After nearly being raped (and possibly worse) by her psychotic childhood friend (Bill Hicks) in "Swept Away", Jeanette Taylor starts out on her own in the sequel, "The Mountain". She doesn't get very far, however, before she starts feeling guilty about abandoning Bill and Dwayne. Eventually, she returns to their camp with food (they were likely to starve without it) and regains her place as "captain" of the group.

It doesn't take long, though, before Bill starts up again, creating problems between Jeanette and Dwayne, then threatening her without Dwayne's protection (although the "boyjock" isn't much help when he is around). (Like she didn't see it coming.) But when Bill tries to kill her while they're both hanging off a cliff, Jeanette surprises me by doing what she should have done before: she fights back--and kills Bill Hicks.

Moments later Jeanette and Dwayne clear the cliff and stumble across Neil and Samma. Both are alive, but Neil's leg is badly
injured from the flood that separated the group. When they question Bill's absence, Jeanette tries to explain what had happened. Samma, of course, doesn't believe her story at all, but at least Neil does. And that's all that matters to Jeanette. Well, that and trying to get rescued. :)

This book is just as exciting as the first, and I highly recommend reading it if you've already read "Swept Away". There is some semi-graphic violence/hunting (one being a rabbit and the second a bear) that might disgust some readers. The worst, I thought, was the rabbit, basically because I had just gotten a pet rabbit a few days prior to starting this book. Very gross.

Despite that--and Jeanette's annoying habit of quoting classic poetry and stories--, there weren't a lot of drawbacks to this book. (...) There's still a lot of witty humor and suspense that makes the story move along pretty fast. Don't miss reading this series if you like Christopher Pike or R. L. Stine.

I loved this book! It had action, adventure, and yes, a smart @ss girl just trying to stay away from her pyscotic friend, Bill. Do they survive? Read this book to find out!

Dafydd's "Swept Away" trilogy is absolutely excellent. A couple of years ago I would hardly read, but when I picked up this book I took special interest. The book is modern and ideal for young adults. Because of the "Swept Away" trilogy I have taken an interest in reading books. So, trust me, this book rules. Bring the books back into print and do some damn advertising(my opinion to the publishers).

This is a book that may be the addendum to the classic, "everything I know, I learned in Kindergarten." A book of quotes or laws would have been boring , but the author includes such witty insights. "PARKERS OBSERVATION. men seldom make passes / At girls who wear glasses. POGREBIN'S AMENDMENT. Boys don't make passes at female smartasses." A book to treasure

A wonderfully-crafted and edited collection of unwritten maxims -- many of which I have often improperly quoted -- Hugh Rawson's volume clears up many misconceptions and offers insightful historical anecdotes to amplify many of the "laws" than most of us live by (without acknowledging them).

Perhaps the most metaphysical of all is "Haldane's Observation;" that God doesn't play with dice (echoed in Einstein's theory that all of the universe's movements/activities are ultimately understandable). Rawson cleverly adds Stephen Hawking's contradictory observation that God not only shoots dice, but that they often land where man can't find them.

Totally enjoyable and entertaining, can be read straight through or left on the shelf as a "reference book," to be taken down as the occasion merits.

Thom Kowalski

This book is full "field-tested" wisdom that I would suggest to anyone.

Where does an explorer go these days? There is no more "terra incognita" on the maps, and ballooning, sailing, or crossing Antarctica are often reduced to webcasted stunts. If you long to go through jungle, battling snakes and mosquitoes, to find previously undiscovered ancient sites, Hugh Thomson can tell you were to go: Peru. In fact, twenty years ago, he was working in a pub, and a drinker there told him a story involving an Inca fortress that had been discovered, but was so poorly documented, it had gotten lost again. "Not only was it a glamorous idea, it was, unlike most of those told in the pub, a true story." Finding that ruin seemed more attractive than continuing to tend bar: "I had nothing to lose. So I went." This is the start of the story of Thomson's _The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland_ (Overlook Press). It is no surprise that in this lively and intelligent exploration memoir, Thomson does re-discover the re-lost archeological site, but it is surprising that this is only the first part of the book, not the climax. By the time the book has finished, he has hiked to many lost cities in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, and reviewed the remarkably complicated Inca history all along the way.

