The Mysterious Dissapearence Of Leon (I Mean Noel) Was one of the best books I've ever read. It wasn't really short, but I read it all in one day, it is very grabbing. I loved everything from crazy charachters like Mrs. Carillon and Leon (I mean Noel) to funny interpretations of the glub-blubs. I read it again the next day, and it was even funnier reading them because I knew what the answer was. I loved following the travels or Mrs. Carillon of Mrs. Carillon's Pomato Soup fame and her adopted twins Tony and Tina. I loved Tina's ambition to be a doctor, and I also liked finding out what happened to the charachters in the end without having to read the events until then. This book didn't quite replace The Westing Game as my favorite book, but if you liked The Westing Game, you should definitly read this book. Ellen Raskin doesn't get a whole lot of attention for anything but The Westing Game, but her other books are just as good, if not better. Hold your horses and read this book!

Without the illustrations, this book wouldn't be half as good as it is. It is quite amazing how the illustrator incorporated aspects of the plot for quite a visual display of word play. This is a mystery novel, however not one you can really solve on your own. You figure it out along with the main character, Mrs. Carillon. She is searching for the love of her life, who disappeared off the side of a boat and sputtered some unintelligable words which she then tries to figure out in the coming decades, as she knows those words are the clues to his disappearance. Along the way, she meets wonderful characters, including a pair of fraternal twins whom she sort of adopts. When I first read this book, probably around the age of 12, I couldn't believe what I was reading. It just charmed me and I fell in love with it. I already knew of Raskin through her other children's books, but this is quite different (I again think it is the illustrations). It is sort of a psychedelic detective book for kids. Psychedelic in the illustrations and oddness. But it's just sososososooo good. Well worth the $5 here at amazon.com, and even more. You will cherish it!

I've been an avid reader since childhood, and this book was one of my favorites during my pre-adolescent years (late 70s). I've always thought of it as kind of an obscure book, so I was shocked when I stumbled across it on a list of favorite children's books. The kudos are well-deserved, though: as others have said, this is a wonderful, unique mystery story. As you read the book, various clues are provided to help you solve the mystery of Leon's (I mean Noel!) disappearance; two twins, a boy and a girl, work to solve the mystery along with you. I re-read the book many times, and it was just as enjoyable even after I knew the answer to the mystery (which I had NOT been able to figure out on my own!). A great, timeless read for girls and boys alike.

Pauline, Petrova, and Posy are adopted by an absent older man and brought up lovingly by his niece and her former nanny in pre-war England. The girls attend a performing arts school, and the story tells about their successes and failures both on- and offstage. As they try on ballet shoes, literally and metaphorically, the girls deal with fears, ego, talent, persistence, opportunity, competition, ambition, respect, and being poor among well-off peers. Eventually each girl finds her own right path. Ballet Shoes was the best-loved book of my book-loving childhood, because I too was dance-crazy; because the three sisters were so different and so loyal; because so many kind adults helped them; because the "Britishisms" were so fun to read and learn; and because Noel Streatfeild's writing is good and plain, her characters are clear, and her plots are honest. Through this book, I learned that performing is work and joy; that everyone's different selves and lives deserve respect; and that independent women, and girls whose dreams are for themselves rather than Prince Charming, have good lives. This book may be especially good for poor children, for children with stars in their eyes, or for children growing up without blood relatives. Ballet Shoes helped me build an unshakable optimism, and I recommend it unreservedly.

As many before me have alreay stated, Streatfield's books were introduced me through my favorite movie, "You've Got Mail". When I was wandering through the library, looking for another book, I saw the name Streatfield. Having seen the movie so many times, I suddenly remembered that, in the movie, Meg Ryan loved these books. I never did find the other book, But Ballet Shoes was well worth it. I love it and I think that anyone who has children, or is young at heart, should read these books. I love them, and I hope to have the entire set soon.

