This book was first published in 1985, and at times it will seem a bit dated. Even though there are exceptions, the idea of the career oriented secretary starting an affair with the hard driving executive has sort of faded out in these times of sexual harrassment and hostile work environments. Nevertheless, if you consider it a bit of a period piece, you'll find this a delightful read. Rome is a sexy, aggressive business man who tragically lost his wife and two young sons in a car crash. A couple of years later he is still deeply grieving, but circumstances force him to spend some time with Sarah, his wife's former best friend and a beautiful co-worker that he has always found attractive. Sarah has long carried a secret torch for Rome, and despite her reservations she is privately thrilled when Rome starts pursing her. Rome obviously has some deep emotional issues to address, and Sarah's patient understanding and loving support allow him to work out those issues. At the same time, Rome's forceful personality help push her out of her cool reserve. The biggest hurdle facing them is that Sarah would love to have Rome's baby, but he is unable to tolerate the thought of another child. There's not much plot here, but the relationship is very intense and manages to carry the book quite nicely on its own. A very satisfying book that you can read again and again.

I've been a huge fan of Sarah Bird for years, and her long-awaited new novel, "The Yokota Officers Club", is a delight. It is the story of Bernie Root, the oldest daughter of a military family constantly on the move from one air force base to another. Bernie is returning to her family stationed in Okinawa after her first year at college and her first experience away from her tightly knit family. She worries that the changes she's made will alienate her from her family. Her proper plaid skirts and blouses with peter pan collars have been replaced by faded and patched blue jeans and a sloppy shirt. The Vietnam War is raging, and she has joined a campus protest group - quite the rebellion for the daughter of an air force officer. After their reunion, Bernie is shocked to find that it is her family that has changed almost beyond recognition, not her. Her formerly glamorous and vivacious mother is practically paralyzed with depression, her usually gung ho father expresses disgust with the Vietnam war, and the affection between her parents has disappeared. In order to discover what went wrong, she must revisit her childhood and uncover painful secrets from the family's past. Sarah Bird was a military brat herself, and in many ways this book is a nostalgic look at that lifestyle during the 1960s. She deftly portrays both the exaggerated family interdependence and the lack of other personal ties that result from a childhood on the move. The characters in the "Yokota Officers Club" are exceptionally well drawn. Bernie, Moe, Kit and Bobby in particular seem to come to life and jump off the page. Bird successfully combines all of these elements into a very touching story. While this book was not as funny as Bird's previous work, in many ways it is more compelling. I thought that the ending was particularly daring. There's no neat resolution, just a resigned acceptance of what happened in the past.

Any book that can capture the attention of millions of children (not to mention adults) for 700+ pages has to be remarkable. Given how good the first three Harry Potter novels were, it's amazing that this one is even better. All of you're favorite things from the earlier novels are here - wonderful magical creatures, a suspenseful and compelling plot, exciting Quidtditch games, ominous threats and heroic bravery. Nevertheless, Rowling's writing skills have clearly matured. Her unparalleled imagination is still at work, but she has added subtle nuances that make her characters even more interesting. I am most impressed by how she has Harry and his friends aging appropriately without losing their appeal to a younger audience. All the literary praise aside, this is a great read. Hurry up with Book 5!

Not only should a great biography of an important world leader be well researched and historically accurate, but in order to have any appeal beyond scholastic circles it should also be entertaining and bring the subject to life. In order to achieve this delicate balance, an author must carefully review the voluminous historical record and cull the mundane and marginally relevant details from those that provide real interest and insight. I can't speak authoritatively on the subject, but it is clear that Giles MacDonogh has exhaustively studied the life of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Both original sources in the form of personal letters and first hand accounts and later critical examinations of Wilhelm are well represented. Unfortunately, while this book may be a scholarly success, it is not a particularly good read. The subject is compelling, but MacDonogh's pedantic rendition never fully engages the lay reader. Wilhelm is one of the most contradictory and controversial leaders of the 2th century, but this book never really gives you a sense of his personality or his relationships with others. Instead of really delving into the heart and soul of his subject, MacDonogh produces a dry litany of historical facts. The only personal aspect of the kaiser that MacDonogh tries to address in any depth is his anti-semitism, but even here he is not completely successful.

Having re-read this book for the first time in two decades, I have no trouble understanding why it is a staple of high school literature classes everywhere. It's a great book for teaching symbolism, foreshadowing and some of the themes of the romantic movement. However, as an adult, I pretty much found it to be an excruciating reading experience, and I'm not just talking about the fact that the language is dense and dreary. The very things that make it a valuable teaching tool can be very annoying to a more experienced reader. As I was reading I kept wanting to scream every time Hawthorne talked about the scarlet letter burning, glowing or being like a painful brand. I got it already! I can put up with slogging through the nineteenth century prose if I'm going to be challenged a little, but this book no longer did it for me.