Of course the book is full of recountings of mistakes and scares, from embarrassingly split pants to humorous misunderstandings between the gringos and the natives (including a young girl who precipitously falls in love with the author). This is not a how-to manual, but those preparing to explore the area would do well to heed Thomson's words on snakes, guinea pigs, gnats, pack mules, and especially, guides. Much of the book is not just a history of the Incas, but a history of exploration of Inca sites. There are fine summary portraits here of an assortment of strange characters who have trekked some of these paths before Thomson. A prime one was Hiram Bingham, the discoverer of Machu Picchu, who thought erroneously that it was a religious monument to the Virgins of the Sun. This has sparked a lot of New Age nonsense. It was a winter camp for the Inca court, and Thomson's own view of the exalted position of Machu Picchu is simply that the Incas had a fondness, just as we do, for magnificent mountain views.

Thomson's exhilarating and self-deprecatingly humorous account of his own travels vies with the ancient history and modern history revealed here. All are expertly told. Thomson follows a trail of Inca history to the almost forgotten site of Vilcabamba, still unexcavated and obscured by thick vegetation. It was the last remnant of the great Inca Empire. Digressions of descriptions of the modern towns he goes through, and a welcome appreciation of the great Cuzco photographer Martin Chambi, are easy bypaths on the way. The book has excellent maps, a glossary of terms from the Spanish and the local Quechua language, and an genealogical chart of the Inca emperors. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book to put our currently fashionable fascination with Inca sites in a realistic context.

While planning a trip to Peru, I bought a copy of Thomson's book to get a different spin on the place than that offered by the typical guides and histories. I am delighted that I did. Thomson's witty writing stays away from overly PC sentimentality while still demonstrating a deep respect for the culture and the people of the Andes. Thomson also avoids dry academic discourse and gives the reader some insight into the vibrancy of Andean culture and the richness of its history. Although the book will not tell you what hotels to stay in or what time the train leaves for Machu Picchu, I highly recommend it for anyone considering a trip to the region.

Any young history student can tell you the story of the Incas. Bedazzled by stories of cities built of stone and overflowing with gold, children dream of hidden treasures in South America. Tales of the conquistadors --- the culture they conquered and the riches they took --- are told throughout the world, inspiring young men and women to leave their homes and venture into the South American mountains. British explorer and documentary filmmaker Hugh Thomson was one of those adventurers.

Lured to Peru by the story of Llactapata, a ruin discovered by noted explorer Hiram Bingham but lost again beneath the vines and trees of Peru's jungle, Thomson and his team embarked upon a journey to rediscover the missing ruin. Accompanied by local guides, Thomson hiked the Inca trail through the Andean Mountains to his destination --- encountering entertaining locals, interesting cuisine, swarms of gnats and the occasional snake. Nearly twenty years after his first excursion, Thomson would return to Peru to resume his studies of the Inca ruins.

THE WHITE ROCK is not only the story of Thomson's explorations, but also the history of the Inca culture and the archaeologists and explorers who have recorded it. Thomson never hesitates to give credit where it is due, a notable contrast to the often overblown egos of explorers. True to documentarian form, Thomson offers an unbiased, honest account of his travels in Peru, highlighting various aspects of its culture, arts and inhabitants. He also points out what he believes are discrepancies in the historical chronicle of the Incas and offers plausible alternatives. A combination of a history text and travel memoir, THE WHITE ROCK offers the reader much more than other books in either of these genres. Thomson's balance of humor and scholarship makes for an enjoyable reading experience, and the forty-five black and white photographs beautifully illustrate the mystical draw of the Incas.

--- Reviewed by Melissa Brown

Hugh Prather has once again found to essence of the human spirit. His words and thoughts offer wisdom and inspiration to us all. Beautifully produced.

This is a wonderful calendar. I look forward every morning to reading my "treat for the day". I love the fact that it is a perpetual calendar so that I can use it year after year. That in itself is rather unique. The thoughts at first seem simple enough and yet as I ponder each one I find it takes on new dimentions. I have already ordered 2 more for gifts. You can't go wrong on this one!

This is a beautiful high quality calendar. The daily Hugh Prather quotes consistently start my day with a thoughtful moment. The artwork is inspiring and the materials give it a feel of lasting quality and durability. Since it is a perpetual calendar, it can be used year after year. It also has made an excellent gift choice for my family and friends.

It is facinating to compare The Book of Abraham (Joseph Smith) with similar books that have recently been unearthed. Harold Bloom, the Yale scholar of religion believed that Smith had it right because he had tapped into a universal flow of inspiration, but the names, myths and structure make the Book of Abraham the most accessible of the apocalpses of Abraham.

Nibley does an incredible job of bringing together scores of documents into one volume for comparison purposes. He also has some fun with various critics of the book, almost all of whom lack any background in the literature that the book claims to be a part of.

