An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve peoples lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color. Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of morality guards, the daily indignities of living under the Ayatollah Khomeinis regime, the effects of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, love, marriage, and life in general, giving readers a rare inside look at revolutionary Iran. The books were always the primary focus, however, and they became essential to our lives: they were not a luxury but a necessity, she writes.

Threaded into the memoir are trenchant discussions of the work of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and other authors who provided the women with examples of those who successfully asserted their autonomy despite great odds. The great works encouraged them to strike out against authoritarianism and repression in their own ways, both large and small: There, in that living room, we rediscovered that we were also living, breathing human beings; and no matter how repressive the state became, no matter how intimidated and frightened we were, like Lolita we tried to escape and to create our own little pockets of freedom, she writes. In short, the art helped them to survive. –Shawn Carkonen

Reading Lolita In Tehran
More than a combination of literary criticism and memoirs of living through the totalitarian ruthlessness of Islamist-ruled Iran, this book essentially examines how the author and a group of friends took refuge in literature from the totalitarian nightmare.
And at the same time using that literature to make sense of life under Islamo-Nazi repression.
The women in the group are able to make analogies of the works of Vladimir Nabokov, Jane Austen, Henry James and F Scott Fitzgerald with the society in which they live.
The villain of Nabokov’s Lolita, Humbert, rapes a twelve year old girl and thus the book is about the confiscation of one individuals life by another.
Humbert has tried to shape another soul according to his own hopes and dreams.
So the author is taking revenge on the Ayatollah and the Mullahs for confiscating the lives of the people of Iran, for their war against women.

This is a society in which girls are punished most brutally for wearing coloured shoe laces, running in the school yard or licking ice cream in public. Where women are flogged for wearing nail polish.

Marxist and left wing feminists in the West pour scorn on taking up the cause of oppressed women in Iran, as the Iranian Marxists did at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, before they themselves became victims.
“They claimed that there were bigger fish to fry’ the author explains “That the imperialists and their lackeys need to be dealt with first. Focusing on women’s rights was individualistic and bourgeois and played into their hands”
“What imperialists?” asks the author acting as a much needed voice of true conscience ‘Do you mean those battered and bruised faces on television confessing to their crimes? Do you mean the prostitutes they recently stoned to death, or my former school principal Mrs Parsa, who like the prostitutes was accused of “corruption on earth”, “sexual offences”, and “violation of decency and morality” for having been the minister of education. For which offenses was she put in a sack and then shot or stoned to death. Are those the lackeys you are talking about, and is it in order to wipe these people out that we have to not protest?”

Azar Nafisi has been indeed accused by leftist and Islamist radicals in the West of serving the ‘imperialist’ or ‘neoconservative’ cause by writing this novel.
So once again the dreams of the people of Iran to enjoy the same freedom , Nafisi’s leftwing critics in the West enjoy are denied.
Like Humbert in Lolita, the Western Left want to confiscate the lives of the long-suffering people of Iran and shape them according to the formers own hopes and dreams.
Like Humbert and like all great myth makers they try to fashion reality of their dream and end up destroying reality and their dream?
Nafisi is a true feminist who really cares about the rights and welfare of women unlike so many left wing self-styled feminists in the West, who want people moulded according to their ideals, and have never spoken up for the persecution of women by Islamists, for their own selfish reasons.

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Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

For nineteen-year-old Edmond Dantes, life is sweet. Soon to be captain of his own sip, he is also about to be married to his true love, Mercedes. But suddenly everything turns sour. On the joyous day of his wedding he is arrested and–without a fair trial–condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau dIf! The charges? Faked! Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies. But why?

While locked away, Edmond learns from another prisoner of a secret treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond concocts a daring and audacious plan: escape and find the treasure! But it is years later–long after Edmond has transformed himself into the Count of Monte Cristo–that his plan for revenge begins to unfold.

Disguised as the wealthy count, Edmond returns to his native land to find his enemies–and make them pay!

I Can’t Believe I Finished It.
I am not a type of person who reads ‘classics’ because I want to understand and appreciate fine literature. I have no intention of broadening my literary, historical or philosophical knowledge to impress other people so here is a review from a guy who just happen to read it because this book was on sale for $1 at the local library clearance.

I read a lot. Most of books I read are popular paperbacks I see on best seller list. One day I was at the library and saw this thick book for a $1 and I thought I would give it a try. Even if I don’t like it, I am out of a $1 so no big deal. I won’t bore you with the story or the translation because that’s not why you are reading these reviews on Amazon website. You are looking for a reason to pick up this yellowpage thick book that you already know the plot so allow me to give you several.

Story in this book is not what you expect as it is much more detailed and insightful to the movies and young adult versions. Story is darker than what you expect so that’s a good thing. Also, finding a good book about revenge is difficult enough so stick with a proven winner. Certain lines in this book adhere to your brain like it’s been spread liberally with crazy glue. I sometimes write “.. now the God of Vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked.” on my forearm whenever I have a business meeting with some jerk I cannot stand. Lines like this sticks to your head and it lingers like a noxious fart in public toilet.

Let me leave you with this. After I finished this book, I bought Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov and David Copperfield because I finally understood why people are so high on some of these so called ‘classics’.

For More 5 Star Reviews and The Lowest Price Visit:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas most popular work. The writing of the work was completed in 1844. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from the plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.

The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838 (from just before the Hundred Days through to the reign of Louis-Philippe of France). The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book. It is primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, forgiveness and death, and is told in the style of an adventure story.

One Of The Greatest Classics
I am not a type of person who reads ‘classics’ because I want to understand and appreciate fine literature. I have no intention of broadening my literary, historical or philosophical knowledge to impress other people so here is a review from a guy who just happen to read it because this book was on sale for $1 at the local library clearance.

I read a lot. Most of books I read are popular paperbacks I see on best seller list. One day I was at the library and saw this thick book for a $1 and I thought I would give it a try. Even if I don’t like it, I am out of a $1 so no big deal. I won’t bore you with the story or the translation because that’s not why you are reading these reviews on Amazon website. You are looking for a reason to pick up this yellowpage thick book that you already know the plot so allow me to give you several.

