, easy life with her betrothed - or she can risk everything for the love and heart of a King. I really enjoy how Plaidy doesn't gloss over anything in her novels about the lives her characters live. From the simplest acts such as cooking and riding and everyday life, to the massive banquets and the punishments for criminals of the day, Plaidy gives her readers an "inside view" into what life was really like in Medeival times -- and you don't realize that you are learning until you've finished the book!

Some days, you simply don't have the attention span required of you for reading good books. Sometimes, I find even short stories too taxing and poetry much too dense to absorb properly. That's when Good Bones will come in handy, for it will provide doses of short, potent prose.

It's a tiny little book, with tiny short stories (three or four pages on average) that are clever, intriguing and shot through with Margaret Atwood's luscious style. Despite the lengths of the stories, they are in no way lacking in emotion or intensity. They are snippets of random musings, of well-known stories told from somebody else's point of view, of sci-fi fantasies that reflect upon our own humanity...

The stories do not link to each other. As far as I can see, they are writing experiments, little flashes of inspiration that do not fit somewhere in a greater whole (such as a novel). They are ideas, brief contemplation of how the world is, snapshots of human behaviour.

Atwood has a particularly cutting insight into the way things are. I cried at certain stories, not because they were formulated with particular tragic scenes, but because they moved me. Forlorn beauty, half-remembered sensations, the things she could say with a stroke of a pen are those dark, shadowy feelings we sometimes find in ourselves, yet could never describe. Now she has done it for us, and it makes for cathartic reading.

Through Good Bones we are given a glimpse of Atwood's world: usually bleak, sometimes spine-chilling with its prediction of how the world just might turn out, but always haunting and always beautiful. If you have not read any of her works before, this is a great place to start. If you have read and enjoyed her other works, this one will definitely be worth your while.

This is the very readable interesting story of Grace Divine, an aspiring opera student from Chatanooga, Tennessee, who married a Chinese engineering student, moved to China in the 1930's and raised a family. It is the story of the Japanese occupation, the civil war in the 1940's, the political changes of the 1950's, the Great Leap Forward, tne Cultural revolution amd various and sundry changes in China during the 40 years from 1934 to 1974.

All told in the most interesting and contiguous manner. The book is historically interesting - telling how a courageous woman raised her family through it all. An inspiring true story which should be read not only for inspiration and enjoyment, but can also be used as a reference book for those who want to know more about China during this period.

I was delighted to find this book. for years I have admired quilts made with 3-D flowers, but feared that they were too difficult of a challenge to take on. Burns and Knoechel have provided me with an easy-to-follow guide to constructing these flowers--and, yes, I have been able to actually make several of them (as samples) in a short time.

Besides the pattern for the main quilt, the book provides detailed instructions for two other projects and photos of others that provide inspiration to use the included patterns as a springboard for original applications of their designs. I found all of the instructions to be very thorough...and very easy to follow. The authors have kindly provided color photographs to "show" as well as "tell" through the applique process.

I would recommend this book to any quilter, from beginner to advanced, for its combination of technical instruction, quilt history and imagination stimulation.

I just returned from a weekend trip through the Hill Country and found this book indispensable. I have long been a resident of this region but learned about many hidden treasures in this area thanks to Eleanor Morris. I'm buying a second copy as a gift for my new neighbors!

A great read. Although Amazon's editorial review says it is "...the first Dalit autobiography to be published in English..." this is not quite true. "Viramma: Life of an Untouchable" was published in 1997. However both of these titles make compelling reading and I highly recommend them.

Prof. Prosser's historical research and insightful analysis of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" are simply marvelous. In her initial historical survey, Prosser succeeds in challenging and overturning many myths and misconceptions about Elizabethan revenge ethics that have caused "Hamlet" to be frequently misunderstood. After her historical review is complete, Prosser then provides an historically-based textual analysis of "Hamlet" which is even more remarkable.

While giving due respect to the theatrical nature of the original play, she interprets the text in a careful, scholarly fashion. In the end, her interpetation of the play is persuasive, comprehensive, and ultimately profound. If anyone wishes to truly understand "Hamlet" in the way that Shakespeare must have intended it (and the way in which Elizabethans must have understod it), "Hamlet and Revenge" is certainly the best book on the market. (Another good book with a similar historical survey is Fredson Bowers' "Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy")

Harry Callahan was the most influential and important figure in photography throughout the last half of the 20th century. This edition of his work shows chronologically how Callahan's approach to the medium evolved and changed, while his vision remained ever faithful to modernity. The book begins in Detroit, where Callahan worked for Chrysler while pursuing photography as a serious hobby. It was also during this time that he married Eleanor Knapp, who would later become the subject for many of his strongest images. The accompanying essay by Sarah Greenough is succinctly written, blending biographical information to the photographs Callahan took throughout his long, photographic journey (Callahan died in 1999). Callahan's outlook on photography changed dramatically after having met Ansel Adams, at a photography workshop in Detroit. Taking some of Adams' philosophy and refining it, Callahan created his own style of photographing/printing, made apparent by such images as 'Weeds in Snow' and 'Detroit, 1942'. In these images and throughout the rest of his life, Callahan easily turned the simplest subject matter into monumental works of photographic art. The book provides powerful examples of this, in both black & white and color. After leaving his job to pursue photography full time, Callahan moved to Chicago and taught at the Institute of Design. Continuing the experimentation he began in Detroit, Callahan worked and refined his style during his Chicago years, utilizing double exposure, collage, close-ups, and the use of positive and negative space. The book then turns to Callahan's New England period. It was during this time that Callahan taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, in Providence. The book captures this period vividly, with images of varying contrast and mood. Here we see Callahan's ability at adapting to his environment by producing increasingly poetic images of nature, as well as urban and suburban street scenes. In his later work from 1972-1992, the photographs in "Harry Callahan" document the photographer's travels in other countries, with an increased attention on color. It remains clear by the images shown in his later years, that Callahan continued to explore photography by constantly challenging himself and the medium. Where most photographers are known for one particular style or body of work (Cartier-Bresson's 'decisive moment' or Robert Frank's publication of The Americans), Callahan is known for many different styles and bodies of work. The photographs in "Harry Callahan" prove this with each turn of the page. Callahan was a photographic artist in the truest sense, if we choose to believe an artists' goal is not only to create but to constantly evolve. Callahan was, continues to be, and always will be an influence to those photographers who seek not only perfection in the creation of their photographic art, but also change.

To keep it short and simple, I think this book is a marvel for any anthropologist, archeologist, biologist, and student. It's an easy to use, very clear, and an amazing addition to any library for the serious student.

"Here lies our sovereign lord the king, whose word no man relies on, he never said a foolish thing, and never did a wise one"

That apt limerick (by one of King Charles' courtiers) provides the beginning to this third instalment of Jean Plaidy's Restoration and Charles II trilogy. In this book, Plaidy goes on to interweave the story of Nell Gwyn (one of Charles' favourite mistresses), and the King himself. The plot covers much of the (later) dramatic events that shaped Restoration England, from the bawdy houses to the playhouses, revealing King Charles II as a man dominated entirely by his love of peace (on the home front and abroad) and his fears for the succession after his death. Plaidy also shines the spotlight on Nell Gwyn, one of the most popular actresses of the Restoration era, and one of the king's favoured sleeping partners. She was beautiful, witty and a great actress, managing to learn her parts, despite not knowing how to read. This book gets into the heart of its characters, recreating events with a great deal of verve and imagination, and is certainly recommended for all lovers of historical fiction. And the Merry Monarch's response to the above riposte?. "The matter is easily resolved, my words are my own, the action's my ministry's."