It's been a while since Angela Benson's last book. The holiday season is the perfect time to read her story, Friends and Lovers. It's funny and it's fun. It's my favorite in the collection. However, Rochelle Alers' Kwanzaa story and Shirley Hailstock's Christmas story will put you in the spirit of the season.

The three novellas make a perfect combination for the holiday season. Whatever your style, it was there -- Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the New Year. The Christmas novella "Invitation to Love" was a heartwarming story of renewing an old romance. It dealt with forgiveness as well as believing and trusting. "Invitation to Love" was a chance for Elizabeth and James to recapture the joy and romance that was shattered. It was a chance for Elizabeth to discover the love that she thought was buried with the death of her sister, Claire. "Invitation to Love" was right in tune with the Christmas spirit of love, joy, hope, and sharing. "Invitation to Love" was a beautiful and moving story.

What can I say about Aler's "First Fruits?" I love Rochelle Alers' books and this novella was no exception. It was rewarding to see concern for the younger generation and Marshall Graham's actions to steer the younger male in the right direction with the operation of Nia Academy for males. Marshall set out not only to have the academy in operation, but to cover all aspects of learning - academically, as well as socially, -- in learning english, math, history, art and dance. I praise Marshall for being the sort of guy set on making a difference and making it happen. Shelby Carter, Marshall's love interest, would handle the art aspect at Nia Academy. However, Shelby had not only captured the art contract, but she had also captured Marshall's heart. When first introduced by Marshall's aunt and Shelby's friend, Naomi Morrow, it was a love interest at first meeting for both of them. It was not easy and there were some misunderstanding, but eventually, their love did flourish and the romance came to harvest. "First Fruits" was a rewarding novella that was not only informing with the information about Kwanzaa and the Kwanzaa celebration, but it was a wonderful romance about two people deserving love and each other. Great story, Ms. Alers!

Angela Benson's "Friend and Lover" was my favorite. This was a hilarious story of two people with truly a loving friendship. Reed was a guy who knew how to take matters into his own hands. He moved into Paige's apartment after the Christmas holiday and before the New Year's holiday and into her heart for life. Paige was a wonderful girl, who agreed to play Reed's game of being engaged. But was this only for Reed's grandmother's sake, or did Paige really have a motive of her own? Was she missing something in her own life that she saw when Reed and Grandmother Lewis came to visit? Where was the spark between Paige and her fiance', Dexter? The sparks ignited when Reed kissed Paige or was near her, but she could not remember anything like that in her relationship with Dexter? If you have not read this one, then you must read it. It is not only funny, but touching. I am sure that you will enjoy it.

Great Read! I really enjoyed this book. It had everything, second chances, educational aspects, and it was very funny! I always look forward to one of Alers's books. She did not disappoint! Hailstock's novella was very heart felt. It is the kind of story that makes you smile at the end. And Benson, all I can say is I'll never see my best friend the same again ( of course he's male). I love this story the most. It had me on the floor laughing. I read it none stop!

I throughly enjoyed reading this as will many other lovers of the felines and crime solving genre. The characters are real and very lovable, and in all her books the author also creates intriguing little 'sub plots' which will pull you in if the main one does not. Humor mixed with tenderness--if you can handle that combination, this book is for you.

The concept of cats who can think and talk like people is a bit frightening. I'm not sure I want to think about what my five would have to say if they could! Apparently this ability comes from some sort of Celtic/Egyptian/Italian folklore/mythological roots. Sometimes however, Joe or Dulcie will say or think something that seems just a bit beyond belief for a cat even with this super ability. And more than once they demonstrated physical abilities that seemed unlikely even allowing for their being able to conceive of doing them. But this may be nit picking. After you get used to the idea, this is a good mystery. I have to admit I fell for a couple of red herrings. Dulcie is certain that the young man in jail for murder is innocent and she gets Joe Grey involved in a big way. Along the way they encounter all sorts of strange characters and a very nasty dog. Their escapades make for an enjoyable reading experience (just be sure to check your ideas about what cats can and can't do at the door). All things considered, if I had to choose, I think I would stay with Midnight Louie, Carol Nelson Douglas' street wise cat in Las Vegas. I prefer my cats a little more cat like and a little less people like. Fortunately I don't have to choose, I can have BOTH! Enjoy Murphy's Joe Grey and Dulcie then go check out Midnight Louie as well, you won't be disappointed.

