I am sure the story of Rama is a beautiful one that is full of rich historical context. Unfortunately this book does not really capture it. One can really sense the author struggling with the translation as some passages sound like they were written by a child. I did find some parts of the book very quotable and for that reason I gave it two stars.

The Ramayana is a remarkable epic that captures one's mind and spirit with its vivid stories, and moral teachings. It is a touching story that emphasizes on the theory that good always prevails over evil. The poem also stresses the importance of dharma. In the epic the author, Valmiki, portrays Rama as a hero with great human qualities such as courage, loyalty and honesty. Valmiki is also considered to be a gifted and well talented poet, because of this breath-taking poem. In addition, historically the story of Rama was the first poem to have been ever written in Sanskrit, and is often referred to as "Adikavya", meaning the first poem. Although this epic was written many years ago, it still has a profound effect on many cultures in the world today, and will continue to entertain thousands for years to come.

Not only is this book a wonderful read, for students of comparitive mythology it is an invaluable extraction of the key elements of one of the greatest epics of all time.

What Buck does is filter out the religious sections, an insurmountable barrier to any but the most dedicated students of theology, and focus in on the narrative.

The reslut is the bridge that brings this critically important Eastern perspective on the Epic to western lovers of such works as the Iliad.

Do not miss adding this to your library.

Shirley Kennett has an exceptional grasp of the pychopathic mind. The chilling villains she creates for the P.J. Gray series really challenge her heroine, P.J. Gray, a police psychologist and an innovator in the use of virtual reality, as well as her partner Leo Schultz, an aging police detective, who hunts bad guys the old-fashioned way, through old style police legwork. In CHAMELEON, P.J. and Leo face their greatest challenge yet, when P.J. discovers she's up against an accomplished child serial killer, and one who places her own son's life in jeopardy. You won't be able to put this one down! Despite their different approaches to police work, P.J.'s and Leo's professional and personal relationships have also overcome a variety of challenges; despite a rocky start, they forge an unexpected friendship that promises to be even more interesting in the future. -- Kris Neri, mystery writer

Talk about ripped from the headlines. This book deals with juvenile violence, and I swear the author must be psychic because this book has been out in hardcover since last year but it forecasted current happenings. The story centers on a young sociopath (Ever wonder where those 30 year old serial killers come from? Well, here's one in the making.) who has created a world for himself inside his computer that is more comfortable for him than the real world. Then he starts to get them confused, real vs. fantasy. As Kennett develops this, it is 100% plausible and chilling to the bone. Not only does this book have a great villain, it also has investigators that are real people I can identify with, especially PJ Gray. I can hardly wait for the next book in this series so I can find out where the relationship between PJ and Schultz is going. If there's a relationship at all!! What Kennett has got here is a hard-boiled romantic suspense, something completely new, something for those of us who find Mary Higgins Clark a piece of fluff. I couldn't put the book down, especially the last 50 or 60 pages. I read this book in the series first, but now I'm going back for the others. I've got to find out how PJ and Schultz met for the first time, and what they thought of each other then.

The St. Louis police have noticed a recent increase in homicides, but no discernable pattern appeared to the law enforcement officials. Desperate to figure out what is happening in the Gateway City, the police turn to the relatively new Computerized Homicide Investigations Department, headed by Penelope Jennifer "PJ" Gray, a trailblazer in forensic simulation modeling.

Using her virtual reality program, PJ is able to visualize the killer from the eyes of the victim. She begins to find the elusive pattern to the murders. Meanwhile, old fashioned detective Leo Schultz continues to pound the cement, seeing if he can break open the case. However, neither one of the police officers expected to find the identity of the killer to be a twelve-year-old ingenious misfit, who has chosen PJ's son as a future target.

The information technology age meets forensic psychology in a novel that will leave readers stunned by its brilliance, ease of understanding, and entertainment value. Shirley Kennett is at her best. Anyone who enjoys forensic psychological investigations will enjoy CHAMELEON and Ms. Kennett's previous mysteries (FIRE CRACKER and GRAY MATTER).