Ballet shoes -- and all of Noel Streatfield's "shoes" stories -- were by far my favorite books as a child. My copy of Ballet Shoes is nearly worn out from being read so many times. The mix of fantasy and reality is perfect -- it sparks a child's imagination of what could, just maybe, happen to her. Interestingly, the "shoes" series was given a bit of publicity in the recent flick "You've Got Mail;" perhaps one of the movie's writers was a fan of Streatfield as well? In any case, I'd recommend this book to any child . . . and any adult wishing to relive childhood through the eyes of three orphaned -- but very lucky -- British children.

I think that the initially childish letters to a dead movie star are an effective device of documenting a childhood of traumatic dislocation and overwhelming longings. (The cultural logic of why it is better to write down prayers to the dead with whom one has a personal relationship than to a busy God who treats everyone even-handedly is spelled out early in the book). Each chapter begins with one of the letters, though most of the novel is recollections of the times at which the letters were written, and, therefore, not in the childish present tense voice of the letters to a dead movie star from Bong Bong, a boy whose parents were disappeared when he was eight.

Alumit creates a number of vivid characters, including Aunt Yuma, Dr. Chapman, Amanda and Bong/Bob's visions of J and of Montgomery Clift. Although there are a lot of issues (torture of political prisoners, complicity with dictators' money-laundering, exile, sexualities), the book does not seem didactic in the least. Bong Bong has or develops some of the compassion for others, including those responsible for his own sufferings, of "Miss Lonelyhearts."

A Hollywood ending of sorts seems appropriate for someone who disappears so far into a Hollywood hallucination (and who grows up and lives in LA). This accomplised first novel is heartbreaking enough without destruction of all hope.

Noel Alumit's novel about a young, gay Filipino boy's coming of age in Los Angeles, is an amazing odyssey into the mind of a child of the "Disappeared". It has been a while since a book made me laugh, cry, and identify the way this book did. Once I began it, it was hard to put down; I was hooked. The characters were deftly drawn, totally recognizable and real. I really cared about them. Bong Bong's search for his parents, his sexuality, his sanity and his hero, Montgomery Clift, takes the reader right along with him, into madness and out again. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.

Noel Alumit. Watch that name. LETTERS TO MONTGOMERY CLIFT is his first novel and a "wonder-full" debut it is. The story of a child (Bong/Bob) displaced from the horrors of Marcos' rule in the Philippines to Los Angeles and his subsequent journey through varying foster homes to recover his estranged parents is neatly and cleverly tied together with his self ruminations in the form of letters to his hero of movies, of heart and of love - Montgomery Clift. This technique could be banal in the hands of writers not as sensitive as Alumit, but in his hands these short notes serve as a means to delineate a child's fantasy world, a map of longing that accompanies his coming of age, a means to relate to a world gone mad and taking him with it.

Alumit wins us over by beginning this short, immensely readable novel in a light tone, creating the idea that we are embarkng on a comic, youthful fantasia. Once the characters are introduced in a way that they become photographically real, the book takes a turn toward the meat of the story. Characters enter (much as movie extras....), evolve, and find an indelible role in Bong/Bob's saga. Through these diverse people Bong begins to understand the world, to cope with his changing place, to discover his unique identity. What begins as a light tale becomes a discovery of the cruelty inherent in both the home and the world at war. Alumit succeeds to bringing his odyssey to a quasi-Hollywood finish which fits so well with the use of Montgomery Clift as his alter ego.

This is a first novel and shows passages and choices that will mature with further writing. But this is a superb little book that will hold you between its covers until you finish this profound and simple tale. Highly recommended.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk was one of the first works of literature rather than fiction that I read by my own will, and for that I am very thankful. When I saw 500 pages of small print, I wasn't looking forward to it, but once I got started, I found myself completely immersed. The story is a classic coming of age tale- Willie Keith's maturing is very interesting, and the characters have a lot of personality. You loath queeg, laugh at the funny stuff, and just cant help liking the seamen. And the story is full of high action and drama. You can't put it down! This book is perfect for teens up.