When a prominent artist is burned to death in her own studio, the two cat detectives can't believe it to be an accident. They set out to find out exactly what happened and like always they are into everything and keeping their house mates worried about them and Captain Harper off balance because he thinks the cats are involved in his anonymous tips. He doesn't want to admit, even to himself, that he believes simple little cats could do these unusual things. Joe and Dulcie are always kitty on the spot when something happens and to find clues to crimes. This is a good, interesting book. The author deserves credit for coming up with such an unusual series of stories.

A German woman cleans her house in preparation for Christmas. Then she invites her neighbors, farm animals, and wild creatures into her home to enjoy her tree. However, she never thinks to invite the spiders in. On Christmas Eve when the Christkindel comes, the spiders ask him to let them into the house to see the tree, which he does. As the spiders explore the tree, they cover it with their webs, which the Christkindel tranforms into beautiful tinsel. Thus explaining the tradition of tinsel.

I enjoyed the story but found the presentation flawed. Germans use comforters on their beds and not patchwork quilts, yet the woman is shown shaking out a patchwork quilt. In Germany, the Christkindel (Christ child) is the one who brings gifts on Christmas Eve, but he is portrayed looking like a slim, diminutive, American Santa Claus. Also, only a fraction of the many spiders shown have the requisite number of eight legs.

I enjoyed the story but will search for a different version of it before purchasing a copy for myself.

I think a younger kid (4-8) would like to read this book. This book takes place at Christmas time in Germany. It is about an old lady named Tante (Auntie). Every year she decorates a Christmas tree for animals and they come enjoy the surprises she has for them. Tante doesn't like spiders so every year she wipes them away. The spiders want to see the tree, but they never get to. Read this book to see what happens to those little spiders this year.

Cobweb Christmas is a delightful book that brings the magic of Christmas to children. Our family reads this book every Christmas Eve and is delighted year after year.

I rented this book on tape from my local library. I'm going to nab the $1.50 used version right now if I can. I am interested in fashion and I learned some interesting things about the industry like the fact that clothes are cut by huge machines. That way they cut more than one copy at a time.

I did NOT like the racial slurs. The references to foreign cab drivers was very distasteful in my book. Those types of innocent comments turn my stomach. There was another reference to someone's figure that wasn't perfect. I mean come on this was written in 1998 has Shirley Lord every heard of Sophie Dahl? Models now come in plus size.

If you work in an office and can get this book on tape from your local library I recommend it especially if you're interested in fashion. The Ginnie character was a bit too dumb in my opinion. I guess it's a snap shot of Ms. Lord's sheltered world view. If you can stomach it I suppose it makes for an interesting read or listen.

A fascinating look at not only the fashion industry, but the New York society scene as well. I found this book difficult to put down, once I began. Reminded me of Dominick Dunne's writing.

The book is great and incorporates some of Victoria D'Angelo's life. They are the best parts and very original.

The book Demons is a story of the seven clans of demons and the people who fought against them, or at least tried.... John Shirley describes everything in his book vividly, and at times he does it too well and he does it magnificently at times when you wish he hadn't painted a picture of that particular scene. Each demons has its own often hilrious name, from a bugsy to a tailpipe, but although the names sound cute and all, in 'reality' the demons are far from that description. Overall the book is magnificently written, but I should warn everyone, this book is not for anyone, there should be a level of maturity and readiness in the reader before they should ever read this book.

When it comes to John Shirley, you have to take your chances. In my humble opinion, I find him a writer of widely varying quality (though one who steadily improves, there is little backsliding in his work). If one goes as far back as CELLARS, there is really not much to recommend; however, Mr. Shirley has produced such excellent work as: IN DARKNESS WAITING; WETBONES; and, most recently, DEMONS. This is a terrific short novel--well-paced, gripping, and solid. Mr. Shirley's mastery of this short form is impressive. A sense of dread is pervasive thoughout, though his prose is lean and to the point.

