Used price: $4.99
Buy one from zShops for: $6.02
Parkers mother had an accident and ended up in the hospital. There is where he met the beautiful Chi Addams. She was his mother's doctor.
Chi was the single mother of a son with sickle cell. Her mother was helping her with her son while she worked late. Chi didn't want to be attracted to Parker, but it was inevitable. Parker was persistent, sweet and very handsome.
There are a large number of African American with Sickle Cell traits or disease. I have friends that have lost love ones to the disease. My own grandfather had the trait.
I liked the way Chi decided to take control of her own life, instead of allowing her mother to run it. The way she handed her son's father who had been absent all the boy's young life.
Parker is also in the book Whispers in the Night. Which is a book about his sister Patricia. Good Job Ms. Love.
Used price: $197.62
Used price: $5.00
Collectible price: $14.00
Buy one from zShops for: $10.00
Used price: $1.75
Everything is in here: safety, compassion, how-to handle a horse and ride, along with why things are done the way they are. Presented in a fun & light-hearted way from the horse's point of view. Very understandable.
Even though the book was written in '66 it is superior to and far more practical than the tomes being written today that confuse an experienced horseperson, let alone a novice. Whether riding English (as illustrated) or Western this book tells what needs to be known.
I bought it for my 13 yo niece just starting with horses & have recommended it to adults who have spent years with horses.
Mason purchases Victoria's ranch from her brother, while in England. However, the ranch was not for her brother to sell, as it was left in a last minute will to Victoria. Nevertheless, Mason shows up with the right paperwork, and deed of sale - and the will Victoria has that her father made out before he died, hasn't been recorded until she brings it in to her lawyer's office. The will was witnessed by an employee at the ranch, and although it appears to be valid as well... Victoria and Mason must wait out the lawyer's research to find out who actually has the right to the property. Only both Victoria and Mason understand that possession is nine-tenths of the law, so Mason refuses to stay anywhere but the ranch until things are settled.
In the meantime, Mason brings his two sisters and three brothers to the ranch... which further upsets Victoria, watching her home be taken over by this big family. The family, determined to be together, and Victoria determined to be alone... all have some sacrifices to make.
It's a fun story to read, with these strangers being forced on each other... all trying to claim their legal property, but finding much more than a new home. That's not all to the story, like classic Garlock quality, the story is full of gunshot wounds, villians and outlaws, and danger lurking from all corners.
This makes for a literal cast of thousands. I was quite surprised to discover that horror and fantasy were a major part of the world's literary output from the very beginnings of popular literature. From Walpole, Maturin, and Shelley right through to Doyle, Machen, and Blackwood it was indeed a crowded stage. And Scarborough manages to present most of these efforts in a readable and well-organized fashion. Initially we are given a historical approach, but then the themes are taken up separately. Ghost stories, the demonic, the wandering Jew, rebirth, the afterlife, folk tales, and even 'scientific' monsters each get their turn in the sun.
As I've indicated Scarborough writes without any of the boring academic tone which often haunts this kind of material. This makes this volume an entertaining way to hunt down new reading material as well as a help in steering one's way through book stall accretions with a steady hand. Keep a pencil and a piece of paper handy while reading this book, you are bound to find things of interest.
My only regret is the lack of a bibliography. Scarborough is quite up front about this. In addition to the 3,000 or so titles that she drew upon for the book, there was an even larger additional number that she felt should be provided to the reader/researcher. There simply was no room at the inn. Unfortunately, to our loss, the bibliography promised as a second volume never materialized. There is, however, a good index, which will have to serve in it's stead.
Secondly, the author omits mention of most of the ghost story authors from that period who are still popular today, e.g. J. S. Le Fanu (first ghostly tale published in 1838) and M. R. James (first collection of stories published in 1904). She also leaves out most of Victorian ladies whose ghost stories are still in print today, e.g. Mary Elizabeth Braddon, E. Nesbit, and Mrs. Riddell.
I would classify this book as an overview of the literature of supernatural fantasy and horror (including a Byronic poem about a vampire). The ghost story as defined and brought to its peak by Victorian and Edwardian authors, receives only brief mention in the chapter, "Modern Ghosts."
Scarborough begins with the Gothic Romance, of which she says: "The mysterious twilights of medievalism invited eyes tired of the noonday glare of Augustan formalism. The natural had become familiar to monotony, hence men craved the supernatural. And so the Gothic novel came into being."