Story in this book is not what you expect as it is much more detailed and insightful to the movies and young adult versions. Story is darker than what you expect so that’s a good thing. Also, finding a good book about revenge is difficult enough so stick with a proven winner. Certain lines in this book adhere to your brain like it’s been spread liberally with crazy glue. I sometimes write “.. now the God of Vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked.” on my forearm whenever I have a business meeting with some jerk I cannot stand. Lines like this sticks to your head and it lingers like a noxious fart in public toilet.

Let me leave you with this. After I finished this book, I bought Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov and David Copperfield because I finally understood why people are so high on some of these so called ‘classics’.

For More 5 Star Reviews and The Lowest Price Visit:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas [Pere]

Dumas, père. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas most popular work. The writing of the work was completed in 1844. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from the plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.[1]

The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838 (from just before the Hundred Days through to the reign of Louis-Philippe of France). The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book. It is primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, forgiveness and death, and is told in the style of an adventure story.

Revenge Taken To New Lengths
I am not a type of person who reads ‘classics’ because I want to understand and appreciate fine literature. I have no intention of broadening my literary, historical or philosophical knowledge to impress other people so here is a review from a guy who just happen to read it because this book was on sale for $1 at the local library clearance.

I read a lot. Most of books I read are popular paperbacks I see on best seller list. One day I was at the library and saw this thick book for a $1 and I thought I would give it a try. Even if I don’t like it, I am out of a $1 so no big deal. I won’t bore you with the story or the translation because that’s not why you are reading these reviews on Amazon website. You are looking for a reason to pick up this yellowpage thick book that you already know the plot so allow me to give you several.

Story in this book is not what you expect as it is much more detailed and insightful to the movies and young adult versions. Story is darker than what you expect so that’s a good thing. Also, finding a good book about revenge is difficult enough so stick with a proven winner. Certain lines in this book adhere to your brain like it’s been spread liberally with crazy glue. I sometimes write “.. now the God of Vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked.” on my forearm whenever I have a business meeting with some jerk I cannot stand. Lines like this sticks to your head and it lingers like a noxious fart in public toilet.

Let me leave you with this. After I finished this book, I bought Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov and David Copperfield because I finally understood why people are so high on some of these so called ‘classics’.

For More 5 Star Reviews and The Lowest Price Visit:
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by ALEXANDRE DUMAS (PERE)

Brigitte Gabriel lost her childhood to militant Islam. In 1975 she was ten years old and living in Southern Lebanon when militant Muslims from throughout the Middle East poured into her country and declared jihad against the Lebanese Christians. Lebanon was the only Christian influenced country in the Middle East, and the Lebanese Civil War was the first front in what has become the worldwide jihad of fundamentalist Islam against non-Muslim peoples. For seven years, Brigitte and her parents lived in an underground bomb shelter. They had no running water or electricity and very little food; at times they were reduced to boiling grass to survive.
 
Because They Hate is a political wake-up call told through a very personal memoir frame. Brigitte warns that the US is threatened by fundamentalist Islamic theology in the same way Lebanon was- radical Islam will stop at nothing short of domination of all non-Muslim countries. Gabriel saw this mission start in Lebanon, and she refuses to stand silently by while it happens here. Gabriel sees in the West a lack of understanding and a blatant ignorance of the ways and thinking of the Middle East. She also points out mistakes the West has made in consistently underestimating the single-mindedness with which fundamentalist Islam has pursued its goals over the past thirty years. Fiercely articulate and passionately committed, Gabriel tells her own story as well as outlines the history, social movements, and religious divisions that have led to this critical historical conflict.

Eyeopening
My wife and I felt very fortunate to have heard the story of Brigitte Gabriel. The author narrates the audio book and does a great job, you can hear her conviction and emotion that only she could give.Her story had some very sad and changing moments in it, yet it is from that experience that she is the person she is today. Because of her experience she is a very valuable asset to America and should be listened to at the highest levels in Washington DC.

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Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America by Brigitte Gabriel

This book presents a tale of love and revenge in the post-Napoleonic era. Edmond Dantes, a nineteen-year-old sailor from Marseilles, is soon to be captain of his own ship and to marry his beloved, the beautiful Mercedes. But spiteful enemies provoke his arrest on his wedding day, and he is condemned to life in prison. His sole companion is the crazy priest Faria, who shares with Edmond a secret escape plan, and a map to hidden riches on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria dies, Edmond attempts the incredible escape alone. finally he is free and rich beyond imagination after 14 years in prison. Keeping his true identity a secret, he enters society as Count of Monte Cristo, a polite, refined nobleman determined to reclaim his lost love, and to avenge his accusers. This is a story of suspense, intrigue, love and the triumph of good over evil.

Revenge Taken To New Lengths
I am not a type of person who reads ‘classics’ because I want to understand and appreciate fine literature. I have no intention of broadening my literary, historical or philosophical knowledge to impress other people so here is a review from a guy who just happen to read it because this book was on sale for $1 at the local library clearance.

I read a lot. Most of books I read are popular paperbacks I see on best seller list. One day I was at the library and saw this thick book for a $1 and I thought I would give it a try. Even if I don’t like it, I am out of a $1 so no big deal. I won’t bore you with the story or the translation because that’s not why you are reading these reviews on Amazon website. You are looking for a reason to pick up this yellowpage thick book that you already know the plot so allow me to give you several.

Story in this book is not what you expect as it is much more detailed and insightful to the movies and young adult versions. Story is darker than what you expect so that’s a good thing. Also, finding a good book about revenge is difficult enough so stick with a proven winner. Certain lines in this book adhere to your brain like it’s been spread liberally with crazy glue. I sometimes write “.. now the God of Vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked.” on my forearm whenever I have a business meeting with some jerk I cannot stand. Lines like this sticks to your head and it lingers like a noxious fart in public toilet.

Let me leave you with this. After I finished this book, I bought Les Miserables, Brothers Karamazov and David Copperfield because I finally understood why people are so high on some of these so called ‘classics’.

