I own several of the SHADOW LANE series and have enjoyed reading them very much. And this one is no exception.

Reading the first book in the series is nice but not necessary for enjoying SHADOW LANE II. In this you will be introduced to many characters in and around the fictional northeastern town of Random Point where many people from many backgrounds engage in consenting adult spanking. They spank at parties and they spank in private -- and not always indoors!

In understanding the structure of the book, it helps to know that this is a collection of short stories that Eve Howard has put in magazines and publications from Shadow Lane (an enterprise catering to spankophiles that Ms. Howard has built up over the years). For this reason, you may read introductions in some stories of characters you have already met in earlier chapters. The progression of the overall story goes on just as nicely.

So sit back, relax, get yourself a nice glass of something cold to drink (or hot if it's winter outside) and enjoy this book for exactly what it is -- good, fun to read and VERY sensual spanking entertainment.

When I was nine years old and in fourth grade (never mind how long ago that was) I found THE BOXCAR CHILDREN when the Bookmobile came to our school. I checked it out and started reading it, and couldn't put it down.

About two weeks ago I decided to read it again. I was still taken in and charmed by its ease of reading and its very well-written plot.

It's about four orphaned children who have to fend for themselves and they find and old boxcar in the woods and they use it for shelter and manage to survive -- surprisingly well. The ending is happy, but for the young reader, the plot can keep them on edge until the story is over.

Some might criticize this book as being "dated," but I have found that a good story will come through in spite of the chronological time in which it happenned. For myself, I found it fun and refreshing to read. Things STILL can turn out well.

I'll make a guess that parents who read this story to their children will enjoy it as much as the kids do!

This book, published in 1960, tells the story of 15 "souls" -- people from many walks of life -- from judges and doctors to a humble, devout cleaning lady. Each person goes into a sanctuary like building to spend time with "The Listener."

I won't tell you who "The Listener" is. You might guess, and you might not. But one thing I can guarantee -- your life won't be the same after you read this book. You can be Catholic, Protestant (with all the variations therein) or even a Hindu, Moslem or Jew, and be challenged by reading this book.

Through these 15 stories, Taylor Caldwell expresses more about the real essence of Christianity than all of the "Doctrinal" books I have read -- and as a PK (preacher's kid) I've read a lot of them. This describes more than a "religion." It is a relationship with the real originator of Christianity.

We have a lot of garbage being promoted in the name of religion today -- and a lot of it is in the name of religion, and trying to be carried out politically. It's easy to forget that Jesus Christ Himself was notoriously apolitical. He was about REAL spirituality -- something that starts in the innermost part of a person and spreads outward.

The message of this beautiful book is as important today as it was when it was written. The fact that circumstances and cultures have changed is irrelevant -- human nature hasn't changed at all.

Read this story. It will be among the most worthwhile time you've spent.

This novel deals with the friendship of two prep schoolboys, Gene and Phineas, A.k.a. "Finny." Gene is intellectual and somewhat introverted and Finny is athletic, daring and outgoing. As often happens, these two temperamentally different people become friends.

I will not go through the entire story here; others already have, and besides -- I think the reader should do it for him/herself! However, I think that its strength lies in the realistic portrayal of adolescent friendship in both the positive and negative sense. At a time when female friendships are being dissected and examined, this book shows that male friendships are no walk in the park, either.

Many themes are dealt with here -- reaction to war, uncertainty about the future, the treatment of people perceived as "weaker," but through the story runs the relationship of Gene and Finny.

This is a book that is studied a lot in high school, but is worth reading again as an adult. We may wonder how much we have REALLY grown up!

Basically, this book deals with the propoganda efforts to sell the war against Iraq to the American people. And now that Chalabi, (whom I suspected of being a phony right from the start) is in the political doghouse, this book -- written in 2003 -- is even more thought provoking.

Because of my predisposition to depression, I don't always follow the news as closely as I could. However, I do listen and read it often, and from the news itself and comments I've heard from others, I had a stinky feeling that something was askew in the way this war had -- and still is -- been promoted. And reading WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION put names and specific events to something I suspected all along.

I leave it to the reader to actually read the book and come to his/her own conclusions.

