The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family

Book Description

Imagine a young boy who has never had a loving home. His only possesions are the old, torn clothes he carries in a paper bag. The only world he knows is one of isolation and fear. Although others had rescued this boy from his abusive alcoholic mother, his real hurt is just begining -- he has no place to call home. This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to A Child Called "It". In The Lost Boy, he answers questions and reveals new adventures through the compelling story of his life as an adolescent. Now considered an F-Child (Foster Child), Dave is moved in and out of five different homes. He suffers shame and experiences resentment from those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of being loved just because they are not part of a "real" family. Tears, laughter, devastation and hope create the journey of this little lost boy who searches desperately for just one thing -- the love of a family.

Customer Reviews:

so sad.......2007-10-09

I've read all of the books and this one I felt was not as exciting as the rest but if you plan on reading all of them then you must read this one. So if you do plan on it just read it, it's not that bad but it's not that good.

The brave boy.......2007-05-25

I recommend this book because it is very interesting,and you do not want to put it down.In the book, I learned that I have a good life and that I should be thankful for everything I have after seeing what Dave has gone through in his life. I would read another book by this author because all of the books are sequels and at the end of each book you are left hanging and wondering what will happen next. These are some things about the The Lost Boy.

Dave's story helped me during really tough times........2007-04-18

As a foster parent who accepted only one child at a time, I needed all the inspiration I could get. Dave's story not only inspired but also encouraged me. It is full of truths that make us aware of how blessed we are. Anyone who is interested in helping abused kids should read this book. With Great Mercy author.

The story continues.......2007-04-14

Dave Pelzer gives a wonderfull account of his experiences of foster care in this sequel to A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive. In this book you begin to see the transition to a "normal" state of being, but it is not without it's problems.

My Hat Goes Off To Dave Pelzer.......2007-04-06

All of Dave Pelzer's books are absolutely by far the best books I have ever read. I couldn't put them down!!!

The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts

Average customer rating:

The Lost Gospel of Mary is a welcome addition to Christian spirituality shelves.
Read this Book
Lost No More...

The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts
Frederica Mathewes-Green
Manufacturer: Paraclete Press (MA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Apocrypha | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew
The Sign of the Cross: The Gesture, the Mystery, the History
The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation
The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer (Pocket Faith Series, 4)
Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy

ASIN: 1557255369

Book Description

Some Christians have piled the status of the mother of Jesus so high that it rivals that of her Son. Others ignore the Virgin Mary entirely. Behind all of the images is a girl who grew up to be the mother of Christ. How did the first Christians view her? What were the commonly understood facts about the Blessed Mother's early life --- before the Annunciation? How did Mary, the mother of Jesus, become the Theotokos? Frederica Mathewes-Green opens up the Virgin Mary's early life, offering a window into her centrality to the Christian Faith in new and sometimes startling ways.

Customer Reviews:

The Lost Gospel of Mary is a welcome addition to Christian spirituality shelves........2007-10-06

Award-winning author Frederica Mathewes-Green presents The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts, an examination of the theological and cultural questions as well as the historical background offered by three sacred texts. The first is "The Gospel of Mary", a story of the Virgin Mary's life from her conception to the birth of Jesus, written circa AD 150; the second is the oldest known prayer to Mary, found on papyrus in Egypt and dated to the third century; the third is "The Annunciation Hymn", written by the Syrian poet Romanos circa AD 520 and widely considered a classic of Eastern Christian poetry, still sung in Eastern Orthodox churches throughout the modern world today. Combined, the texts offer a wondrous spiritual viewpoint into the mother of the Lord. Written from the perspective of a devout believer, The Lost Gospel of Mary is a welcome addition to Christian spirituality shelves.

Read this Book.......2007-04-27

Like all of Ms. Mathewes-Green's books, this is a joy to read as well as nourishing food for the soul. If you come from one of the Protestant traditions (as does the author herself) forget everything you think you know about the tradition of Mary. This little gem will introduce you to a beautiful, new world.

Lost No More..........2007-03-31

This is a great introduction to the Eastern Orthodox teaching on the Virgin Mary. It is a pleasant read without boring the reader with academic theological terms and such. I would suggest this book for everyone interested in learning more about the role the Virgin Mary takes in the Eastern Orthodox faith.

Adoption Healing... A Path to Recovery for Mothers Who Lost Children to Adoption

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Very Therapeutic
Adopting Healing
A GREAT Resource for Us Moms
At Last....A Much-Needed Book!

Adoption Healing... A Path to Recovery for Mothers Who Lost Children to Adoption
Joseph M. Soll , and Karen Wilson Buterbaugh
Manufacturer: Gateway Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Adoption | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade
Shadow Mothers:Stories of Adoption and Reunion
Birthmothers: Women Who Have Relinquished Babies for Adoption Tell Their Stories
Adoption and Loss: The Hidden Grief (Revised Edition)
The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child

ASIN: 0967839017

Book Description

Adoption Healing... a path to recovery for mothers who lost children to adoption is a unique book. The reader is provided with a description of the immaculate deception imposed on pregnant women and the ensuing tragedy of the loss of their babies to adoption and the profound effects on their lives. This is followed by different methods of healing the mother's wounds, including inner child work, visualizations, healing affirmations, and anger management. Every chapter includes a Myths and Realities of adoption section, a summary of the chapter and exercises to do on one's own.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-03-13

The preview of this book made no mention that it's focus is on women who placed their children for adoption in the 70's and were coerced into it.