For More 5 Star Reviews and The Lowest Price Visit:
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Blind Assassin is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwoods most ambitious work unfolds–a tricky process, in fact, with several nested narratives and even an entire novel-within-a-novel–were reminded of just how complicated the familial game of hide-and-seek can be: What had she been thinking of as the car sailed off the bridge, then hung suspended in the afternoon sunlight, glinting like a dragonfly, for that one instant of held breath before the plummet? Of Alex, of Richard, of bad faith, of our father and his wreckage; of God, perhaps, and her fatal, triangular bargain. Meanwhile, Atwood immediately launches into an excerpt from Laura Chases novel, The Blind Assassin, posthumously published in 1947. In this double-decker concoction, a wealthy woman dabbles in blue-collar passion, even as her lover regales her with a series of science-fictional parables. Complicated? You bet. But the author puts all this variegation to good use, taking expert measure of our capacity for self-delusion and complicity, not to mention desolation. Almost everybody in her sprawling narrative manages to–or prefers to–overlook whats in plain sight. And memory isnt much of a salve either, as Iris points out: Nothing is more difficult than to understand the dead, Ive found; but nothing is more dangerous than to ignore them. Yet Atwood never succumbs to postmodern cynicism, or modish contempt for her characters. On the contrary, shes capable of great tenderness, and as we immerse ourselves in Iriss spliced-in memoir, its clear that this buttoned-up socialite has been anything but blind to the chaos surrounding her. –Darya Silver

Best Book I’ve Read Since College
For no reason in particular, I hadn’t read anything by Margaret Atwood until this novel. That was a big mistake because The Blind Assassin is wonder of precision and craftsmanship.

It is difficult to describe the plot without ruining the experience for those who haven’t read it. There are twists and hidden connections that are slowly revealed to the reader.

This is a very ambitious piece of writing that, in the wrong hands, would have been a disaster. Atwood masterfully executes multiple stories within stories while flipping back and forth between different times and settings. It’s quite an achievement to so successfully pull of this structure in a coherent way.

The basic story line is of an 83 year old woman, Iris, looking back on her past from riches to rags to riches to rags. A lot of the main story line takes place in the 1920s and 30s as she grows up as part of the prime family in a small industrial town where the depression ultimately hits.

Iris’ sister Laura has written one novel which has become very famous. Her sister dies mysteriously in a car accident and has left only the novel behind. A second main branch is in the form of excerpts from Laura’s novel appropriately called The Blind Assassin. In the fictional novel, one character also tells tales to his lover and one of these stories actually has a blind assassin as a main character.

I realize I’m making this sound like a mess because I lack the ability to describe it as clearly as Atwood.

Each branch of the story has hidden connections to the others and there is intrigue, betrayal, class struggle, philosophy and several twists that are very weel written.

The only real criticism I have of the novel is that once all of the twists and connections are hinted at enough for the reader to sort everything out, it continues on a bit too long. The last 40 pages or so are just wrapping everything up though the pretense still exists that all has not been fully revealed. I wish Ms. Atwood had not dragged out the ending as much as she did. This point lowered my rating to 4.5 stars but it really is a minor criticism.

I highly recommend this to people despite how silly my plot description made the book sound. It is a very finely crafted novel and I very much admire Margaret Atwood’s skill in producing it.

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The Blind Assassin: A Novel by Margaret Atwood

Silver RavenWolf is one of the most widely recognized names in circles of witchcraft, and with good reason; she has written some of the best guides to contemporary Witchcraft available. To Ride a Silver Broomstick is a handbook aimed at the beginner, and doesnt get bogged down in history, dogma, or gender roles. It is a workbook for the individual, whether one is a solitary practitioner or part of a coven, that covers the basics of the craft–from useful vocabulary to setting up an altar–and briefly delves into more advanced concepts such as astral projection and telepathy. To Ride a Silver Broomstick may not be the most comprehensive single volume on the subject of witchcraft, but RavenWolf focuses on the aspects most important to a beginner, and keeps her introduction to the craft approachable and easy to follow. –Brian Patterson

To Ride A Silver Broonstick
This book is pretty amazing. When I first bought it I was thinking that it was going to be step by step boring instructions. Actually its quite fun and interesting to read.wi

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To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft by Silver RavenWolf

Mitch Albom mesmerized readers around the world with his number-one New York Times bestsellers, The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie. Now he returns with a beautiful, haunting novel about the family we love and the chances we miss.

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

Charley Benetto, his life ruined by alcohol and regret, returns to his hometown with plans to kill himself. There, he makes an astonishing discovery: His mother, who died eight years ago, is still living in their old house, and she welcomes him back as if nothing had ever happened.

For One More Day follows the one ordinary day so many of us yearn for: a chance to make good with a lost parent, to explain family secrets, and to seek forgiveness.

Through Alboms inspiring characters and masterful storytelling, readers will newly appreciate those whom they love – and may have though theyd lost – in their own lives. For One More Day is a book for anyone in a family, and will be cherished by Alboms millions of fans worldwide.

Great Author!
An inmate, Douglas Burgess, who writes to me and whose stories we’ve published in our books, read “For One More Day” and shares the following: “I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve wished for just one more minute with my father, let alone a day. Albom knows how to expose raw nerves, capture intense sorrow, and turn it into something beautiful. This book has had a tremendous emotional tug on my heart.” – Tom Lagana, co-author “Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul,” “Chicken Soup for the Volunteer’s Soul,” “Serving Productive Time,” and “Serving Time, Serving Others.”

