Bond Reviews

Books by vets are usually very interesting and concern more common animals. This book is different as Dr. Karesh only works with wild animals and puts his life on the line many times during the year.

It is always interesting to discover how a person got into his line of work and this story is no exception. Though he loved animals from birth (almost), being a vet was furtherest from his mind.

This is a good read and highly recommended.

Simply put - this is my most favorite book of all time! If you love wild animals, adventure, and a great read - this well-written, heart felt book is for you!

I listened to this book on audio tape, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't realize a vet could enjoy his life so much. Each illness was an adventure, and some were quite dangerous. He obviously loves his work, and won't let anything stand in his way. His stories were humorous and interesting, and just technical enough to appreciate his vast medical knowledge. This book was a pleasure to listen to, and I recommend it highly.

Behind The Red Doors, has something for every romance lover. I enjoyed all the stories. The characters, dialogue, and plots in all of them are both steamy and entertaining, and will satisfy even the most die-hard romantic!

John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Picture Inc.
Beverly Hills, California

BEHIND THE RED DOORS links three extraordinary shops that market scent, jewels and lingerie. Through these doors wishes come true. These searing tales should not be reserved just for Valentine's Day. Indeed, readers who enjoy anthologies with a united theme and story line will absolutely treasure BEHIND THE RED DOORS.

Door #1 - "Heaven Scent" by Vicki Lewis Thompson
In an innovative marketing ploy, customers uncomfortable browsing have the option to use computer kiosks to order their favored items and pick them up on their way out the door. To ascertain men's preferences and offer suggestions to shoppers, Jamie Ruskin asks long time friend and secret crush Dev Sherman to fill out a questionnaire. Certain his sister is somehow involved, Dev gives opposite answers, never suspecting that Jamie will use his own answers against him. The result is a sizzling, yet playful romp that combines erotic fantasy and aromatherapy in a sent-sational combination.

Door #2 - "Diamond Mine" by Stephanie Bond
Valentine's Day went desperately wrong between Faith Sherman and Carter Grayson when she expected more than just a friendly dinner. When a diamond on loan requires increased security, Carter reenters her life. Only this time he claims a fiancé and soon Faith finds herself recommending diamonds for someone else. Bond's characteristic flair for combining romance and humor truly sparkles.

Door #3 - "Sheer Delights" by Leslie Kelly
Conned into a photography session by her cousin, schoolteacher Meg O'Roarke becomes an inadvertent sexy model for lingerie. Her gasp of shock when she sees her body plastered on the store's kiosk screen brings an unexpected rescuer. But Joe Santori will be hard pressed to explain that the lingerie hanging in his closet was for her-a fantasy woman he had not even met. Kelly's dynamic storytelling ability truly results in an unexpectedly sheer delight.

Red Doors is by far the best Valentine's anthology I've read. Funny, fast paced, steamy, these three stories have it all. Yet each stands fully on its own. My personal favorite was Sheer Delights but they were all entertaining. Very sexy heroes!! I can't wait to read these authors again.

Initially I was shown this book by a friend because it contains an analysis of the "Story of O".

I especially liked the attempt by Benjamin to work out a cogent explanation of the source and nature of feminine Sexual Desire. She doesn't arrive at adefinitive model but does present a convincing case that it lies in the sense of being able to feel safe and free within a "transistional space" wherein one feels ones drives as being from ones own self and not the result of identifcation with the other.

Overall a very dense book, that for me rewarded skipping around alot.

In remarkably clear language, Benjamin reworks Freudian psychoanalysis so to include the possibility of mothers and fathers mutually recognizing each other as subjects thereby enabling a cooperative relationship where similarities and differences are acknowledged. Without this modification, she argues that traditional Freudian theories with their sole reliance on individual intrapsychic reality cannot help but reproduce patriarchal gender relationships which are characterized by domination and submission, most notably reflected in the cultural polarity of male rationality and female vulnerability as seen, for example, in the Story of O. She further argues that the dispassionate rationality of the marketplace masks not only the dependency of the working class but male domination as well. Convincing in its integration of Freudian theory with both feminism and marxism, it marks a significant step forward in understanding how the personal is indeed political.

Are a bit ephemeral, according to Benjamin, for they suppose and originate in the constitutive acts of an other subject, acts which not only may recognize one's subjectivity but also fail to recognize one's subjectivity. Thus the pain when such a failure occurs. Thus the efforts individuals expend to manage their lives to avoid such pain.

Benjamin's book was hardly the first to address these issues. It was, however, the first to address them systematically while relating them to feminist theory. An important book. A must read for those interested in Left political and social theory.

