I read Molla's stories in English not being fortunate to know enough Persian. I hope they translate more of these stories to English, because just mentioning Molla's name brings smile to the people who know him.

In the present times, in the US we have Woody Allen, and in the East the impaccable Aziz Nassin of Turkey whose very name make you smile.

Molla's Character is popular in the Middle East as well as the Indian subcontinent, the same way as another Persian storyteller, Scheherazade is. Molla, in the Persian culture is title for the learned men or teachers. When people saw someone with beard and turban, they already assumed he is a molla so they would throw their questions.

For instance, Once Molla was hammering the nail at the end of his donkey's bridle, as he was going to a teahouse. Someone asked him: "Molla, where is the center of the world." Molla said," The center of the world is where I just hammered the nail to my donkey's bridle." Someone said, " I don't believe this." Molla took a sip of his tea and said, " If you don't believe it, go measure it."

In the forties and fifties Molla became popular among British. Some English speakers, in the hight of tension, during Nationalization of Oil, used to quote Molla when they wanted to break the ice with their Persian counterparts.

The funny stories did not solve the problem, but opened the door for many translations in English, Franch, German and many other languages. I have seen the book translated in Arabic, Turkish, Ordu and Hindu. In each of these countries they have, in years, added more stories to the old ones, giving the character a native identity. I am sure the Arabic Molla has some particular stories and the Turkish one some other. Molla now belongs to every country in Asia, as Sheharazade does.

This book is, however, in Persian. As the English version was a lot of fun for me to read, I'm sure Persians, who have a great sense of humor, will find this book much funnier than the English translation. Enjoy it.--Khandeh dareh!

It's not the point that Hoca is a character of Turkey nor Iran. Hoca is one of the wisest man of all times. He makes us remember things everyone else has forgotten for ever and always. His sayings -jokes- guide us to the objective and practical knowledge of All.

Nasreddin Hoca is not an Iranian character!!!! He had lived in Aksehir,which is a small city in Anatolia(Turkey).I am a very surprised to see that an Iranian writer try to show Nasreddin Hoca as an Iranian character.Let's not forget that 2 or 3 years ago it was celebrated as the Nasreddin Hoca year in Turkey!

This book is a favorite in my house and now I have my own "Char Siu Bao Boy"-- my youngest son. We love Sandra Yamate's story about Henry's love of the little steamed pork buns and his attempt to try foods the other kids like. It teaches a wonderful lesson about trying other foods. I read this to my son's kindergarten class and brought some char siu bao for the children to try. Now we have a few more fans of this tasty dim sum treat in Northern Virginia.

I ordered this in December for my niece and just recently placed an order for myself after my sister in law told me that they loved it! One of the aunties had given my sister in law a char siu bao that day and she put it into the fridge thinking "No one's gonna eat this!" But then they read the book to my niece and she instantly wanted to eat a char siu bao! Luckily they had one on hand! She loved the char siu bao and the book! I had sent her a collection of books from amazon all chinese children's books and I'm eternally grateful that my niece now has a newfound grasp of her heritage! If you are asian american or have adopted an asian child- please get these books while they're still in print! I'm terrified that i won't get a copy of this to read to my future children!

I was so glad to see this book back in print. I love it. It has the best message (about sharing one's culture). My kids had the first edition when they were little and it was their favorite story. My son took it to school and his teacher still asks to borrow it to read to her class every year.

This is a great book. I loved Kali O'Brien and found the secondary characters, including the angry, closed-mouth man she's defending, fascinating. There is some courtroom stuff, but not a lot. The plot twists are unexpected and clever, yet entirely believable. I read the first book in the series, Shadow of Doubt, and liked it as well. Can't wait for the next one.

I enjoyed this book so much that I e-mailed the author (her address is in the back of the book) and she responded with a very nice note. I thought this was much better than Sue Grafton's latest. She has good characterizations and the story really holds your attention. If you like Karen Kijewski (sp?) or Sue Grafton, try Jonnie Jacobs! Can't wait until the next in this series!

