As usual, Patricia King offers brilliant alternatives to buyingexpensive, British imports. Her stoves and fireplaces, made from foundobjects and very cheap supplies, are masterpieces. This highly creative book is beautifully photographed and a worthy addition to three others written by Ms. King: 1) 'Making Dolls' House Furniture', 2) 'Making Victorian Dolls' House Furniture' and 3) 'Dolls' House Bathrooms-Lots of Little Loos'. She also made a do-it-yourself video, but I haven't seen it yet.

Another great book of this type is 'Making Period Dolls' House Accessories' by Andrea Barham. Her beautiful lighting fixtures can be wired for small-scale illumination. Many of the pieces shown are perfect complements to Patricia King's Victorian and Art Nouveau designs. None of the handmade collector items in these books are toys and all are too delicate for children to play with.

Finally, a guide for the lay person who wants to understand Aztec culture. The Essential Codex is an abbreviation of an even larger tome published by the California Press in 1992. Here is the Rosetta stone for Mesoamerican studies. Kudos to the authors for providing such an insightful guide. Ron Mader El Planeta Platica

Funny how in small English villages, people's memory seem to be especially long and sharp. When the wealthy James Lessiter is murdered, there's no lack of suspects, including the girlfriend he dumped many years ago.

Greatly entertaining, with surprising plots and ending.

Years ago Ian Vorres wrote "the last Grand Duchess", which was a biography of the life of Grand Duchess Olga based on a series of personal interviews he had with her before her death. It was hard to imagine at first why this book was written and what it could cover that the first book didn't.

I found this book very easy to read. It approaches Olga's remarkable life in chronological order and it never looses track of the fact that this book is about Olga's life and not that of some of her more famous relatives.

Olga was a very adapable woman. She was born to Czar Alexander 3rd and his wife Marie when they were on the throne of Russia. She lived a life in palaces surrounded by servants and guards. Despite this she always carved out an independant niche for herself and this stood her in good stead when the old russia was engulfed in revolution.

Olga moved from the life of a pampered princess and society woman to that of a nurse at the front line and from there to a refugee, with her family in Europe and Canada.

This book fills in some of the areas glossed over in Vorres book. It deals with the later problems with her brother Michael, and the heartache her children bought her later in life. It also deals with lingering mysteries like the sale of her mother's jewels to Queen Mary of England.

I would have to say this is not a minute by minute account of Olga's life but it does bring her life into perspective and presents a woman who wasn't afraid to take life by the horns and run with it. It's book worth a read, especially if you are interested in the old imperial russia or the life of refugees afterwards.

My husband and I plan to spend a month next summer in Grasse. This book seems to cover all the interesting medieval towns, restaurants and things to do around that area. I only gave it 4 stars because it was published in 1992. I wish it had been revised more recently.

Monkey King was recommended to me by someone who had noticed that I liked memoir-style writing. Written in the first person, the novel explores the relationships that Sally, the protagonist, has with her mother, sister, grandmother, aunt and uncle, and of course, father. The portions of the book dealing with Sally's mental illness are very real, quite frightening, in fact. For some reason, the detail that Sally's handwriting became illegible as she slipped closer and closer to becoming completely unhinged really stuck with me. The relationships that Sally has with her family members are quite complex, as those things tend to be, I suppose, and the end of the novel offers no resolution, so I wouldn't recommend the book to anyone who likes their ending nicely packaged. This is one of those books, I think, that affects its reader in slight, sneaky ways. Little bits come floating back to you now and then as you make your own way through life. As with any book that deals with difficult topics, it's not as easy to write a review. It wasn't a joyous read, or a "satisfying" one, per se, but compelling and well-crafted.

This is one of the two most powerful "first novels" I've ever read (the other one being David Leavitt's "Family Dancing"), by an author amazingly wise and insightful for her years.

This is, in my perception, a fictionalized account of Ms. Chao's own life. That was my sense, in any case. As painful as the material is, I found her approach to be incredibly non-self-pitying, and amazingly non-melodramatic. The power of the experiences in this novel are woven brilliantly with language that has exceptional clarity.

This incredibly gifted author spins word images so well and so effortlessly that I hardly noticed I was reading. It was as if I were watching the story unfold before my eyes. There is not one character in this novel who is not fully developed; I felt I knew each one intimately.

I am aware of how maudlin this type of book could potentially be, but Chao never, not once, lets herself slip into that. I admire the fact that Chao lets the ambiguity of where, precisely, Sally's life will go after the book ends, exist....she doesn't need to have a tidy "happy ending." And in life, how many of us do have a neatly-wrapped happy ending? Most of us are a work in progress, just as Chao so brilliantly portrays Sally.

Rarely has a book had so much impact for me. I was entranced and hook on the first sentence.

In the book Monkey King we are not only treated to the relationship of sisters, mother and daughter, but also at the crossing of one culture to another. The writing is good, the main character is very real, and overall I enjoyed the book very much. It is not often that a person with a certain mental inbalance can bounce back and live a so called normal life with her family. I do recommend it.