Harriet Klausner

The Eclipse trilogy by John Shirley is perhaps one of the finest examples of cyberpunk "war" novels available - a classic us vs them series. Guaranteed to keep you up till all hours of the night, this series has been placed on "Permanent Out Of Stock" status by it's publisher, which usually means they are in a tussle with the author and will not print the book, but will not release the rights back to the author so it can be printed elsewhere. Your best bet is to seek out a good used bookstore or sf con - a set is usually available. This is a must read for hardcore sci-fi genre addicts, along the lines of Necrom and Armageddon Rag (if you don't know them, find them). And it never hurts to complain to the publisher, Popular Library Questar division about their stance re this series. Find it. Buy it. Read it.

John Shirley belongs to the generation of science fiction writers led by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling who are known as cyberpunks. Shirley was one of the early proponents of cyberpunk fiction. "Eclipse", the first in his "A Song Called Youth" trilogy, is a vivid, stylistically hip mix of politics, rock and roll and computers. His lean prose is almost as elegant as Gibson's; here he depicts a near future in which Europe falls under the sway of a Neo-Nazi Christian fundamentalist tyranny, the Second Alliance (SA), in the aftermath of a limited nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Opposing the SA are a motley band of rock musicians and socialist guerrillas known as the New Resistance. Those interested in reading some great cyberpunk fiction should acquire John Shirley's "A Song Called Youth" trilogy.

After discovering John Shirley through his short horror fiction, I bought a copy of Eclipse and sat motionless for days to read it. In other words, I could not put it down. While this would be shelved in a store's science fiction section, it really is more than typical spaceships and lasergun fare. It falls more towards cyberpunk but exceeds it with a focus on characters instead of technology.

The basic premise of the rise of a neo-fascist "security" corporation during the starts of a limited nuclear war between the USA and Russia sets the background for the very believable characters, each with distinct personalities and flaws that come to life from the printed page. Mr. Shirley weaves a complex and intertwined tale of guerilla mercenaries, fading rock stars, and fasicst powermongers that would stand proudly with the great works on science fiction. If not for any other reason, his interpretation of developing cultural trends is at the same time illuminating and frightening.

Having only read the first book*, I am anticipating no less enjoyment from Penumbra and Corona, the second and third works in the series.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a complicated read where each page yields a small reward.

* Sometimes I do need to spend a little time reading my college textbooks, too.

Sometimes I wonder if I read the same books that others rate as five stars. I personally think that five stars are too frequently given, particularly when we consider that the vast majority of books are simply average.

I was hopeful that "Night Light" would be above run-of-the-mill, but it really isn't. It's a fair book, but nothing else. (And please note that I am not a "Focus on the Family" basher. I think that ministry has helped bring many important topics to the fore. As a born-again Christian, I take seriously all the issues raised by that ministry and this book.)

Billed as being a unique daily devotional for Christian couples, it covers six months with each day comprised of a Bible verse, the Dobsons' thoughts about the verse as it relates to married couples' lives, a few questions to share together, and a closing prayer. Pretty standard fare for a devotional.

We've found the book to be written for couples that have extremely traditional marriage roles, but a growing number of couples (who are, by all means, traditional evangelical Christians) do not fit that mold. Generalizations about what the sexes are like in this book, unfortunately, are sadly stereotypical, too. Here, the Dobsons come across as stuck in another era. Now I am all for conserving the things that are great about America, Christianity, and family, but the authors seem to be writing more for their contemporaries, couples that have paralleled their own marriage experience. In short, if you don't match the Dobsons point for point in your marriage situation, the differences become glaring, becoming a focal point for incomplete application of their ideas.

Frankly, we've had quibbles with some of the theology, too. The book starts with an exposition of the old "I'm Third" idea - God first, others second, self third. We're not convinced this is biblical. Certainly God first is true, but doesn't Jesus say to "Love our neighbor as ourself" rather than to "Love our neighbor more than ourself"? It's obvious that deference to another's needs is key to any marriage, but it is all too frequent to find the balance tipping in one direction more than another. This can easily leave one spouse coming up short under the Dobsons' ideology. A godly husband needs to love his wife AND love himself in equal measure, and likewise the wife needs the same perspective from her point of view.