I placed my child for adoption in the 90's under no one's influence. It was a painful, yet positive experience.I am in search of a book that can help a person in my situation.

This book was not it.

Very Therapeutic.......2007-02-01

I thought this book was wonderful. It definitely helped me to realize that I wasn't alone in my feelings and fears, decades after losing a baby to adoption. I feel it has helped me to face the truths of just how things happened and helped me to realize that it was not only not my decision but it was not my fault. I was given no choice and this book helped me to realize that. It has been very therapeutic in helping me deal with my loss and to understand my behaviors over the years.

Adopting Healing.......2006-11-11

I read this treasure 14 years aftering finding my daughter. It put into words the anxiety I endured the first 21 years of her life that were lost to me. This book should be read by all mothers who felt they were 'forced' to place their child for adoption. It can provide validation for the feelings we were afraid to express. The authors did a superb job of covering all aspects of the pain of the adoption experience that will color our lives forever.

A GREAT Resource for Us Moms.......2006-08-15

Thank you, Joseph M. Soll and Karen Wilson Buterbaugh! Over 1.5 million of us surrendered babies for adoption in the 50s and 60s and 70s, and it now feels really good to know people are writing about how we can heal from that incredibly painful loss. This book is extremely well done, and Mr. Soll and Ms. Wilson Buterbaugh are to be commended for their courage in taking on this topic. Thanks for illuminating a path that, hopefully, will aid the healing process for many of us.
Sharon Shaw Elrod; www.sharsstory.com

At Last....A Much-Needed Book!.......2006-06-14

Thank you to Joe Soll for writing this vital book about the birth mother experience. It may be the "aha" book for birth mothers as THE PRIMAL WOUND (by Nancy Verrier) is for adoptees. Birth mothers will find validation and know that they are not alone.

The Lost Sisterhood: The Return of Mary Magdalene, The Mother Mary, and Other Holy Women

Average customer rating:

Historical Fiction?
Awesome read
Read it in one sitting!
Reincarnations Find Forgiveness in the Present for the Past
Who were Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene ... REALLY?

The Lost Sisterhood: The Return of Mary Magdalene, The Mother Mary, and Other Holy Women
Julia Ingram
Manufacturer: DreamSpeaker Creations
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Women | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Messengers: A True Story of Angelic Presence and the Return to the Age of Miracles
In God's Truth
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The Days of Wonder: Dawn of a Great Tomorrow
The Magdalene Awakening (N)

ASIN: 1893641023

Customer Reviews:

Historical Fiction?.......2007-02-14

Whether or not you choose to believe the incidents in this book, if you read with a curious and open mind it will propel you into a new reality. It is the "herstory" that male authors did not allow into print for 2000 years. Considering the personal interpretation of history that we have been subjected to, this book offers a very plausable alternative and one which can change our spiritual visions for years to come. Is it history? Maybe not. Is it truth? Very likely!

Awesome read.......2006-01-16

I loved this book! I have read The Messengers and this book is like reading the sequel. I have loaned it to friends who have since bought their own copy because it is a book you'll want to read again.

Read it in one sitting!.......2005-03-04

Having already read The Messengers followed by In God's Truth (by Nick Bunick, who The Messengers was about), I could not wait to get my hands on this one. It was an amazing story and I was touched in so many ways...sometimes to tears.

I am reading it now for the second time and it feels as though it is the first. Going to be a very powerful book, for a very long time I am sure.

Reincarnations Find Forgiveness in the Present for the Past.......2005-02-22

In this series of dialogues with women visionaries who see themselves as reincarnations of biblical heroines, Ms. Ingram reveals the possibility that the Divine Feminine is emerging in the 21st century through the personalities of spiritual devotees today.

Following her subjects through their hypnotic investigation of early Christianity, the author makes clear her point that there is currently a call for the Sisterhood to be found.

Written with candor and a lack of personal judgment, this work opens the door of the mind and allows the reader to walk in the shoes of those who have gone before us. Common threads of recollection seem to give credence to these stories and the collective unconscious, or Akashic Records, from which they are drawn.

Reviewer: Rev. Dr. Arlene J. Colver, Author of Magdalen's Way and From Whence They Came, Vice President of Lifelight University, Founder and Chaplain of the Society for Universal Concordance

Who were Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene ... REALLY?.......2005-02-16

What an amazing journey! Master regression therapist Julia Ingram opens the door to a hidden world where these historical women can finally speak for themselves.

