The best dog book ever written. A simple but striking story of fidelity between a man and his dog. Originally a tribute to Lad and the many other dogs who shared Terhune's estate, it is now a tribute to the ethical reality of Lad's life.

You can still visit a portion of the Terhune estate in Wayne, New Jersey. The Place (house)is gone, but the grounds remain. You will see Lad's grave marker, along with the grave markers of many other dogs made famous in Terhune's books. You can visit the shore of the lake and stroll the grounds. You can feel Lad's eerie presence as he lives over and over again the stories from the pages of Terhune's books. Or perhaps he is still there. Look -- is that ...

I first came upon this book when I was about ten years old. Now an adult, I still read it on a regular basis, and am addicted to Terhune's adventurous and beautifully written stories about his heroic collie dogs. If you love dogs, trust me, you will adore this book! Lad, the main character in the novel has to face danger and foes in every chapter, and displays to his master and mistress his loyalty and devotion to them. Even someone who is not into dogs will give this masterpiece a rightful place on their bookshelf. Five stars is not a high enough rating! Also recommended are two out-of-print books about Lad: Lad Of Sunnybank and The Further Adventures Of Lad. Albert Payson Terhune is one author I would like to meet and tell him that his works are excellent and he is probably my favorite author.

Albert Payson Terhune considered himself a hack writer. I believe he was wrong. Although he was popular and wealthy during his lifetime, not a typical "starving artist", he managed to make the places and characters in his stories absolutely come alive. It is not an easy thing to enable millions of people to know a place or a character fully and even more difficult to make them beloved. Terhune wrote of "The Place" and "Lad" so that his readers felt they had visited the Pompton Lakes, NJ home and met the hero-dog.

This book has been continuously in print since it arrived on bookshelves in 1918. By the time readers met Lad, he had been dead for more than a year. But he truly lives on in Terhune's writing. Although Terhune may have believed himself a hack, it takes an artist to breathe life into a story and make it real.

This book should not be missed by anyone, especially children, who will learn much from the virtues of Lad and will gain a very special friend for a lifetime.

I read this book and it gave me great pleasure and joy and I did not want to put it down. I laughed and I cried. It is a work of sheer genius. It should receive the Newberry Award. Oprah Wilfrey should read it. She would be amazed at it. She would love it. I have a feeling that Ms. Easton had help from the Angels in the Universe.

This book, "The Life History of a Star", is a really great book, if you ask me. It is a diary, in which Kristin,14, records her thoughts and feelings about the 70's, her brother David (who she calls "the Ghost" because of his experiences in the Vietnam War.), her friends, the 70's, and everything else that goes on around her. Even though it is sad in the end, (I won't say why, because some of you reading this might not have read this book) all's well that ends well. (It also mentions The Beatles, my FAVORITE group!)

Kelly Easton is certainly set to be our next star of young female adult fiction. Her book is an absolute delight to read and digest. She captures beautifully the nuances of being a teenage girl and growing up in an uncertain world, America. Her use of language is gifted and insightful and utterly captures adolescence. It's hard to believe Ms. Easton didn't take her own diary entries from her childhood. That's how good she is!

This is a wonderful story about the relationship between a man and his dog. I've never gone fly fishing but I found the descriptions quite interesting. I felt like I was with Joe and Nellie on their adventues. Very moving! I highly recommend this book to everyone even if you don't have a dog!

This story is a tribute to life and the comfort and fine comapnionship our animals give us. It's also a refreshing read on flyfishing. Monninger's tone is avidly unpretentious. I absolutely loved his flashback on his first fishing experience as a young boy. Another scene that will remain in memory was when he was lobtser fishing with Nellie off the coast of Maine. His description of light, color and bouyancy is marvelous.

This is not a book about cancer! In fact, I believe the publishers made an error on the coverleaf of the book when they said she was diagnosed as having cancer. Monninger did not want a diagnosis. Nellie is very much alive, and stays that way.

Anyone who pays particular attention to their relationship with animals will be deeply moved by this tremendous story. Home Waters is the best story I've read in years, and to think I almost didn't buy it!

