The Summons

What would you do if you suddenly found three million dollars? And what if that money came from a deceased parent's home? This is the dilemna at the heart of this book.
If you're expecting another Grisham legal thriller, don't buy this one. This one is far less about legal battles than moral ones. Unfortunately, the plot just doesn't hold together all that well and even the moral struggles, as described here, aren't all that engaging. Grisham isn't in top form here.
For one thing, Ray Atlee, the dead judge's son who finds the money, isn't even that riveting or likeable a guy. Secondly, there are plenty of plot holes and illogical moves. Ray, for instance, discloses the whereabouts of the money to people who are almost complete strangers. Why would he do this? Made no sense to me.
Still, this book did make me wonder what I would do with a sudden windfall of three million plus change. But I've read a much better book about this, A Simple Plan, a book about three men who find a fortune in a crashed plane. A Simple Plan is wonderfully written, suspenseful and darkly realistic. But save your bucks and avoid The Summons.

The Glass Castle

Jeannette Wall's trek, as depicted in "Glass Castle", recalls Dante's
journey through Hell and eventual ascenscion to Paradise. The comparison may seem risibly over-dramatic, but just as Dante had to go through the experience of the Netherworlds before he could be led to Heaven, so, too, is Jeannette's eventual triumph the FRUIT of a childhood filled with poverty and, what some would call, parental neglect or even abuse.

In the opening section about Jeannette's early childhood, sort of the outer rungs of hell, we are introduced to the author's quirky family. Her father, Rex, is a brainy underachiever who cannot keep a job and has a bit of a "drinking situation".
The mother is an eccentric artist who cannot be bothered too much
by mundane tasks- you know, like cooking or cleaning the house. The children, all extremely bright, are often underfed and left to fend for themselves. However, if the parents have failings, they also have redeeming qualities. The children are immersed in an environment that values art, music, intellectual pursuits, freedom and self-sufficiency and spurns racism and all forms of bourgeois superficiality. Above all, the reader never doubts that Rex and his wife truly love the children. One gets the feeling throughout that Jeanette never doubts that either.
In any case, the early years are bittersweet. If there is squalor and hunger there is also humor and magic. Most of all, there is hope. The family frequently moves and, although that is frustrating, it also provided the background for a myth: that the next town would provide prosperity.

But then to Welch they did go! And, it is in this West Virginia town where her father grew up,the "Nation's Coal Bin", that Jeannette and the rest of the family descend into the lower regions of hell. All the problems are exacerbated. The father, having returned to the place he said he never would, drinks with abandon and applies more and more of the family's slim resources toward his habit. Jeanette resorts to scaveging trash barrels for sustenance and is humiliated for her tattered clothing. There is not water in the house for bathing and no heat in Winter. Swallowed by the appalachian mountains with only the two-lane US 52 out, you feel stuck. Even the pilgrim parents are unable to muster the strength to break the gravity of this place. With this immobility came the final destruction of the myth (that the family would move somewhere else and find prosperity) and, as a consequence, the destruction of hope. However, it is in this darkness that Jeannette finds her calling. She becomes a reporter for the "Maroon Wave", the Welch High School student newspaper. The rest of the book details how her dream to become a "high falutin" journalist led her to New York City and her current incarnation. Maybe not Paradiso, but close enough considering her formative years.

A number of components conflate to push Jeannette towards a succeful resolution. Certainly the positive legacy of her parents: culture, books, self-sufficiency, etc. But also the dire situation gave her a sense of urgency and the focus that comes with it: She had nothing to lose. She was lucky enough to have discovered early on a career path and did not have the leisure to ruminate ENDLESSLY on it.. This latter often brings self-doubts that paralyze youth. Unlike so many memoirs about unhappy childhoods, the author never plays the John Bradshaw card by irately denouncing her parents, nor does she try to facilely excuse them. Life is more complex than that and she understand that syzygys cannot be tampered with, lest you destroy the whole. You cant take eggs out of the cake.

On a personal note, I grew up in Welch, went to Welch High School and knew Jeannette (though not very well) who was two grades behind me. I have not seen her since High School. For those reviewers who expressed doubts about the authenticity of her story, I can tell you that at least the Welch part of the story rings true to my memory.

http://books.simonandschuster.com/9780743247542

WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS

FICTION

1. "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children)

2. "Wicked Prey" by John Sandford (Putnam)

3. "Cemetery Dance" by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing)

4. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)

5. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)

6. "The Soldiers of Halla" by D.J. MacHale (Aladdin)

7. "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)

8. "The 8th Confession" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)

9. "Terrible Things" by Eve Bunting, Stephen Gammell, illus. (Jewish Publication Society)

10. "First Family" by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)

11. "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss (Random House)

12. "Pygmy" by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)

13. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)

14. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)

15. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) (F-H)

NONFICTION

1. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment" by Steve Harvey (Amistad)

2. "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities" by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)

3. "Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!" by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)

4. "Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto" by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)

5. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)

6. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)

7. "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion)

8. "The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship" by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham)

9. "The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide" by Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Center Street)

10. "StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)

11. "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite " by David Kessler (Rodale Books)

12. "Losing Mum and Pup" by Christopher Buckley (Twelve)

13. "No Matter What: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love" by Lisa Nichols (Wellness Central)

14. "Columbine" by Dave Cullen (Twelve)

15. "The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs Is a Little Perspective" by Andy Andrews (Thomas Nelson)

For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men

I am a bookstore junkie, big time, and one of my absolute favorite bookstores is LifeWay. While I was browsing one day about a month ago, I came across this book in the new release section. Having already read a fiction book by Shaunti Feldhahn, I picked up this non-fiction book even though I thought the cover was rather lame (also, Beth Moore's favorable quote on the cover got my attention). I started reading and by the time I had scanned (in depth) the first 3 chapters, I knew I was on to something important. My wife is not as "into" these types of books as I am, so I chose to run it by her first. I waited a couple of days until the moment seemed right to bring up the topic, and asked her if she wouldn't mind if I gave her the book (I explained it briefly) - she said she wouldn't mind at all. So I bought it the next day and gave it to her that night. My wife is a processor, luckily for me, and she is reading a chapter every few days and then letting that one soak in. If you should choose to read this book, I would urge you to take your time reading it. Each chapter goes into depth in a particular area concerning men, but does so in a way that is not bogged down in psych tech-speak. At a point about 4 chapters in, she asked me to read the book and decide which chapters fit me more than others - she wanted me to, in essence, rank the chapters. She had a tough time wording how she was feeling as she read more and more of the book, but what I gather is that she is genuinely taken aback by what the author has found out about men, and possibly even having a little trouble processing all the information, some of which, no doubt, is new to her, or if not new, I dare say she had no idea as to the depth.