The questions asked during the devotional are many times pointless or do not provide any ideas for followup. In the section on prayer, for example, it is asked "Do you sometimes feel that the Lord is not listening when you pray?" Suppose that one or both answers that affirmatively. Then what? The Dobsons provide no help here except to get you to move on to the next question (which, in this case, has nothing to do with that previous question.) As a Christian Educator myself, I find that particularly galling. Examples like this abound in the book. And there are also plenty of leading questions that if answered in a fashion not in keeping with the authors' leading guide the users into a dead-end. The questions need to be better thought out. Adding helps for couples who disagree on some points is something I would also consider essential, but is sorely missing.

While any spiritual help in today's world is helpful, "Night Light" seems geared a bit low. If you've been Christians for any length of time, you probably have seen large swatches of everything here before. Because of this, after a while you start approaching the day's devotional dutifully rather than with any expectation. Too many books for couples suffer from this (so "Night Life" isn't that extraordinary in this regard.) They seem as if they were written for couples that have never talked about anything important during their entire marriage. Are couples this bad off? At times after reading some blatantly obvious point the authors expressed as some new revelation, my wife and I just kind of gave each other a look as if to say, "Are they serious?" That usually spells doom for books of this kind.

In short, the book breaks no new ground, boasts a very limited viewpoint that doesn't work well for all couples, and is average all the way around.

But this is not to say "Night Light" has no value. It would probably work very well for newlyweds, couples that are new in their Christian walk, or for couples that have never read any marital improvement books. Otherwise, skip the devotional and simply spend more time in prayer together.

My husband and I have gone through a lot of trials and I was looking for items that would enhance our ability to be intimate and to improve our communication (men love that!). This book was one of those tools - we read from it nightly. In part, the time together is very bonding, and it brings up many things we would probably not have thought to discuss. The stories are real without being overly sentimental (mostly), and my husband says he could relate to them and that he has really enjoyed most of them. We have found it a good way to unwind from our hectic days and rejoin our coupleship. I have started giving this book to my friends who are getting married. I feel it's part of why our marriage is improving.

This book is incredible! My husband and I received this book as a wedding gift from a friend. We began our married life with nightly readings from this book. It helped us discuss issues and topics from the very beginning that have served as solid foundational discoveries. It encourages open discussion without hostility or resentment. This book is defintiely a guide of how to stay married FOREVER. This is the only wedding gift we give to every couple that we know. What a blessing of encouragement for married folks who truly want to become and remain "ONE".

If you have some time, and enjoy reading about one of baseball's best eras, then I strongly recommend this book. Henry Thomas has written a meticulously researched, 400 page account of the life of Walter Johnson. Not only does it expound upon his on-field brilliance, but it demonstrates the love and respect that everyone associated with baseball had for Walter. The foreword is written by longtime Washington sportswriter, Shirley Povich, and the book contains many fine photos. If you are not a baseball fan, the wordy and intricate game descriptions may be tiresome. But if you enjoy the game, you will enjoy this book.

Written from the heart, and it shows. Truly a magnificent piece of work from Henry Thomas. I loved this book from beginning to end. Follow Walter Johnson from beginning to end through the eyes of someone that actually cares about Walter Johnson, his grandson. I cannot say enough great things about this book. Such a teriffic treat about a wonderful character in the history of baseball.

One of the best baseball books I have ever read- easily on my top ten list and maybe even in my top five. I was not aware that the book was written by Johnson's great grandson until I began reading; this certainly gave the material a lot of credibility.
Walter Johnson was, without question, the greatest pitcher in baseball history. Along with Al Stump's work on Ty Cobb, Robert Creamer's work on Casey Stengel, and the recently published Cy Young biography (author's name escapes me), this book establishes a lasting legacy of Johnson on and off the field.

