Santa Barbara Architecture, From Spanish Colonial to Modern, is a wonderful informative book for this genre of architecture. It is a survey book, following lovely homes and businesses for blocks and blocks of neighborhoods in Santa Barbara. As an architectural student, I found it very informative and correct. Spanish detailing is abundant. My only criticism is that the pictures would have been better if they were in color, given all the color in Spanish, mission-style architecture. However, it's well worth the price just for the information.

I browsed this book at Borders today. This is a labor of love. From the turn of the century to the present day, it has at least one photo of every building of significance and by every prominent architect of Santa Barbara, Monticito, and Hope Ranch. There are many buildings by local architects as well as by famous ones. Also, the landscape architect is listed when that is appropriate. I loved this book because I have visited Santa Barbara many times and fantasised about living there. In fact, for me, Santa Barbara is the most beautiful place I have actually been to. For those readers who love architecture, this is a must have book: Mission style, Bungalow style, Spanish Revival, Mission Revival,Hacienda, Classical, Modern, Prarie Style, Californian, all are represented here. More importantly, the homes (mostly, but many government buildings are shown also), were commissioned by clients with the money to make the scale of the project majestic enough to last the ages. I have great pleasure is being inside beautiful homes, and this affords us a chance to see buildings that we ordinarily never would. If you can afford it,buy this book and have many years of browsing and dreaming.

While I'm all for kids and teenagers trying to get published (I'm fourteen, and I have contracts for two books) this book doesn't do everything it could. A better one: Teen's Guide to Getting Published, by Danielle and Jessica Dunn. This also isn't perfect, but it's a lot better, and is written by published teenagers. What I honestly think: kids and teenagers shouldn't bother with books written 'just for them'. Come on, if you've written the book/story/article/poem already, you don't have to read about how to write - go get a book that's just on publishing. Try one of the Writer's Market books (go for Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market to start), or get a book on writing query letters and proposals (I recommend How To Write Attention-Grabbing Query and Cover Letters, by John Wood). So read this book to start (it's worth at least reading) and then don't bother with books geared towards kids. It doesn't matter how old you are.

Nora Coon
(if you feel like boosting my ego, search "Nora Coon" here on Amazon.com and look at my two books)

At my school we have to read 2 non-fiction books per 9 weeks. I usualy hate non-fiction books but when I saw this one I knew I had to read it because I love to write! It has all the stuff you need to know about planning, making a rough draft, and revising. Plus, in the back of the book it tells where you can go to writing camps, contests you can enter, and even how you can publish your work! I knew I had to buy this book, and where's a better place to buy it than here on amazon.com? So here I am, and here you should be, buying a great book for young authors, To Be a Writer: for Young People Who Want to Write and Publish!

"When Grown-Ups Fall In Love" is a simply stated matter of fact look at families. What is a family? Ms. Edmonds writes, "It's love that makes a family, not tradition or convention; but laughter and hugs...and a smile that can melt away your tension."

The colorful illustrations of mom's and dad's spending quality time with their children help bring to life a well-organized and subtle story about who makes a family. I particularly like how the author draws the child in to the story by asking him/her to personalize their book with family photographs and a short story about his/her own family. The second half of the book contains a coloring book of "When Grown-Ups Fall in Love". The child can let his/her imagination soar as he/she decides how to color the pages.

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book together. My partner and I have always taught my son the importance of family and that love makes a family. It is nice to have a book help to reinforce those values. I highly recommend this book to all open-minded individuals who want to raise healthy happy children with a strong sense of family no matter who lives in their home.

This book is quite groundbreaking, and is excellent in the way it portrays our differences as not-so-different to children. In it, children learn that love, and not necessarily tradition structure, make a family. Very thoughtful, well-written - a must have in any child's collection! When Grownups Fall in Love, and many more like it, are the focus of our website, www.[...].com, which caters to gay parents and their children.

When I heard about this book, I *had* to read it. I'm an amateur historian with a particular interest in the Canadian fur trade, 1774-1821, and there just aren't that many books written for young people that use this for a setting.

Since I'm not a literary critic, I'll confine my comments to the historic accuracy & educational value of this book. I must note, however, that last year it won Alberta's R. Ross Annett Award for Children's Literature. I found numerous historical errors, but only two rose above mere nit-picking.