After reading the book myself, this is what I want to say to you, the wives. There is no chapter in this book that doesn't hit home and thus felicitously apply to what I believe would be a normal man, and by normal, I mean most of us. Much of what is contained in this book is of a deeply personal nature - stuff that some of us men would feel (to varying degrees) uncomfortable talking about with our wives. Just let me try to say what most if not all of husbands would say to their wives if asked by their wives about the content of this book.

* "Yes, the contents of the book are true, even though it may be alarming (maybe even shocking) to you."

* "It's possible that some chapters may apply more than others, but trust me, the entirety of this book is dead on target, with all chapters applying to the makeup of who I am."

* "Sometimes I wish God had not `hard-wired' me to be like this, but I know with total certainty that I am created in the image of God - I am created exactly the way God intended, thus, in retrospect, 100% of the time, after consideration, I am very glad God created me like this."

* "Likewise, though you are indeed so often a puzzle to me, I am equally glad God created you to be mysterious to me, because it's more often a wonderful mystery than a frustrating mystery."

* "Please be cautious how you talk to me about this book. Remember, much of the content is of a delicate nature, if it wasn't, I would have already talked to you about the subject matter of each chapter."

* "If you ever find a book that is similar to this one, but written for men, please buy it for me and give it to me right away. I am always looking for ways to be a better husband to you."

I truly feel that the author has written this book in a way to be as far from preachy as I can imagine. I suspect that you will feel her surprise with her as she was gathering the survey and interview results and other enlightening material for this book. Here is a woman who loves her husband deeply, but married life is, of course, not without frustration. Perhaps, she was mystified by her husband one too many times, and, putting on her investigative hat, decided to go to a fount of results - the opinions of about four hundred men. She got answers, and those answers just may increase your understanding of men and strengthen your marriage to a level you thought not possible. Highly recommended to any wife who loves her husband.

His Needs, Her Needs

After 15 years, Harley's work is as profound now as it was when first published. Harley has revised his book in various places, updating it based upon lessons learned since the previous edition and making it applicable to marital challenges of the 21st century. His concepts are powerful and practical. While written by a conservative Christian author, these principles are applicable to persons regardless of their religious background.
Harley's approach to "affair-proofing" a marriage centers on a concept he labels "the love bank." Every husband and wife has a love bank that encounters both deposits and withdrawals from the opposite sex. A crucial distinction is made, however, in that deposits and withdrawals are made differently with men than they are with women. These differences are based upon the ten most felt needs of a relationship with the opposite gender. Husbands, in general, place the highest importance on the following five needs: sexual fulfillment, recreational companionship, an attractive spouse, domestic support, and admiration. Wives, in general, place the highest importance on the following five needs: affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment. Both genders express need for all ten items, but typically husbands and wives have contrasting priorities.

According to Harley, when an individual meets one or more of the partner's greatest felt needs, deposits are made into the partner's love bank. When one or more needs are not met, withdrawals are made from the partner's love bank. An affair occurs when a spouse finds fulfillment for a strongly felt need elsewhere because it is not being met satisfactorily within the marriage.

Harley's love bank concept is the centerpiece of his best-selling work. While his list of felt needs may not apply precisely to every man and woman, he does present a very accurate picture for most men and women in our society today. He concludes his book with giving tips on surviving an affair, and offering hope to couples struggling with a sense of incompatibility.
Apparently, people can read this book and miss Harley's statements that although the needs presented as "women's needs" are typical of women, and the needs presented as "mens needs" are typical of men, EACH PERSON IS DIFFERENT, so you should fill out the questionaire at the end of the book and figure out how this applies to you. Most people have at least one need that is "typical" of the other sex. My wife and I are pretty far from typical, so it probably helped that we took the questionaire BEFORE reading the book. I admit that the stereotypical way the needs are described is irritating.

I also agree that it can be read in a way that puts your spouse where God should be in your life. I don't think that is what the author says or means. I think looking at it as: "In a typical marriage we are to be God's method of providing for our spouse's emotional needs", comes pretty close to the truth. This book provides most of the tools needed to identify and meet those needs, and I can personally attest to the improvements that makes in a marriage.

To suggest, as one reviewer here does, that our spouses need to learn to accept the type of love that we have to give, rather than for us to learn to love them in the way they understand, is so wrong-headed that I cannot believe it. That seems to me to be demanding that our spouse change for us, rather than demanding of ourselves that we change for our spouse, which is a recipe for divorce...

Why Men Marry Bitches: A Woman's Guide to Winning Her Man's Heart

Why Men Marry Bitches is a funny, insightful, and practical guide. It dispels the self-defeating myths that women often live by, like "I have to cathc a husband to feel whole" which translates to men as a more desirable woman. It gives logical relationship principles, and gives hilarious, detailed scenarios on how to handle the beloved, (if sometimes trying), man in your life. Read and follow the advice in this book only if you are seriously interested in having a quality relationship.



Why Men Marry Bitches begins with the uproarious anecdote: "Imagine a world in which roles are reversed and men cooked for women, picked up socks and couldn't wait to get married. Pretend you had a boyfriend who owned a hope chest with six lavender bow ties inside that he wanted his groomsmen to wear at the wedding. Picture him getting choked up every time you strolled past a Baby Gap. And that he greeted you at the door wearing silk boxers and cowboy boots, so he could do a pole dance for you." Then imagine they ask needy questions like "Where's my ring?" and "Why won't you marry me?"

Why Men Marry Bitches makes it clear that women don't need to work harder to please their man. The book not only encourages women to let go of long-standing myths about being perfect, being his sex toy, or being whoever he tells you to be--it exposes these myths for the self-defeating behaviors that women have to act like servants, and explains why men are secretly attracted to a strong woman who has more to bring to the table. The main theme of the book is incredibly empowering--live your own life fully and the proposals will keep on coming.

