I have been an avid reader of vampire fiction for many years I can see why it won the best vampire novel of 2001. It didn't use any of the usual clichés of the genre.
I found all of the characters intriguing and didn't want to put the book down. I especially liked the way Jean handled the whole relationship between Dan and Brandy.
Her theories about vampires are unique and intriguing. I found the last few chapters to be wonderfully nail biting and went to bed rather late because I had to read them before I slept. It will definitely be on my list of rereads that I do once in a while.
Run, do not walk to your favorite bookstore and buy a copy or order it from here!

The situation where Brandy is called to investigate a body in the faculty offices of the local university starts getting screwy almost from the start. Why is a young man's chair occupied by the body of someone dead of extreme old age?

Then, too, why is Dan Martin taking such an interest in the investigation?

And what part do Doc and his ex-con son have in the situation?

Then Brandy's best friend is found murdered, with fang-marks in her neck. Now it's personal!

Brandy Mather is a detective in a small, Kentucky town. In such a place, there should not be a rash of murders, especially not ones as baffling as the ones she is now trying to solve. The first victim was supposed to be only in early middle age, but appeared to be an old man who died with a very odd expression on his face. It is not long before other bodies begin appearing, one of them her own best friend. Brandy seeks help from computer genius, Dan Martin. What she gets is a lot more.

She begins to fall in love with Dan, but a mysterious secret keeps them apart at first. Dan has an inside track on the killer that is completely unexpected, and shocking. Brandy finds that she is facing an other worldly villain that will attempt to corrupt her very soul. Small town politics and murders may be what she is fighting on the surface, but the truth is one she can hardly believe. Vampires are real.

***** In a complex and fast paced plot, readers are given a new twist on the old legends. Dan is an appealing hero, but not as other worldly and brooding as many heroes in this genre are. Brandy is a modern, strong willed woman whom many readers will find similiar to themselves. If it is possible, this would make a fantastic continuing series.

First written in 1543, The Bondage And Liberation Of The Will: A Defence Of The Orthodox Doctrine Of Human Choice Against Pighius is an English translation by G. I. Davies of one of John Calvin's profound theological works concerning the relationship between grace and free will. Astutely edited with meticulous notes by A. N. S. Lane (Director of Research and Senior Lecturer in Christian Doctrine at the London Bible College), The Bondage And Liberation Of The Will is an historically important and influential treatise of religious and historical significance, and one which is very strongly recommended for Christian Studies theological reference and resource shelves.

This is an excellent debate on free will and predestiantion. it is extremely scholaraly and Calvin is more nuanced and complex than Luther. this book centers around Augustinian thought, as both Rome and the Reformers claimed him as their champion on this issue. Calvin showed conclusively, that Augustine sided with the reformers and solidified the reformation as something not novel, but as a spokesman for Augustine on the treatment of the will and the sinful state of man. The Reformation, it has been said, was the victory of Augustine's thoughts on salvation over Augustine's thoughts of the church.

This is an excellent review of the response of Calvin to A. Pighius and the debates of the 1540's concerning the Will of Man, and Predestination. This work covers many areas not covered in other English Translations of Calvin's works, and is very informative concerning Calvin's treatment of the relation between grace and free will.

This work is a translated version of Calvin's response to Albert Pighius regarding the issue of the eternal predestination of God. Calvin deals with the historical proof (i.e. other theologians/writers prior to Calvin) of the doctrine of predestination as well as the biblical proof. The last section of the book is simply Calvin responding to the claims/arguments of Pighius regarding the issue at hand. This book is crucial to the overall debate between the Calvinist and the Arminian. Therefore, if you are researching the issues and miss this book then you have missed one of the best primary sources from Calvin himself. Another good reason to purchase and read this book is to find out what Calvin really espoused. All too often people assume Calvin espoused certain things which he in fact never espoused because they read secondary sources written ABOUT Calvin's view. Thus, it is crucial to read the primary sources. Another book that works well with this text is titled "The Bondage and Liberation of the Will" by John Calvin (ISBN - 0-85364-718-6) which is also available for a good price here at Amazon. However, don't miss this one in your research!