In this memoir, author Joseph Monninger recounts a very special fly-fishing trip with his best friend, eleven-year-old Golden Retriever, Nellie. Nellie has been diagnosed with cancer and Monninger decides to let the illness run its course- but not without one last grand encounter with nature. The pair traverse the country by pickup truck- camping, fishing and otherwise enjoying nature and the company of each other. This is a great book for those who fish because there are lots of references to the techniques and joys of fly-fishing.But the touching glimpses of the bond between man and dog, and of dealing with the curves life throws at us, add memorable depth and make this wonderful story of interest to everyone, fisher-person or not.

After reading The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner, I really needed to read a book that was well-written, but soft on emotions. Out of my Amazon pile, I selected No Place Like Home, because of its simple title and a cover that looked like it belonged on a feminine hygiene product. Not surprising, the book is very well-written and believeable, as all Barbara Samuel aka Ruth Wind books are, but it is also very moving and real...and not soft on emotions. This beautiful book tells a story about life, loss and living; it is well-written and filled with characters overflowing in depth and color. This book is not only worth purchasing, but worth finding a nice permanent spot on your shelf.

Barbara Samuel has a way with words that makes me just wallow in her work. She also has warmth and wisdom, and a delight in humanity in all its diversity and difficulty. She writes with compassion and clarity, kindness and shrewdess. NO PLACE LIKE HOME is a wonderful book.

This is the first book I've read in longer than I can remember that made tears just stream down my cheeks. But mixed with the sadness was so much joy. Barbara Samuels writes about family, food, love, motherhood, and the joys and sorrows of balancing all the roles that come with being a woman with wit, tenderness, and shattering honesty. The genuineness of the writing and the universal truths that this book explores lift it far above your average "women's fiction" novel. I never once felt like my emotions were being manipulated. It's only March, but I'm already placing NO PLACE LIKE HOME at the top of my Favorite Books of the Year list.

Required to read Henry for my AP English Language class, I came into the play with a bias. I honestly felt that it would be a boring political play. I was utterly wrong! A huge fan of Shakespeare, I found Henry V to be a formidable match for the Bard's more critically acclaimed plays, such as Hamlet and Macbeth. Henry has it all! Shakespeare's attitude toward Henry the King is certainly one of admiration. By communicating the fact that an effective monarch must have a complete understanding of the common subjects (Pistol and Bardolph and Quickly), Shakespeare sets up Henry to be the ideal Christian king. The controlled language of Henry's speeches, particularly his response to the Dauphin's idiotic insult, also glorifies Henry. I certainly recommend this play to anyone, fan of Shakespeare or not.

I looked long and hard (and asked many a scholar) for the "perfect" Shakespeare publication that I might purchase to study "King Henry V" (for a experiential education requirement, I had undertaken the translation of Henry V into American Sign Language). The Arden Shakespeare came highly recommended by everyone, and has lived up entirely to all its rave reviews.

I will never buy Shakespeare from another publisher. While these books may be slightly more expensive than a "mass market" edition, I believe that if you are going to take the time to read and understand Shakespeare, it is well worth the extra dollar or two. The Introduction, the images, and plethora of footnotes are irreplaceable and nearly neccessary for a full understanding of the play (for those of us who are not scholars already). The photocopy of the original Quatro text in the appendix is also very interesting.

All in all, well worth it! I recommend that you buy ALL of Shakespeare's work from Arden's critical editions.

Written by Shakespeare for Queen Elizabeth I amidst a time of Irish rebellion, Henry V more than adequately serves its intended purpose of galvanizing nationalistic fervor. It proved itself to be an unwavering and unfaltering impetus of patriotism in Shakespeare's day, during WWII, and still today it continues to resonate and reverberate this provocatively telling tale of the most gloriously revered monarch in English history.

Henry V's stirring orations prior to the victorious battles of Harfleur("Once more unto the breach") and Agincourt("We few, we happy few, we band of brothers") astonish and inspire me every time I read them. Simply amazing. Having read Henry IV Parts I&II beforehand, I was surprised Shakespeare failed to live up to his word in the Epilogue of Part II in which he promised to "continue the story, with Sir John in it." The continuing follies of the conniving Bardolph, Nym, & Pistol and their ignominious thieving prove to be somewhat of a depricating underplot which nevertheless proves to act as a succinct metaphor for King Harry's "taking" of France.