Forget when the other books tell you and listen to the advice in Why Men Marry Bitches. The book gives clear guidance based on hundreds of interviews Argov conducted with men to find out what is really going on. Chapters such as "Female Button Pushing: A Time-Honored Male Tradition" and "Breaking into the Boy's Club: Stolen Secrets--All the Highly Classified Things Men Will Share Only in the Company of Other Men," expose the secret strategies, codes, and signs men use to test women, to cover their own vulnerabilities, and to be sure they are loved for themselves--not what they can provide a woman. Think of it like visiting a foreign country, you'll have a better time if you know the "language." Argov provides the kind of "male-language" tutorial only a friend who has your best interest at heart can give.

Perhaps the most useful sections of Why Men Marry Bitches are the practical situations that Argov tackles. We've all been there. There's the small stuff--the man we love, doesn't call, breaks plans, or comes home late. There's the bigger stuff--the man we love is hesitant to propose. Why Men Marry Bitches gives realistic, specific advice on how to handle these situations while maintaining your dignity, self-respect, and independence. And that's how you make him fall more in love with you. Because dignity is the biggest turn-on of all.

Why Men Marry Bitches shows us, with great insight and humor, that when you are a "bitch" the situation is win/win. You focus on yourself, making a full, interesting life and how the man in your life loves you more for it--and wants you for his wife.

I've read them all, and this is the best.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

This book is for all those who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed.
Everyone has experienced times when everything seemed effortless, and progress limitless. David Allen has captured ways for you to achieve that wonderful state of mind and consciousness more often.

His key concept is that every task, promise, or assignment has a place and a time. With everything in its proper place and time, you feel in control and replace the time spent on vague worrying with effective, timely action. As a result, the accomplishments grow while the pressure to accomplish decreases. As a result, the book contains many insights into "how to have more energy, be more relaxed, and get a lot more accomplished with much less effort."

The key psychological insight of this book is that rapid progress occurs when you take large, unformed tasks, and break them down and organize them into smaller, sequential steps for exactly what to do and when. The book provides lots of guidance and examples for how to do this.

The book is organized into three sections. The first gives you an overview of the whole process for how to get more done in a relaxed way. The second spells out the details of how to implement that process, in a way that a personal coach might use. The third provides subtle insights that help you appreciate the benefits that follow from using the process. Like all good coaches, Mr. Allen understands that appreciating a subject from several perspectives and getting lots of practice with it are critical steps in learning.

The process advocated by this book is described with lots of systems flow charts that will appeal to all of the engineers and left-brained people. The right-brained people will find lots of discussions about emotions, feelings, and stress. So both types of thinkers should do well with this material.

The essence of the process is that you write down a note about everything when you take on a new responsibility, make a new commitment, or have a useful thought. All of this ends up in some kind of "in" box. You then go through your "in" box and decide what needs to be done next for each item. For simple issues, this includes identifying the action you should take first and when to take it. For tougher issues, you schedule an appropriate time to work the problem in more detail. You organize the results of this thinking, and review your options for what you should be doing weekly. Then you take what you choose to do, and act. Think of this process as the following five steps: (1) collect (2) process (3) organize (4) decide (5) act.

For the tougher problems, you start with identifying your purpose and principles so you know why you care how it all turns out. Then you imagine the potential good outcomes that you would like. Following that, you brainstorm with others the best way to get those outcomes. Then you organize the best pathway. Finally, you identify the first actions you need to take. Then you act, as in step 5 above.

From this outline, I hope that you can see that this is not rocket science. It is simple common sense, but with discipline. The critical part is the discipline because that is what focuses your attention where it will do the most good. For example, rather than sitting on something you have no idea how to get started, you can decide right away to get ideas from others on what the purpose and principles are that should be used in selecting a solution. So, you are in motion, and you have saved much time and anxiety.

What I learned from this book is that many people allow a lot of time to pass without taking any useful steps because they cannot imagine what to do next. This process should usually overcome that problem by showing you what to work on, providing methods to accomplish that step in the process, and guiding you to places where you can get appropriate help. As a result, this book should help overcome the bureaucracy and communications stalls that bedevil most organizations.

This fits from my own experience in helping people solve problems. If you simplify the questions and make them into familiar ones, everyone soon finds powerful alternatives drawn from a lifetime of experiences and memories. Keep things broad, abstract, and vague, and peoples' eyes glaze over while they struggle for a place to begin.

After you have finished reading and applying this book, I suggest that you share your new learning with those you see around you who are the most stressed out. By helping them gain relaxed control of their activities, you will also be able to enjoy the benefits of their increased effectiveness in supporting your own efforts.

May you always get the tools you need, understand what to do next, and move swiftly through timely actions!

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12

Tom Phelan has indeed written a sensible, easy to read, discipline book that clearly explains his 1-2-3
Magic theory designed for parents of tots-gradeschoolers. As a veteran preschool teacher, many of the parents of my own students over the years have found success with Phelan's techniques. However, some conscientious but frustrated moms and dads admitted to me that they found themselves between a rock and a hard place as they reached '2 and 3 quarters', '2 and 7 eighth's', etc ...unable to change the behavior of their sometimes annoying, disrespectful, uncooperative kids. Not to
worry...Although your career as a magician may fall short of your goal, you are not doomed to be labeled an ineffective disciplinarian. It has been my experience, both as a parent and teacher, that there is no one single discipline approach that works every time, for every kid in every family. Although I
totally respect 'the count' in this book, I strongly encourage parents to seek out an assortment of strategies that for whatever reason might be a better fit at a particular moment, in respect to age, personalities and parenting style. If you have young kids (2's, 3's 4's,and 5's) who are literally driving
you towards your wits' end with such things as their bad words, 'I hate you's', hitting, whining, parent deafness, tantrums, lying, 'gimmes', mealtime and bedtime refusals, I suggest checking out "The Pocket Parent", a quick read A-Z guide, loaded with hundreds of fast answers and tips to try. The bullets of information (called 'sanity savers') are written
exclusively for preschool behavior and are based on a solid philosophy that maintains a real sense of concern for the needs and feelings of both children and their parents. I highly recommend both books for a variety of workable discipline options that parents (and preschooler teachers) can choose from while trying to remain sane in the process!