First, and foremost, there were no white girls or women in the Canadian fur trade until 1806, eleven years after the setting of this book. This isn't really a problem, in my opinion; by making her protagonist an English girl, Demers can have both a female point of view and a completely fresh perspective. It gives her a reason to explain to the reader the many differences between Willa's old life in England and her new one at the HBC fur post. Demers gets extra marks for explaining, in her afterword, that there weren't really any white women in the fur trade at this time. She also clarifies a few other points where she let her fiction depart from fact, but this is the major one.

My other major historical issue with this book is more subtle. Demers' Natives are overly romanticized. Willa's roommate and instant best friend, Amelia, is a Native girl who works at York Factory in order to learn more about Europeans. Amelia's brother is a skilled hunter who seems to be the only Native trading furs at York Factory. Later we discover that Amelia's family has no European trade goods, which left me wondering what, exactly, he received in return for his many excellent furs. (The author makes it clear that it wasn't rum.) Amelia's mother, Moon, is a skilled healer respected by all Natives. And Amelia's father, Bear, is so spiritual that he spends much of his time in holy places, and rarely sees his family. Clearly, Amelia and her family are exceptional, and we never learn much about what life is like for most Natives. We are also told, repeatedly, of how deadly life is at York Factory; we learn of four deaths there--two violent, one accidental, and one natural. All the Native deaths we learn about are due either to natural causes or European diseases, leading the reader to erroneously conclude that, until the Europeans came, life wasn't difficult for Natives.

Demers does some things unusually well. Overall, I was favorably impressed by her portrait of life within the fur trade. She did a good job of showing the hard work done by the clerks, which rarely gets recognition from historians; the labour shortage, which was indeed so severe that I readily believed Willa being employed as an apprentice clerk when it was discovered she could read & write; the way that certain Natives were entrusted with the lives of fur traders on long journeys; the way Natives rescued Europeans who had gotten themselves into difficulty; the fur post's impressive library; and European men's reliance on Native women to supply them with moccasins. (Demers has an ingenious fictional device that builds on this fact).

I would recommend this novel as a way for young people to get a general impression of what life was like for Europeans within the fur trade, but I'd also caution them not to take the details too literally, because of those nit-picky mistakes I mentioned earlier. I understand that Barbara Demers is working on a sequel. I'm looking forward to it. I hope that, in addition to once again seeking input from historians, she will also visit fur trade "living history" sites so that she can learn about making a fire with flint and steel, how muskets work, and clothing in the fur trade era.

Barbara Demers wrote a wonderful tale of a young orphan girl being shipped to the New World where she must learn to fend for herself. She finds much more than just a new continent with strange circumstances. As Willa explores her new surroundings, she also finds within herself a world of strength and knowledge to explore. This is an excellent book which contains a very engaging story that appeals to a girl's sense of independence and adventure. Although Willa draws on memories of her brother for strength as she begins her adventures, she eventually finds that strength within herself as she discovers that women are strong, and more importantly, she is strong herself. The brief historical afterword is icing on the cake! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction!

In this book, Whitney and her partner Brent clash on and off the ice. But when another ice dancer threatens to steal Brent from Whitney, she realizes that she doesn't want that to happen. But will it be too late? There's not much about skating or ice dancing in this book, only when they fight on the ice. It's still good, though, and you'll laugh when you read how Whitney copes with her strange new roommate. I liked how everything patched together nicely at the end. I recommend it for readers ages 10 to 14.

whitney is at her whit's end. she and her partner brent have not
been skating well at all and the sectional competition is right
around the corner. to make matters worse, a young east german
ice dancer has now come to the school to train missing a partner.
will brent dump whitney for the young east german. stay tuned
for a very well written book.

With the coming of the new millennium, every one is writing a book about the top 100 or 1000 in just about every category. This book is no exception to that rule. What makes this book different is that fact that this book doesn't bore the reader to sleep with endless pages of nothing.

There is just enough written about the 1000 people, in this book to make the reader want to find out more. You will pleasantly surprised by the list of people in the book. The authors explain, in detail, how they determined the list rankings.

The book is well written and researched by all authors. They break down the listing in groups of 100, which I found to be extremely helpful. I found each short bio, on the person, to be easy top follow.