Ingram's journey led her to 15 women who, when regressed, provided first-person accounts of their lives in the company of Jeshua (Jesus). ("Jeshua," which is ancient Aramaic, is the name he actually answered to.) They offer eyewitness reports of Jeshua and the women who were an integral part of his mission---most prominently, his mother and teacher Mary and his wife Mary Magdalene. Even small details about their everyday activities and the relationships among them are startling enough to freshen our view of that world, and show how distorted later accounts have become.

Jeshua was an inspired visionary. Ingram's work suggests that the women close to him shared that vision with greater authenticity than the men who succeeded him as the founders of the early Christian church. The female role in that vision was ignored, or even concealed. As one contemporary woman exclaimed after re-experiencing parts of her life as Jeshua's younger sister Ruth, "The Bible leaves out half the story"---the women's half. Ingram performs spiritual archeaology, bringing to light this buried treasure and showing us its urgent relevance in rebalancing the chaotic energies of today's world.

The women of the lost sisterhood are speaking out. Spiritual seekers who want to truly understand the mission of Jeshua, Mary Magdalene, Mother Mary, sister Ruth, and the others will miss vital pieces of the historical puzzle if they overlook the personal accounts in Ingram's work. Read this book!!

The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare

Average customer rating:

AMAZING!
Excellent, Unexpectedly Fresh
So real, so powerful!
Powerful! Inspiring! A Gift To and From the Heart
Riveting, triumphal, superb

The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare
Kristina Wandzilak , and Constance Curry
Manufacturer: Jeffers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Alcoholism | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Dysfunctional Relationships | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Motherhood | Family Relationships | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening.
Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery.
Broken
Treating Alcoholism (Jossey-Bass Library of Current Clinical Technique)
Love First: A New Approach to Intervention for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction (A Hazelden Guidebook) (Hezelden Guidebook)

ASIN: 0977761819

Book Description

A child caught in the horror of alcohol and drug addition. A mother helplessly standing by unable to save her. The Lost Years is the real life story of just such a mother and child, each giving their first-hand accounts of the years lost to addiction and despair. Kristina, the second of four children, tells how she turns to alcohol for comfort when she is thirteen. She gives a brutally honest description of her descent into addiction, prostitution, burglary and violent rape until her near death on the floor of a homeless shelter completely alone at the age of twenty-one. Adding a heart-wrenching counterpart to the story, Kristina's mother, Connie, tells of her powerlessness to help her addicted daughter, the break-up of her unhappy marriage and how she comes to terms with her own co-dependency. She is also faced with the worst choice a mother has to make, to close the door on Kristina, sending her onto the streets in order to save herself and protect her other children. Then follows the remarkable story of Kristina's recovery as she lives through rehab, her mother's tough love and the years of acclimating herself to living a normal life.

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING!.......2007-10-11

I heard the authors speak at my daughters school, they were amazing! Kristina's story is inspirational and everyone affected by this disease needs to read the book or hear them speak! It truly is an amazing story full of triumph and redemption.

Excellent, Unexpectedly Fresh.......2007-10-10

When I learned that Mrs. Wandzilak and Ms. Curry were to come and speak about their experience at my high school, I thought it was going to be another cliche lecture on how drugs and alcohol will ruin your life. I was completely mistaken. Their incredible story is expressed in such a raw and vivid manner that it provides a fresh perspective on the age-old topic of addiction. A highly recommended read.

So real, so powerful!.......2007-10-08

The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare
The Lost Years reveals such insight to the chaos of this family disease. And very importantly--the recovery each member can achieve. For those impacted by addiction, it's a depiction of our experiences. And for those not impacted, it gives the opportunity to get an insider's view, and perhaps gain some understanding.
A book that pulls the heart strings and gives the promise of hope.
Thank you Kristina and Constance for sharing such a vivid telling.

Powerful! Inspiring! A Gift To and From the Heart.......2007-09-23

This book cracked my heart wide open in the most cathartic, healing way imaginable. Kristina and Constance's HONESTY, COURAGE, and STRENGTH in the face of what seemed like total despair impressed me to no end. I am so inspired by the way both of these women so fully and openly have shared their very personal stories with the world. Their book offers a message of hope for everyone...regardless of the degree to which drug/alcohol addiction has been a part of your life. Thank you Kristina and Constane for making such a profound and special contribution to the world through this beautiful book. I couldn't put it down and have been recommending it to every one I talk to. Buy this book!

Riveting, triumphal, superb.......2007-09-13

The Lost Years is a can't-put-it-down page turner; an incredible story of pain, suffering, and eventual grace and mercy. Kristina and Constance write with such depth and clarity it is impossible to not be drawn in deep from the first page. Reading this book has given me a greater understanding of the human spirit as well as a sympathetic lens through which to see those I could not have looked at before.

Confessions of a Naughty Mommy: How I Found My Lost Libido

Average customer rating:

Love it
Confessions of a Naughty Mommy
Grab a babysitter and run after your former sex life
Accurate, and therefore depressing
so much more

Confessions of a Naughty Mommy: How I Found My Lost Libido
Heidi Raykeil
Manufacturer: Seal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Great Sex for Moms: Ten Steps to Nurturing Passion While Raising Kids
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Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined

Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers
philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 158005157X

Book Description

Sex. After. Baby.