I appreciated this book because it doesn't smack of partisan politics. There is an objectivity about it that seems missing in a lot of other works like this one. Some things that stood out for me were the following:

1. The authors question the current administration's methods of promoting the war through advertising and opinion spinning and the use of "evidence" that was questionable at best and false at worst.

2. The book avoided two extremes. First of all, it avoided the conservatives' blind patriotism. Second, it avoided the equally wrong view that some (not all) liberals take: that of blaming the United States for every ill in the world.

3. The book did not try to whitewash the Middle East and give the impression that we were picking on an innocent and sinless society. It pointed out some very real wrongs that happen there, and it didn't try to whitewash Saddam Hussein, either. Instead, I feel that the authors wanted us to see the problem for what it IS and not for what it ISN'T.

4. It pointed out something that we all know has been going on for a long time -- that the United States, in its often misguided effort to protect democracy, frequently aligns itself with countries who have abysmal human rights records.

5. The authors did not present this media deception as a strictly American phenomenon. They looked with realistic eyes at other countries and other times of history to show that this happens in other places and eras, too -- even giving Alexander the Great as an example.

In my humble opinion, it's time for the United States to stop trying to police the world and to be its "conscience," especially in light of the Iraqui prisoner abuse scandal. I am an American citizen and am grateful for it, but I don't believe that we as a nation are any more "righteous" or "unrighteous" than any other country. We're a country of human beings with all the human strengths and weaknesses. I think it's time for us to address our own problems right here at home.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is basically a "how to" on living in the present moment, a practice which most of the world's religions would approve of.

I am not a student of either Hinduism or Bhuddism (although I do plan to read the Bhagvad Ghita this year) but I think that Tolle has been deeply affected by both approaches. But he also has been influenced by A COURSE IN MIRACLES and by Christianity. I feel that the strength of his work is that he has drawn some principles on which most of these religions would agree. Although I'm not sure I see eye to eye with his overall view of God, there is a lot of good, practical wisdom on how to live in the now.

One of the frustrations of my childhood was that I was always told to "trust" and to "believe" but was never told HOW to do it. Perhaps everyone needs to learn it for themselves -- but I found the ideas put forth by Eckhart Tolle to be very helpful. And as a natural born worry wart, I've found that his book gave a lot of helpful ideas.

He cautions us not to put our identity in our minds -- thus trying to make the mind do for us what it was never intended to do. He encourages to be "silent watchers" of the our thoughts and behavior, and to stop investing the mind with "selfness." He also encourages us to connect with our "inner body" and to use the body as another way to connect to the "now."

This of course just scratches the surface of what Tolle teaches. It is a valuable work that will help you improve your relationship to yourself and to others.

This book "jarred loose" some questions that had been disturbing me for a while -- all the way from the disputed election to the actions after September 11 and beyond. Something wasn't right. While I never read a lot of the matters in detail while they were going on, this book confirmed a lot of unease I was feeling.

I won't reiterate the issues raised by Paul Waldman - he writes them clearly and understandably. But basically, the book deals with Bush's manipulation of the media, his building up of a "down home" type of persona, his "turn around of the meaning" explanations concerning tax cuts (Waldman makes use of Orwell's "doublespeak) as well as his "war on terrorism." Most thinking people, whether conservative or liberal will find a lot of food for thought.

Also fascinating was the insight that the Republican Party - a party begun under Abraham Lincoln Of The Emancipation Proclamation - has become more and more reactionary and "conservative" in the most negative sense - especially on social issues. In other words, the Republican party of today has turned into something I don't know any more.

This has all troubled me a lot. For my entire adult voting life, I would probably be called an economic "conservative" - if, by that term, we refer to being pro private enterprise, opposing excessive government handouts, and taking the idea that it is business in general and people in particular who produce the wealth from which our taxes come. From a social viewpoint, I may be more of a centrist, as I am also very concerned about the problems of the poor and the targets of racial and gender discrimination. (Yes, I value "property rights," which the conservatives favor greatly - but then, I also want my civil rights.)