Reading the book, and checking the sources, one starts to wonder if a wandering Slavonic Jewish scholar of Abrahamic literature didn't spend a winter at the Smith homestead ...

Well written and a great Christmas gift.

Nibley delves into critics of Joseph Smith's Facsimiles and their qualifications. The facsimilies are also compared with knowledge currently available in the field of Egyptology. Comparative analysis of ancient Abrahamic texts (i.e. The Apocalypse of, and Testament of Abraham) with Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham is done. A history of Abraham's time, sacrifices of him, Sarah and Isaac and early history of Egypt is given. Possible historical figures for Isis, Horus, and Seth are discussed, as well as Egypt's type of government. This is broad in scope, yet detailed, with numerous footnotes, and sketches. Nibley's humorous style, coupled with a depth that leaves no doubt as to his scholarship expands the horizons of amateur and professional alike.

This book is well worth buying, even if you own the first edition. This edition is expanded and includes illustrations by the same guy who did "Temple and Cosmos." One thing I really liked was that the text was cleaned up so that references were changed to endnotes, instead of parenthetical citations which is how they were in the first ed. This really increased readability. Nibley's research is for obvious reasons dated, but he himself says that research is a process, not an end to itself. This book still contributes greatly to the understanding of the Book of Abraham.

Have you read Pelican Pete, Preening for Flight? I liked it even better than the first, "A Bird is Born." It is one of those stories that teaches children about perserverance. And I love the reassuring note at the beginning that all the natural history facts had been checked by a scientist from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. We often just accept that what we read to our children is factual when it may not be.
There is also a "Did you know" section and suggestions for learning more about pelicans at the back of the book--treasure troves for curious children and parents.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"

I wish I knew more young children because this is a wonderful gift -- a captivating children's book combining pictures and verse. It's a book that parents can enjoy with their kids.

It's a wonderful book! I really enjoy reading this book to my son. He loves to look at the pictures.. It's an easy, enjoyable story.

If you need to write for or speak to an audience, quotes are often a good attention grabber or an excellent way to make a point.

While Bartlett's takes from the world over, this book's focus is on American quotations. Sampling people from all walks of life and all periods of our short history, the American Heritage Dictionary of American Quotations has something for most any subject or major American historical topic a browser might seek to find. The fact that they are American thoughts is helpful in reaching the audiences most of us deal with here in these United States.

With subject, author and key word indices, these 5,000 quotations are well organized and presented in a useful format.

The American Heritage Dictionary of American Quotations is a very useful reference as a writer or public speaker. I never fail to marvel at the amount of work that must have gone into compiling this reference! It is very comprehensive and thorough. I enjoy spending time going through and reading all the interesting quotes by all these famous American people. It is a wonderful tool to have around, and I highly recommend owning a copy.

A wonderful aid for speakers, writers, or anyone generally intersted in the wisdom, humor, and insight of great Americans.

this book has value beyond furnishing tidbits for Camus scholars, providing his take on North and South America, notably New York City and cities of Brazil, along with Buenos Aires and Santiago. He seems to have met only a few people he liked, and maybe two or three sites impressed him. He reflects on suicide. No it is not a cheerful work, but it is vivid. Hard to imagine this was the tour of a man at his most successful. For Americans, this work if valuable for he describes our homeland; if you have read the major works, this is worth a gander.

Educated Americans share a self-consciousness, a painful awareness that we descendants of mere colonists are probably at best nouveau-riche; in short, that we are not Europeans. Indeed, we struggle to hide our secret gratitude when a European friend--particularly a Frenchman--even shows interest in us. Thus it is a great joy to open these pages and find that one of the greatest products of French letters took the time to set down his thoughts about us and our country. Camus wrote these notes during a lecture tour to this country while he was in his thirties, a time when he was first coming to international attention and when he was deep in preparation of some of his most important literary works. Camus reveals a critical but endearingly tender fascination with our country, with its often crass culture, with its sometimes seemingly naive optimism, and with its lack of awareness of its own inestimable riches. At the same time, serious students of his work will discover the first inklings of insights and ideas that would work their way into his major writings.

Camus kept an extensive literary journal during his life, a very large portion of which (including this small piece) is available in English translation. His journal is deeply insightful and often tender and personal, but written in an elegant and well organized narrative (suggesting his anticipation that his journal would someday be read by the masses). Anyone who loves Camus will be interested in this book, and any American Camus-phile will be enraptured and gratified by it.

This book is a peek into how Camus really feels about The United States and South America, when he was here. He was also very specific, right down to what he did in the morning, how he prepared for each day, what he said to his fellow passengers, as well as how many people snored in his train cabin. I suggest this to anyone who is interested in Camus, as well as to anyone who enjoys reading a diary-style novel.