I originally rated this poorly. I have since re-read the book, after a good deal of correspondence with the author, and have rethought my critique. The book is highly antecdotal, but also gives amazing insight into the pyschological bond between cousins. I had always valued that insight, yet failed to give proper credit for it in my review.

My original opinion was based on an error in judgement. I initially mistook the quotes of some of the sources as the personal position of the author.

It is well worth reading, for anyone who wishes to know more about cousin relationships. The book includes two chapters on romantic/marital entanglements, which, I will forwarn, may sometimes be unsuitable for the younger audience.

One final caution... Be careful not to assume the quoted sources are the author's prejudice. It is quite easy to come away with that impression if one is not paying attention.

Cousins is a thoughtful and entertaining book. The author describes her relationships with her own cousins, to whom she was very close growing up, as well as an analysis of different types of cousin relationships, including marriage. She describes the significance these often neglected relatives can have throughout our lives. Cousins can provide a great sense of family without the intense and sometimes negative emotions that exist in sibling relationships. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in family interactions and wants to learn more about this special and powerful bond.

A fullhearted read, a fascinating approach, a must have!
I could not put this book down, and found it enlightening when it came to the chapter on cousin marriages, who knew such a taboo subject could be written about with such grace, tact, and truthfulness. If you ever wondered about your family this is a great place to find spirited, humorous and thoughtful solace, along with insight and educational tools. There is no deny it Cousins is "A Unique and Powerful" Book.

At last, the huge module (96 pages!) that covers the adventure of Alias in the Forgotten Realms - the heroes (levels 6-9) awaken to find curious blue sigils wrapped around their skin - what could this mean? Worse, their "mark of Cain" makes them VERY intriguing to some horrific evil that they'd rather not contend with... this adventure will teach your players paranoia in a way that only life-threatening fun ever could. :)

For those of you who have wondered if D&D was simply Hack & Slash this will give you a true insight of the game. It truely is one of the best fantasy books I've read. This book and those of the forgotten realms are good solid reading matierial and though some may consider it "Bubble Gum" I don't.

I read this book and I loved . this is a book for all fantasy lovers and it is good for anyone who doesn't have anything better to do as well.I liked the characters and how the author made them seem like real people. I also play AD&D so I can relate to this boook. this book can only be described by one phrase. THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!!!.

The music is amazing, the book is incredible, the story is haunting; these are all things credited to make this musical spectacular. Sweeny Todd tells the story of revenge, love, death, and ofcoarse pies. Sweeny Todd is a Barber who seeks revenge on all man kind. Mrs Lovett is his assistant who hides the evidence, in her delicious meat pies. "Have you seen the Priest?" asked the Judge. "No, I havent." replied the Beadle Bamford smaking his lips. "By the way judge have you tasted this delicious PRIEST PIE."

In 1979, Stephen Sondheim had a long and illustrious career on the Broadway stage, with "Company", "Follies", and "A Little Night Music" to his credit. "Sweeney Todd" capped that career with an extraordinarily inspired score, ably seconded by Hugh Wheeler's insightful and clever book. A triumph on all counts.

Not only does the music book capture many of the aspects of the tale of Sweeney Todd, it captures Stephen Sondheim's brilliance in the world of music as a writer. This music book is well worth the price paid for it.

The book reads smoothly and contains unique ethnographic information. The book follows a chronological order of events in the civil rights movement. Readers who are interested in an eye witness account of the movement between 1954 and 1965 should purchase this book. It would be appropriate for a high school educational setting.

Most of the stories in this book were familiar to me. But I still found them interesting. The author focuses on some of the lesser known participants to bring some fresh perspective to the stories. Seems hard to believe that the events are only 35 years ago.

Great book ! I was born in 1957 so I wanted to learn about the Civil Rights Movement as it was when I was growing up. This is not only an excellent history, but an incredibly interesting story, and a shocking testament to the injustices the Black people have suffered in America. I learned a lot and gained some insight into this issue.

I bought this book because I just inherited my first harpsichord and I thought this book would answer some questions I had after receiving it. The book spends the first few chapters going over the history, then one chapter on how it works with very few illustrations, and then the rest of the book is devoted entirely to playing the instrument. I had hoped to see more illustrations and a glossary of terms but was disappointed upon reading it. I would recommend this book to someone interested in a brief overview of the instrument and mostly learning to play, but not for someone who want to better understand the instruments inner workings.

Ann Bond has written an outstanding introduction to the many aspects of the Harpsichord. Her main audience is existing keyboard players coming to the Harpsichord though as a Classical Guitarist I found this book to be immensely useful.

While Ann Bond is clearly hugely knowledgeable about her subject she never allows too much information to get in the way of putting her key points across in an informative and well-reasoned manner. The book is very readable and her style and enthusiasm mean that reading this book is enjoyable throughout.