At first glance, the Caine Mutiny seems to be just another boring war novel. However, once you begin to read this capturing novel you find that this assumption could not be farther from the truth. This is the story of Willie Keith and his life in the navy. But the book grabs the reader and introduces them to Willie Keith, the person. At the beginning of the novel, Willie is selfish and naive. He is greatly spoiled by his mother and is unsure of his relationship with a young woman named May. But as the book goes on you learn a lot about his life. You watch this boy who is blind to the real world being transformed into a man who goes off to war. He soon learns that his mother can no longer look out for him and he that he will be treated just like everyone else. He faces many hard times but pulls throught. This is because he wants to prove to everyone else that he can do it, no matter what anyone else says. As the story goes on he matures and learns responsibility. The author's style captures the reader and you soon find yourself wraped up in the lives of the characters. This helps you to get more "into" the book and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down. Overall, this book was well written. The characters are believable and you soon find yourself sympathizing with them. This is one of the better novels I have read in a long time

The Caine Mutiny is the best military fiction that I have ever read. It is well-written and engaging. The characters and situations rang true to me as a former naval officer even though I served more than 50 years after the story was set.
I also recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about the leadership. It contains everything good and everything bad about leadership, and the lessons that Willie Keith learned aboard the Caine apply in or out of the military.
Overall, The Caine Mutiny is a great story that does not require an interest in the navy or military to enjoy or appreciate.

On Nantucket Island something dark and all together dead has started killing, horribly mangling bodies and playing head games with those who find the remains. Detective Tim Brooks has the unfortunate luck to witness for himself the fear on the first victim's face. Something more terrible than he can imagine is walking the island and the planes of exisistence that lie between. The detective was a rational man until he started hearing and seeing ghosts.

I liked this book, the first I've read by Mr. Hynd. The story was good, although a little slow at first. After 60 pages I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The characters were likeable, the action intense and scary. The evil ghost was pretty darn vicious even if it was a little overexplained. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give Ghosts an 8 for being scary, fast, absorbing, and for the twist at the end. Points off for not having enough blood and real terror. The resolution didn't set well either. However, as a whole the book was enjoyable, which is the point after all. I will be reading more of Mr. Hynd in the future. Check it out.

Five stars are not enough to rate this book! It is more like an 11 out of five stars! One of the few horror stories that does not rely on blood and guts to scare you and was truly one of the best books I have ever read. Noel Hynd is a master at his craft in this novel. He tells the story from a pessimist perspective witch makes the book more believable. Forget wandering your home in the dark anymore, after reading this book I could not sleep with out a light on somewhere for at least a week! and what was that creek in the corner was it just the house settling or was it something more....

The BEST and SCARIEST GHOST STORY I have ever read! I read this book once a year and I still get scared by it. I remember the first time I read it in 1992, I was alone in the house and even though it was daytime I got spooked by my own house sounds. If you find a copy of this book and you enjoy ghost stories, don't hesitate to buy it. Over the years I have lent it out two or three times,always insisting I get it back promptly. My copy is worn, but much loved. It's about that time of year for me, so I think I'll just take it out for another great read. Since this book I have been disapointed by Mr. Hynd's other ghost stories. I felt they have never quite risen to the scary heights of Ghosts. I wish he would write a sequel. Take my advise, buy it if you find it and don't read it when you are home alone at night!

John Fielder is one of America's greatest living photographers, and he brings his love of the Colorado wilderness to this book. His re-shoots of Jacksons 19th century photographs are both beautiful and thought-provoking.... the photographs make it worthwhile.

On the other hand, the text is a different story. Reading a text-only version of this book, one might conclude that the title is a misprint, and that the book should really be called "Colorado 1970 - 2000." Fielder roamed across Colorado capturing the changes in places like Kremmling, Denver, and Ouray, but the text never tells us anything about these places, or why they changed, or why we should care. Instead we get chapters about oil shale and the Forest Service.

Ahem. If I wanted to read about the relationship between Forest Service bureaucrats and small Western towns, I would have bought a book called "The Relationship Between the Forest Service and Small Western Towns." My book is called "Colorado 1870 - 2000." That is what I want to read about.

It's true that oil shale schemes, government agencies, and others have played a role in shaping Colorado in the past 30 years. But before that there were events like the Silver Crash of 1893, the City Beautiful movement, the Depression, World War II, and Urban Renewal. You won't read about those in this book.