Powerful and vibrant, the character of Henry V evokes passion and unadulterated admiration through his incredible valor & strength of conviction in a time of utter despondency. It is this conviction and passion which transcends time, and moreover, the very pages that Shakespeare's words are written upon. I find it impossible to overstate the absolute and impregnable puissance of Henry V, a play which I undoubtedly rate as the obligatory cream of the crop of Shakespeare's Histories. I recommend reading Henry IV I&II prior to Henry V as well as viewing Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece film subsequent to reading the equally moving work.

Please, I implore the publishers of these books to label them more clearly. "The Last Honest Woman" is book one of a 4-part series about the show-business O'Hurleys; unfortunately, not knowing that, I already read the other 3 parts. That said, it was fun to go back and revisit where this story began, and to see how and why Abby, the "middle" triplet, did not follow in the family business of entertaining others for a living.

Dylan Crosby, the writer who comes to chronicle the life of Abby's late husband, is almost too good to be true -- he likes her kids, cooks, pitches in around the house ... and of course falls in love with Abby. This is a very light read but a sweet tale.

Nora Roberts, well known for her family series, once again delights readers with several books about the O'Hurley family. Beginning with The Last Honest Woman, we meet Abby onew of the triplets born to Frank and Molly O'Hurley and their son Trace. The O'Hurleys are a show business family who travel from one gig to another entertaining audiences in both large cities and small towns. Each of their children in some way is able to entertain and so the world of show business is something they grow up doing along with their parents beside them.

Today, though, Abby no longer entertains but spends her days raising two small children and on a horse farm in Virginia. She is the widow of a well- known racing car driver, Charles Rockwell, who died during a race. But Abby who married at 18 was ill prepared for her husband's lifestyle and is acutely aware that her marriage ended way before Charles death.

Now Dylan Crosby, a journalist, has approaches Abby to write a book about her husband. As Abby wonders what she will say and what will be written, she invites Dylan to stay with her on the farm and see what her life is all about. Reluctant at first to give him all of the facts lest her children someday be hurt by them, Abby finds herself growing fonder and fonder of Dylan while he tries resisting her. But as Dylan finds out more and more about her supposedly wonderful life, Dylan can no longer stop feelings he also has for Abby and her sons.

This was a most enjoyable book as Ms. Roberts begins this series. The readers are offered heartwarming and endearing characters particularly Abby, Dylan and Abby's parents, Frank and Molly O'Hurley.

I am an avid fan of Nora Roberts. This book is another entertainer in her inimitable style. The book chronicles the story of Abigail O'Hurley, the second of the irrepressible O'Hurley triplets. Abigail leads a secluded life after the death of her famous race-car-driver husband. Author Dylan Crossby comes to research the famous husband, and stays behind, caught in the love of Abby and her two engaging sons. Nora Roberts has captured the sensitivity of a woman torn by her loyalty to her dead husband's memory and her love for another man. The secrets she finally reveals are worth the wait ! Read it, you'll love this entertainer.

In this, her first book, the author uses her own experiences in a retirement home to illustrate her story. Her main character, Hattie, is a lovable & outgoing busybody, a habitual eavesdropper and journal writer, recording the day to day activities with a sense of humor and sometimes with a touch of sadness. She shows us that 's it's still possible to have a rich and meaningful life, no matter what one's age, with the right attitude. A good, clean book ( I especially enjoyed the humor and the light poetry).

Mrs. Wilder has given all generations a delightful and easy to swallow book about aging. The main character, Hattie, is into everyone's business, but in a kindhearted way. Through her eyes the reader can see much of the pain and joy of being older. Leaving your home and moving into a retirement home is never an easy choice, but I think Hattie shows us that if done with grace, it can work out to be a fairly good life. The book is a joy to read, offers lots of laughs, a few tears, and some good hard lessons about life. I look forward to sharing this book with my "adopted" eighty-four-year-old grandmother.