Serving Productive Time: Stories, Poems, and Tips to Inspire Positive Change from Inmates, Prison Staff, and Volunteers

Chicken Soup for the Prisoner’s Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit of Hope, Healing and Forgiveness (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Serving Time, Serving Others: Acts of Kindness by Inmates, Prison Staff, Victims, and Volunteers

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For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Hard to believe, but there was a time when the word lawyer wasnt synonymous with criminal, and the idea of a law firm controlled by the Mafia was an outlandish proposition. This intelligent, ensnaring story came out of nowhere–Oxford, Mississippi, where Grisham was a small-town lawyer–and quickly catapulted to the top of the bestseller list, with good reason. Mitch McDeere, the appealing hero, is a poor kid whose only assets are a first-class mind, a Harvard law degree, and a beautiful, loving wife. When a Memphis law firm makes him an offer he really cant refuse, he trades his old Nissan for a new BMW, his cramped apartment for a house in the best part of town, and puts in long hours finding tax shelters for Texans whod rather pay a lawyer than the IRS. Nothing criminal about that. Hed be set for life, if only associates at the firm didnt have a funny habit of dying, and the FBI wasnt trying to get Mitch to turn his colleagues in. The tempo and pacing are brilliant, the thrills keep coming, and the finish has a wonderful ironic flourish. Its not hard to see why Grisham changed the genre permanently with this one, and few of his colleagues in a very crowded field come close to equaling him. –Jane Adams

Still Grisham’s Best!
I wonder if the somewhat unknown Grisham felt a shot of adrenaline shoot through his veins as he conceived this plot? I wonder if he hit the computer early every morning, knowing the story was a winner? I wonder if he was tempted to tell his wife of every step as the manuscript began to take shape? I wonder if the submission process was genuinely exciting for him, knowing that publishers might be fighting over the manuscript? I wonder if he knew the book would become a runaway bestseller, and he would hit the ground running and never stop for decades to come?

Well, whether he did or not, the book is arguably the best he’s ever written and he’s one of the lucky 1-2 percent of writers who made it big–real big, and he deserves it.

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The Firm: A Novel by John Grisham

Although Mark Levin is known as a constitutional lawyer and a nationally syndicated broadcaster, he is, first and foremost, a dog lover. In 1998, he and his family welcomed a half-Border Collie/half-Cocker Spaniel they named Pepsi into their lives. Six years later, his wife and son persuaded him to adopt a dog from the local shelter, a Spaniel mix. It turned out he was older than originally thought, and he was the most beautiful dog theyd ever seen. They named him Sprite. Their lives would never be the same.

Sprite and Pepsi became fast friends. They did everything together, from rummaging through the trash to loudly greeting the deliveryman. And the Levin family fell in love with him — with his gentle nature, beautiful face and soft, huggable fur. But on Halloween night, shortly after joining their family, Sprite suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the animal hospital. It was the first of many such visits, and the start of a long journey for the Levin family, filled with much joy and anguish.

During the next two years, Sprite and Pepsi were inseparable. And Sprites bond with the Levin family deepened. Friends, neighbors, and even Marks radio audience came to know and love Sprite. As Marks daughter turned eighteen and graduated from high school and Marks son turned fifteen, Sprites health deteriorated — even as his spirits remained high and his beauty and grace continued to inspire. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2006, the Levin family said their emotional final goodbye. Crushed and consumed with grief, Mark turned to family, friends, and fans for help.

But new hope came when the Levins least expected it.

Rescuing Sprite is a stunningly intimate look at the love between a family and a dog, one that movingly shows, in Mark Levins words, that in the end, we humans are the lucky ones.

The author will donate a portion of his proceeds from the sale of this book to animal shelters.

Great Dog Lovers Book. So Much Love By Sprite And Family. Too Short Time Together
I’m a big dog lover and have had different purebred dogs and “mutts” my entire life and its always devastating losing a dog who gives unconditional love and becomes one of the family. Loved all our dogs.

Mark Levin and his family have a loving dog named Pepsi who they love as a family member. They get another older dog and name it Sprite. We see how both dogs become best friends and Sprite becomes a family member with unconditional love.

The family only has Sprite a little over 2 years and Sprite comes down with a fatal illness. Its so sad as Sprite gets sick and eventually Mark has to have Sprite put to sleep in a most humane and loving action. Ive had to have dogs put to sleep when they are older,sick and in pain. Its never easy and you miss them so much as they give you all good things in life.

We see both dogs gave so much love for the family and the family loved them so much. Its heart breaking. I shed a few tears reading this book and remembered each of the dogs I lost and the love they freely unconditional gave me and my family.

Even though Mark is still depressed and sad with the loss of Sprite, his family gets another older dog with some health issues from a shelter. They together name the dog Griffin. Mark falls in love with the dog and wont refuse the family getting the dog. Griffin and Pepsi become friends and Griffin becomes a member of the Levin family too.

I like the idea Mark had planting a tree and scattering Sprites ashes. As the tree grows and blooms Mark and family can be reminded of the good times and love they had with Sprite and the unconditional love and joy Sprite bought to everyone in such a short time.

When our Boarder Collie Breagh and Swedish Vallhund Ada pass away and if I’m still alive I plan to have a tree and their ashes spread around the tree. Until then we will love and cherish our time with our dogs because they are precious and their lives are too short.

Book 5 stars with a few tears.

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Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lovers Story of Joy and Anguish by Mark R. Levin

By the early l940s, when Ukrainian-born Irene Nemirovsky began working on what would become Suite Francaise–the first two parts of a planned five-part novel–she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz: a month later she was dead at the age of thirty-nine. Two years earlier, living in a small village in central France–where she, her husband, and their two small daughters had fled in a vain attempt to elude the Nazis–shed begun her novel, a luminous portrayal of a human drama in which she herself would become a victim. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of the epic, the handwritten manuscripts of which were hidden in a suitcase that her daughters would take with them into hiding and eventually into freedom. Sixty-four years later, at long last, we can read Nemirovskys literary masterpiece.

The first part, A Storm in June, opens in the chaos of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion during which several families and individuals are thrown together under circumstances beyond their control. They share nothing but the harsh demands of survival–some trying to maintain lives of privilege, others struggling simply to preserve their lives–but soon, all together, they will be forced to face the awful exigencies of physical and emotional displacement, and the annihilation of the world they know. In the second part, Dolce, we enter the increasingly complex life of a German-occupied provincial village. Coexisting uneasily with the soldiers billeted among them, the villagers–from aristocrats to shopkeepers to peasants–collaboration, and as their community is transformed by these acts, the lives of these men and women reveal nothing less than the very essence of humanity.