This book makes a great gift for those hard to buy for people. The price is in the range for those on a budget. Overal this book is a good buy for the money.

getting my 14-year-old daughter to appreciate world history has proved darn near impossible. at least that was the case before we picked up "1,000 years, 1,000 people." over several evenings, we have played a game: one of us picks a number between 1 and 1,000 and the other reads aloud the name of the historical figure ranked in the book. the person selecting the number then attempts to explain the importance of the individual within one minute. quite often, frankly, it's a shot in the dark, but the exercise has evolved into a game that we call "millennium minute." and somewhere along the way it has helped to engender in her a budding interest in history. though it is easy to quibble with the listed ranking and, inevitably, some readers will protest on the exclusion of some notable, to me this is one of the book's fundamental strengths. indeed, the authors have devised a clever way for us to debate the last 1,000 years and celebrate in an intellectually engaging way the new millennium. unfortunately, however, the publisher and the book distributors are not making easy for us. this book can be difficult to find! if you are lucky enough to locate a copy, share it with your family and friends. and if you have a teenager whose idea of history is what he did yesterday, challenge him to a "millennium minute."

1,000 Years, 1,000 People is intelligent, challenging and great fun. This book is a must for everyone interested in the millenium, testing their knowledge of history, or in just having fun.This is an intelligent, informed and well-researched look at the movers and shapers of the second millenium.The scope of knowledge and research is impressive. Despite an inevitable western bias, the authors clearly made significant efforts to provide a world view and to cover all fields of human endeavor. The authors share their perspectives, explain their procedures, and invite us to apply their BioGraph system for ourselves. We may each arrive at different sums, but understanding the process allows us to debate with the book -- and with each other.And therein lies one of the challenges. A simple listing can be ignored. But 1,000 Years, 1,000 People invites us to participate in the process, and challenges our knowledge and judgement.Why didn¹t Eli whitney (#135) or Max Plank (#136) make the top 100? Or Ralph Waldo Emerson (504) or Charles Lindberg (516) not make it into the top 500? Apply the system, and come up with your own solutions.Also test your historical knowledge. Who was Vincent of Bauvais (#447)? Or John Gorrie (#450)? Or Ramanuja (#187)?But, mostly, 1,000 Years, 1,000 People is great fun. The authors obviously had fun writing, researching and arguing about the selections. They share this enjoyment in their writing: did John Montagu -- the Earl of Sanwich -- (#473) hold the mayo? And were Wilbur and Orville (#23) really the Wright Stuff?The real fun comes from endless hours of arguement over selections: Why is Karl Marx 50 places higher than Thomas Jefferson (#14 - 64)? And why is Ram Singh (#310) a more important libertarian than Thomas Paine (#311)?If you only buy one millenium book, it should be 1,000 Years, 1,000 People. In fact, if you buy only one book for the rest of this millenium, consider 1,000 Years, 1,000 People. It will provide hours upon hours of fun and intelligent conversation. And, as USA Today said, launch 1,000 aurguments.Buy it. Give it as a gift. Plan parties around it. Test yourself. Challenge others. 1,000 Years, 1,000 People is a whole lot of fun, as well as a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at our millenium.

I was moving from Tucson to Buffalo, perched in a Pennsylvania motel, when I "found" Barbara Kingsolver on a Public TV program about her. Friends couldn't understand why I hadn't already discovered the loving quality of her writing, but I'm hooked now. Last weekend I had to do some travelling, so took along "Bean Trees" for the flights. I laughed and laughed and rolled my eyes and just marvelled at her gentle, but probing, irony, her insight into those large and little cruelties that all of us share in life, and her straight-on, look-you-in-the-eye attitude about just how you have to deal with the next day. This is an easy read but is in no way a small book. I was there with Taylor in Oklahoma, I wept for her for the burden of the abandoned child that she so lovingly accepted, I wanted to meet Mattie right then(!), and I missed the desert that I loved, just because she reminded me of its power just as if she'd been talking next to me. If you don't know, or aren't sure about Kingsolver, borrow a copy of her "Animal Dreams". Read the two pages that make up the chapter "The Flood". You'll know.