In this most imaginative premise (though I sense some inspiration from John Ostrander's DEMON WARS arc in the GRIMJACK comics), unstoppable, murderous demons have suddenly appeared on Earth. They can make their presence known anywhere and anytime. With no defenses, humans must make their way through this hell on earth as best they can (this is Shirley's most interesting facet in the book--how John and Mary Sixpack continue about their daily business in this new dystopia).

It was a pleasure to read DEMONS, and I look forward to Mr. Shirley's next work.

A fascinating study of a certain type of occult phenomenon - how, to use Goya's words, _el sueño de la razon produce muenstros_ - the sleep of reason produces monsters.

Shirley's book tells about a demonic invasion that threatens to engulf planet Earth. The demons come in various types; my own personal favorites are the Bugsys - sleazy characters who somehow manage to get human beings to be their pets. And as Shirley fans will know, he has a great capacity for melding the hyperreal elements of fantasy with the gritty reality of the urban.

Would discuss the implications of this powerful book further, but I don't want to give away too much of the plot. Highly recommended.

This book is a great concept and very interesting but at times, very confusing. There were no explanations for different people mentioned in the book (even after reading the book from cover to cover I still am confused about a couple of names mentioned). Also, there is a lot of "lingo" used that if you were never in the Army or closely related you would have no idea. A lot of abbreviations were used with no explanations (I have no idea what a O.D. uniform is). Like I said at the beginning -- this concept was great, the letters were great, the book was put together without any history about the nurse, her family, friends, and no explanation on lingo or abbreviations. I am done reading this book and cannot really connect with the people or things because I have no idea what they are talking about. Frustrating!!

I purchased this book as a gift for my husband (also a retired Army Nurse). I found myself at home one day, picked it up and read non-stop for over eight hours, finishing the book the follwoing morning. Not being an avid WWII reader myself, I was amazed I found it quite interesting to have a look first hand at the life of an Army Nurse, the sacrifices made by her for her country, her sense of selflessness, friendships made and lost, dedication to colleagues and family despite the many obtstacles faced with basic daily living, the Army way. This is truly a fascinating read. You feel as though Lt. Coressel is a personal friend -- the kind everyone wants and hopes to be!

The letters presented in this book offer a unique look at the day to day life of an Army nurse during WWII. Jerry's sense of adventure, dedication to her profession and her country,and the love for her family are expressed in detailed, heartfelt letters.
I highly recommend this special book. It is a loving tribute to the women who devoted a large part of their lives to the war effort.

I received this book as a gift, and I am grateful for it. It does have some good ideas, some that I hadn't thought about, some different ways of doing things. It helps to think in different ways, do some brain-exercising.

An excellent book of ideas and help for someone wanting to learn to costume for community theatre. It contains excellent examples of her own work that is easy to follow. It does not overload your brain with useless information. A good starting out book, that aids a person in organizing the information , and research problems needed to suceeded in this field. Also a good read for veterans of the design buisness to give fresh ideas and back up what they have done . After 35 years finally I have found someone who appreciates the use of thrift stores , goodwill and lace curtains for stage costumes. Thank you Shirley for putting it into words and pictures.

What I like about this book is that it foregoes any esoterica and costuming theory in favor of good old fashioned practicality. The reader doesn't have to sift through the excruciating snobby details, but instead is given the real lowdown as if visiting with a best friend who happens to be a costume mistress.

This book focuses mainly on costuming for low-budget productions (such as community theatre or a school play), providing useful information and advice on making good-looking costumes from already existing garments and/or thrift store offerings. Information abounds about time period, costume cuts & styles, ways to splurge or skimp on your costumes and still have them look fabulous, as well as details that an inexperienced costumer might overlook (such as using velcro instead of buttons for ease in costume changes).