Interpreting The Will Of God: Principles For Unlocking The Mystery by Mack King Carter (Senior Pastor, New Mount Olive Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a powerfully presented, spiritually insightful study of the nature and characteristics of God. Interpreting the Will of God is a most profound and passionate account. Interpreting The Will Of God is recommended as a moving testament offering guidance to Christians seeking to embrace God in their lives.

Margaret Sams has done it again. This wonderfully inspiring book tells the tale of women and their struggles during WWII. I highly recomend this touching book and Forbidden Family by Margaret Sams.

Thank God for university presses that publish books about little known or even unavailable films. Godard's Pierrot le fou (France, 1965) was recently released on DVD, and if any film ever needed footnotes, this is it. Now one can read Cambridge Film Handbooks's Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot Le Fou, edited by David Wills, and enjoy the book as a supplement to an almost-forgotten masterpiece. Pierrot le fou is a cinematic work that nails the '60s in 110 minutes. The plot is quite simple: A bored man portrayed by ultracool Jean-Paul Belmondo goes to a party with his wife, at which everyone converses in advertising slogans. He leaves and runs off with his baby-sitter, played by the beautiful Anna Karina, and they go on a crime spree. Ridiculous? Well, this is a Godard film. The baby-sitter is named Marianne, and she symbolizes the French republic, as she is consistently clothed in the colors of France. Marianne thinks she is in a movie (which she is) and wants emotion and movement. The Belmondo character, Pierrot, wants to leave civilization, live on an island, and read books -- a character with whom I fully sympathize. He wants to live in words and thoughts, and she wants emotion and action. The film is about role-playing, the nature of cinema and its audience, Vietnam (where the French had difficulties before the Americans did), and the dynamics between reading and action.

The book contains five essays, each focusing on specific aspects of the film. The writings form a critical study, rather than just including gossip about the film shoot and about its participants. The most interesting essay is the last one, "Pierrot le fou and Post New Wave Cinema," by Jill Forbes. The essay focuses on the complexity of Pierrot le fou: Since the characters know they are acting out their dramas in a film, Forbes discusses how this relates to their world in terms of audience. Forbes also writes about Godard's use of the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, who invented a poetic language "that will be used by all the senses." Godard plays with film genres, such as the musical, and incorporates literature into his cinema as well. Not only are there literary chapters named after Rimbaud's poetry in the film, but his use of color and quotations gives the work layers of meaning. One could argue that his films are really open-ended essays on the nature of language, images, and life. I recommend this book, only as a supplement to this fantastic film, which is a sort of book in its own right.

"Will you love me in September' was an awsome book. Victoria Holt truly put her all into this one. Clarissa and Lance were unforgetable lovers. This book made me feel as if I were the leading lady and I fell in love with the leading guy. When Clarissa is kidnapped by a band of men, she finds out that they are Jacobites. The leader's nephew finds out that his uncle is going to kill Clarissa, so he helps her escape. Over that period, they fall in love, and Clarissa is devastated when he leaves, after she is safely in Lance Clavering's hands. Soon afterward, she marries Lance, only to discover that he has gambling problems. But, she always forgives him. I loved this book and I have read it over and over again.Victoria Holt is a truly magnificent writer and I have all of her books ("Will you love me in September' is written under Philipa Carr). This book is part of the Cornwall saga, which starts with "A miricle at St. Bruno's", and ends with "We'll meet again". It is the 8th book in the series of 19 books, ranging from the reign of King Henry the 8th, to WWII. You won't be able to put it down. (It is not a satisfying ending though.)

This book was written as a book of spiritual guidance, and an unconventional book, in that it writes about "saints", or those who have surrendered to God's will, yet outwardly do not appear to be remarkable, or seem to fall into the category of "very famous" spiritual people. He discusses things like: the traps and dangers the world imposes on such people, the fact that they are often abused and spied on diligently (and unjustly), their apparent "childishness", the face that they present to the world (often seen as laughing stocks or incompetents), versus the truth of God's workings in their lives, the nature of the world - that those who outwardly appear to be "great princes" are presenting a false face to the world, that Satan enlists regiments of scoundrels for these visible positions who wage war relentlessly against those who love God, and, in fact, that behind all this falsification stands the whole battle of human history. And, of course, that in the end the last shall be first, and God's servants shall triumph. While not in the league of some of the greatest saints' writings, it still has invaluable insights to offer, and so I recommend this book.

Some people are called to a life of pure faith where they will only know the darkness of God. Others are called to a life fo pure love where the will often experience God's presence. Caussade says that both paths can be equal before God. The challenge of following Christ is not to replicate another's experience but to allow the Holy Spirit to guide me. I learn to yield to God's divine will in each moment. This book should never be confused with quietism, which suggest I can do nothing but wait before God. Caussade suggests some are called to active lives and some are called to lives of stillness. We are all called to pursue the Lord by yielding to the SPirit in the present moment. I find this book an excellent companion to Martin Buber's I and Thou.

My review is definitely influenced by the other reviews that I read. You can certainly tell those folks who live in their heads from those folks who live in their hearts. If you live in your head, you live in your own will. These folks have points and counterpoints, categories and subcategories, notes of historical interest, arguments and objections. Though they are just the ones who need the message of this book, they are the ones most resistant, the ones to completely miss the point. Our wills are not easily subdued. We identify our being with "our doing," "our opinions," "our judgments." We think that "me" equals "my will," "my way," "my view." These folks line up to inform God just how His Creation should run and, no doubt, they have very good arguments. ...This is not to demean the life of the mind, although it may sound that way. ... As Jean-Pierre de Caussade says, "The use of our reason and other faculties is profitable only when it serves as an instrument of God's activity." All too often the mind wants to serve as the instrument of its own and solely its own activity. So this book is not about fatalism or passivity. It's about TRUST. It's about believing that although all appears to be lost, God is working. It's about HOPE. It's about faith in yourself, though you appear to be a pretty poor instrument of goodness, God is using you---as much as you allow yourself to live in your heart. We fight, we struggle, we lose, or so we think. There are more than enough knocks in the most humdrum life. But everyday we get up, dust our bruised bodies off, and say a small prayer under our breath, "Not my will, But Yours." ...

I thumbed through this book at my mom's house and knew I wanted to buy it. It's full of helpful hints and great ideas. It's very interesting!

As a beginning gardener myself, I found this book to be quite fascinating. I wanted to utilize all these tips because I had most of the materials at home! It was a very easy book to read, and I thank the author for gracing us with these tips.

Common Sense, that is what we really want to use and 1001 Ingenious Gardening Ideas gets us going. Let's use what we all stash in the garage, lamp shades, newspapers, plastic bottles, old plastic pots. This book is so easy to read, and to re-read. I don't know how I got along without it all these years. I can't wait for the next 1001 suggestions.

Even if the story line is a collection of flashbacks in different styles, the writing style itself is straightforward enough to move the book along. I would have liked a bit more attention to the murder plot, though. I loved the detail about the flea markets and the antiques, but at times it felt like Ruryk was more interested in writing a book about flea markets than she was in writing a murder mystery. But there were some great characterizations, and I liked the parallels of the losses the characters had experienced throughout their lives.

What is it that makes these books so much fun? The writing is not exceptional, but you can't loving this wisened, sensible woman (Cat Wilde) and her quirky cohorts. I liked this plot more than Whatever Happened to Jennifer Steele, and almost as much as Chicken Little was Right. All these books are very easy reading, perfect for busy new mothers, commuters, travelers, etc. I look forward to the next one!

This is a charming book. This author writes like an angel. Her characterisations are sound and believable. The plotting is interesting and compelling. The main protagonist is a woman in her sixties which is a wonderful change from the youthful PIs and amateur sleuths that exist in the majority of the mystery genre.

I am pleased to have found a new series of mysteries to read. I look forward to the remaining books in the series.