Upon finding the dead, unidentified body of a woman in Central Park, Kay Scarpetta immedialtely recognizes the gruesome work of Temple Gault. Temple Gault has been murdering people for many years. He hasn't struck for a while, and everyone, including Kay Scarpetta, dreads the horrid day when he does. Kay Scarpetta is the chief medical examiner of Virginia and consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI.

When they find this unidentified body, they know immedidately that it is a Gault killing......for only he murders and them puts the victim in a sitting position. This time Kay and her team are determined to find and kill Gault, no matter what the cost. But this time is different, Gault seems to be chasing Kay and her computer expert niece Lucy. Lucy, however, tries to beat him at his own game. She tries to trap him on the computer long enough so that they can find out where Gault is located.

From Potter's Field, by, Patricia Cornwell, starts out pretty slow, but soon reaches the action part and takes off from there. It is a very well written, chilling and suspenseful book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I really enjoyed this book not only because it was well written, but because it was a mystery. If you like mysteries and semi-horrifying books, I suggest that you read this book.

From Potter's Field begins with a murder in NYC's Central Park. The victim is a homeless woman who's body was found propped up next to a fountain. Images of previous murder victims propped up in poses flash though Kay Scarpetta's mind and she knows immediately that this murder seems to be the handy work of Temple Gault. The body count doesn't end there though as Gault leaves a trail of violence and death. Gault is getting careless and this might mean he will finally slip up enough to be caught. There are a lot of twist and turns in this book that will leave you flipping to just one more page and then another pausing just long enough to get up and make sure that your doors are locked.

I have read too many horror novels to count. I've never been scared by any book except for Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. I read right before I go to sleep and there have been nights that I slept with one eye open after reading one of her books. I recommend that you read the series in order to fully understand and enjoy the books.

"With each book, her scalpel is getting sharper," the praise from Newsweek on the inside cover claims. After reading "From Potter's Field", as well as six other novels by Patricia Cornwell, I must agree with the reviewer's statement. Cornwell has yet to write a book that disappoints me--so far, each book I have read has been more thrilling and stimulating than the last! This book was no exception. In "From Potter's Field", Kay Scarpetta, Lucy, Marino, and Benton Wesley return to once again match forces with Temple Gault, a notorious serial killer who first surfaced in "Cruel and Unusual", the fourth book in the Scarpetta series. As usual, Cornwell's elements of obvious research, superb characterization, and plot developement were present, making the story seem very realistic. Everytime something new is introduced into the plot, it all builds up until everything comes together at the end. It was fun to reread parts of the book and figure out how it fit into the picture. Overall, just another great Cornwell book. I don't know what else I can say about it that has not already been said.

Who Comes to King's Mountain is a rare book, for it portrays the conflicting emotions of the Ulster Scots or Scots Irish settlers of the Appalachians over the coming of the Revolutionary War.
The details are authentic and fascinating, but I couldn't give it a higher review because the writing is somewhat wooden and may lose YA readers.

This book is an excellent way to introduce kids (of all ages) to the brutal realities of war. It also is wonderful because it portrays the reluctance of ordinary people to get involved with war; as with the Civil War, there were individuals who would rather stay at home than fight for a cause with which they could not identify.

The character of Alec is well crafted and one with which young readers can identify. The themes of the book involve issues that adolescents are dealing with themselves. Alec is searching for identity and an authority figure to whom he can look up to and respect. He uses his wits to get out of sticky situations and rejects violence as a means to better his own situation.

Although this book is long for an average young reader, I highly recommend it. As an adult, I value the message (war is not always glorious, violence is not always the answer to problems), and so will young readers.

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba

Sound interesting? It will at first glance. Now lets take a look inside. You read the first few pages and you will most likely decide to put the book down and never look at it again. The book is short, but the characters are boring, they have no personality at all. Really, they should have put some more OOMPH!! into the book to make it more interesting. You wondered why Nzingha got such a lowere reanking than the other Royal Diaries books. Well now you know why. If you want to read it, check it out from some library or borrow it. Don't buy it, it's a waste of money.

This book was sort of disappointing to me. I love the Royal Diary series, and I guess I expected something a little better. It is the story of Nzingha, the oldest daughter of the Ngola (he's like a king person). Though older than her brother and sisters, she is second in line for the leadership position because she is female. Nzingha's brother Mbandi, though, is lazy and irresponsible, so the Ngola makes Nzingha promise that she won't allow Mbandi to weaken the system. With that promise, Nzingha also has new studies and responsibilities.

Nzingha's "diary" was harder for me to connect with the setting and people, for some reason. Part of the problem may have been because of it length. Only 80 pages, it seemed to cut off abruptly at the end. It was interesting, though, to read about this princess that I've never heard of.

This book was not like many other of the Royal Diaries because Nzingha was not a well known royal nor was she European. This is one of the lesser known of the series but it worth a look for it's good historical references.

Nzingha's story is worth hearing, she was a powerful leader to her people and a formidable enemy against the Portugese. As with many of the other Royal Diaries, they portray the situations realistically such as the slavery the portugese enforced to the captives of Nzingha's people.