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is involved in costuming for a production, or anyone who simply loves costumes and loves to recycle old clothes into great new ones. I love this book and have read through it several times just for inspiration.

Like many people (too many people, perhaps) I grew up with The Wizard of Oz only in movie form. For many years I didn't even KNOW it was based on a book, and I certainly didn't know anything about its creator, L.F. Baum. Though I knew there were other books written by him in the Oz series, I had no idea, until reading this biography, that there were over TEN other books in the Oz series alone. I guess ya' learn something new every day...

L.F. Baum had a pleasant childhood peppered with some unhappy experiences and generally was in poor health. Like many creative people (especially in the early 20th century) he was considered a dreamer and would probably come to no good, squandering his life and his money away on frivolous things. Time has proven this to be fortunately incorrect.

One of the first males to be deeply involved with the women's' suffrage movement, he started his own newspaper as a young child, borrowing news from other papers and news sources and creating poems and puzzles for his readers. He went on to work newspapers most of his life, on and off, doing a wide variety of jobs, including selling axle grease. All during this time he continued to tell stories and write. Indeed, he was one of the first authors to write stories geared specifically to children, and could even be considered the father of the modern children's book.

"L. Frank Baum" is packed with details of this little known man and shows a tremendous amount of effort and attention on the part of the author. Anyone above, say, 5th grade could easily use this book alone as the sole source on his life and times. However, it should be noted that the writing is rather dense with information and could be considered uninteresting reading-for-pleasure material for students who are merely curious about his life. Though richly illustrated with photographs, posters and book excerpts from Baum's life and books, a good deal of these illustrations are very teeny-tiny, making the details difficult to see. They would be more effective if enlarged even by 25%.

There is an excellent chapter on "Oz and the Censors", which is offset by a whole chapter just about a months' vacation. This sort of disjointed discussion of Baum's life and overemphasis on certain details shows up every now and then, causing the reader to sometimes say, "huh?" or forcing one to reread for greater clarity.

As far as school-aged children go, I would fancy that this book would serve more as a resource for paper writing than for sheer enjoyment due to the volume of facts and the dryness of the text. Still, it's an excellent book, meticulously researched, and it sheds some very much-needed light on the man whose book was the basis for one of the best-known movies in 20th century America. When we all listen to admire Ms. Garland singing "Over the Rainbow", or cackle like the Wicked Witch of the West, or laugh at the antics of the Cowardly Lion, we should stop and remember the kind, gentle man who gave the filmmaking world the idea for these characters.

Well, definitely informative and helpful. Well-written. Text is accompanied by wonderful photos, but some of the info. is not always correct (just minor parts). It is not balanced either, sometimes they spend a chapter on a decade, other times a chapter for a five-week vacation...

Wonderful! It brought me into those little places in Baums life that made me feel like is friend. I love the photos (sometimes I think Groucho Marx copied Baum, hehe) and the text is excellent. If you love Oz, you just HAVE to read this book.

Having been to a Christian college myself, this book probably meant more to me than it would to some. However, that are certain struggles the main character Jo has with herself that I think anybody can probably relate to. Even for those who don't believe in a higher being-the struggles are true for anybody. What is the purpose of our life? How are we supposed to be? This is not maybe the easiest book to get through, but it is a reward at the end.

I read this book just out of bible school and really resonated with it even though the story took place a couple of generations before. I strongly recommend it for people who have been involved in or are interested in conservative Christianity. Too bad it is out of print. I've loaned out my copy and never got it back.

Reading this book was a life-changing event in my freshman year at a private Christian college. It opened my eyes to the undercurrent of the subculture I then found myself in, though perhaps not as extreme as Calvary, the small Bible college in Chicago (suspiciously resembling Moody Bible Institute) that Jo found herself in during the time of WWII.

Nelson describes Jo's world: "Happiness was a kind of badge at Calvary; it was not only nice to be happy, it was right. It was a sign that things were as they should be on the inside. But while in such an atmosphere unhappiness was frequently viewed with judgment or shame, it's only fair to add the obvious: a school cannot be held accountable for the inward state of every student. Some things will happen wherever you are, and that is where Jo was, at that school, in that city."