Suite Francaise is a singularly piercing evocation–at once subtle and severe, deeply compassionate and fiercely ironic–of life and death in occupied France, and a brilliant, profoundly moving work of art.

Brilliant And Tragic
This book was so praised, I am glad our book club chose it. I loved the writing and that always come first with me, from the first page. I can’t add much to what so many others have written about this book, now a classic. Nemirovsky set out in 1939 to write a legend, a 4 or 5 part epic. She achieved only two of the books before being captured by the Germans and killed in Auschwitz concentration camp. Her story is as critical as the story she wrote. And the preservation of the notes somehow saved by her daughters, lost for over 50 years, then discovered and translated for us – that also is a miracle, an epic. Her writing is simple yet so clearly details the lives of various classes of the French, and how they all coped with the horrors of war and occupation, evacuation, bombing, and all things which make up life, especially French life. It is something most of use can only experience in a well written book. And that is what this is.

Frederick R. Andresen, author of “Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia”

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Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evident were actually fiercely contested in the early days of the republic.

Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation, including a secret dinner at which the seat of the nations capital was determined–in exchange for support of Hamiltons financial plan; Washingtons precedent-setting Farewell Address; and the Hamilton and Burr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividing scholars today) over the meaning of the Revolution. In a fascinating chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out the fundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw the Revolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration of Independence most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolution as a step in the building of American nationhood and hold the Constitution most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains the personal, face-to-face nature of early American politics–and notes that the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of the fact that they were establishing precedents on which future generations would rely.

In Founding Brothers, Ellis (whose American Sphinx won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997) has written an elegant and engaging narrative, sure to become a classic. Highly recommended. –Sunny Delaney

Excellent
I’ve been studying American History for some time now and this is one of the most interesting, lively books I’ve read. Such detailed and well researched stories, all of which summarize some of the most important events in the early years of our government. My hats off to the the author for the amazing amount of dedication he put into this book. You can tell when an author adores his subject and this is a great example. Thank you Mr. Ellis.

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Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis

Is it right to kill Satans hit man? Would it help Gods work? This installment in the Left Behind series picks up with Rayford Steele–believer and international fugitive–as he struggles with a plan to assassinate Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia. Meanwhile, Carpathia has been busy rebuilding roads, airports, and a cellular/solar satellite phone system–all designed to help him become supreme ruler of the world–and even claim himself to be God. We also find ace reporter Buck Williams anonymously preaching to the masses of believers and converts through his cyberspace magazine The Truth. All the believers in the safe house, including Buck, Doc, Chloe, and Tsion, are suspicious of Hattie–former mistress of Carpathia–who claims to be a believer but may have already compromised their secret location when she tried to buy her way to Europe months before.

Fans of the series wont be disappointed. Jenkinss signature writing is at full force. Readers can count on a suspenseful plot, imaginative futuristic thinking, and familiar characters, all of which appear in the opening pages and are sustained until the last cliffhanger scene when God unleashes another earth-shattering disaster.

Can’t Put It Down
This is a wonderful series that I just can’t seem to put down. I’ve read through six books in the series in just over a month. Yes these are fictional books, but they are based on biblical prophesy and it has, in an uncanny way, helped me to begin to understand the end times and why such a loving God would allow such turmoil and destruction. Even those who do not believe should read this series. It is action packed and will take you through all the emotions and bring you close to the characters. I will continue to read the series, as I am excited to read about The Glorious Appearing.

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Assassins (Left Behind, Book 6) by Jerry B. Jenkins

The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbirds world, vampyres have always existed.  In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire–that is, if she makes it through the Change.  Not all of those who are chosen do.  Its tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling.  She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx.  But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers.  When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the schools most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny–with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Way Better Than I Ever Expected!
When I first seen this series I wasn’t really thinking I would be picking it up. But somehow I did and I am really glad I did so! I loved this book. It’s not just a vampire book, they seem to put so many different elements in here. I couldn’t put it down.

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Marked (House of Night, Book 1) by Kristin Cast

I fell for the great American dream, female version, hook, line, and sinker, Marya Hornbacher writes. I, as many young women do, honest-to-God believed that once I Just Lost a Few Pounds, suddenly I would be a New You, I would have Ken-doll men chasing my thin legs down with bouquets of flowers on the street, I would become rich and famous and glamorous and lose my freckles and become blond and five foot ten. Hornbacher describes in shocking detail her lifelong quest to starve herself to death, to force her short, athletic body to fade away. She remembers telling a friend, at age 4, that she was on a diet. Her bizarre tale includes not only the usual puking and starving, but also being confined to mental hospitals and growing fur (a phenomenon called lanugo, which nature imposes to keep a body from freezing to death during periods of famine).

Amazing!
As a college student recovering from anorexia I always felt alone and that no one in the world understood what I was going through. That is, until I bought this book. Hornbacher writes with such genuine, thought-provoking and touching words…that I now feel like this is a disease that I can keep overcoming. That there are people out there that have overcome the odds and beat this horrible thing. Hornbacher’s easy to read narrative provides deep insight into the disease and hope for recovery.

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Wasted by Marya Hornbacher

Why read Carrie? Stephen King himself has said that he finds his early work raw, and Brian De Palmas movie was so successful that we feel like we have read the novel even if we never have. The simple answer is that this is a very scary story, one that works as well–if not better–on the page as on the screen. Carrie White, menaced by bullies at school and her religious nut of a mother at home, gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers, powers that will eventually be turned on her tormentors. King has a way of getting under the skin of his readers by creating an utterly believable world that throbs with menace before finally exploding. He builds the tension in this early work by piecing together extracts from newspaper reports, journals, and scientific papers, as well as more traditional first- and third-person narrative in order to reveal what lurks beneath the surface of Chamberlain, Maine.

News item from the Westover (ME) weekly Enterprise, August 19, 1966: Rain of Stones Reported: It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th.