The pictures are beautiful, and the text is well-written (if misplaced and unwanted). Just don't expect to learn much about the places you are looking at- except that they are very pretty.

This book is one of the most spectacular that I have seen. John Fielder has catpured Colorado's true beauty in his photos. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially people who have never been to Colorado. I'm from colorado myself, and I never knew that Colorado had such beauty tucked away. The difference in the age span of the pictures truely amazing. Some places have changed so much, but some are left untouched...still pure.

John Fielder has recreated photographs of Colorado that were taken 100 years ago by William Henry Jackson. It's fun to see the changes that have taken place over time. Some change is good, some bad. Fielder even went to the trouble of making sure that the same or similar items, such as trains, automobiles, even people, were in the images that he captured. It's an expensive book, but it's worth the money in my opinion.

This is an excellent book on death, grief and loss. Sooner or later death will touch everyone's life. We may not all react the same but most will experience the stages of loss and grief from denial to acceptance. It can be a long often agonizing and lonely road to recovery. Sadly the impact of loss and death can leave many with a loss of their own will to live.

This book does an excellent job of addressing a topic that most people choose not to address until they are directly confronted. I am an author of a children's book on death/loss/grief titled "ANGEL STACEY" and I personally know the impact on the loss of a spouse and raising young children who have lost a parent. This book is for the adult who struggles with their own feelings of loss and often has other family members to consider and to console.

Grief has a tendency to creep up in the odd hours of the day and the night and can be overwhelming to those experiencing loss. To have a title, a book that you can reach out and grab at any hour offers comfort. I wish this title had been available sooner as it often was a book that comforted and calmed me most during my own deep dark hours of despair.

Written from knowledge and from a place of understanding and guidance is sure to make this book a winner and a timeless treasure for anyone who has known a deep loss. It cannot take the pain and hurt away but it will help in the knowlege that those feelings are normal. Also that others have experienced the same and made it back to a seemingly normal existence. Death changes lives and changes people forever, many will grow and change for the better. I was never so humble and in essence never so pure and so good as I was immediately following the loss of my first husband and later the loss of my oldest daughter. It was only later with the anger and ultimately acceptance that I found myself once again on level ground. Death or loss can uproot your entire existence. This book is excellent and necessary.

"The book contains information on surviving, coping and healing after the sudden death of a loved one. The authors explain how the emotional and physical effects of losing someone differ according to gender, age and relationship to the deceased. They identify and explain the various mechanisms for coping within each category of loss. The book also lists information required for the memorial service, the eulogy, calls that should be made as well as information on support groups. I truly believe each household should have at least one copy of this book! It's a good source for advising grieving friends and acquaintances even if you don't personally need it. Mine copy is on loan to an office colleague who lost his father."

From Sam Hurst's monthly newsletter "Sam's Chatter for Poets Anonymous Ears." Sam Hurst, Lyricist/poet/author

I lost my father to a sudden heart attack. It is difficult to deal with any sudden loss and this book is helpful to understanding grief and loss. Since we all experience different situations and losses how we interpret the book and what helps us might vary. I would say this is a good book for anyone who lost a loved one to sudden death. For some reason it is helpful to read stories from someone who has gone through a similar pain.
I would also recommend Healing Stories of Grief and Faith, From Denial and Despair to Comfort and Peace.

While I must commend the author on her exhaustive and splended research, I came away from "Appetite For Life" more disappointed than pleased. Something is missing here. We have the facts, laid out in paragraph after paragraph replete with parentheses. But where is the spirit, the elan, the brio that is Julia Child? Where is the sensual, sexy soul of the man who cherished this gawky, coltish young woman and supported her in her career? They are hinted at, but never revealed. If only Fitch had given us the complete text of even one of Paul's delightful poems to Julia, it would have helped to capture that "thing" they had for each other. I was lucky enough to read the one about her warbling voice when it was published in the New York Times Magazine and I was so hoping to read it again here. In summary, do read this book - especially if you do not already know Julia's background. But, to really know Julia, watch the PBS reruns and read her own cookbooks!