I was assigned this book to read while I was a sophomore in college. It was the Fall of 1990 and the class was "Landscape and Literature". (And the professor was Martha Ackman, and she was great!) It was an interesting class, but I really enjoyed the reading material. At this point, Bean Trees had been around for a couple of years, but I had never heard of it, nor had I heard of Barbara Kingsolver. This novel was so absorbing, I didn't feel it was an assignment at all. I spent a great, warm October weekend sitting on my parents porch and reading this book.

I also think that this book has one of the best opening paragraphs in contemporary fiction. I won't give it away, but do yourself a favor and look for it at any bookstore. This novel is funny, sad, and touching. It was my introduction to Kingsolver, and I am glad I got a head start on her before many others did. This is a book that you'll ant to hold onto, to give to friends, to discuss...

Taylor Greer is one of the most engaging heroines in literature, and her unconventional story is infused with a real contemporary feel. What does that mean? I just mean that Kingsolver disucsses issues and people that many authors don't in popular american fiction (native american issues, central american politics, refugees, mixed marriages and Protestantism and catholicism all merge in one novel), and as a result, Kingsolver holds up a mirror of our world where we can see ourselves and society much clearer than before. I know that I sure did. Ten years later, I still can remember this book so vividly, it's never left me.

... We had to read The Bean Trees in our English class.
The Bean Trees is a fictional drama about a young lady named Taylor Greer. She had two goals, to get out of Kentucky and to avoid pregnancy.
When she was on her was to Tucson Arizona she went to a restaurant to eat when she was done a lady came out and put a baby on the seat and said, you have o take her. Taylor really didn't want to have a baby because she was single woman and didn't think that she would be able to take care of her.
Well later she found out that Turtle had been sexually abused and that she was a baby who needed a lot of attention.
Taylor and Turtle made their home in Tucson Arizona.
While they were living there they met a nice couple from Guatemala and they left Guatemala City so they would not be killed. Their names were Esperanza and Estevan.
Turtle said her first word and it was bean. She was so glad that Turtle finally was opening up to the world and not scared anymore.
After an incident in the park. Social Services came and told Taylor that she needed to go through the proper adopting procedures to be able to keep Turtle. She then went to the Cherokee Indian Reservation to see if she could find Turtles Aunt so that she could have permission to adopt her. She couldn't find her Aunt though. So she went to the adoption center and Esperanza and Estevan posed as her parents. The adoption was done but was it legal?
I would recommend this book because it is a really good book and I think it is awesome someone's life can change just over adopting a little girl.

Drawn by the noirish cover art of a nude lightly bound in red ribbon, one uncovers an insightful first novel in "Stacking in Rivertown," by Barbara Bell. This pageturner proves easy for the reader to follow despite its flashbacks, name changes for the ex-prostitute protagonist, and overworked metaphors.

From this cover, one might imagine that this novel is about S/M; however, even though some of its "plays," which are "directed" by Ben, a violent pimp, have a sadomasochistic tinge, "Stacking" is more about the posttraumatic stress disorder of Beth, a young woman who survives childhood sexual abuse and subsequent torture by Ben and his minions.

Reading this story requires a willing suspension of disbelief because many of the plot elements simply do not make sense. Nonetheless, the prose is lyrical in places, and there are some scenes that are very humorous.

Stacking in Rivertown is one of the most disturbing erotic-cum-psychological thrillers I have read since Topping from Below. The dark language and sinister undertones in this novel grasped me until its final page.

Beth has never been able to fully enjoy the success of her novel and her husband's adoration. She hasn't been able to bury the past that's haunted her for years. Beth knows that the man who had subjected her to the most abominable sexual acts -- she had been forced to play painful sadomasochistic games for wealthy clients -- awaits her return to said underworld. Also, she has blocked out the painful memory of having witnessed a fellow prostitute's brutal murder. In a desperate attempt at survival, Beth stages her suicide and assumes a different identity. But how long will she be able to live a lie? Will her pimp track her down? The climax will floor you.

The sinister language is one of the most impressive parts of the novel. Barbara Bell kept me speculating Beth's fate. However, the book sort of loses track of the story when the protagonist falls for a famous pop star. Other than that, Stacking in Rivertown is a hauntingly erotic novel that will keep you turning the pages.