Marked

Early on in my reading of Marked, I wasn't at all sure I would like this young adult novel. The story of Zoey Redbird, a sixteen year old girl who is unhappy at home, becoming "marked" as a fledgling vampyre, just seemed a bit forced. I wanted to feel a part of her story but her angst was overwhelming and I couldn't really see where the plot was headed. However, about midway through, the book picked up steam and by the last few chapters, I was eagerly turning the pages in order to find out how Zoey's unusual powers would manifest and where it all would lead.

Marked is an imaginative take on vampyres, weaving "old" pagan religious themes throughout and incorporating ancient history into its background. I liked the idea of a society where vampyrism is openly known and accepted, and I liked the School of Night where fledgling vampyres are taken for further training. I loved Zoey's learning to accept herself and step up as a leader at the school, and even the cursing seems realistic. What I didn't like was the obvious prejudice against traditional religion, and the "mini-sermons" we receive early on against drugs, drinking, and oral sex from Zoey's point of view. I liked Zoey's friends but felt that her acceptance into such a tight group so immediately didn't ring true, and I had to wonder at just why Erik, the hot young vampyre, was so attracted so quickly to Zoey. There are also some very lucky coincidences, such as Zoey's Native American grandmother having taught her purification rites which come in very handy. Thankfully these annoyances were overcome by the general storytelling and the excitement of the last half of the book.

Marked is the first in the series and I'll definitely be looking for the next two. I am captured by Zoey's world and want to see how her special spiritualism develops over time. This book also left enough unanswered questions that I'm drawn to find out more. With a caution that this book would probably be better for more mature readers with its incidents of sexual tension and cursing, I can say I'm intrigued enough to recommend this one.

Breaking Dawn

Stephenie Meyer's ideas aren't necessarily the problem -it's her writing. Not only has Meyer failed to expand her vocabulary to prevent using the same adjectives continually, but she continues to construct meaningless conversations between characters that doesn't progress the plot in any shape or form. These meaningless and shallow conversations continue for a couple of hundred pages indicating that perhaps most of this novel is padding as the author is slightly lost at sea without quite knowing how to construct a novel. This is nothing unusual as Meyer has struggled with plot and pacing throughout her previous novels but never to this dire extent. In Meyer tradition most of the novel is taken up by irrelevant conversations and a day-by-day description of what the characters have been doing. These conversations involve characters doing a lot of whispering, laughing and chuckling at every comment - even the serious ones, and describing the colour of everyones eyes continually. Similarly to her previous works, the real plot begins to unfold during the last few chapters and if you blink, you will essentially miss it.

There were some good ideas here, although none are original ones. Renesmee could really have been developed further and could have been quite a complex character who is both good but with vicious tendencies. The difficulty I had was with characterisation. I can see how both Bella and Edward are simple archetypes in which adolescent girls can project themselves. The difficulty is that Bella's simple characterisation here is not consistent with her previous behaviour. In fact, none of the characters behave in concordance with their previously established views. Bella quickly changes her mind about marriage and motherhood without any reason whatsoever. She is willing to die for a hybrid human-vampire child that is killing her and in which she has no chance of survival unless she becomes immortal. Similarly her father doesnt want to know anything about vampirism or what has happened to his daughter and basically is unconcerned about her wellbeing. If I was turned into part of the un-dead legion, I'm sure my family would notice and be more than a little concerned! Bella's mother who was previously against the idea of marriage at a young age becomes an advocate for it and Edward, who was unable to procreate since he has no fluid sires a child. Meyer shows a fundamental lack of writing ability as she contradicts her previous works and changes her own universe simply because it suits her to do so. This is not the work of a thoughtful and talented author who overcomes character constraints with creativity and forethought. Throughout the novel Meyer never allows the reader to forget they are reading a piece of fiction. You can almost visualise strings attached to each character as Meyer manipulates them as she chooses on a whim.

My biggest difficulty with the novel was with Jacob imprinting on the child Renesmee. I am not comfortable with an adult character deciding that an infant child will grow up to become their sexual mate. What shocks me is they these children who are 'imprinted' don't have a choice in the matter. Jacob obsessively carries Renesmee everywhere, becomes jealous when her own mother holds her and cannot bear to be apart from the toddler. Somehow this doesnt sit well with me. Although the appeal of Twilight, for me, has always been that the characters are so dysfunctional and exacerbate their own problems that it borders on the amusing, imprinting verges on the obscene. I dont think Meyer is quite aware how co-dependent, psychologically troubled and dysfunctional her characters are. What makes this worse is that Meyer seems genuinely unaware she has created characters who are so unwell. If Meyer did not intentionally create them to be examples of obsession and pathological dependence then she needs to work on characterisation and narrative extensively so she is better able to construct character according to her own designs.

Although the previous novels in the Twilight saga were simply fun, trashy novels by an amateur who was able to tap a market, Breaking Dawn is an embarrassment. It lacks solid characterisation, structure, contradicts previously established continuity, and has a myriad of plot pacing issues. Not all of this should be attributed to Meyer as the editor certainly has a role to assist.

Eclipse

Let me make myself clear that I am an avid reader and a HUGE fan of the Twilight series. I found the first novel, Twilight, to be a beautiful love story so inspiring and unusual that it blew me off my feet. The relationship between Bella and Edward seemed very different, and I found one chapter in particular in the first book allowed me to become entranced by the two lovers. Bella Swan comes to Forks leaving sunny Arizona to find herself on an alien green planet where it rains every day. At her new High School she finds herself perplexed by the Cullen family, which we then discover to be Vampires. Edward Cullen and Bella Swan fall madly in love. A love so passionate it could put Romeo and Juliet to the test.

Eclipse is the third novel in the series. After looking at a few reviews and acknowledging the rating of the novel I began to have my doubts. Many people found the book to be the best of the series or found it entrancing. While some reviewers were immensely disappointed. It is very difficult for an author to create a third novel that will live up to the first novel's expectations and in my opinion Stephanie Meyer did not truly deliver. This is understandable since many authors cannot even write a decent sequel, which Meyer managed to do. The second novel New Moon was almost as good as the first. The middle part, to be quite honest was a little boring, but none the less kept me going. But Stephanie Meyer had so many expectations to live up to it is understandable that it wouldn't be easy.

The third book begins with Bella and Edward discussing college with Charlie , who has just released Bella from the house. The novel continues to mention Bella's choice to join Edward forever and her relationship with Jacob Black. Stephanie Meyer has mentioned many times that she found Jacob to be her favorite character and after reading this novel I found myself disliking him more then I did in the second novel. The Edward-Jacob-Bella love triangle continues to play out through all the 626 pages in which the reader will want to throw the book on the floor because they are so annoyed with how stupid Bella truly is.