'Gothic' is used to designate the eighteenth-century, pseudo-medieval novel of horror. The author begins with Horace Walpole's, "The Castle of Otranto"--if you are at all fond of Regency romances, you are bound to run across a heroine who is reading Walpole's tale of mad monks and haunted castles, or Mrs. Radcliffe's horrific "Mysteries of Udolpho." These novels depicting "decaying castles with treacherous stairways leading to mysterious rooms, halls of black marble, and vaults whose great rusty keys groan in the locks"--plus a heroine who wanders through spider-webbed corridors at midnight--did not have much staying power. According to Scarborough, Jane Austin finally gave this genre the kiss of death when she satirized their gloomy, overwrought style in "Northanger Abbey," which remained unpublished until after her death in 1818. "The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction" describes many gothic romance peculiarities in detail, while having a certain amount of gentle fun with them.
A chapter on European supernatural literature is followed by the aforementioned chapter on "Modern Ghosts." The author makes much of the effect Poe, Balzac, Hoffmann and other Romantic supernaturalists had on the nineteenth century English and American ghost story. Balzac in particular exerted a strong influence over Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, English author of "The Haunters and the Haunted," and progenitor of that infamous opening sentence, "It was a dark and stormy night..." (yes, that Bulwer-Lytton). Other stories that the author selects for discussion depend more on the Romantic tradition of insanity, gruesome decline, and horrid death to spark them along, rather than a purely supernatural mechanism. (As a matter of fact, Scarborough even published a novel in which the heroine was driven mad by the wind.)
She also expends a great deal of print on Spiritualism (which was already on the decline when this book was written), and the mystical, folkloric pantheism of such writers as W.B. Yeats ("The Celtic Twilight") and Algernon Blackwood ("Ancient Sorceries").
Scarborough draws heavily upon Romanticism, Spiritualism, and folklore for her chapters on "The Devil and His Allies," "Supernatural Life (which contains an excellent exposition on the legend of the Wandering Jew)," and "The Supernatural in Folk-tales."
"Supernatural Science" is the only really dated chapter in this book, with its discussions of hypnotism, the Fourth Dimension, uncanny chemistry, and students who exchange eyeballs. Even here, the author provides interesting commentary on A. Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Arthur Machen (whom she despises), and Ambrose Bierce, among other authors who were popular at the beginning of the twentieth century (and still are).
"The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction" should appeal to anyone who is interested in the evolution of fantasy and horror literature. Try "Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story from Le Fanu to Blackwood" by Jack Sullivan or "Night Visitors: The Rise and Fall of the English Ghost Story" by Julia Briggs if your interest is more focused on literature that is entirely devoted to ghosts.
A must have for the speculative fiction lover, this book covers every genre from the early gothic to the ghost stories of the 20th century. First published in 1917, Dorothy Scarbouough covers it all, the madness and the horror of the 18oo's.
I'm glad I discovered this book, it will remain a favorite for years to come.
List price: $15.00 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $4.95
Buy one from zShops for: $5.95
The Elaine Stritch readings of seven of these stories are also tremendously entertaining and worthy of separate purchase. The delight of sitting in a darkened room, listening to a master actress reading Mrs. Parker, sipping from a tumbler of whiskey, must be experienced to be believed.
To these I can now add Dorothy Parker--whom I discovered only last month after enjoying the above social-critics for decades. A sharp-tongued journalist, Parker wrote in New York City in the 1920's through the 1950's. She's a key addition to the "fruit salad" of these writers--call her a lime, perhaps--small, tart, acid but somehow quenching our thirst for the truth however tangy?
Parker precisely pinpoints interpersonal shipwrecks. Marriage is--what happens. Often it's like this:
In "New York to Detroit," on the telephone, a man mechanically shoves a desperate woman out of his life. The bad connection aids his "misunderstandings" of her frantic pleas.
In "Here We Are," a just-married couple travel by train to their New York City honeymoon hotel. But we see already the stress-fractures of immature overreactions, and how out of them starts to ooze the lava of hatred which will surely melt down (or burn out) the marriage soon.
In "Too Bad," women are perplexed, even astonished, that the Weldons separated. Such an ideal couple! Except Parker eavesdrops us into the couple's typical evening at home. Its genteel vacancy, polite non-communication, and quiet distancing tell the tale.
