The Package is a horrifying murder/mystery. The plot is murky at first, and moves in spurts with a slow start. Not until halfway into the book are readers told outright what's going on. The authors do a wonderful job keeping things in the dark, leaving their audience questioning motives and reasons for all of the bizarre and disturbing behaviors the characters of the book exhibit. After that halfway point, things speed up considerably. The situation unravels and all Hell breaks loose, taking the hero, private investigator Deandré Mullington on the ride of his life.

The dialog is tight and crisp, and very natural sounding. The authors had every opportunity to make this a gore-ridden, gut-wrenching novel where violence is glorified, but chose not to. Instead, the scenes are described a bit generally, allowing readers to add their own visual interpretation. In fact, because of the deliberate vagueness, it adds another dimension of horror to the book, that such things could be so glossed-over.

While murder mysteries are not the sort of book I typically read, I was completely engrossed by this one, racing though the last 60 pages, needing to know what happened. The scenarios presented by the authors are such that I can easily see something like this being awfully quite real. It will definitely make me watch the evening news differently for a while.

This has a charming story, and wonderful illustrations. Kids can learn about being themselves and being a good friend by Big Al's example. It has a heroic main character who saves the fish who had refused his friendship. What I think could have been done better/differently is to play up the ideas that no matter what you look like, you can be a good friend, and that it's important to be yourself. Clements ends the story a little too suddenly to explore that idea, in my opinion. It does, however, leave room for classroom or parental discussion once the story has been read. This is a sweet book, with a nice message, even if it's not terribly obvious.

Dreamy, jazzy, energetic - Source of Fire is a great glimpse of M. E. Music. This is a great CD. Ramzy is such a very talented musician, and even if you're not sure if you like Middle Eastern music, you'll like this contemporary CD. He is one of the most popular contemporary Middle Eastern musicians of dance music for a very good reason: immense talent.

It is sensual and lively and wonderful. It is beautiful music beautifully rendered; a feast for the ears. And, you'll probably find a song or two that just beg you to dance.

This is a daughter's wonderful tribute to a remarkable woman; very well-written. It is, at times, quite sad. Evelyn Ryan was such a remarkable woman, with an amazing story. You just have to read it. She is very inspiring.

It says a lot for the skill of Terry Ryan as an author, for the reader to be able to feel so close to the people she writes about. You are right there while you read, you feel the emotion right along with everyone else. While I read, I felt as though I was growing up alongside the other kids, and felt as much sadness as a grown child left home as the younger kids. I was completely immersed in the Ryan family.

I highly recommend this book. When so many biographies are of the rich and (in)famous, it was lovely to read about an ordinary woman who was far from ordinary. She is an inspiration to her children, and she will be to you.

How Do Witches Fly? is an interesting, well-researched, and thorough. It's also dry and could be dangerous in the wrong hands. This is a scholarly discussion of the mechanisms used in witches' "flights." It is absolutely not for the squeamish or kids.

Author Alexander Kuklin has a PhD. in plant physiology and genetics, and is interested in how science and the occult relate. This makes him quite qualified to cover his chosen topic. Many of the ingredients are discussed in detail, from what part of the plant it comes from, what the toxin is, and exactly how it works and what it does to you. (Not for the queasy!) Some also have a historical background, with references from ancient Greece or the Middle Ages.

It doesn't belong in the hands of anyone under the age of 20. (Fortunately, many of these things are very difficult to obtain.) There are no warnings on the covers, but there are inside. I personally think that the publisher should have a surgeon general's-type warning on the cover. "Warning: Experimentation with the items discussed in this book could be extremely hazardous to your health." The only reason I don't give it a 5-star rating is because I feel there are too few warnings in the book.

My primary reason for reviewing this book is as a means to educate parents who might see this book in their kids' possession. There is nothing on the cover to indicate what's inside and that it's potentially dangerous information. The subject line on the back cover reads "Herbs/Biochemistry/Witchcraft/New Age." That sounds pretty harmless, right?

Secondarily, I think there are a few folks out there who have never heard of this book, and might find it as interesting as I did.

Snake Hips is an honest (not always flattering) glimpse into the author's life; very funny at times. It's a wonderful biography of a woman with a mission. Humorously written, candid, and honest. A very entertaining read.

I loved reading this book. I laughed out loud in places, and scowled in response to some of her dating disasters. It was a wonderful glimpse into the life of a woman determined to find happiness, heritage, and love. She picked herself up, dusted herself off, and started over again. Not without some self-pitying whining here and there, but who doesn't?

This has fun, modern interpretations of Arabic music. But, not everyone appreciates modern interpretations of music. Some modernization of Middle Eastern music makes this easy to listen to. And there are some really wonderful compositions that grace this CD.

Mohammed Abdul-Wahab was trying to blend a bit of Eastern music with Western, to make it a bit more up to date. He had more than 250 songs to his credit before his death, and had very clear talent.

If you like your ethnic music to be "pure," without any modern interpretations, you will probably not care for this. However, if you are not such a stickler, this is a great CD.

Immortal Egypt has some really amazing musical creations. A wonderful marriage of East and West. In my opinion, the electronics get in the way sometimes, overpowering everything else, but not so much as to spoil the CD. This is such an amazing blend of traditional and modern, it has to be heard to be appreciated!

I think it's fun to listen to, and some songs have great potential as dancing music. The music is an amazing marriage of East and West, producing fascinating results that really require more than one listening to appreciate. I am trying to think who would best appreciate this... anyone who can listen to any kind of music open-mindedly will likely love this. It doesn't lend itself to any category well; "new age" isn't quite right, Mid Eastern is certainly not. It's got some jazz-fusion elements to it, but I wouldn't keep it there, either. It really defies description!

The skill of the musicians and the editing is apparent in every song. So even if you can't figure out where in your collection it belongs, it does belong there!

This CD has great liner notes, and the music is varied and fun. It does have a lot of electronic elements to it -- but it is "modern" after all. This is contemporary music with an upbeat feel. The songs are kept from being too "pop" with complex rhythm and melodies that have some depth. A great CD set!

The liner notes translate the song title, and explain the emotion behind it. For example: "Balla Tghanni Ya Mourkos (For God's Sake Mourkos Sing) Please, Mourkos, sing and let this beautiful girl dance to your Lebanese music." This really enhanced my enjoyment of the music. Since I don't speak the language, even that brief translation gave me some understanding of what the music was all about.

Dancers who like contemporary music will really enjoy this set. Modern Bellydance from Lebanon has a very talented writer in Sayyah. Much of the selections are very light and energetic, which would probably make them great for performance. It's hard to listen to this music and maintain a dark mood.

This CD has contemporary and unexpected music, but some of the songs sound a bit like repeats. It's pleasant and somewhat refreshing, but it's not outstanding. It's nice music, but not all that special.

The music is pretty, and Terzis is talented, but it didn't "sparkle" for me. I do recommend this CD, and I certainly won't get rid of my copy, but if you can find a used copy, save yourself a few dollars.