This is the second in a series, and even better than the first (which was excellent.) Kali O'Brien in a complex, but likable, character. The story captured my interest from the beginning and moved swiftly toward a surprising conclusion. Wes Harding is accused of murdering a woman and her five-year-old daughter. He's the town trouble-maker and someone Kali knew when she was in high school. He's unwilling to cooperate in his own defense and is clearly hiding something. The unfolding of Wes's story is as interesting as the solution to the murder. I found all of the characters (including the minor ones) well-drawn, interesting and believable. This is a first rate legal mystery.

This book should be considered a combination of art/animation history,as well as a bible for Felix fans!

Canemaker takes the reader through the amazing roller coaster ride that is the career of Felix the Cat. From the shady past of producer Pat Sullivan, to the brilliant career of Otto Messmer, this is a great read. Complete with rarely seen Felix memorabilia, this book has it all. It is just too bad that there aren't more books like Canemaker's out there for the dyed-in-the-wool fan. Pick it up!

John Canemaker has the rare gift of bringing the human side of great animation to life. He is at the top of his form in this book, which follows the story of Felix the Cat from his creation by Otto Messmer through the present day. Very highly recommended for anyone interested in Animation in any form whatsoever.

I've read a lot of Chesterton in the last year or so, and I guess I have mixed feelings about his work in general and this book in particular. Chesterton provides extraordinarily beautiful word pictures. I feel like taking a trip to England just to see if the real English sky can match a fraction of the descriptions Chesterton gives it. (Smog abatement measures may have made a fair comparison impossible.) Chesterton's love of paradox can be fun, but it may be best to take it in small doses for optimal enjoyment. The Father Brown stories are short enough that the character development suffers in comparison with G.K.'s novels; on the other hand, these stories benefit from omission of some of the more bizarre flights of fancy found in his longer works.

Now for the footnotes. I've been reading Martin Gardner for a long time. As a young boy, I spent many hours in the local library reading and enjoying his columns in archived copies of Scientific American. I must say that I find his footnotes in this book somewhat obtrusive. They seem to give away too much of the plot too early, and are probably, therefore, best for a second reading of the text. Gardner has deep philosophical differences with Chesterton, and although he does a fairly good job of restraining himself, there are occasions when he apparently can't resist giving us his two cents. I found that a little annoying. The footnotes in the Ignatius edition of _The Man Who Knew to Much_ are an example of what I would have preferred in this book.

The Father Brown stories are a bit fantastic and improbable, but that is true of Sherlock Holmes too. For the reader unfamiliar with G. K. Chesterton's creation, this quiet, somewhat shy priest will be a surprise.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are so familiar that today's readers sometimes need to remind themselves that these two friends are indeed fictional characters. For many it may be difficult to imagine, much less accept, that other private detectives were also at work unraveling crimes in the fictional realm of Sherlock Holmes.

Father Brown coexisted in London with Holmes (during Sherlock's later years), but it is not obvious that they ever collaborated. While both exhibited a unique genius, their cases and their methods were indeed different. The solutions to Father Brown's mysteries are often improbable, but logically consistent, and usually have a metaphysical or moral aspect. Father Brown is not a sheltered cleric unaware of sin and evil, but just the reverse. He is able to place himself in the mind of the perpetrator, thereby seeing solutions that the reader fails to notice. Like Holmes, he is often more interested in understanding and solving a mystery, rather than meting out human justice.

Matin Gardner's extended footnotes clarify references that otherwise might be obscure today such as Edwardian manners, outdated technology, London landmarks, literary references, etc. The footnotes are not essential, but I found Gardner's annotation useful and entertaining.

The five Father Brown collections (53 stories in all) begin with these 12 stories,"The Innocence of Father Brown". Father Brown won't displace Sherlock Holmees, but you will not regret getting to know this clever contemporary of Sherlock Holmes.