These three words are whispered by mothers everywhere who find themselves stumped and shocked by the state of their sex lives. Naughty Mommy Heidi Raykeil has been down that road and chronicles her experiences in her online column Sex in the Suburbs. Raykeil knows firsthand that there are still plenty of things our mothers (and friends, and doctors) don’t tell us about motherhood, but that every mother should know.

While the media continues to bombard us with images of sex everywhere we turn, the reality for married couples with children today is much different. Do-it-all-moms seem to be doing everything except IT. Raykeil is out to change that.

Confessions of a Naughty Mommy is a funny, honest, and sexy account of Raykeil’s search for her missing libido—lost in action after she gave birth to her daughter. She takes readers along on her journey from mystified and frustrated new mom through the bumpy awkwardness of reigniting the home fires during naptime and date night to a newfound discovery and appreciation of sex after baby. With humor, grit, and style, she shares what has worked for her and her husband, as they balance their dual roles of parents and lovers.

Customer Reviews:

Love it.......2007-04-01

I hope I get that libido back and keep it long long time. lol

Confessions of a Naughty Mommy.......2007-03-09

It was honest, blunt and to the point. It shed light on alot of things that "housewives" feel. I like that in this modern day "sex" book, it focused on how honest we should be with our feelings. And it also showed that even if we are not "feeling" sexy or great about ourselves, it's still important to try to see our partners point of view. Be honest, but not selfish. Be true to yourself, understanding that your partners feelings are important in that relationship. Also I liked that she spoke of the phases that we have in our lives, that the "mommy - prudish" stage, is only that.... a stage and that after the children get older, we can get the romance back into our relationship.

Grab a babysitter and run after your former sex life.......2007-01-29

I loved this book! A person really can relate to the character in the book. Many of us just get so overwhelmed with the demands of parenthood that it is impressive how many families actually go on to have more than one child! The book does not offer a clear solution, but it is rather a diary of one woman's journey to revive her sexy self. It ends a bit unresolved, but leaves plenty of possibilities for one's own resolutions.

Accurate, and therefore depressing.......2006-06-13

I've been through this from the husband's perspective. We had three kids, and despite being physically fine, my wife just checked out sexually. Although she's a decent writer, Raykeil is also, like most mommies, incredibly self-centered. Pretty much the entire world revolves around her and her daughter, and her husband is left to fend for himself, which she even finds sort of amusing. It isn't. I never felt more alone, more lost, more desparate and more in anguish than when I was suddenly reduced to an ATM and an assistant in my own home. She doesn't, in the end, seem too concerned with what kind of damage this did to her husband, how unfair it was, how hurtful or how cruel. And, like mommies everywhere, she uses her status as a potent guilt-weapon. When her husband tells her that condoms reduce some of the sensation and pleasure of sex, she instantly retaliates with that time-honored "Well, try CHILDBIRTH buster!" She found hundreds of ways to make sure her husband knew she didn't care, she didn't want to be touched, she didn't need him. The dead giveaway for me was the line that she had spent something like a thousand nights with her daughter in bed with them. You cannot find a much clearer way of telling your husband that he is your absolute last priority -- and that how that makes him feel isn't really too important. Hit a nerve.

so much more.......2006-03-22

I was a fan of Raykeil's column on the Literary Mama website, so I was looking forward to this book, and I was not disappointed. It is a wonderful mix of humor, despair, sexiness, and insight, and left me feeling very motivated to try to reactivate my own post-baby sex life! While having a baby around the house can be the catalyst for some sexual and relational upheaval, I don't agree with the reviewer who said that the issues just magically resolve themselves once the baby is more independent (and no longer nursing or co-sleeping.) I don't think Raykeil comes to that conclusion, either, and I appreciated Raykeil's honesty and her willingness to go deeper in order to really help her relationship grow along with her family. No, it isn't an instruction manual, but I think many couples can be helped and inspired by Raykeil's journey.

Average customer rating:

Let's have more from Melodie
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Warm coming of age story.
Couldn't put it down.
very good story telling

My Lost and Found Life
Melodie Bowsher
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Rules of Survival
Life As We Knew It
What Happened to Cass McBride?
The Angel of Death (Forensic Mystery)
The Night My Sister Went Missing

ASIN: 1582347360
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

Ashley Mitchell thinks she has the perfect life: popularity, a hot boyfriend, and great fashion sense. But Ashley’s world falls apart when her mother is accused of embezzling a million dollars, and no one can find her. Before she can say Dolce & Gabbana, Ashley’s life goes from perfect to pathetic. With questions growing about her mother and her money quickly disappearing, Ashley is forced to make some drastic changes in her life. With nowhere else to go, she moves into an old camper behind a gas station and takes a job in a quirky San Francisco coffee shop where she wouldn’t have been caught dead a month ago. But life at Mad Malcolm’s Cyber Café isn’t what she expected. At the Madhouse she finds friends, confidence, and courage to start putting her life back together. But will Ashley ever have the chance to share her new life with her mother?