Angelica wanted to get out of her marriage. Yes, her husband Phillip was attractive and charming, but he was no good. He was involved in things a ligit lawyer wouldn't be involved in. He talks her into going to dinner with him on the boat named after her. She reluctantly agrees and this day changed her life forever. Angie is in an accident and can't remember what happened to her after she is rescued by the handsome doctor Matt and his dog Buster. Matt is running away. His wife is dead and they think he killed her. Matt wants to help Angie. The only reason he even knows her name is because of a piece of jewelry she is wearing. In helping Angie get well and regain her memory, they fall in love. Angie wants to help Matt put his life back together. Of course, he resists, but when true love's involved you might as well quit running.

This is Ms. Harrison second book. I purchased this book when it was first published and just hadn't read it. This book had a lot of suspense and I would like to see Angie's brother Reed with his own story. If you have never read Ms. Harrison, please read her first book Picture Perfect. It was excellent. This one was good too, but I really loved Picture Perfect.

A nice read though I didn't enjoy this one as much as her first novel, "Picture Perfect." There were a lot of things unresolved and some parts not believable. But I was able to get through it and I still look forward to her future works.

This second novel by Shirley Harrison shows that she is truly in the right profession. Ms. Harrison has a firm grasp on creating a visual with her descriptive narratives. Many times throughout the book I felt as if I was on the beach, running through the wooded area, etc., right along with the main character. And I definitely wished I was there for the love scenes! It's so nice to see a contemperary writer that doesn't rely on a lot of dialogue and profanity to express a point. This is a must read.

One again, Shirley Harrison has woven a superb mystery with many surprising twists. She has a flair for writing sensual romantic story lines that tease and excite the reader. The absence of profanity is a pleasant plus! I'm hooked on this new writer.

Mystery and romance woven very well into a good read!! Sela afraid to love thinking "a curse" has been placed on her. The author weaving nice clues leading to an explosive conclusion. Ben being the man to break the barrier to Sela's heart and help her overcome her fears. Wonderful book.

Clairvoyant and psychic are terms Sela Bennett is all too familiar with; the words describe the talents that have flowed through the women in her family for over two
hundred years. When two of her suitors meet untimely tragedies, she starts believing what her grandmother calls her 'dangerous fortune', is true. Afraid to jeopardize another man's life, Sela swears off men and hides out in her hometown, Fairlight, Georgia.

Ben Russell, a world traveled architect is doing research for a documentary on old Southern churches. He is invited to study the design of the church in Fairlight. Of course he has no patience with small towns or superstitions. But Ben is an opportunist, he sees this pretty country girl as some fun for the summer, so he sets out to defrost her heart. They clearly have different agendas, but what transpires between them surprises them both. And they finally start to suspect that the strange things that are happening are not really super-natural.

This is Ms. Harris third novel, and as with the others it is laced with mystery, romance and enough charisma to capture the most discriminate mind. -- Reviewed by aNN Brown

The reason for the four stars is that I think it is not as good as Charlotte Bronte's best, the incomparable Jane Eyre. But it is, compared with most novels of today, very good indeed. The character of Shirley is wonderful. It is clear that Caroline is the protagonist, and that she is based on Charlotte herself and is therefore given the lion's share of attention. I consider this one of the book's few faults. The character of Robert Moore is beautifully drawn and I disagree with the editors that Louis is not. Although the device of the diary is a bit clumsy, the dialogue between Louis and Shirley is enthralling. Highly recommended.

Despite Charlotte Bronte's disclaimer that the reader will find this book "a dinner of bitter herbs" it is nonetheless a must-read classic of 19th century litterature. Many themes combine in this book; the expansion of industrialism and the dissapearance of the English countryside; the place of women in society; feminine loyalty and friendship; the conflicts of love and work, evangelism and tradition. It is perhaps the most uneven and at the same time the most interesting of the Bronte books.