I have never personally liked how Bella is always portrayed as the damsel in distress and I found that part of her character a bad influence for young women who might otherwise look up to her. Many feminists would be appalled at how Bella reacts. She makes herself vulnerable and at one point in the book she even says, "IF YOU LEAVE ME I'LL DIE." Which I found to be silly and very sexist. I understand that the traditional love story is that the damsel is rescued by the man but at least one love story should not have that stupid shallow idea. This book was by far the most inappropriate in that sense since Bella is manipulated heavily by Jacob in such I cruel way I wanted to grab Stephanie Meyer and ask her why she took pleasure in writing such a sexist book.

The book is the poorest written of the three books. I have never considered Stephanie Meyer an excellent writer but she does tell a great story that makes the reader want to turn the page to see what is coming next in the story. The whole story seems rushed even though the novel is indeed 626 pages. It seems the publisher may have hurried her to write so it is a little sloppy. I also noticed many typos throughout the novel.

The characters are extremely one dimensional. Even Edward seemed too dramatic and fake with his passion for Bella. I cannot recall a single sentence he spoke to her that didn't have the word love, honey,sweet, darling or something sappy like that. Edward also lost his cocky sexy arrogance that I loved. He was obsessed with Bella in an unnatural way that disturbed me. His character was completely different. Jacob became such a nasty manipulator I was surprised that Edward didn't sink his teeth right into his neck. All Edward ever said was "If you're happy Bella, I'm happy." - please give me a break! Bella became a shallow even more selfish girl. She became so confused with her emotions I almost pitied her because Meyer had robbed Bella of the strength that made her such an interesting character in the first book. Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper were also turned into different characters all of which seemed out of character from the first two books.

The first two books were amazing and inspiring. The true love that possessed Bella and Edward left after book two. I feel this new book is incomplete. I do not think I will buy the fourth book. I'll borrow it from the library, and if I could I would go return this book. This book is no longer a love affair so deeply passionate between a Vampire and a human. It is now about having to make choices when you should already know what the right answer is.

I started this review with mixed opinions but now as I conclude I find myself so disappointed I shall try to remember the Edward and Bella I know from the first novel, Twilight, keeping those characters who are so deeply in love nothing could tear them apart.

Stephanie Meyer I'm afraid you disappointed a true Twilight fan till the very end. My only hope is that you can rekindle the beautiful story you had with Edward and Bella in Twilight. Good luck on the next book, I hope it's an improvement! If a movie is ever to be made may it only be the movie of Twilight.

The Girls from Ames

This book chronicles the lives of 11 girls who became friends in their youth and have maintained that friendship over 40 years and hundreds of miles. They all came together in Ames, Iowa in the 1960s with some having met as babies in the church nursery while others joined the group later in junior high and high school. There were, and are, shifting subgroups and pairings within the group so not everyone was friends with everyone else equally. It describes how the group was formed over the years and who brought who into the group and how the evolved into who they became. It follows them from their earliest years to the present and the group is still intact (minus one member) and they still view each other as best friends even though 40 years have passed and they are geographically spread across the country.

There were several things that attracted me to this book -- I loved "The Last Lecture" by this author, I am only one or two years older than the women in this book, I was born and raised in the midwest (city of 130,000 in Indiana) and one of my first friends out of college went to Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. All that combined meant I was excited to dig in and read.

For those of you who are looking for stunning insights into the meaning of life, that is not what this book delivers. It's more of a case study of these women, their lives and their friendships. I found myself totally engrossed and finished it within twenty-four hours since I couldn't put it down. What the book did for me was to make me think about my own path and life choices and the impact (or lack thereof) of childhood friends and wonder how some friendships stay intact while others fade. Even though there are many parallels between these girls and me, I found many differences as well -- they were much "wilder" than my group of friends was during the teen years and my group of friends did not stay together, not even Christmas cards. It really made me contemplate why some women's friendships survive and some don't. There is also some good research shared by the author about women's friendships and when they are likely to pull apart, how they compare to men's friendships, and correlation betweeen friendships and overall health.

I found this book to be interesting and causing personal reflection and introspection -- who could ask for more?

New Moon

This sequel to Twilight, though not exactly what most readers expected, exceeded those expectations with an amazingly unpredictable story line- complete with the familiar characters we love so much! It starts out just a few months from where Twilight left off- Bella Swan is in true love with Edward Cullen, and his family of fellow friendly vampires. But then... a papercut at her birthday party leads the vampires to have a sudden urge to feed- only on her! In the days following the accident, none of her night dwelling friends are the same- not even Edward- phased and embaressed by their actions. But Bella doesn't expect Edward to break up with her and the Cullens to leave! Bella is left in a numb, zombie-like state for months, until she begins to wake from her dream state in January. She discovers that if she takes a few risks, takes just a little step out of line, she is able to hear the warning voice of Edward in her mind! Thrilled at the chance to hear his voice- even if she might be going crazy-, Bella begins to pursue the reckless behavior he made her promise to keep away from. Let's just say that Bella soon has her hands full. She renews her old friendships- including that with Jacob Black. Rumors of werewolves and vengeful vampiresses are circulating full throttle- and to top it off, she has the challenge of her own mind; forgetting and saving the Cullens at the same time. I refuse to delve an inch further into the plot- to spoil its wonderful tactics would be a sin! This book is just as amazing as its predecessor- if not more of a thrill ride. At first I thought its lack of romantic outlook between Edward and Bella would be a complete downcast- but I found myself, as I'm sure all readers will, being so drawn into Bella's emotions and struggles that it made not a difference to the book's loveability. The only thing I have to note to the negativity of the book is that the next installment could not possibly come out quickly enough to do justice to this story's complex ending! Just as everything ties together, it also leaves the reader hanging for the the future! I also wish that we could have been further introduced as to the ways and habits of new characters we are shown- to further understand their motives to come. Well, at least it goes without saying that there will be enough future plot to fuel the oncoming stories quite generously! Stephanie Meyer's words draw you so into the story; you feel as though it is your heart being completely broken and later completely refilled, just as it is Bella's! Her descriptions and portrayals of human emotion through Bella and the other characters can at times be ardent enough to bring tears to the reader's eyes! Literally! You want to continue reading so fast, that rarely would you feel any pacing problems a bit! Though quite a large book in length, it fills up the time passing throughout the story impeccably well! I cannot sing enough praise for New Moon! For all of those that have read Twilight, and have not yet picked up New Moon for fear of 'sequel disappointment', have no worries! Even those who are not particularly fond of vampire stories, as myself, will enjoy New Moon and its prequel of Twilight to no end! What else to say other than that the story of Bella and the Cullens is pure brilliance?