Having reread this book for the first time in 20 years, I can confirm that there's a reason that it's considered one of the very best American novels. However, my reaction to the story was different than when I first read it in high school. I recall that back then I was hoping that Daisy and Gatsby's love story would ultimately yield a happy ending. Now, I found them both to be such shallow creatures that they inspired no pity. While I considered the characters to be emotionally stunted, that dooesn't mean I was not impressed with Fitzergerald's skillful rendering. As in most forms of art, in literature it is more difficult to accurately and interestingly portray nothingness than to describe a richly endowed subject. At this more cynical age, I found Daisy to be a remarkable emotional void, and Gatsby's quest to pour all of his hopes and dreams into such a shallow cauldron only confirmed his own vapidity. One thing that hasn't changed in all these years is my amazement at Fitzgerald's ability to set a scene. His descriptive passages are truly poetic, and his command of word choice in unparalleled. All this made for a stimulating and delightful read.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is known for her combination of humor and romance, and this book doesn't disappoint. I laughed so hard that I cried during the first 100 pages. This is the story of Lady Emma Wells-Finch, the very proper headmistress of a girl's school in England. She is visiting Texas to do some research on a book, and decides that this is the perfect opportunity to ruin her spotless reputation (something that is necessary to save the school for reasons that are rather implausible). Her friend Francesa Beaudine has persuaded Kenny Travers, a star golf pro currently banned from the PGA tour, to act as her chauffer and guide. Kenny is drop dead gorgeous (think Pierce Bronson) and has a quirky sense of humor. He plays on the fact that Emma has no idea who is and actually persuades her that his escort services are comprehensive - for a fee. Emma seizes the opportunity to play the bad girl and hires him for the night. Up until this point, the book is absolutely hilarious. While it remains funny (Kenny's sister is particularly amusing), it then takes a more serious turn as Emma travels to Kenny's home and helps him struggle with the ghosts from his past. This is where I had a little trouble with the narrative. Kenny is supposedly a decent, hardworking man who encourages everyone that he is an obnoxious oaf. Huh? Believe it or not, Phillips almost makes it work. In any event it provides the background for a very sweet romance between Kenny and Emma. This isn't SEP's best, but it's still a very enjoyable read. P.S. It'll be interesting to see what she comes up with for Teddy Beaudine.

This is an unusually emotionally intense romance novel. Considering that emotional intensity is pretty much the hallmark of romance novels, that is saying a lot. It is the story of Cat Cochran, a very talented but struggling professional photographer, and Travis Danvers, a wealthy designer of superior sailboats. Both are emotionally damaged - she by a wealthy but brutal ex-husband and he by a money-grubbing woman who manipulated a pregnancy in hopes of financial gain. The two accidentally meet and are immediately attracted to one another even though each has similarities to the person that traumatized the other in the past. Cat has not been paid by her some of her most important customers and is valiantly struggling to bring in enough money to support herself and her glomming family. Travis wants to make her his mistress and put a price on their relationship. He can't relax unless they've agreed upon a financial settlement. Also, Cat is working so hard that she is physically exhausted and doesn't have much time for him. Cat, of course, is wary of any financial dependence and isn't about to sell herself. Despite their inability to come to understanding, they begin a fervent relationship that surprises both of them. Naturally, all is not smooth sailing, and they both are placed in positions where they must confront and overcome their emotional demons.

Both characters are very appealing. Travis comes off as a very realistic modern-day pirate type, and I was particularly able to relate to the way Cat balanced her physical exhaustion with her need to be with Travis. Lowell does an amazing job of conveying that state where you are overwhelmed with responsibilities but are still giddily excited about a new relationship. There isn't a lot of plot to this story - no mystery to solve or evil third party trying to drive the two apart. The sole focus of the book is the relationship, and it packs a powerful punch. A great read for romance fans.

The Harry Potter series just keeps getting better and better. J.K. Rowlings is maturing as a writer, and she tackles a much more complex and interesting plot in this third installment. All of your favorite Harry Potter-isms are here: new magical creatures, wonderful characters and the fascinating world of wizardry. Malfoy and Snape are just as nasty as ever, the Quidditch matches are exciting and fast-paced, the Weasley twins are even more mischevious and amusing and Hagrid is still touchingly dedicated to dangerous creatures of all kinds. Harry, Ron and Hermonie continue to grow - at 13 they have a lot more responsibilities and face more challenging threats. You'll love the story of their entanglement with an escaped wizard prisoner. As usual, there are lots of surprises. Adults and kids will be equally fascinated.

If you like the magazine Bon Appetit, you'll love this compilation of the recipes that appeared there in 2000. The pictures are beautiful, but the focus is on the food. The recipes include very complex gourmet dishes and relatively simple recipes for daily cooking. Every one I have tried has been easy to follow and has yielded delicious results. There are interesting hints and factoids scattered throughout the book, and it is very well indexed.