While it lacks the symmetrically designed shape of Jane Eyre or the clear-eyed study of obsession of Villette, it lets the imaginative reader glimpse the Bronte sisters themselves between the lines. The characters of Shirley and Caroline are based on Emily and Anne Bronte, both of whose deaths occurred during the writing of the novel. It is a tribute to sisterly love and a fantasy that lashes back at grief. Some may find the ending a romantic cop-out, but this cannot detract from the many good qualities of this fascinating novel

While I loved this book, there were some things I didn't like, but none that mean it doesn't deserve five stars. This is my favourite Charlotte Bronte book. i believe there is too much focus on Jane Eyre, or perhaps even Villette. There are a few coincidences in this story, especially one, which I can't mention without giving away part of the story. However these are common in CB, Villette being overun with them, and Jane Eyre ending up on the doorstep of her long lost cousins. Shirley is more believable. Another comment it the long speeches the characters often make. Apart from these though, this is one of my most loved books. It has been neglected, I feel, by the fact that the first 50 pages are very difficult to read, after that though, the story becomes apparent, and it's worth it. Something strange is that the heroine of the title doesn't appear, and is not mentioned until page 200, although she fairly dominates the rest of the book. Perhaps 'Shirley and Caroline' would have been a more appropriate title

Not "just friends" is logical, compassionate, and realistic. For anyone who is dealing with infidelity in their marriage, the betrayal is devastating. Dr.Glass truly understands and explains the feelings and circumstances that can lead to infidelity. This is not your typical feel good self-help book. Dr. Glass acknowledges that the damage to a marriage is deep and lingering. Reading this book was the first time someone was able to accurately describe my situation and feelings - it definitely should be read by anyone who has been cheated on or is involved in an inappropriately deep emotional relationship with a married friend or co-worker.

I found this book to be incredibly insightful in its identification of the subtle transition from friends to lovers. Dr. Glass recognizes the emotional significance and potential hazard when an individual stops functioning as a responder to their mate and become a responder to a close friend.

The running story of Laura, Rachel and Ralf the book outlines mirrors precisely my own set of circumstances. Unfortunately I didn't find this book until after my relationship had ended. However, its description of the course of events was right on target, right down to the terms that the affair partners used to justify their actions including calling their lover their soul mate. In my own particular circumstances I was in the role of Rachel; Dr. Glass' insights into the thoughts of the character of Rachel paralleled my own during the affair of my significant other. This book mapped the friendship to affair progression I watched my significant other go through.

More specifically Dr. Glass managed to capture and understand the miry tangle of emotions that a person feels when their spouse is involved in an affair. For months I have been looking for someone that could understand that I felt both betrayed and yet still loved my former spouse. The description of the nauseating, insomniating, complicated emotions the person who has been cheated on feels was exactly what I had been trying to express to family and friends.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has been involved in an affair personally or tangentially as well as for any couple interested in protecting and identifying risks to their relationship.

I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Glass. Nearly two years ago, when my husband and I were struggling to come to terms with his "uniquely intense friendship" with another woman, it was Dr. Glass's clear and succinct definition of an affair that helped us understand the true nature of that particular relationship. When I heard Dr. Glass had written a book, I immediately searched it out, and I have not been sorry.

Dr. Glass's descriptions of the transition from innocent friendship to illicit affair are brilliantly stated; at one point, my husband and I joked that Dr. G. must have been following us around, clipboard in one hand and tape recorder in the other, to be able to recreate our experiences in such accurate detail! One of the sad things about affairs is that while the affair participants are completely convinced that their experience is unique, fresh and unparalleled in the annals of human history, in fact the vast majority of affairs follow very predictable patterns, which Dr. Glass has managed to trace and describe. While she takes a strong anti-affair, pro-marriage stance, she treats both partners with respect and compassion, neither vilifying nor glorifying either role.

I am particularly impressed with Dr. Glass's "trauma theory" of affairs. Having gone through the experience myself, I can verify that "trauma" is really the best word for it; and as a former mental health professional, I find her approach to treatment absolutely sound. I also appreciated the section on determining your own susceptibility to affairs. If my husband and I had known even a fraction of this stuff, we might have been saved a great deal of pain and suffering.