Chapters deal with the range of subjects which those coming fresh to the Harpsichord need to confront. These include issues of the instrument itself such as maintenance and how acquire, key differences with the piano especially regarding fingering, an overview of different styels of instruments and music as well as a very useful summary of the main Harpsichord repertoire including a listing of Bachs Harpsichord music. In addition there are sections on Figured Bass and how to play with other musicians.

In taking up this instrument I have found answers to all of the questions I have had and the advice has been thoroughly practical.

Indispensable to anyone interested in playing the Harpsichord.

Ann Bond's A Guide To The Harpsichord is a practical, "reader friendly" guide to one of the truly classical instruments of European music which treats the mechanics and evolution of the instrument while offering an informative survey of thematically appropriate literature. Students of the Harpsichord will find a wealth of advice on touch and technique (including articulation and fingering), along with a lucid exposition of the issues involved in historical performance practice accompanied by a clear explanation of ornamentation. A Guide To The Harpsichord is an invaluable reference manual and history for students of the instrument, as well as a highly recommended addition to music history and classical music department reference library collections.

I listened to the audio book recording of The Wedding Promise by Carolyn Davidson, read by Jim Bond and while I thought the story was good I just didn't like the audio recording because I just didn't care for the way Jim Bond read it, not enough warmth and emotion in the reading for my taste and the voice for the male and female leads sounded too much alike, there really wasn't all that much difference and one of the voices for one of the other male characters sounded too much like Mr. Rogers and I kept picturing him breaking out in that Won't You be my Neighbor song. I recommend buying the paperback book instead of the audio cassette, I plan on going to a used bookstore and looking for the paperback book because I liked the story and it was just the audio reading that I didn't like.

I must admit that I wanted to step into the pages of this book and become Rachel Sinclair McPherson! This book is a page-turner from the very first scene because the characters are so likable. The story is set in Green Rapids, Kansas a few years after the War Between the States. Rachel and her two younger brothers were traveling west on a wagon train with their parents until their parents died along the trail. The wagonmaster refused to let them continue their trip and dropped them off in Green Rapids. Rachel soon finds her brothers and herself a home in one of Cord McPherson's shacks. It doesn't take long before Cord finds them living on his property. He is immediately attractd to Rachel. He soon asks Rachel to take over as the cook at his horse ranch while his regular cook/housekeeper is away. Running out of food and money, Rachel decides to take the job. Rachel works from dawn till dusk and soon becomes the center of Cord's world. Cord is over the moon when the preacher's wife comes calling to check out exactly what's going on between the two of them and it is hurriedly decided that he and Rachel should marry. I'll leave Cord and Rachel there except to say that they have great chemistry;-) A tender sub-plot is created with Cord's brother Jake who lost part of both legs during the war. Rachel helps bring him back with his long-time love, Lorena Claypool and also makes it possible for Jake to use his love of music to become a productive individual.
And a joyous ending for all! (Just the kind I like;-)

I think this was the best storyline I have ever read. I fell in love with all her characters and they were so believable. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so to enjoy this book is not out of line! Even though it is a romance book, it could also be listed as suspense. This is a real page-turner!!

I am Mrs. Ciardullo's student, which means I know her. The book was fairly well done - I'd want to give it 5 stars, but the brilliance of Salvatore and Weis And Hickman and Tolkien rather dims the light of this book. I personally envisioned Rae as my teacher Mrs. Ciardullo. My favorite character is NOT Daro - I rather like Rae more than her partner. I'd prefer more of magic and such, but that's my opinion. After all, it is a well writen book for a high-school student. This can also be called as historical fiction, for no supernatural powers are seen in this book. It can actually happen, and that's what makes this book special. It has a sense of closeness and reality to you - unlike Hocus Pocus mages running around shooting goblins with their fire arrows from their fingertips.

Bonds of Blood, Bonds of Steel was a very youthful attempt at writing in my favorite genre. I wrote the book when I was a freshman in high school, and unfornately, at times you can tell. In addition to writing it very young, the publishing company had a few problems in their typesetting department. It's not a very well edited book. In fact, some of the spelling errors make the English teacher in me cringe. Overall though, it's fun book--I had a great time writing it and I certainly hope that people enjoy reading it. It has memorable characters (Daro's my favorite), and a very detailed world that begs for more exploration. The idea of assassins on the side of good was fun to play with--I loved creating the governments--and there are a wealth of stories out there for me. I hope to continue exploring the world of the Assassins of Codoria for years to come. In then end, though, it's a book that is overall a satisfying read--there are some truly beautiful scenes (I like the masquerade) and if it gets a little dramatic at times, it fits the character (Rae's a tad on the hyper side.) Enjoy! I look forward to any comments anyone has. Rebecca L. Frencl

good