My reason for not giving this book five stars is when it got into partisan politics and tried to show one party as being more interested in people than the other. For sure, conservatives need to treat their workers fairly as well as guard against racial and gender discrimination. Government regulations came about because many businesses treated their employees badly in the past; that's a matter of historical record. Working people, racial minorities and women have not always fared well from policies advocated by conservatives.

Liberals, however, need to realize business and economic activity generate taxes. Businesspeople, for sure, are not angels and yes, we do need some government regulation. But Liberals must remember that government people are not angels, and we need accountability on both sides to restrain greed, which runs rampant in both business and government.

I recommend the book highly.

I heard of the "Pareto Principle" a long time ago -- the 80/20 rule which basically states that 80% of the results come from the efforts of 20% of the people.

Koch has some ideas at the beginning of the book which show the value of the idea, and when he speaks about working "smart" as opposed to working "hard," I agree totally. His advice about zeroing in on the important "20%" is valuable -- provided, of course, that you know what that 20% is.

However, when he tells us how we are to apply this to our personal lives, he has "left off preachin' and has started meddling." True, we are all social beings and we need each other in our interdependent culture. Family togetherness is wonderful, but having big family dinners each night and encouraging the warm, moist extended family suport is, in my opinion, overrated. I agree that the American family is often fragmented, but each family must work out its own way, finding the 20% that applies to that particular family, and not in one die-cut, predetermined way. "Nonconformity" is not my style, but I've made personal choices (such as waiting until late in life to marry) that don't always fit these predetermined ways to live, and my 20% may be different from the 20% of someone who has gone the "traditional family" route. (A "traditional family" can be as abusive and stifling as it can be supporting and loving.)

I agree with the reviewer who said to read this book to look for the 20% that applies to you, and then ignore the other 80%.

The passing of Cindy Adams' husband Joey is heart wrenching and it was understandably hard on her. No matter how sick a loved one is, and no matter how much "logic" says that they are better off to be loosed from all that suffering, there is something in us that still doesn't want to see the person go. I also believe that we need to GIVE love as well as receive it. And when Jazzy, a precious Yorkshire Terrier, appeared in Cindy's life it was somebody for her to love. Not a replacement -- but a genuine and healthy outlet for love and affection.

It is impossible for any true dog lover not to identify with this story. I was single when I got Macho, my Boston Terrier, and as important as it was to have someone love me, it did as much good or more to have someone TO LOVE, and Macho was definitely that, just as Jazzy was for Cindy Adams. And when Macho went to Doggy Heaven and I adopted Barbie (my Chihuahuah mix) I never expected that she would replace the dog I lost -- but it was an opportunity to love someone and to give. And while I can't read Cindy Adams' mind, I'll bet that Jazzy filled the same place in her life. It was wonderful to read about her love for this little animal and to know that many other people feel the same way.

I've not read anything "(yet) about Jazzy's passing -- I'll probably cry like a little kid when I do. Cindy --if you're reading this, do consider getting yourself another dog! It won't replace Jazzy, but as with him, it will be another very worthy outlet for love and affection.

Pat Conroy is a masterful writer, but he really outdid himself on this one.

The story is narrated by Will McClean as he shares his experience in the Carolina Military Institute. About two or three pages into the book, you will find yourself immersed in the story. His opening description of Charleston, South Carolina is worth the price of the book -- usually long descriptions bore me, but this one was different -- I felt like I had actually been to Charleston after reading it.

This story is brutal in some of its details of living and learning in a military school. I have a sneaky suspicion that they are right on target. The hazing, the competitiveness and control and betrayal practiced by cadets on other cadets is uncomfortably like the control games seen outside of military schools.

I am neither male nor a graduate of a military school, but I have a feeling that Conroy's descriptions, given through the character of Will McClean, are accurate. This book has the unmistakable stamp of someone who has "been there and done that."

There are many plots and subplots -- a young woman whom Will meets, Will's relationship with "The Bear" (Colonel Bearineau)and Will's duty to watch out for Cadet Pearce, the first Afro-American cadet in the Institute's history. And while there is a lot of grimness and harshness, Will stubbornly tries to keep his mind on the good as well as the bad, and he succeeds.

Whether or not the book has a "good" ending will depend on the reader's definition of what a "good" ending is. It is triumphant and Will emerges a better person.