In short, this book is well worth its cover price. It's one of the few that I'd buy in hardcover, and I'd highly recommend it not only for those who are going through, or who have gone through, the turmoil of an affair and its aftermath, but for anyone in a committed relationship who wants to ensure that neither they nor their partner finds themself protesting, "I'm telling you, we're *just friends*!"

This book is a fitting testament to Shirley Jackson, as the selections span her entire literary career. It is tragic that a writer of Jackson's caliber should be called away during her productive years, but we are quite fortunate to be allowed a taste of the novel Jackson was working on when she died. That taste is a short one, consisting of six chapters (roughly 27 pages), the final three of which are the first draft. The protagonist is a thoroughly Jacksonian character, sometimes spontaneous and sometimes nostalgic, making a new life for herself in her own peculiar way. Her attempts at shoplifting are particularly telling of her character, but unfortunately her story ends at just about that point. The other stories included here are a special treat. While "The Lottery" is included (just in case someone may not be familiar with it, as Jackson's husband tells us in his preface), the other stories are poignant looks into the lives of rather ordinary people. Jackson had an amazing talent for characterization; the smallest actions can tell us more about a person than his/her overt actions and words, and such little things make Jackson's stories incredibly vivid, illuminating, and personal. Shirley Jackson was a wife and mother whose writing always took second place behind her family. Many of these stories center on family life in all its aspects. "The Beautiful Stranger" and "A Day in the Jungle" deals with the sense of unfulfillment and unhappiness that one partner may come to feel in his/her marriage, "The Rock" speaks to the strength of a brother-sister relationship, "Island" is a somber story about one's end-of-life years. "Pajama Party" is a simple tale of a young girl's birthday slumber party. The story sounds so much like real life that it could be a neighbor telling you about it firsthand; it is also the funniest story Jackson ever wrote There are darker stories where characters become "lost," hopeless, and frightfully alone--"The Bus," "The Little House, "A Visitor" (which is a strange ghost story of sorts). The best stories here, in my mind, are "Louisa, Please Come Home," which has a uniquely Jacksonian twist of the prodigal son motif, and "I Know Who I Love," which illustrates the fact that parents can be much too overprotective of their children.

The true highlight of this book, though, are the three "lectures." One gives Jackson's response to the old "where do you get your ideas?" question. Another one addresses the techniques of writing effective fiction. My favorite, though, is an essay describing the reaction of readers to the publication of "The Lottery" in New Yorker Magazine. Jackson includes comments from all sorts of readers, almost all of it negative, which she breaks down into three different categories. While "The Lottery" is certainly an original, successful story, I cannot imagine that so many people would have been so affected that they felt compelled to put their shock and disapproval into words. The responses that Jackson describes to us offer a vivid look at American culture at mid-century.

If you are a Jackson fan, you (should) already own this book. If you want an introduction to Jackson, the stories included here will certainly delight you and win you over to Jackson's unique way of telling stories. These stories clearly reveal Jackson's humanity and family devotion, and the reader comes away with great respect for the author as both a writer and as a human being.

Shirely Jackson was a gifted writer who deserves to be regarded with the same prestige heaped upon Ray Bradbury and others. Come Along With Me, a posthumous collection gathering together early works with lectures and a novel fragment, not only allows readers to shiver and giggle as only Ms. Jackson could make us do, it also offers the reader an intimate glimpse into the creative process (compare the sharp focus in the revised segments of Come Along With Me with the somewhat blurred unrevised sections) and, by printing short stories in order of their publication, the growth of Ms. Jackson's considerable talent for the intelligently ghoulish can be seen and savored. As with her other, more famous stories (i.e The Haunting of Hill House), it is what is implied in the methodical unfolding of the tales that makes for the chills rather than in your face grue. This book, along with Jackson's others, is an essential in any literature loving bookworm's library. Highest recommendation.

This book is amazing! If you love short stories with a twist (or twisted short stories), you will be mezmerized by this book. The real gems in this collection are the short stories--you will find it difficult to put this book down. If you loved "The Lottery", get this book! The collection was assembled posthumously by Shirley Jackson's most trusted critic--husband Stanley Hyman--and it is pure gold!