I bought this book at a time when I could see that we were going to have to find a new, safe place for Mother to live. However, she resisted the thought of moving to an "Old Folks Home", as she put it. She had also fallen into the "I don't want to go anywhere, because it takes too much effort" routine. Since she has always been a very sociable person, she fell into a deep depression. As I read this book to her, we both saw that there was a better alternative for her, as she was not so far along, physically and mentally, as to need a nursing home. After she moved into The Reunion Inn, in Marshall, Tx., I started reading to the residents from this book on a weekly basis. I am scheduled on their monthly calendar as "The Whimsical Reader." The book has allowed the residents to recall a lot of memories, as well as opening their eyes to the humor around them. It has also given them ideas as to how The Reunion Inn can be improved for their convenience. They really liked the idea of the benches across from the cafeteria line. Reading to the residents has given me the opportunity to get to know them better than I probably would have otherwise. This book has given such pleasure to all of us that The Reunion Inn is going to buy the rest of the books in the series so that I can continue reading to their guests. I recommend this book to anyone facing the possibility of moving into or placing their parent in an assisted living facility. It certainly made the decision easier for us.

"A Stone for Dany Fisher" was the first Non-kid book I ever read. My father gave it to me when I was 16. That was 22 years ago and I just found the book. I can't wait to read it again! It has a plot to keep you interested and far from bored. It's spicy and bold, but told of important life lessons. It is defenitely one to read.

I read this book when I was a teenager and I still remember the story 15 years later. Its one of those novels that make a lasting impact on you.

It is strange when I say this because I read alot. I read classics like war and peace,les miserables, moby dick and such but when friends ask me what is my favorite i tell them A stone for Danny Fisher.
First of all harold robbins wrote trash novels. his first 3 were classics.Comprared to what he wrote later on. When he died the new york times said in his obiturary that A stone for Danny Fisher deserves a paragraph in this mans life in literary history.
As a kid i related to the charaters and i felt for them i never did that when i read as a kid. i even tear up when i read the epilouge because he hits it dead on . for i am a man of ordinary hopes and ordinary dreams, i too cursed at the umpire for a bad call , im the guy on the boat with george washington, im the guy smoking the ciggarette at the subway platform. no songs will be written about me.
That is what life is all about in my view and he harold robbins nailed it.
i even buy this book used to send to friends so they could read it.
well whoever reads it enjoy.

As someone who enjoyed Oke's Love Comes Softly series and read all the books in it twice, despite their tendency to get a bit less well-developed and padded after the first few titles, I was very interested when the Prairie Legacy books came out. I was glad to see that a break from writing about the Davis family and their children seems to have revived Oke's ability to make up new, detailed incidents in the lives of Marty and Clark's daughter, Belinda, the man she was about to marry at the end of _Love Finds a Home_ and their five children, esp. teenage Virginia. Despite quibbles--like that the story seems to take place in a vacuum, as far as the outside world is concerned (no radio, no mention of the Depression or whatever period the book is supposed to be taking place in), or that Belinda would have been summoned to nursing duties by way of the phone at the time the book occurs, instead of by someone running to her house to tell her about an amergency (someone must have mentioned this to Oke, because they definitely have a phone by the next book), or that Clark and Marty *must* be at least six or eight years older than they are supposed to be in the otherwise wonderful where-are-they-now? prologue--I enjoyed the book and devoured it in one evening. Virginia's friend, Jenny, is very manipulative, but Virginia's conflict between pleasing her parents and satisfying her own ideals on the one hand and wanting to fit in on the other was something that anyone who remembers their growing up will identify with, and Virginia's conflicts after her own conversion, as she desires to see Jenny saved and worries about alienating her or being a horrible Christian example but also wants to avoid moral compromises and gives in to all-too-human emotions, as we all surely do, made the story compelling. I was not one hundred percent content with the way the mystery thread of the book was resolved, but I was pleased enough in other ways that my pleasure outweighed my quibbles, and I wanted to read the next book.

"The Tender Years" is a wonderful book. I read it this past fall, and absolutely loved it! I had already read the Love Comes Softly series and was wondering what had happened to everybody! When I heard Janette Oke was coming out with the Prairie Legacy books, I couldn't believe it! I was very surprised at how young Virginia was (13), but also very happy. I'm a teenager too, so I could relate to alot of things in the book. I loved the way she learned to trust God (as we all need to.) All I can really say is... READ IT!! Thank you, Janette Oke! Happy Reading!!

This was a wonderful book about Marty and Clarks grandaughter Virginia and how she struggles to feel accepted by her peers. Its especially hard for Virginia because of her fiery-tempered friend Jenny Woods who always seems to be getting her into trouble. If you liked the Love Comes Softly series you'll love the story of Marty and Clarks grandaughter Virginia. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series!