There is one thing I like about Meyer's style in these novels: she takes her time to develop the relationships between the protagonist and the two main guys in her life. Bella's relationship with Edward is beautifully developed. Their intense love for each other is totally believable and I felt the depths of her pain as she mourned over the breakup. The parallels between their romance and that of Romeo and Juliet is a great touch. Edward and the Cullens take a backseat in this novel in favor of Jacob. I enjoyed reading how their friendship develops and the feelings they have for each other (Jacob is in love with her, whereas Bella sees him as a brother) are also believable. This is the typical vampire vs. werewolf thing found in many paranormal novels. The one big difference is that both characters are sympathetic and likable and you don't know which one to choose. I am more inclined toward Edward, but Jacob is also a great character, if a little immature and impulsive. Then again, most sixteen-year-old boys are. They are both gorgeous though. Man, if only there had been boys like that in my high school! But the class of '95 was sadly devoid of ultra-sexy vampires and werewolves. Lol. There is big friction between the vampires and the werewolves, which makes their conflict totally believable. You don't know the direction the series will take in the next installment, and that makes it completely riveting. Bella is a bit annoying in this installment. She strikes me as self-centered, and she uses poor Jacob throughout the novel. Of course, this is all brought up and she is aware of her behavior, which makes her somewhat sympathetic because of it. Her "normal friends" are extremely annoying, especially Mike, which is why I'm glad they don't appear much during the second half of the novel. The whole thing with the Italian vampires -- the Volturis -- is interesting. They show the true dark side of the vampire world.

The First Billion Is the Hardest

T. Boone Pickens began at age 11 delivering papers, mowing lawns and pumping gas in Oklahoma to becoming chairman of the BP Capital Management hedge fund. He invested a mere $2,500 into Mesa Petroleum and built it into one of the largest independent oil companies in America and then overcame a time of personal difficulties by taking an investment fund of $3 million and turning it into $8 billion in just a few years. That's why I picked up a copy of Boone's book The First Billion is the Hardest and read it from cover to cover with close attention and fascination. In his book, Pickens presents his plan for America to become energy independent as well as detailing his life of improbable triumphs. The book provides an inside view of his oil and gas career, of mergers and acquisitions, of his dealings with CEOs and investment bankers, and on his personal management style. On energy, Pickens makes the argument that the U.S. cannot drill its way out of our current crisis but must think our way out. In discussing energy solutions, Pickens stresses that crude oil is not used only for gasoline, heating oil and jet fuel but for other important petroleum products such as plastic, synthetic fibers, fertilizers, ink and many more products. For that reason, even if no foreign oil went to energy uses we'd still be beholden to the Middle East. Pickens wants to replace at least a third of gasoline demand with natural gas to reduce our foreign oil bills by 16 percent annually. The book contains 11 chapters on the author's personal insights and experiences, including his insights on energy, and one chapter on his energy plan. While some readers may scoff at the author's folksy personality and "Bonneisms" the fact is that T. Boone Pickens has 60 years experience in the energy field - experience that gives him credibility and suggests we should listen closely when he speaks. The book also provides an interesting peak into how Pickens spends his money - a philanthropic approach to use his money to perpetuate helping others. In fact, the author shares his intent to give away all of his money and how he will do it. But before he could give away as much he has, Pickens first had to earn his fortune and The First Billion is the Hardest is a fascinating and compelling story of how that was done.

Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur

"...enjoy your life. You only get one." If you have read previous Sir Richard Branson's books; you have read most of it already. However, this book, "Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur", Sir Richard Branson focused solely on the business side of his life. Actually, all his life is about business! Unlike other business book writers, he has the first-hand experience in Virgin. In this book, he covered lots of topics. A quote from the book "So all I can do for you now (and I firmly believe that this is all anyone can honestly do) is map the territory I've seen. The good news is, I've covered a lot of territory."

Contents - Introduction

- People: Find Good People - Set Them Free In this chapter, he generally wrote about the culture in Virgin.

- Brand: Flying the Flag Richard Branson wrote exclusively on Virgin Blue in Australia and how he fought hard to beat the competition and established the Virgin brand there.

- Delivery: Special Delivery Among other things, he started the chapter with Virgin Trains and how it reshaped the industry in UK. He moved onto how he run Virgin Records and how he started Virgin Mobile in UK and in the US.

- Learning from Mistakes and Setbacks: Damage Report Failure to acquire the bank, Northern Rock, is the focus of this chapter. Richard Branson is also subjected to mistake and he wrote on how to bounce back.

- Innovation: A Driver for Business Virgin Galactic is going to be huge and tell me after you read this chapter that you don't want to travel into space!

- Entrepreneurs and Leadership: Holding on and Letting Go He wrote about his experience with Nelson Mandela and how he set up Global Elders to tackle the humanity issues around the world.

- Social Responsibility: Just Business This chapter is fantastically inspiring. He separated it into two parts. The first is about his activities to relieve Africa from HIV and Aids. He also wrote about Bill Gates and how they shared philanthropy to make the difference in the world. The other part is the climate change issue. You heard it all before but instead of pouring fear to you, Richard Branson offers you hope.

- Epilogue: Success ... This book is not written as an autobiography. I think of an ideal business book and I'll compare Business Stripped Bare to it; a book that is easy to read, distinct, practical, credible, insightful, and provides great reading experience.

Ease of Understanding: 8/10: Richard Branson wrote it in plain language and make the readers follow him easily. The drawback of the book is that sometimes, the issues jump back and forth from mobile to records to airline to health clubs to finance and so on! Anyway, the part on Virgin Galactic (the rocket science) is not rocket-scientifically difficult to understand!