This is recommended for anyone interested in angolan and africain history. It paints a realistic picture of the times when the Europeans were ruthless for power through slavery. It demonstrates to younger readers an inspirational and courageous person such as Nzingha. I am glad I read this book, it was informational and I enjoyed learning about the history.

Loyal Patricia Cornwell readers will perhaps be somewhat disappointed in Black Notice, the 10th release in the Kay Scarpetta series, but will nevertheless purchase a copy and savor each page as if reading the last words of a great world leader. In other words, Cornwell is such a superior writer it is doubtful she could produce a bad read and, indeed, she hasn't yet.

Scarpetta is a bit more fragile here than we've seen her in the past, dealing with the death of her lover, Benton Wesley, a year after the fact. It seems she has lost touch with what is going on around her, and must now begin to regain control of her surroundings and her life. Faced with problems within her office, political powers that seek to end her career, and, of course, a killer on the loose, she is forced to come to terms with the past and move forward. This includes reliving much of her relationship with Benton, accepting that he is not still alive and living out some elaborate plan concocted by the FBI for whatever reason, and finding passion in the arms of a living male counterpart abroad.

Enter disappointment. The patience of Cornwell's lesbian followers are wearing thin with Benton Wesley. While Cornwell obviously agrees it is time to either put him to rest or bring him back to life, this should have been done some time ago, freeing Black Notice to be the book it could have been. In recovery, Scarpetta engages in sexual activity with a virtual stranger, which seems forced and out of character for our favorite heroine. Maybe we're just jealous, but Talley's introduction seems sudden and intrusive.

Lucy, Scarpetta's openly lesbian niece, plays only a small role in the novel, which adds to further disappointment. Surely lesbian readers would have to admit they secretly hope Lucy will be the main focus, or at least a larger one, in upcoming Scarpetta tales. In this book Lucy is still dealing with the monsters that drive her to emotionally dangerous places, while readers wait to see the monsters for what they are, and how she might prevail and overcome her self destructive tendencies. Maybe in the next book.

Marino is strong in this installment, as Cornwell brings his unique personality to the forefront and lets the friendship he shares with Scarpetta express itself with humor and an obvious deep caring for one another. Readers have watched Marino's life change over the years, and now he must deal with aging and his shifting importance in the world of law enforcement.

The plot of Black Notice lacks the believability of earlier Cornwell novels. Gone are the strong, realistic killers of the early days, having been replaced with dramatic, almost super human qualities. Cornwell seems to be steering clear of the more forensically technical aspects of Scarpetta's work, and does not share as many interesting, if somewhat gory, details that once provided readers with clues and insight into the mind of the killer. The characters' lives and personal quandaries surpass anything the killer may or may not do in this book.

With a writing style that is clearly Cornwell, and a cast of characters we have known too long to turn our backs on, Black Notice is a continuation of the Scarpetta saga, and one that is well worth suffering a few disappointments. After all, Cornwell would be hard-pressed to outdo herself, with Potter's Field and Point of Origin tough acts to follow. While perhaps not her best, Black Notice is still worth curling up with on a dark, rainy night.

Sherry Stinson...

I was starting to feel that the Kay Scarpetta series was getting a little tired. But, my roommate bought Black Notice, and I decided to go ahead and read it. On the whole, it is a fairly good book. The strange victim with a strange tattoo found with strange hairs starts the book off. The primary plot revolves around this death, and becomes a little too fantastic (Who's Afraid of Virginia's Wolf?) . However, the book is saved by having a subplot involving what appears to be a new nemesis for Dr. Scarpetta: a strong woman Deputy Police Chief, attempting to shake up the department and Marino, Kay's close police friend, and Scarpetta herself. Ultimately, these two seemingly divergent plots must come together.

I have read all the books in this series, yet I will not profess to understanding all the complex personalaties and relationships in the primary characters. Therefore, if you are thinking of delving into this series, try the earlier books first.

The secondary plot, which almost becomes primary, and solid writing help make up for an odd story and a weak ending. Furthermore, Patricia Cornwell attempts to throw some things in the mix to keep interest, such as the question of "Is Benton really dead?".

My suggestion: Read the book and enjoy, but don't analyze it.

Black Notice by Patricia Cromwell 1999

I have read and enjoyed the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell for several years and have been impressed with the high quality of the writing and the exciting stories she tells. This book is no exception and as the story flowed I found myself involved from beginning to end and had difficulty putting the book down. From the recovery of an unknown body in a container ships cargo to the streets of Paris the story moves swiftly and when it appears that a murderous psychotic has travelled to Kay's home town the intensity picks up and in the final chapters it is impossible to stop reading. The beautiful and vicious new police chief whose main purpose in life seems to be to get Kay fired provides the hurdles that Kay must jump in order to keep her job and bring the murderer to heel.

Kay's niece, Lucy, whose career and love life form a significant subplot keep us engrossed in her development and we wonder if she will survive in the male dominated machismo climate in the ATF.

The book opens with a letter from Kay's dead former lover Benton Wesley. Kay's struggle to deal with it forms a thread running through the story providing a sense of reality often missing in other mystery writer's works. And the burning question of all true Kay Scarpetta fans "Will Kay find a replacement for Benton Wesley?" may be answered.