"The Innocence of Father Brown" is the first book of G.K. Chesterton's ingenious, thoughtful and lyrically written mystery short stories featuring the unassuming little priest who solves crimes by imagining himself inside the mind and soul of the criminal and understanding his motives. The stories are full of paradox, spiritual insight, and "Chestertonian fantasy," or seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

This particular edition is enhanced by Martin Gardner's extensive notes, which are both entertaining and illuminating. He points out that it's worthwhile to take your time in reading GKC's stories so you can savor their many arresting, beautifully worded sentences. And by reading too fast, you might also miss out on some very subtle puns (there's one in the story "The Secret Garden" that would have gone right past me had not Mr. Gardner pointed it out!).

At the end, you'll find an index of annotations, plus a comprehensive Father Brown bibliography compiled by Chesterton expert John Peterson. If you enjoy this book, you'll probably also like "The Annotated Thursday," Gardner's edition of GKC's "The Man Who Was Thursday."

Great book, I use it all the time. I've used ever reciepe at least twice. I was just disappointed because a friend of mine has a cookbook she order from the movie that has a shrimp dip w/spinach in it. I bought the movie but I didn't have an order form in my video cassette box. But if you like shrimp every way you can think of then this is the book for you.

I bought this book for my Dad after we had a terrific experience at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant in Charleston, SC. My Dad is very ill and on oxygen, but the trip to the restaurant really perked him up. He loved the dish he had there, and the chef was kind enough to come out of the kitchen and tell Dad how to cook it! Although the book doesn't have that specific recipe, it has dozens of others just as good.

We found this book at our local library and our teenage son immediately "locked on" to it. He loves Bubba Gump as well as the recipes in this book. He has taken such an interest in it that he has learned to cook from it. His favorite recipi is "Bubba's Beer-Batter Shrimp." He prepares it in a fondue pot and our entire family reaps the benifits. My husband and I prefer the "Shrimp and Feta Vermicelli." It adds a little adventure to cooking with shrimp. The variety of recipes in the book make it a "sure thing" for shrimp lovers.

I read lots of mysteries, but enjoy the English village murder mysteries the best. This is a welcome addition of the American variety. I also liked this book because the heroine didn't do something stupid that put her in harm's way. It was well written and very enjoyable. I have now ordered her other mysteries.

Martin writes with a true feel both for place and for mystery. Her knowledge of the Big Bend area of West Texas is reflected in the accuracy with which she captures the people and lifeways of this interesting borderland. Her tale of the healing woman is both intriguing and resolved with a grimly appropriate resolution. This book will whet your appetite for those that have followed.

I finished reading, THE DEATH OF A HEALING WOMAN, when I went on a fishing trip. The fish had to wait until the authoress solved the mystery. Once in awhile, I still go back and look for a clue that led up to the gruesome murder. When the one who did the killing was caught I almost cheered at the justice of this person's demise. I won't say when you read this novel, I'm saying you must read this novel 'cause it is being reveiwed by the big reviewers. What I would like for you to do is E-mail who sent the article out of a newspaper in the last chapter. I've other things to do than go back and figure this out! THE BEST MYSTERY NOVEL I'VE READ SINCE SHERLOCK HOLMES! LUTHER BUTLE

Delilah West is a PI in Santa Ana, California. She's single but involved with Erik Lundstrom, a rich, sexy man who wants her to get to know Nicky, his teenage daughter better. They take an instant dislike to each other but are forced into a lunch date.

On the way to the restaurant, Nicky and Delilah are kidnapped and they have to learn how to trust each other and work together to survive. Delilah is eventually let free but Nicky is held for ransom. Delilah knows that Nicky was left with neough food for only a few more days.

The second part of the book is about her struggle to figure out who has kidnapped Nicky and why so she can be rescued.

Delilah is a very likable character. She is honest about her shortcomings and has a sense of humor. But she is also able to be tough when she has to be and to accept the consequences.