Is Parker too crude a caricaturist? Heavy on the satire, too bitter personally? True, her women seem simplified: helplessly-hysterical, nice-nice faceless patseys or creampuffs, captives of bland routines--and of men. Her men similarly seem generic males-of-the-species, "blunt bluff hearty and...meaningless," conventionally-whiskered and all, chauvinistically-insensitive if not cruel. Okay... But if it's overdone, why do I feel I have known and seen these people, or traces of them, often, and not in New York of the 1920's-1950's either?
List price: $18.50 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $6.05
Buy one from zShops for: $9.99
In the hard times of the frontier era, what would happen to two women and a little girl that are abandoned in a town, when all the treasure-seeking gold miners desert in search of more riches? With only a small derringer, how can the women protect themselves? They won't be able to stay in the abandoned town forever, and they are sure to face problems trying to get to another town.
When the mysterious bearded stranger comes into the abandoned town, along with his dog, the girls are not sure what to think of him at first. The stranger, Rowe, bought the town, with plans to bring it back to life... and a mysterious connection with Katy, knocks him off his feet.
When some drifters come into town, and Rowe witnesses them murder one of their riders, it's up to him to protect the women. From this moment on, Ms. Garlock creates one hurdle after another for these characters, and they get closer and closer as they overcome each and every one of them.
If you read Ms. Garlock's story, Midnight Blue, then you'll be pleased to read about the appearance of Pack and Mara Shannon Gallagher, and get an update on their lives. Also from Midnight Blue, is a short appearance of Mara Shannon's villain cousin, Cullen McCall. Nevertheless, if you haven't read Midnight Blue, you won't be missing anything, as Ms. Garlock provided everything you needed to know about these people, for the short appearance they made in this book.
The story follows Rowe's (sometimes hilarious) attempts to court Katy. As in all great Garlock books, there are several interesting side stories, including one involving Katy's sister and niece. Definitly recommended!
When Dr. Chinzea (Chi) walks into Parker Ryan's mom's hospital room, she has no idea she is about to come face to face with her deepest desires. Parker is sitting by his ill mother and frankly says: "If I had known the doctors here were this attractive, I would have gotten here earlier."
Immediately, you are drawn into this love story as the chemistry between Parker and Chi heats up. Parker is a thoughtful son. He returns to check on his mother quite often, and make sure she is well taken care of. His mother, Harriett, is healing physically as her son heals emotionally. Only a year before he lost the love of his life and now he was feeling mildly guilty for his uncontrollable attraction to Chi.
Dr. Chinzea's cool, calm exterior is only betrayed by how distracted she becomes emotionally when Parker is near. Parker sees a beauty in Chi and is determined that no one will take this woman away from him. His obvious pursuit unnerves this work first, play later doctor. Her feelings leave her confused as she tries to escape from the emotional aspects of her job.
Parker's smooth moves, his love of Jazz and his enticing smile just adds to his charm. On a deeper level, Parker and Chi need each other emotionally. While the story focuses on Parker and Chi, we also learn of Chi's son who has sickle cell anemia. She refuses to give up on her son, but almost gives up on her own dreams.
Dorothy Elizabeth Love's writing is enticing. She portrays Parker as a bad boy who also has a very human loveable side. She uses evocative descriptive language, throws in an unexpected turn in the plot, makes the characters extremely likeable and creates a connection between the reader and characters.
The character development is only surpassed by Dorothy's descriptive writing. It will take hold of you and not let go until the last pleasurable page. The story seems to end on page 299, then Dorothy is sweet and includes an epilogue.
I was amazed at the fluidity of her writing. This is only her second novel. "Whispers in the Night" preceded this work and a romantic suspense called "You're Mine" is due out in 2001. She spent time in London and Paris researching You're Mine. While walking on the shores of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dorothy had glimpses of "Unforgettable" which will be her fourth and possibly best romantic classic. She not only holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in International Business, she loves traveling to the Caribbean Islands to dive. Somehow, she finds the time to write!
Perhaps Dorothy's inspiration for her writing springs from a core belief that love can conquer just about all. She shows a great passion for her writing and the true essence of life surrounds her work. Her writing is just delicious!
I also admire Dorothy Elizabeth Love for giving of herself through her writing. A portion of the proceeds from this book will go to support the fight against sickle cell anemia. As long as Dorothy continues to write romance novels, they will be flying off the shelves! The cover on this book is a beautiful purple iris design and the models look just like you would imagine Chi and Parker to look like.