Although the supernatural pyrotechnics are handled with Kings customary aplomb, it is the carefully drawn portrait of the little horrors of small towns, high schools, and adolescent sexuality that give this novel its power, and assures its place in the King canon. –Simon Leake

You Thought Your Prom Was A Nightmare…
This review refers to the Unabridged Audio edition(CD-Simon and Schuster) of “Carrie” by Stephen King…

Other than her creator, Stephen King, can you think of anyone better suited to get into the head of Carrie White than Carrie herself? Sissy Spacek(who played Carrie in the film) not only does an excellent job in the part of Carrie during this chilling read, but makes the transition from character to character, to the reading of the various news articles,journals and books relating to the bizarre events that lead to the horrific and tragic ending for a little town in Maine in the 1970′s.

Okay, just in case there is someone out there who has not seen the movie or read the novel, Carrie is a tormented high school girl. Tormented by her deranged mother and her classmates. She has grown up knowing she has a special, but secret and potentially deadly talent. She is telekinetic. All she has to do is see something in her mind, and “flex” her brain and she can move the objects, lock a door, slow a heart beat. She’s used this power on occasion, but hasn’t really learned it full capabilities. Her peers are notorious for playing pranks on her. Mean and nasty pranks, always leaving Carrie dehumanized, and humiliated. She would always beat a retreat home when pushed to the edge, but on Prom Night, they went too far. When the pranksters go to great lengths to humiliate her in front of the entire class, Carrie’s powers seem to take on on a life of their own.She flexes her will with a vengeance. The results are terrifying and the death toll is high.

Long before “Mean Girls” made their film debut Stephen King had the bad girl type nailed in this electrifying novel.The story is cleverly told in narrative from the different witnesses points of views, official statements and testimonies. King makes the characters seem all too real. The story builds on Carrie’s emotions, as with each spiteful event, her anger takes her just a little further to the brink, until finally, well you know what they say about a woman scorned..and one with telekinetic powers has the ultimate fury.

Sissy Spacek’s read takes Carrie to each level. The fear and humiliation she feels, and eventually her anger. When she cries out to her mother “Mama, Mama”, you know what she is feeling. When she tells her mother, she has a “gift” for her, we know again, what’s to come.Giving each character their own personality, you will get to know them very well. She did an excellent job with all of the various players. She makes it a most enjoyable and spine tingling listen.

This audio book has 7 discs, nicely packaged.There is an introduction by Stephen King. Each disc runs about an hour give or take a few minutes. The total time is 7.5 hours. There is also an excerpt from “The Shining” at the end. Not much, but just enough to whet you appetite for another thriller. The sound quality is excellent. Clear as a bell.

This story has adult situations and langauge and is not suitable for younger listeners.

A great addition to your audio book collection. Take “Carrie” on the road with you and enjoy the read….Laurie

Here is another fabulous audio book thriller:
Winter Prey

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Carrie by Stephen King

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcys fiance. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings arent always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

Laid Back, Sometimes Hysterical Romance.
Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since elementary school. They have been friends all throughout their teen years, college, and now as adults living in New York City. Rachel is the epitome of the good girl – she works as an attorney (although she hates it), lives in a nice studio, dates occasionally, not an over-drinker or party girl yet is always living in Darcys shadow. Darcy, on the other hand, has it all – she has the job of her dreams, has a hot fiancé, the perfect body, clothes and well… life. On Rachels 30th birthday, Darcy throws her a big bash and all is running smoothly until a couple of drinks, some bar hopping and a yummy make-out session finds her in bed with Dex (yep, her BFFs fiancé).

I actually won this book through a giveaway on Goodreads.com and I absolutely loved it. I had my reservations when I read what the book was about as Im not very thrilled at the thought of a best friend cheating with her friends significant other but the story played out well. I found myself rooting for Rachel, since she is the character I can relate to, despite the fact that she is the one breaking THE rule. All in all, the outcome was one that left me feeling good.

I thought the characters were realistic, the writing was sophisticated, and I found the complications that ensue genuine. Its a fun, silly, girly book – although it does have some thought-provoking questions about love, friendships and relationships in general.

I plan on reading Something Blue soon – because although Darcy was not the most loveable of characters, I think she also has a story tell. This is a great beach read or something you might wanna open up when you dont want to think too much… mind candy.

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Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment–from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

High School Years: How It Really Is!
This is an awesome book! I could revisit my High School years! Not everything is about books, grades, and teachers,… half the fun (and half the pain) of High School is the social life!!!

This book really brings to life the character of the book! I could lose myself in the main character! I fall in love with her, and each minute tiny mundane detail of her daily life!!! She loves Capn’ Crunch cereal! Wow…… I love falling in love with new character in a book, she is my new friend! I wish I could share my “Lucky Charms” and say “No way is Capn’ Crunch better than Lucky Charms or Reeses’ Peanut butter” cereal… The character is alive! I want to share with her! I feel for the main character when she has a crush on a certain unmentionable boy… I , too, have had that very same crush!!!! I understand that feeling! As will most of the readers of this book! I do not have enough stars for this book! It is fast reading. It is super fun reading. It is a great way to waste two hours. two happy mindless hours… and no homework… and no great… long meaningful deep philosophical discussions. Just happy bubble gum fun.

And one great quote that belongs on a ring from your boyfriend!!! : )

I would recommend this book to any Mature teenager. It does have bad language (as experienced by most teenagers) and some … lusty areas, but no serious issues until later books. I recommend celibacy, so the LATER books (in the SERIES) are not recommended for the younger readers! Of course, Jessica Darling is attending college in the later books, so more adult themes make sense.

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Sloppy Firsts: A Jessica Darling Novel by Megan Mccafferty

Its Friday night and youre on a red-eye to the city of sin. Strapped to your chest is half a million dollars; in your overnight bag is another twenty-five thousand in blackjack chips; and your wallet holds ten fake IDs. As soon as you land in Las Vegas, you are positive you are being investigated and followed. To top it all off, the IRS is auditing you, someone has been going through your mail — and you have a multivariable calculus exam on Monday morning. Welcome to the world of an exclusive group of audacious MIT math geniuses who legally took the casinos for over three million dollars — while still finding time for college keg parties, football games, and final exams.