In "Swept Away", Jeanette Taylor and her two high-school friends, Neil Armstrong and Samma Glynnis, have made plans for a six-day hike in the mountains. When Jeanette and Neil's long-lost childhood friend (Bill Hicks) calls out of the blue, Jeanette automatically invites him along, despite her sudden uneasiness while talking with him. He just doesn't seem like his old self; he lies about his past and blatantly admits to dissecting the school's mascot. Although Jeanette seems like a level-headed girl, she should have made some excuse to uninvite the weirdo. But I suppose if she had, there wouldn't have been any real suspense later on.

So, besides the new addition, their week adventure seems to go as planned--until that night, when they're startled by someone lurking in the bushes outside their campsite. It turns out to be Dwayne Cors, the dumb jock who's in love with Jeanette and considers it his duty to protect her from Neil and Bill.

The next day, the group is faced with yet another obstacle; however, this one is much more serious. When they reroute their trip at the last minute, it leads them directly in the path of a flash flood which separates everyone and possibly kills Neil and Samma. (The two are never found.) Jeanette reunites with Bill, although she would rather be on her own. She can't help but suspect her old friend is a sociopath who killed his last girlfriend--and wants her to be the next victim. ...

"Swept Away" begins a little slow, but once Jeanette, Bill, Neil, and Samma start their hike around page 50, the book picks up the pace. Jeanette is a great leading character, with Neil as my second favorite. I was a little disappointed when he vanished in the flood, but, hopefully, he'll reappear in "Swept Away: The Mountain" or "Swept Away: The Pit", the two succeeding books in this series.

Two character complaints: Bill is a little too psychotic; it's almost unbelievable. I know he's supposed to be evil and all, but he switches between madness and coolness too often. Then there's Jeanette, who doesn't react as quickly as I thought she needed to. There were several times when she had the opportunity to flee or attack but did neither.

Overall, despite the grim atmosphere, the book is pretty funny, particularly at the beginning. I would recommend "Swept Away" ao anyone who likes Christopher Pike or R. L. Stine books or is a Dafydd ab Hugh fan.

Jeanette is a humorous character who has a pycho obsessed with her since age 5 and a hunky quarterback who loves her. The problem is, she doesn't like either of them (who WOULD like boy #1???) She goes on a hiking trip only to be stuck with the both of them and still she hasn't figured out Bill's true intent, but as the book goes along she starts noticing some strange stuff about him, things she never noticed as a child. Her two best friends are there, (whom she originally planned the trip with) but not anymore as the nearby dam caves in and they are all swept down the river. Jeanette is left alone, though feels someone is watching her. (Who COULD it be, who COULD it be???) If I told you more I would give the whole book away. Alone with a murderer, what will Jeanette do to survive? I truly liked this book. The main character was likeable with a sense of humor, despite the curcumstances. The book was totally unpredictable, and I am DYING to get the next two!!! Yes, I'm desperate!!!! Whatever copies you have (of the next two), I will buy them!!! Thanx in advance, generationgirl9009@hotmail.com

Swept Away is a captivating book that everyone should read.Jeanette and her buddies go on a hiking trip, when two of her guy friends invite themselves. One of her friends is a psychopathic person who has an obsession over Jeanette...can you guess who? I reccomend this book to teenagers. Read about how the two guys (Dwayne and Bill)fight over Jeanette throughout the whole trip. There is a second part and a third part to this book and I'm going crazy because I can't find any copies! Please, whoever knows where to buy a copy of this trilogy, email me! Thanks a bunch. Honestly, this book is the best!

Good but not as good as some of her earlier mysteries. Still well worth reading though, for her wonderfully British characters and her twisted plot. If you like your murders to occur in quaint villages rather than mean streets then Ms. Graham is the writer for you. Be sure to read Death of a Hollow man or Murder in Maddingly Grange before attempting this one.

I have loved Caroline Graham's books for some time now and I think this is her best. The characters are expertly drawn; Graham has a way of making you feel as if you are in amongst them and yet watching from a safe distance. The roller coaster ending was a complete surprise to me and I highly recommend this book to mystery readers.

I read this book a year or so ago and was taken with it then. I often find myself thinking about the real characters and wondering how things could have been different for them all. While this review is not meant to re-tell the story, it is to alert readers to a unique type of author, one who uses imagery and quaintness to pull one in rather than hard core blood and guts. A&E recently showed a two part television version of this called "Midsomer Murder" and it too was very well made.