Sometimes a book grabs you by the hair and drags you through its pages. This is one of those. Stacking in Rivertown is the story of Beth, a young, married woman just finding success as an author. Her world unravels as her five-year 'amnesia' fades and she recalls being held prisoner in a brutal S&M prostitution ring (she and the other captives were forced to perform in violent and tortuous plays for wealthy clients). After the group again captures Beth, her psyche and traumatic childhood are vividly explored with such clarity I felt I knew her soul. Just the description of what goes through Beth's mind while being bound and locked inside a box gave me nightmares for a week. This is not a light and happy read, but if you want an intense book that evokes deep and not-very-pleasant emotions, this is the book for you. With lessons in survival, the depths of pain and love, and just how far one needs to go to be free of ones demons, this book captured me from the first page and I highly recommend it. A truly stunning debut by Barbara Bell.

This play can be read as anti-semitic. In fact, it's pretty hard to defend it from such charges. Shylock is a pretty rotten character and the fact that he is jewish is difficult to overlook (particularly since the other characters mention it on pretty much EVERY page). However, I think it is important to mention that the "heroes" of this play do not necessarily have to be interpreted as heroes. They are by no means perfect and there are many subtle (and some not-so-subtle) instances within the text in which their biases against ANYONE unlike them is illustrated. If one reads the play this way, then Shylock becomes more of a tragic figure rather than an absolutely heartless villain. I don't know. My feelings about this are mixed. There are a few funny parts of this play and the language is, as always, beautiful. The theme of putting a price on human beings is one which has been explored numerous times since. Overall, it is enjoyable, but perhaps not so much so as some of the other comedies. Do not read this play without having read a few others by Shakespeare first. It is an excellent play, but not his best and not his most enjoyable either.

After reading most of the other reviews here, I am fully aware that most of the reviewers didn't read carefully enough (or watch carefully enough if they saw the play.) Now, I'm not saying its not open for different interpretations, but there is one thing I would really like to get straight.

I read MoV for a Bar Mitzvah project on Anti-Semitism. Naturally, my sympathies went to Shylock. However, even if i were Christian, i still would've favored Shylock. What many people believe is that Shylock is a cold hearted ruthless person and only wanted to get back at Antonio because Antonio was a Christian.

Not true. Shylock specifically says something along the lines off, "Why should I lend money to you? You spit on me, and call me a Jewish dog!" I'm not saying that Shylock was a good guy, but I am saying that he is not the villain.

In fact, the "Merchant of Venice," in this story is actually Shylock, not Antonio, contrary to popular belief. My thoughts on the story was that Shylock requested a pound of Antonio's flesh because he did not trust Antonio. Who would trust someone that spat on him? The fact is, Antonio doesn't pay him back in the end.

Now, there's always something else we have to put into consideration. Would the judge had given the "spill one ounce of Christian blood" verdict at the end if Shylock were not a Jew?

This is the mark of a great play. A play that really gets you thinking. But I encourage you, I beg of you, that when you read it or see it, please do not hold Shylock up to being a cold hearted villain. Hold Antonio up to that image. (joking, of course, Antonio's not a bad guy, he's just not a good guy.)

This is a wonderful play - and unless you have seen it or read it you don't know it at all. That's because everything the popular culture tells us about this play is false (for example; how many of you think this play is about a merchant named Shylock? ;-)

The Merchant of Venice is a lively and happy morality tale. Good triumphs over bad - charity over greed - love over hate.
There is fine comedy. Portia is one of Shakespeare's greatest women (and he ennobled women more than any playwright in history). There are moments of empathy and pain with all the major characters. There is great humanity and earthiness in this play. These things are what elevate Shakespeare over any other playwright in English history.

Plays should be seen - not read. I recommend you see this play (if you can find a theater with the courage and skill to do it). But if it is not playing in your area this season - buy the book and read it.

Thomas Perry's "Dead Aim" is the suspenseful but ultimately far-fetched story of Robert Mallon. Mallon retired at thirty-eight with a hefty bank account, an ex-wife and a great deal of time on his hands. He lives a low-key life among the affluent residents of Santa Barbara, California. Now, at forty-eight, his life has settled into a predictable rhythm.