Distinction: 7/10: Although his life experience is one of its kind, there are other books on this already namely "Losing My Virginity" and "Screw It, Let's Do It" by... Richard Branson...! However, the way he explained the general ideas of people, innovation, brand, etc (the usual business terms) through his experience is unlike those typical business books that litter these contents with figures, theories, graphs, models, metaphors and so forth.

Practicality: 5/10: Richard Branson offers no solid steps to encourage people, enrich brand, turbocharge delivery, foster leadership, and so on. He believes that everyone has his/her own story and way. He did not say that following him is the best approach to business but he made you think of your own. However, his general comments (with his experience as the credentials) are valuable and you cannot really dispute them.

Credibility: 10/10: His ideas are proven; people, brand, delivery, leadership, and so on. He made it work. Where is the better place to find the idea of business and entrepreneurship other than the words of one of the greatest global entrepreneurs?

Insight: 7/10: Although Richard Branson do not describe the ideas of innovation, brand, people, social responsibility with academic researches and scientific findings, he wrote it from his experience which is more valuable than most researches. Not that researches are insignificant but his life should be taught as a module in business schools. But if you already read his other books, this book will offer you only few new contents.

Reading Experience: 10/10: This book is like a journey into one of the most adventurous businessmen in the world. Like he said, the book (his life) covers a lot of territory. If you like reading other people's life, there is no better person to read than Richard Branson. This book is like an adventure that it starts out with serious business contents with sparks of excitement and ends with good causes and social responsibility that we can make a difference not on but to Earth.

Overall: 7.8/10: This book is encouraging; it encourages you to go out and start a business. This book is motivating, it motivates you to make your business exciting. This book is inspiring; it inspires you to make you business meaningful and virtuous. This book will not make you want to be Richard Branson but it will make you want to have a great business life. This autobiographical business book is for everyone who loves business. If you have read Richard Branson's book before, do not expect it to be something totally new. If you have not, I don't see a reason why shouldn't you give it a try.

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Schroeder writes that one of the books that influenced Buffett greatly in his youth was Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Buffett applied the lessons of that book throughout his life. Schroeder comes up with the term "Carnegize".. This book is technically not an autobiography but for all practical reasons it is one. Buffett Carnegized Schroeder to write this book. I am not a fan of autobiographies. No matter how hard authors try, they cannot help being biased. Furthermore, a complementary book written by Schroeder is a lot more flattering than if it was written by Buffett. Having read much about Buffett, I suspect he realized the advantages of motivating a good author like Schroeder to write his biography. Her book mostly paints Buffett in a positive light. Nothing wrong with that especially that I believe he is a brilliant man. His values, motivations, intelligence and logic are impressive and deserve lots of praise. However, Schroeder falls short when it comes to some of the more sensitive aspects of Buffett's life. Here are three examples. Buffett's relationship with Susie (his first wife) and Astrid (his second wife) was unique and I had always been intrigued by it. Schroeder sheds little or no new light on what made this three-way relationship work. Also, Buffett and his sisters had a troubling relationship with their mother. Schroeder repeatedly brings this up but does not go into depth as to why they were so troubled by their mother. Finally when Susie died she left 8 million dollars to John McCabe, her former tennis coach. She most likely was in a romantic relationship with him but Schroeder fails to explore this. I suspect investigating some of these issues would be troubling to Buffett and Schroeder probably wanted to please this kind man who was granting her so many interviews. I don't blame her for that but yet a great biography must not shy away from exposing important aspects of the individual's life. She interviewed lots of people for her book and could have easily enlightened readers more about some more aspects of Buffett's life. "Snowball" is a well-written and engaging biography. Readers will learn a lot about a great man famous for his two greatest virtues, honesty and rationality. Schroeder's book requires no business background (she even has a footnote explaining what Dow Jones Industrials Average means) and is geared for all types of readers.

American Lion

As he says, Meacham has "attempted to paint a biographical portrait of Jackson and of many... who lived and worked with him in his tumultuous years in power." The book concentrates almost entirely on the presidential years, with only enough on Jackson's earlier career to give the reader some idea of the man's personality, of how he rose to prominence and of his political views. Meacham provides an equally short coda on Jackson's post-presidential years until his death (1845). The book is not a "life and times" but is centered on Jackson's experiences in his political battles. The politics are Meacham's chief concern because he believes that Jackson's presidency transformed American political culture. Jackson was the first president who was not from the pre-Revolutionary elite and was the first to be voted into office by a newly expanded electorate. Meacham views Jackson as the first to see the president as representing the entirety of the people and as the equal of Congress, entitled to shape policy and legislation without the traditional deference to Congressional views. Jackson thought that the people shared his beliefs and that he was fighting for their interests in everything he did. This vision sustained Jackson as he relentlessly expanded the powers of the president. Meacham believes that Jackson was a master politician who happily allowed opponents to think that he was entirely a creature of emotion and passion while coolly outmaneuvering them politically. Meacham's approach has three main features: First, it is chronological, seldom deviating from a straight drive down the time line of the two administrations; Second, Meacham tells the story mainly through the principal political battles of Jackson's administrations (the major exception to this is Meacham's close look at Jackson's domestic life, but even this was affected by politics, particularly the Eaton affair) and Third, the book is a narrative throughout, not without editorial comments but with little in-depth analysis. The counterpoint to the focus on political wars is provided, as Meacham states, by "previously unavailable documents, chiefly letters of Jackson's intimate circle that have largely been in private hands for the past 175 years...." These provide many vignettes regarding the prominent figures of the time (especially Jackson, of course) as well as glimpses of Jackson's private life among kin and friends. These allow the reader an unusually intimate share in the lives of many of the chief figures in the book and are Meacham's chief claim to an original contribution to Jackson studies. I wanted to like this book but found it disappointing overall. The chronological approach does give the reader a sort of virtual experience of the need to address utterly different political problems at the same time; but it causes the narrative approach to be disjointed with one "story line" being interrupted by another after only a few paragraphs or pages with the usurping story itself being displaced in its turn soon after. Continuity and coherence become problematic, especially since the book is intended for general readers many of whom may know little or nothing about Jackson. The relative lack of analysis was also a disappointment. While many issues of the Jackson presidency have been thoroughly analyzed by other historians (especially academic historians), readers would have profited from Meacham's personal political acumen in discussing the significance of Jackson's triumphs and defeats in changing American politics. His discussion of how Jackson's use of the veto, unprecedented in American history and instrumental in the expansion of presidential power, was very insightful and illuminated an unfamiliar area for me. It's beautiful work because it shows how an obscure and technical "procedural" issue can have major long-term implications. It also allows any thoughtful reader, even one who is a novice in the subject, to perceive how Jackson's innovation shifted the balance between president and Congress forever and eventually became the major element of presidential power that it is today. I wish Meacham had done more of this. While the "previously unavailable documents" provide valuable information about Jackson's private life and views, it does not make up for useful political analysis and insights. I also think that Meacham's handling of Jackson's record on slavery and on the mistreatment of Native Americans does his readers a disservice. On slavery Jackson evidenced no awareness whatever of the ultimate injustice of slavery and particularly of racially based slavery. We can all agree today that slavery is unjust and racially based slavery even more so; but most in Jackson's day did not share this view. Slavery had been abolished in Britain only in 1833, when Jackson was already in his second administration; and the infant abolition movement in the US had almost no adherents in Jackson's time and for years afterward. The complete assumption of inherent white superiority was, of course, widely accepted in society until quite recently and is still held by a few. While Jackson would have been a morally superior person had he possessed a better appreciation of the injustice of slavery, he also would have been amazingly ahead of his time. To criticize him for this failing may be accurate but it is also ahistorical. The same analysis applies in part to Jackson's treatment of Native Americans. While most white Americans favored pushing Native Americans aside whenever they were inconvenient to whites, Jackson's contempt for Native Americans seems to have been more extreme than usual. His treatment of them was certainly without moral or legal foundation and was unnecessarily cruel. For these latter failings Jackson can be justifiably and severely censured, but not for more. Overall the book is a good general introduction to Jackson's life and the significance of his presidency, but it has major drawbacks.