This fascinating look at a truly amazing woman is well worth the effort of slogging through what amounts to some pretty tough reading. The author seems to not only paint a thorough picture of Julia Child, "the woman", but also of the world itself as a backdrop to Julia's life. The level of detail is fascinating, but it will also put you to sleep if you are not careful. This is not a book to read in bed! The portraits of Julia as a priviledged child, Julia as a rascal of a college student, Julia as an international spy, and Julia as a young married woman, all leading up to the Julia I (thought) I knew today was wonderful. I don't know that I would re-read it anytime soon (unless I was experiencing insomnia) but I would recommend it for anybody with a strong interest in Julia Child.

Noel Riley Fitch's biography of Julia Child introduces us to a very complex, interesting and compassionate woman. What we learn in the bio is that Julia's passion for living and learning has been life long. Epstein's bitter, angry review of the book in The New Yorker magazine completely misses the point. When I want to find out about Julia's passion for food, I simply open one of her cookbooks and read it.

Some fans of Faulkner have bemoaned the fact that his final novel is not a profound summation of his heftier, more philosophical works (as though Faulkner could have foreseen his own death and owed his readers that much). While it is true that The Reivers is a much lighter (and more comical) work than those commonly regarded as Faulkner's "masterpieces," it is still worthy of attention. For one thing, The Reivers is Faulkner at his most entertaining; unburdened by the need to address the darker symptoms of the human condition, he is free to let his imagination run wild: the trials and triumphs of young Lucius Priest and his travelling companions make for some hilarious scenes and leave the reader feeling far more bouyant at the novel's close that, say, at the end of The Sound and the Fury or Absalom, Absalom!. The Reivers also features two additional benefits: the divine Miss Reba (second only to Granny Millard as Faulkner's most entertaining and resourceful female character); and the much-appreciated absence of that nosy and annoying popinjay Gavin Stevens. While one might read The Reivers as a Bildungsroman (Lucius's growth and awakening to the realities of the world around him are clearly underscored throughout the novel), I prefer to see it as a simple, amusing and satisfying story from a man who, by the end of his life, had done more to explore the human condition than most writers ever attempt - and was content to leave it at that.

I remember reading Faulkner's Sound and the Fury as a college sophmore and swearing never to read another book by him again. I happened to find the Reivers in my local library and decided to give his Pulitzer Prize winning book a try. It is a charming book that tells the story of a stolen car, a stolen horse, a horse race, and the life changing experiences of an 11 year old boy in the course of a week. Although Faulkner employs colons and semicolons more than any writer, and his sentences seem to continue on indefinitely, the effort of adjusting to his style rewards the reader with a wonderful tale. I highly reccomend this book, and hope to try another Faulkner book in the near future. Maybe I will even attempt the Sound and the Fury someday.

Have you ever read a novel or a short story and felt an urgency to finish it but also an urgency to never finish? That's how I felt while reading Faulkner's The Reivers. This Pulitzer prize novel concerns one eleven-year-old white boy named Lucius Priest. Through the mediation of his father's underlings--Boon Hoggenbeck and Ned McCaslin--Lucius comes of age in the art of non-virtue. While Lucius's grandfather is away, the three of them "borrow" the old man's automobile and embark on a bumpy journey to Memphis. On the trip, Lucius sees it all--whoredom, lust, theft, profanity, gambling--and struggles with these things in the context of a southern religious tradition. Though he has every opportunity to turn back and forgo the trip, he presses on and convinces himself that it's all too late. Non-virtue has already embraced him. On the other hand, Boon and Ned have no doubts of their lack of virtue, and when they see Lucius drinking from evil's muddy waters, they just nod their heads (don't think that the story is grim, for it's down right funny at times). The story is addictive, even though the language is rocky and convoluted at times. Faulker was no Raymond Carver or Ernest Hemingway; conversely, he was the ultimate practitioner of the compound-complex sentence. The dialogue was so real, especially with Ned and other black folks. I felt as though I were standing around the campfire chewing tobacco and thumbing my suspenders and talking about horse racing. No wonder this novel hooked the Pulitzer. It's quality stuff.