There is very good character development between Delilah, Nicky and Erik. It has a twist at the end which makes you wish there was at least one more chapter.

This is the 6th in the series and there definitely will be a 7th.

This book is one of the best. A real page turner. Impossible to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don't usually read P.I. mysteries. Plot driver, centered in Orange County, California, it is superb! Don't miss this one!

"Down for the Count" is fast-paced and exciting, the kind of book that you literally won't want to put down. Delilah seems so real that you will feel as though you are experiencing her misadventures right along with her.

The book is wonderfully plotted and filled with interesting (and, in some cases,menacing)supporting characters. Men and women will enjoy this book!

I encourage readers to look for the other books in the Delilah West series, as well as the two books about Anne Menlo.

I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, and almost gave up on it. Instead I kept at it, and once I was past the first couple of chapters or so I found that I began to enjoy the story. I became interested enough in the characters to want to know what was going to happen to them. And interested enough to want to follow the story to see where it was going. I didn't, perhaps, enjoy it quite as much as some of the Tony Hillerman books, but the series does have some very positive possibilities.

You can't go wrong with any of the Margaret Coel books. They are enjoyable to read and you can hardly believe when you've come to the end that it came so quickly. Fortunately, you can buy them all and continue to the next one in the series. These people become as real to you as your own friends. Don't stop at one - get them all.

An unlikely couple of sleuths team up in this mystery to uncover murder and theft. Father John O'Malley, a Jesuit priest at the Wind River Indian Reservation, gets "his nose into other people's business" and so begins a caper that already has three sequels. His alter-ego help comes from Vicky, the Arapaho Lawyer, surnamed Woman Alone. Their disparent skills become all that is needed in finding out the murderer and the one responsible for the great land theft against the Arapaho Nation.

But what makes this unusual novel so likeable is its rich respect for two faiths and cultures: the Native-Americans and the Jesuit priests. Coel provides a synthesis of faith in the midst of an entertaining mystery and that is talent. And it makes the reading of the tale a multi-level experience of pleasure.

Charles Willeford has definitely improved with age. His earlier works were a mixed bag. Competent, but no humour. However since the 1980s Willeford has developed a sense of humour which matches his ability to crank out good crime stories, complete with memorable characters. 'Sideswipe' carries on in this tradition.

In 'Sideswipe' with have a violent ex-con, a disfigured ex-stripper, a retiree who just lost his wife, and a talentless artist caught up in some shenanigans. Solving the caper is Hoke Moseley, our quirky cop from the novel 'Miami Blues'. Actually most of 'Sideswipe' concentrates on Hoke and his odd family whereas the crime story itself is a relatively minor element to the book. But overall it works well. The overall effect is funny without being stupid.

Bottom line: competent and fun.

This is it, the classic Florida crime novel. Hoke Moseley's no Travis McGee. In fact Hoke's a LOT like a real person. And poor Stanley, what a great character. This stuff is TRUE Florida, this is precisely what things are like here. Willeford's slow style is just to be enjoyed, he has so much compassion for these incredibly flawed people. One of the top ten ever Florida crime novels.

If you're wondering whether or not it is necessary to've read the first two Hoke Mosley books to appreciate Sideswipe...the answer is a resounding NO. This was my first Hoke book & I absolutely loved it. Willeford had an amazing gift. I never found myself wondering where the story was going. It didn't matter...his storytelling abilities are that good. If the book ever seems slow, it is because Willeford actually takes the time to let you become familiar with the characters. Sideswipe is, on occasion, ugly, but it is more often hilarious. Willeford has a way of making his heroes flawed enough to make them believable. I will read the other Hoke Mosley books, without trepidation, because of what I found in Sideswipe. The quirks of Hoke, Troy, Stanley & the other characters steal the show from the actual mystery. It's almost as if the criminal events were created as a stage to showcase these bizarre characters. The strength of Willeford lies not in the story itself, but more often in the telling of that story. I don't like to give away anything in my reviews, just enjoy a wonderful book.