And so we enter the world Jo Fuller. Nelson paints a wonderful picture of Calvary's masked nature juxtaposed to the terrifying, offensive reality of the city around her. Her friends at school deny that reality, equating such a place with the "world" of the New Testament, just as Jo and her family desperately want to deny any thought that her brother, declared MIA, might have been killed by the war. Jo is brought face-to-face with this problematic world in the encounters with roommates, obsessive boys, hardhearted professors and administrators, drunks, even the Bible itself. This beautiful and honest novel brought me in touch with a swamp of reality that I might have ignored, while being neck-deep in myself. It opened me to questions that my own closed mind had previously shunned. If you wish to wrestle with the complexities of a rapantly common Christian culture in North America, please, for your own sake and the sake of those around you, read this book.

This is not only a great book about the history, trials, tribulations and triumphs of America's most famous unknown quartet (?), but a fascinating look at how a group of independent thinkers and performers found a way to market themselves in a manner as unique as their output. Even if you can't stand the music of The Residents, one can't help but be inspired by the perseverence and ideology that founded and maintained their business dealings, ensuring the survival of their (very) particular artistic vision.

Author Ian Shirley gives us a Brit's eye view of the "Eyeball Buddies" that is very readable, fast paced, never ponderous .... in fact, at times you can't help but wonder if something was left out, the way events unfold, almost more like an extended article than a book. What distinguishes this from most written artist profiles is the equal emphasis put on how this reclusive combo, who has maintained anonymity for close to 30 years, packaged, marketed and kept themselves afloat in an industry that is constantly on the brink of plunging headfirst into cultural mediocrity.

One element notably absent here is tales of inner group conflict; being an anonymous entity, that sort of revealing of individual personalities would be inappropriate. By putting the art first, these guys (?) proved that a unified creative vision CAN in fact exist without an emphasis put on personalities. Again, whether or not the strange music is to one's taste, their story presents an ideal in team creativity that has outlasted even that of (dare I say it) The Beatles.

Covering their earliest years, through the foundation of the Cryptic Corporation, through the nighmarish ordeal of the Mole Tour and the success of Cube-E, right up through the development of the software landmark "Bad Day on the Midway" and the start of the project "Wormwood", sprinkled with fascinating trivia involving the participation of more well-known artsts, this book is about as close as one can get to understanding, if not WHO they are, at least what they are about.

Of course, The Residents themselves, in keeping with their obscure aesthetic, are apt to deny it all. This is one episode of A&E's Biography you will probably never see. A great read, for any reason.

Shirley's Residents book combines biographical narrative with light music criticism in an appealing and highly readable telling of the Residents' story. Long before the internet showed us that conventional record companies will become superfluous to independent artists, the Residents and Ralph Records were demonstrating that a sense of humor, a sardonic marketing sensibility, and a willingness to title records "Duck Stab" could provide the artist outside the grooves with an audience and a place in the music industry. Shirley "plays along" a bit with the band's "mystery persona" (not to worry, enough hints are dropped), but this book is not a mere puff piece on the Residents. Shirley has a good grip on what works in the Residents' music, and a reasonably fair criticism of what does not work for him. The real story is how the Residents got exposure,and became counterculture icons in their own right, while consistently parodying the counterculture they eventually came to symbolize. If you are a Residents fan, you will like this book, but this book is also a good read for the person with little Residents exposure--it's a good example of how "performance art" was a finely refined art long before MFA dropouts subjected us to one-person confessional plays about dysfunctional suburban families. If you dread the usual "gee, I love U2" fan bio, but like stories about how DIY artists actually did do it themselves (rather than merely bewail society's failure to recognize them), you'll like this one.

The second best book ever, next to The Simpsons a complete gide to our favorite family. If you have ever wanted to know about the Simpsons then it's definitely the book for you. In conclusion, Ian Shirley's Meet the Residents still doesn't tell who The Residents are, and that's fine with me!