A Tourist In The Yucatan

The story begins with a bloody shoot-out on a ferry between the Yucatan Peninsula and Isla Mujeres, then moves to an idyllic, lazy vacation day with Jack and Josephine Phillips at their hotel. The ferry shoot-out seems a world away to Jack and Jo, who head to the mainland the following morning, befriending fellow American Stephen Potter on their way to Chichen Itza. They travel with Potter for a couple of days, until one morning's headlines claim Stephen Potter is someone else--a wanted drug dealer. Jack is too late to steal away with Jo, as she is missing on his return to their hotel, and Jack is soon arrested by the federales. Jack finds himself in the middle of a web of intrigue involving both the U.S. and Mexican governments and a dangerous gang of drug dealers and tomb robbers as he searches for the truth about his wife's disappearance. Ordinarily, books where the protagonist is an unwitting victim trapped in a series of events wherein everyone knows what's going on but him do not appeal to me. Jack, however, while at times numb and passive, does not live at the whim of others. He catches onto survival pretty fast, while working his way through the maze of intrigue around him, and I found myself rooting for Jack and the other good guys to beat the impossible odds. There are two stories unfolding; Jack on the run from the bad guys, and at the Washington end, Nelson Carlton unravels a series of murders directly related to the plight Jack finds himself in. Both are packed with action and intrigue that kept me turning the pages. I look forward to Brumfield's next book.

Burn

This is Doolittle's second novel, after the enjoyable "Dirt."
The action is set in southern California, with the Santa Ana winds providing fans for the flames of sporadic wild fires. A very satisfying mystery - a body discovered in the brush in the path of the flames, ostensibly a traffic accident, is identified as a murder victim. His tissues, blood, and brain matter are found in the trunk of his car, making it impossible for him to have driven off the cliff.
Acting on a tip, police visit a beach house where Andrew Kindler is staying. From here, Doolittle begins a wonderful study of the consequences of the choices we all make in life. For reasons he has difficulty articulating, Kindler has left his life in the Eastern US, and is pondering the options open to him now. A parade of uninvited persons begins to show up at his beach house, drawing him unwillingly into the mystery of the dead man near the damaged car.
Doolittle holds a wicked mirror up to some California stereotypes, creates a very appealing group of other characters - a hard working police detective, the owner of a chain of exercise studios, a lovely young woman yearning for news of her twin brother, and assorted cousins, evidence technicians, and security guards.
Don't miss this one! Doolittle is an author to watch!

The Last Child

John Hart's, THE LAST CHILD, is a stellar contribution to the mystery, thriller, genre. It also fits the drama category, as well, for its dramatic emotional effects. So, I label this read a MTD, and, for me, one that excels on all of these levels. When I read the book description, I almost passed on this opportunity. I wasn't sure I wanted to read about child abduction, since we are being bombarded with media and Amber alerts and, unfortunately, living this sad reality. So why bring it into my limited, leisure time? My mind was screaming, enough already, it's too depressing of a theme. But, I decided to give it a chance and I'm SO glad I did. I immediately fell in love with Hart's writing style, which is poignantly descriptive. His characters became fully realized for me, as well as the small town, southern atmosphere. Simply put, it is a very classical writing style, which is one of the strengths of this novel, and sorely missed in many works within the genre. Hart's style motivated me to add his previous novel, DOWN RIVER, to my 'wish list,' as he now has another devoted fan. Hart's primary characters are profoundly wounded and fragile, as they all strive to cope with the abduction of Alyssa, Johnny's 13 year old, twin sister. This once ideal family, falls into the depths of dysfunction. The father goes missing; mom battles her demons through anesthesia with drugs and alcohol. In an attempt to restore normalcy to his family, Johnny becomes obsessed with finding his sister, with the help of best friend, Jack---a most colorful character. Meanwhile, you, as the reader, are left biting your nails, hoping for this family's safety and the redemption of the fallen, while scratching your head wondering---who did this terrible thing! Several felt Johnny was too young to have such mature behaviors and dedication to the cause. I tend to disagree. He was, after all, a teenager---many of whom can be quite mature for their age, particularly when driven by neglect, physical and emotional abuse. In essence, his childhood was stolen from him, the day Alyssa was stolen. And, he makes some foolish mistakes on his journey, that could be attributed to his youth and lack of worldly experience. A couple that almost cost him, and Jack, their lives. Be prepared, that as Johnny and Jack set out to find Alyssa, this book will become 'unputdownable.' You will be introduced to multiple integral characters and, twists and turns, that will keep the pages flying. Solving the crime does not come easy; the ending provides realistic closure. You will find yourself grieving, but cheering at the same time, over several situations, as this multi-layered story unfolds.