In the midst of the go-go eighties and nineties, a group of overachieving, anarchistic MIT students joined a decades-old underground blackjack club dedicated to counting cards and beating the system at major casinos around the world. While their classmates were working long hours in labs and libraries, the blackjack team traveled weekly to Las Vegas and other glamorous gambling locales, with hundreds of thousands of dollars duct-taped to their bodies. Underwritten by shady investors they would never meet, these kids bet fifty thousand dollars a hand, enjoyed VIP suites and other upscale treats, and partied with showgirls and celebrities.

Handpicked by an eccentric mastermind — a former MIT professor and an obsessive player who had developed a unique system of verbal cues, body signals, and role-playing — this one ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars from corporate Vegas, making them the object of the casinos wrath and eventually targets of revenge. Here is their inside story, revealing their secrets for the first time.

Master storyteller Ben Mezrich takes you from the ivory towers of academia to the Technicolor world of Las Vegas, where anything can happen — and often does. Bringing Down the House launches you into the seedy underworld of corporate Vegas — deep into the realm of back rooms, ever-present video cameras, private investigators, and the threats and tactics of pit bosses and violent heavies. Equipped with twenty different aliases and disguises, the group of young card counters struggles around these roadblocks to live the high life — until one fateful day when Vegas violently follows them home to Boston. Suddenly, there can be no more hiding behind false identities; the high life folds like a bad hand of cards.

Filled with tense action and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a real-life mix of Liars Poker and Oceans Eleven – and its a story Vegas doesnt want you to read.

Mesmerizing – Vegas Will Never Look The Same Again
After reading the book, Bringing Down the House, I was excited and intrigued with the world of card counting and the lives of the card counters. I plan to read more books about the subject. From the book, I got the feeling that Mezrich’s goal throughout the book was to captivate and teach people about the world of casinos and card counting. He met one of the characters at a party and was fascinated enough to put the story into a book to enthrall everyone who reads it. I can guarantee to any readers of the book, that they will feel mesmerized by the casino life and more educated about the subject. This book will be a quick read that the reader will not be able to put down. It will interest a wide variety of people, from those who love to gamble and go to casinos all the time to those who have never stepped foot in one in their life. I know this from reading the reviews of the people before me. Many of them said that they gambled before, but a surprisingly large number of them said that they had never gambled in their lives.

In response to a few of the negative reviews, I read through many of them and have a few major disagreements to point out. First, J. Danielson, you talked about how you went to MIT and that Mezrich got a few of the details wrong about the school. To tell you the truth, when people read this book they won’t remember the little details of graduating with honors or not, they’ll remember the intense casino scenes. This brings me to the next topic of yours that I disagreed with. You talked about how you have been banned from a casino before and that they don’t rough you up the way Mezrich made it seem like in his book. Well, there are more than a few casinos and what actions they take when kicking someone out will probably vary between them. Now, to Critical Reader, you say that you did research on Wikipedia after reading the book and found that some of the facts that Mezrich talked about were false. If you want to accuse someone of using false facts, you might want to try a reliable source next time. Finally, to the “crimsonwildcat,” in your review, you accuse Mezrich of having what comes off as false conversations with the people in the book. If you haven’t met any of these people, then I don’t think you can really tell if it was false or not. However, I must agree with the negative reviews when you say that some parts of the book got repetitive. That was definitely a weakness, but Mezrich had many more high points, like expressing the tension between characters and showing the excitement of Las Vegas and a card counter’s life.

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Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich

“For The Dead Travel Fast”
Surprisingly “Denn die Toten reiten schnell” or “For the dead travel fast” is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu’s, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax calendars) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula is one of the few horror books to be honored by inclusion in the Norton Critical Edition series. (The others are Frankenstein, The Turn of the Screw, Heart of Darkness, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Metamorphosis.) This 100th-anniversary edition includes not only the complete authoritative text of the novel with illuminating footnotes, but also four contextual essays, five reviews from the time of publication, five articles on dramatic and film variations, and seven selections from literary and academic criticism. Nina Auerbach of the University of Pennsylvania (author of Our Vampires, Ourselves) and horror scholar David J. Skal (author of Hollywood Gothic, The Monster Show, and Screams of Reason) are the editors of the volume. Especially fascinating are excerpts from materials that Bram Stoker consulted in his research for the book, and his working papers over the several years he was composing it. The selection of criticism includes essays on how Dracula deals with female sexuality, gender inversion, homoerotic elements, and Victorian fears of reverse colonization by politically turbulent Transylvania.

“For The Dead Travel Fast”
Surprisingly “Denn die Toten reiten schnell” or “For the dead travel fast” is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu’s, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax calendars) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

For More 5 Star Reviews and The Lowest Price Visit:
Dracula: (A Modern Library E-Book) by Bram Stoker

Dracula is one of the few horror books to be honored by inclusion in the Norton Critical Edition series. (The others are Frankenstein, The Turn of the Screw, Heart of Darkness, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Metamorphosis.) This 100th-anniversary edition includes not only the complete authoritative text of the novel with illuminating footnotes, but also four contextual essays, five reviews from the time of publication, five articles on dramatic and film variations, and seven selections from literary and academic criticism. Nina Auerbach of the University of Pennsylvania (author of Our Vampires, Ourselves) and horror scholar David J. Skal (author of Hollywood Gothic, The Monster Show, and Screams of Reason) are the editors of the volume. Especially fascinating are excerpts from materials that Bram Stoker consulted in his research for the book, and his working papers over the several years he was composing it. The selection of criticism includes essays on how Dracula deals with female sexuality, gender inversion, homoerotic elements, and Victorian fears of reverse colonization by politically turbulent Transylvania.

“For The Dead Travel Fast”
Surprisingly “Denn die Toten reiten schnell” or “For the dead travel fast” is more than an opening line to this tale of love in the dangerous moon light. After watching several Drac movies and a few Nosferatu’s, I pretty much though I had a handle on the genera. Little did I know what a wonderful world of mystery and suspense that Bram Stoker opened up for me.