This heartfelt coming of age story will resonate with every daughter who ever took her mother for granted, and every young woman who must step out on her own and not just survive, but thrive.

Customer Reviews:

Let's have more from Melodie.......2007-01-19

Melodie Bowsher's first novel reaches right into the world of young women walking the line between adolescence and womanhood -- from their vocabularies to their daily preoccupations. Like many high school seniors, Ashley sees her mother as an irritant -- the person who magically pays for Ashley's lifestyle but who otherwise just doesn't 'get it' and should just stay out of the way. Ashley has no idea how her single mother struggles to provide Ashley access to the priviliged social sphere at which the popular teen is the center. The embezzling mom is an intriguing character herself. Her early disappearance in the book shapes Ashley's challenging metamorphasis from preoccupied prom queen to ingenious survivor. How does a sheltered teen who has never paid a bill even begin to get by when her home and credit cards no longer exist -- when her irritating mother (her only family) is nowhere to be found? Ashley's journey is a crash course in survival. How long do we have to wait for Melodie Bowsher's next novel?

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2006-10-27

It's five days before graduation and Ashley's perfect life is crumbling. Her mother is being accused of embezzling a million dollars, and has disappeared. Ashley can't believe her mother would do something like that, much less disappear and leave her with the fall-out. Although it's starting to look like it all might be true. One by one the things Ashley counted on and took for granted are falling away. There's no way she can afford the senior trip to Hawaii. Her perfect boyfriend won't even acknowledge her. Gone are her plans to go to college in Boston with her best friend. Not to mention the bills, but those can wait for her mom to come back. Except it's getting pretty obvious that she's not coming back.

Suddenly Ashley, who's always just gotten what she asked for, has to fend for herself. It's a hard crash course in reality. There's no way she can afford to keep the house, even after she has a yard sale to sell off its contents. She needs a job, but it's hard to find a job with no work experience. It's impossible to find a place to live without income. The only people who can help are her mother's ex-boyfriend, who doesn't like her, her mother's best friend, who thinks she's a spoiled brat, and the cop who's investigating her mom. Everyone seems to be waiting for her to fail.

Ashley finds herself living in a camper behind a gas station., without heat or running water. She falls into a job at Mad Malcom's, an off-beat coffee shop where the clientele is as nutty as the owner. In her wildest dreams she could never imagine her life getting this off track. The question is, can she pull herself out of where she`s ended up? And, what really happened to her mother?

On the way through she learns a few things about real friends, dangerous people, and personal strength.

MY LOST AND FOUND LIFE is so well-written that Ashley seems like a real person. It's written like an autobiography, and I almost forgot that it wasn't a true story. Especially since it could be--things like this actually happen to people. It is a good reminder that you don't always know what people have been through. As well as a reminder that you might be surprised at what you can do when you run out of options.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Warm coming of age story........2006-10-08

Melodie Bowsher's MY LOST AND FOUND LIFE tells of Ashley, who leads the perfect life until her mother is accused of embezzling a fortune - and vanishes. Suddenly Ashley's forced into a move to an old camper, takes a job in a quirky San Francisco coffee shop, and explores a side of life she never knew existed in this warm coming of age story.

Couldn't put it down........2006-09-16

Loved this book! Read it in two days. Although I liked Ashley from the beginning of the book, I grew to love her by the end. Her personal transformation was genuine and heartwarming. Funny, touching, a bit of a mystery and a real page turner. A great read.

very good story telling.......2006-09-05

I just finished reading this book and I loved it. And I found myself wiping tears from my eyes at several points. It's a hit! I wish there was a Part Two.

Elegy for a Lost Star (The Symphony of Ages)

Average customer rating:

disapointed
Dirge for a Rushed Tale
Getting more back in the swing!
Elegy for a Lost Title
very very sad

Elegy for a Lost Star (The Symphony of Ages)
Elizabeth Haydon
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Assassin King (The Symphony of Ages)
Destiny: Child of the Sky (The Symphony of Ages)
Rhapsody: Child of Blood
The Symphony of Ages Boxed Set I: Rhapsody, Prophecy, Destiny
The Floating Island (The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme)

ASIN: 0312878834

Book Description

Book Five in the USA Today bestselling Symphony of Ages-'An epic saga worthy of Eddings, Goodkind, and Jordan.' (Romantic Times Bookclub) legy for a Lost Star sets the stage for a major turning point in the Symphony of Ages. With the dark plans of assassins and despots, as well as a confrontation that shatters the relationship of the Three, the seeds of chaos have been planted. Soon there will be war, an epic struggle that will, by its end, consume half the world. Elegy for a Lost Star represents a great entrypoint into this nationally bestselling epic fantasy series: it not only sets up the next grand epoch in the saga, it is an excellent stand-alone novel that pits son against mother in an epic struggle between two dragons, with Rhapsody caught in the middle.

Customer Reviews:

disapointed.......2007-03-18

the whole book was people talking. Nothing really happend. I also dislike how Ashe is never there when everything goes wrong with Rhapsody. I also do not understand what the point of Anwyn was. She was like a page filler.

Dirge for a Rushed Tale.......2006-06-18

Fair warning: I will discuss some events in reasonable detail. If you dislike reviews that provide relative descriptive about events that take place in a book, please kindly scroll down.

Elegy for a Lost Star is the fifth book in Elizabeth Haydon's "Symphony of the Ages" series, which began with a core trilogy (Prophecy, Rhapsody and Destiny), then added on Requiem for the Sun, Elegy and forthcoming Assassin King (due in 2007, and that can't get here soon enough!). If you haven't previously read the first books, I cannot stress the importance of doing so. Some series you can jump into at any central point and pick up the thread; this is definitely not one of those. While Ms. Haydon goes over the basic sketch of history that brings the reader to the present through the chronicles of the three main characters, Rhapsody, Achmed and Grunthor, you owe it to yourself to immerse in the world.

I finished Elegy for a Lost Star after reading Requiem for a Lost Sun and revisiting the core trilogy the day or two before. Therefore, all the events sparkled fresh in my mind as I transitioned from one book to the next. While I found the core trilogy engrossing and impossible to put down, the speed slowed slightly through Requiem as I appreciated the detail more than anything else. However, the vagaries of Rhapsody being trapped in a sea cave became a bit wearing. Elegy's slim size, especially compared to the 800-plus pages of its predecessors, worried me a bit.

My initial judgment on Elegy is that it is a condensed novel, and while keeping the high standard of Ms. Haydon's writing skills, it lacks a certain sparkle. The plot wandered at points, picking up different story threads and weaving them in for a time, then discarding them again. Case in point: the hodgepodge use of Anwyn, the oracle of the past and now wholly a dragon, and Llauron, Rhapsody's father-in-law and also a dragon whose transformation completed three years earlier. From the cover, an informed reader clearly discerns Anwyn and Llauron looming over Rhapsody and her baby, Meridion. It should come as no surprise the dragon finally enter the limelight of the story. Unfortunately, they don't enjoy centerstage quite so fully as they should.

Anwyn's awakening jerks into the machinations of Talquisst, the highly unsavory regent for the troubled, divided nation of Sorbold (incidentally Ylorc and Tyrian's uneasy neighbour). The transition comes roughly and left me rather in the lurch, trying to figure out what happened with Anwyn's current struggles to regain her memory and exact her revenge on Rhapsody. Usually Ms. Haydon executes these different shifts in the storyline with a deft touch, but Elegy's movements lacked that particular elegance.

Another concern that dropped my initial rating from four stars to three lies in her treatment of the dragons. While we get background information through Elynsynos about how wyrmkin interact with their parents, and the sacrifice of the eldest dragon to seal the vault of Living Earth that keep the F'dor imprisoned in the heart of the earth, we lack more important details... Notably, Llauron's involvement with protecting Rhapsody, newborn Meridion, and her friends against his rampaging, furious mother. It feels as though Llauron suddenly manifests (no pun intended) in the story at some point, flits out of existence, then shows up when it matters most again. This form of deus ex machina disappoints me because Llauron's uneasy relationship with Rhapsody, Ashe, Anborn, and Achmed certainly changed after becoming a dragon and the first Cymrian Council meeting. The story covers very little of this in Elegy, beyond exchanging annoyed words with Ashe and Achmed's wry, superb brand of blunt-spoken displeasure.

Instead, we wander along between Sorbold's decline spiced up with scenes with Constantin, the Patriarch (and a new appreciation for the Chain of Prayer), the ongoing despair of Faron after washing ashore and ending up with a carnival of monstrosities, a sort of fantasy horror show (bearded lady, duck-footed performers, and other misfits apply here!). Faron makes for an interesting enemy because you have to feel some sense of compassion for the offspring of a tortured ancient Seren and a F'dor host, a lost soul tormented from the very beginning. Against Anwyn, the foil provides an entertaining level of comparison but it doesn't reach its fullest flowering.

The scattered state of the story comes as a surprise given Elegy's overall short length. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I felt rushed in places and hopelessly without direction in others. Major milestones such as Meridion's birth came as an anticlimax and the distinct lack of Grunthor was a real shame. We at least see a good deal of Achmed, a truly excellent character in fantasy for the realism in his flawed person (versus Rhapsody's near divine perfection).

On the whole, this isn't up to the standard of Ms. Haydon's other books but I hope it will redeem itself by the segue into The Assassin King and a re-reading. The apparent shadow of doom and destruction layered over the continent by Anwyn's bloody campaign of vindiction and Talquisst's use of the deck of Sharra lacks the treatment it really deserved, but hopefully things will pan out well in the forthcoming sequel.

Getting more back in the swing!.......2005-09-24

Just a comment to P. Pollak: Definetly, definetly read the first books. And then you'd know immediately to what that 'Elegy for a Lost Star' is referenced. You'll understand SO much more. And the first three books are much, much more enjoyable.

This book was better than it's predecessor in the series. Haydon seems to get a slightly better grip on her character's personalities. It's definetly a book that's just moving you along in action until the next volume is available. Still interesting and with some surprising twists and turns. The child is born (though a few lines in that section were REALLY drama-queeny and plain annoying for a RPGer like me) and, horror of horrors, Anwyn is back. And MAD.

Again, how I lament Faron, the maligned! *poses dramatically* I am eager to see what happens to the poor... uh.. fish-living-stone-man-thing.

Elegy for a Lost Title.......2005-08-02

This was my first exposure to Elizabeth Haydon and she deserves between 3 and 4 stars for spinning a tale with a number of very creative elements. Character development is not bad, although I'd probably be more intrigued had I read any of the earlier volumes in the series, which brings me to my main complaints. Publishers and book sellers: If youre going to publish (carry) series novels, please carry them all so that people can start at the beginning. Second, I don't know who comes up with the titles for these books, but it can't be the author because the title rarely has any connection to the book.

very very sad.......2005-08-01

Not the story itself, but the book. It has no heart, it has no intellect, it's just a bunch of pish posh. Belongs in the slush pile.

Hero Mama: A Daughter Remembers the Father She Lost in Vietnam--and the Mother Who Held Her Family Together

Average customer rating:

An honest search for truth
A must read for historians and students; for daughters and families
Lest We Forget
Well written and thought provoking
I Honor My Hero Grandma

Hero Mama: A Daughter Remembers the Father She Lost in Vietnam--and the Mother Who Held Her Family Together
Karen Spears Zacharias
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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After the Flag Has Been Folded: A Daughter Remembers the Father She Lost to War--and the Mother Who Held Her Family Together

ASIN: 0060721480
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Customer Reviews:

An honest search for truth.......2006-11-15

As a creative nonfiction student, I have read a number of memoirs and have found few to be as honest in its search for truth as Karen Spears Zacharias' "Hero Mama." Zacharias is a natural storyteller. Her style captivates the reader as she attempts to unravel the events of her life and to understand how the tragedy of losing her father to war impacted her family. The reader is left laughing one minute and crying the next as she glimpses into Zacharias' journey from loss to redemption. I highly recommend this book to all readers.

A must read for historians and students; for daughters and families.......2006-05-02

I've read much history of war and came upon this book with interest, as I hardly ever read memoir. But I found the author's voice to be simple and refreshing, and her unjaded eye rang very true in recounting her life before and after her soldier father died in Vietnam.

So many southern men fall in war, and this down-to-earth, honest account should be on the reading lists for high schools and historians alike, as it gives an honest and moving account of the real costs of war on American and American families.

Lest We Forget.......2006-01-31

I am huge fan of Southern Fiction Writers (P.Conroy,A.R.Siddons,R.Wells.
I am also the only daughter of
S/Sgt Lewis Walton (SF:Army:MIA-1971). With my baby brother serving in Iraq, I was both hesitant and curious about this book.In my estimation, Karen's account was personal and inspirational.More importantly it sheds light on what life was like for "us kids". Her story should be shared with many and be required reading for ALL high school AND College Classes which focus on Vietnam. Vietnam affected more than just the brave soldiers serving- their parents, children and grandchildren. Kind of makes you think about Aft. and Iraq. A definite must read!
Jacke Walton

Well written and thought provoking.......2005-11-04

Karen's memoir is one of truth and inspiration. Not only because of her mother's courage and strength in the face of such tragedy, but in Karen's journey in seeking the truth about her father's death, a truth that would result in redemption for her, and her family. Hero Mama is a well-written, thought provoking memoir, and its subject, the aftermath of war and how it affects those left behind, is never more timely than right now.

I Honor My Hero Grandma.......2005-10-25

Throughout the pages of this book, Karen shares her life with all of us whether we be widows, children, or like myself grandchildren of war. Living a life of unanswered questions and digging for those answers through her own bravery, Karen recounts the cherished nine years of her life she spent with her father as well as the 30 fatherless years that lied ahead beginning on July 24, 1966. She recalls the struggles of childhood and the successes that her mother set out to achieve to raise three children on her own without choice.

Wanting answers myself to questions about a grandfather I never knew, I seized every moment of this book with overwhelming emotion. I had tears of sadness, tears of happiness and continue tears of pride for my own "Hero Grandma" who raised seven of her own children due to the loss of her husband in VN in April 1966.

"Hero Mama" will be a book you will be unable to put down once you open and read that first page. I know that you will have a different view of war after completing such an emotional journey with Karen. I am one of many who am thankful to Karen, for sharing her family's gallant journey of life with all of us. Her family remains in my heart.

Average customer rating:

A great imagination!
Entertaining, not great
GREAT book!!!!
Lost and Found, complex characters with interesting twists and turns
New fan of C.P. somewhat disappointed

Lost and Found: A Novel
Carolyn Parkhurst
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Dogs of Babel: A Novel
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ASIN: 0316156388

Book Description

What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe--from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to England--to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play. What starts as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. Before long the question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost.

Customer Reviews:

A great imagination!.......2007-09-17

Carolyn Parkhurst has come up with a super plot for her newest novel. Take a reality show, give it a little twist and a few interesting characters and you have an instant bestseller! I have to admit that I picked up this book to see if it was better than Dogs of Babel (it was) and because I am a reality show junkie. (There! I feel so much better now!) The characters of Laura and Cassie had to deal with the typical mother daughter conflict times 10 and Justin and Abby, the ex-gay couple who has now started living the "right way" because of God sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me very sad.

Lost and Found is a very good book, a light read on a chilly weekend curled by the fire. Not too heavy but very interesting. Parkhurst seems to have a very creative imagination and it shows here. She has definitely capitalized on what is hot right now.

Entertaining, not great.......2007-09-13

This was an entertaining story about the people on two person teams on a tv reality game show quest to find hidden objects in the "four corners of the world". Their relationships with each other were interesting and kept my attention but in the end the book didn't amount to much. The ending was abrupt, anticlimactic, and did not tie up the loose ends, I guess proving that it's all about the journey.

I thought Laura, the mother in a mother-daughter team, was the most clueless and inept well-meaning mother I have seen in literature for sometime. She wants to repair the relationship with her daughter but constantly says exactly the wrong thing.

When I read a book that I really like then I want to keep it on my shelves for future re-reading...this is not a book I need to keep.

GREAT book!!!!.......2007-09-07

This was such a great read. It follows contestants of a reality show, however, the author changes to another contestant's POV every chapter. This book has so much heart. It is a genuine adventure. You will fall in love with her characters and will feel connections to each of them, all for different reasons. Parkhurst delves into many issues without becoming preachy or boring. A book like this comes along only so often, and when it does, you have to truly appreciate it!!!

Lost and Found, complex characters with interesting twists and turns.......2007-08-19

Carolyn Parkhurst uses an interesting technique of introducing the reader to the participants in a reality TV show. You are introduced to the cast of characters one by one as they race around the world on a bazaar scavenger hunt trying to win a million dollars. Meanwhile, the executive producers of the show are putting their own spin on the game, hoping to create enough drama and interest to ensure them of another season.

New fan of C.P. somewhat disappointed.......2007-08-07

I absolutely LOVED The Dogs of Babel for pulling me into a story that had me sympathizing with all the characters of the story, right down to the dog! So with great anticipation, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the author's latest novel.

I just knew I was in store for something great when I started reading the first couple of chapters that explored the backgrounds of each team member of the reality show. It was the fleshing out of each member where some things fell apart for me. I felt the main character of Laura was at times written inconsistently. Initially, she was written as a flawed but sharp person. However, as the story progressed, she was written on more than one occasion as a tactless simpleton. Her comments and actions didn't always successfully come across as acts of desperation, but came across as totally clueless (enough for me to rub my temples on several occasions as I started to become ambivalent to her plight). But what I was most disappointed in ... (spoiler below)
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..was seeing the new writer I was excited about, guilty of perpetuating similar acts of those who had a media platform in the 70's and 80's when they narrow-mindedly portrayed homosexuals in all forms of media as being only flamboyant, immoral, ignorant people. The plotline she set up for the Christian couple was perfect in that she could have realistically demonstrated the struggle for anyone who has chosen the wrong mate for themselves, while both having come from past gay lifestyles. It would have been much more interesting to demonstrate a balance of one having regrets and longings for their old lifestyle while the other truly did find peace with their change. I happen to know many fitting both profiles. To make the writing and storyline strongly sway in only one narrow direction that all whose previously been in the lifestyle secretly long for it over and beyond their current heterosexual relationship and that all are doomed to fail was so limited and typical.
Then to couple it with "casting" in the reality show as well as in this book, the Evangelical Christian male as the bad guy, hypocritical, Bible-thumping lunatic was the most disappointing to say the least. What a great opportunity to truly explore with wit and humor the very real struggle both parties like that would go through when married to someone who realizes they aren't happy to remain in their current married situation because of growing different beliefs and a desire to go back to a lifestyle. I was gravely disappointed to see his character wasn't written with the same type of sincere sympathy as the other characters were, but written almost as if intentional degradation in mind. Instead we were fed a MadTV spoof of his antics.

If there had been a middle eastern contestant would the author have written him/her as a terrorist? Of course not, because although the media loves to mass produce the stereotype, reality is that most aren't and any progressive and informed writer would never consider writing it that way. Why choose to limit or shun her creative genius when it came to writing the Christian character's arc.

As a heterosexual woman of color, a Christian and a bestfriend and confidante to my gay friends (we amicably agree to disagree on certain points and LOVE and RESPECT each other GREATLY), I hate to see a grossly narrow-minded portrayal of a people - any people in any form of media which has a platform to reach the masses. Social commentary was attempted here, but the author ended up being guilty of the same type of judgmental and stereotypical portrayals as the said "majority" of times past IMO.

It's only because of the great writing of The Dogs of Babel and flashes of great writing when it came to Cassie's story in this book, that I give it 3 stars and look forward to the next novel. This one did not do it for me on many levels.

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