This rhythm is disrupted when, one day, Mallon pulls a suicidal young woman out of the ocean. The woman refuses to tell Mallon her name, and not long afterwards, she disappears without a trace. Mallon has the time and money to find out the identity of this woman and he decides to hire a former colleague, Lydia Marks, to help him with his investigation. Too late, Mallon discovers that he has placed himself and Marks in grave danger by meddling in this unknown woman's affairs.

Perry's fast-paced narrative and crisp dialogue make "Dead Aim" an exciting and suspenseful thriller. Unfortunately, the truth behind the strange events that Mallon uncovers is absurd. There is one particular coincidence that will make you groan. What a shame. Perry is an extremely talented writer and Mallon is one of those good-hearted and straightforward characters whom you can't help but like. The action sequences are nicely done, but Mallon's ability to take on his enemies make him seem more like James Bond than a retired construction worker. "Dead Aim" is an enjoyable escapist novel of suspense, but you will need to suspend your disbelief over and over again as you read it.

In his recent books, Thomas Perry has extrapolated on the human potential for both good and bad. In Dead Aim he offers the possibility of providing wealthy, jaded people with the opportunity to kill people. It's an intriguing concept in that very few of us haven't at some point or another declared--out of upset or anger--that we'd like to kill so and so.

Perry's central figures are always thoughtfully constructed and believable. Robert Mallon, hero of Dead Aim, is a decent, good-hearted man pushed by the suicide of a young woman he's rescued from a first suicide attempt to try to comprehend why she was so determined to take her life. Anyone who has known a suicide wonders about the reasons. It's an act so shocking and so counter to the majority whose optimism (no matter how minimal) and whose life-curiosity keeps us ticking along day after day that it's difficult to grasp the concept of an interior darkness so deep that no light can illuminate it.

So Mallon sets out to find answers and becomes a target for the wealthy killing machines who've been trained at The Safe-Force School of Self-Defense. And he manages repeatedly to survive the attempts on his life.

Where the book falters is in the final confrontation(s)--Mallon single-handedly taking on half a dozen highly trained assassins. Without sufficient background information to substantiate it, he morphs from mild-mannered, decent fellow into someone so skilled at and knowledgable of armed combat that he emerges Rambo-like as the victor. It's an ending that is, on the one hand, very satisfying: the good guy wins, the bad guys lose. On the other hand, it's a little hard to buy.

That said, this is--as always--another enjoyable effort. Reading a Perry book is never a waste of time. Any writer who can make you think is a good writer. And if you can remember anything about the book half an hour later, then the author is better than good. Always intelligent, Perry's writing is lean and well-constructed. The idea of a high-priced killing academy is not inconceivable. And despite a slightly abrupt ending, Dead Aim is well worth reading.

Thomas Perry is, by far, one of the most original storytellers I have read. This is the author who brought to life such characters as The Butcher's Boy, Jane Whitefield, Chinese Gordon and Dr. Henry Metzger and I believe there are more to come. Perry does not disappoint with the steadfast Robert Mallon, from his latest, Dead Aim. Perry is not only gifted and talented, he has an uncanny sense of timing ---he understands when his characters are in danger of becoming stale, cardboard imitation of what they once were. So what does he do? He creates anew, and we are captivated and enthralled once more.

In his new novel Perry has taken a horrifying evil premise and makes it believable.... once the action starts, the reader is swept away, all the way to the last page.

This story begins with Robert Mallon, a wealthy retired landowner, saving a young woman from attempting suicide. He takes her to his home, where upon she runs away while he is out picking up dinner. Days later he reads in the paper of her suicide and he goes down to the police station to file a report. He soon becomes obsessed and must find out why, after he thought he had saved her, given her a new beginning and perhaps a new beginning with him (or for him a new beginning with her) she would kill herself. Either way he blames himself, feeling he did not say the right words or do the rights things or she wouldn't have followed through with her suicide. Mallon hires a private detective. One he knows but has not seen in 10 years. His attorney also makes an appearance when the police start to question him and his motives. It takes Perry awhile to lay the groundwork for the action but once it starts, Mallon takes on an evil that Perry brings to life in only the way he does.

Whether you are a long time Perry collector or just someone who enjoys a great read, Dead Aim is for you. After all, this is Thomas Perry we are talking about!