The story is told mostly third party though the papers, diaries, and phonograph recordings (on wax calendars) of those people involve in a tale so bizarre that it almost defies belief. The general story line is that of a Count that plans to move to a more urban setting (from Borgo Pass to London) where there is a richer diet. There he finds succulent women; something he can sing his teeth in. Unfortunately for him a gang of ruffians (including a real-estate agent, asylum director, Texas cowboy and an Old Dutch abnormal psychologist) is out to detour his nocturnal munching. They think they have Drac on the run but with a wing and a prayer he is always one step ahead.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

If You Could Change Your Life by Reversing Your Biggest Regrets, Sorrows and Mistakes…Would You?

#1 New York Times bestselling author and renowned radio and television host Glenn Beck delivers an instant holiday classic about boyhood memories, wrenching life lessons, and the true meaning of the gifts we give to one another in love.

We werent wealthy, we werent poor — we just were. We never wanted for anything, except maybe more time together….

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder — and money tighter — since his father died and the family bakery closed…Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the realization that kids dont always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned lifes most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddies dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family — and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell — to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.

Based on a deeply personal true story, The Christmas Sweater is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives — while also making us question if we really know whats most important in them.

This Book Is Sort Of A Cross Between It’s A Wonderful Life And A Christmas Story
Though I don’t always agree with Glenn Beck . . . make that, I rarely agree with
his opinions . . . but putting that aside, I found it interesting that he had
written THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER–a novel.

And so to prove to my conservative friends that I can be open to all
types of views, I listened to a CD version of the above that the author
also read . . . and was very glad that I did.

The book is a sentimental tale of 12-year-old Eddie whose father has
died . . .yet he still thinks this Christmas will be his best ever because
he will receive a much-desired Huffy bike. (Or so he hopes.)

Unfortunately, he instead receives “a stupid, handmade, ugly sweater,” and
he’s not a happy camper as a result . . . things get worse after he insults
his other because she soon crashes the car, dying instantly.

The story that follows is sort of a cross between IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
and A CHRISTMAS STORY . . . though it doesn’t quite reach the greatness
of either of these two films, I did like it and felt that I got really know
Eddie in the process.

There’s a neat twist toward the end that I won’t give away, being Mr.
Considerate here.

I particularly liked Beck’s narration . . . in addition, I enjoyed finding
examples of how he did manage to insert his politics into various passages
such as this one:

* “Eddie, Mrs. Olsen is a very good customer of ours. Her husband passed
away about a year ago and she’s had a hard time making ends meet.
You’re right, what she gave me isn’t money, but it’s just like it for people
who need it. They’re called food stamps, and our government is helping
her buy groceries until she can get back on her feet. We don’t talk about
them in front of her because she doesn’t like the fact that she has to ask
others for help.”

Dad explained that while our family would never accept help from anyone,
especially the government, there were good people who needed it. I
immediately felt sorry for Mrs. Olsen–sorry for anyone who needed
to rely on others for that kind of help. And I was glad that we would
never be in that position.

A few months later I got a chance to prove to my father that I’d learned
my lesson.

Mom had once again run to the bank, and I was in the front of the store
putting fresh macaroons into the display case while Dad waited on
customers. I watched as, once again, he accepted the funny-looking coupons
as payment–this time from a guy buying bread, a pie, and a dozen cookies.
But now, instead of warm smiles, friendly conversation, and yummy dessert

suggestions, my father was completely silent.

After the customer left it was my turn to do the questioning. I followed him
into the back. “What’s wrong, Dad?” I asked.

“I know that man, Eddie. He can work, but he chooses not to. Anyone who
can earn money has no business taking it from others.”

I eventually came to understand that my father, who’d grown up poor and
struggled for everything we owned, had continually rejected offers of help
from others. He had worked hard to build a business and provide for his
family. He believed others should do the same. “The government,” he told
me one night, “is there to act as a safety net, not a candy machine.”

Even though it’s only February when I’m writing this review, do put
THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER down as an ideal gift for next year’s
holiday season.

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The Christmas Sweater by Jason Wright

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. This short sequence will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the Wheel of Time, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era.

In this epic novel, Robert Jordan’s international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward—wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders—his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.

Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower—and possibly the world itself.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Wheel Of Time Saga
Robert Jordan’s readers were filled with sorrow that Robert Jordan the person was not around to see the conclusion to his creation of the Wheel of Time. I was sad to hear of his passing as were many other of his readers. It is tough to hear that a creative mind had stopped creating. Especially one who is as talented as Robert was. And especially one who had spent his life in that creation process with each new book having a few sentences on the sleeve of the book describing how he would write until the day he died because he enjoyed it so much.

The Wheel of Time Series has a lot of material to it which is usually digested over the years, not in a short time period of time. With Robert Jordan’s passing his fans were wanting of a conclusion to the story that had enriched the minds of Robert Jordan’s readers over the years.

What a tall task though for a new author! Not only creating a new story that had boundaries provided by the original author but also having to digest and incoporate thousands upon thousands of previously written pages that contained complex relationships and complex cultures into that new story. To do so as quickly as Brandon Sanderson did is truly amazing and must have been a truly monumental task. This is not simply about being creative. It is instead the ability of placing a new author into the life time of work of another author and then expecting the new work to be flawlessly placed into the context of the thousands of pages that flowed prior to the new work. And at the same time holding tribute to the original author and creator of the series that was being completed and at the same time meeting the expectations of all of the readers of the Wheel of Time series which they themselves had invested time reading and enjoying. Boy, that is tough to be in those shoes. A lot of expectations there.

And what a great accomplishment of all of that this book is! I felt like the complex relationships of the cultures, people, sense of honor, and intentions of the original author flowed quite well into the new work of this book.

Blood and bloody ashes, what a great story! I’m sure that Robert Jordan would read this book with pride. And I look forward to reading the next creation from Brandon Sanderson since he did such a great tribute with this book! I may even go out and buy other books of Brandon Sanderson’s creation for doing such a great job with this one!

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The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson