Martha

When Damion Templeton, Viscount Woodhurst, commissions Alix Adams, a young, penniless schoolteacher, to pose as his fiancée until his grandmother dies, he has no idea that his aunt is not dying and that the schoolteacher will steal his heart in this historical romance set in 18th-century England.

The Box–an angel gave him a sealed box. How will it change his life?
Duffy's Jacket–a classic scary campfire tale with a twist for an ending.
Homeward Bound–fantasy about a boy who discovers why he's different.
With His Head Tucked Underneath His Arm–the dead do have their ways...
Clean as a Whistle–comedy about a brownie & a girl, stuck with each other.
The Language of Blood–unusual purpose for vampires. My least favorite.
Old Glory–futuristic story about the freedom of speech.
The Passing of the Pack–werewolves, mixed with regular wolves.
A Blaze of Glory–one of my favorites in the collection.

The endings of both Homeward Bound & A Blaze of Glory reminded me of what C.S. Lewis said about your next-door neighbor.

2 1/2 stars

Summary: the girls are too young, emotionally & physically abused, purposefully stunted, cheated by unfair judging, and exploited.

Some of the stories were told several times. Interesting, but could have been told better in a shorter format.

Better than the first book.

Good points about freedom & free speech, as well as about boys & girls & obsession vs. love, but it had quite a bit of vulgarity in it.

It had a couple of good stories, but most weren't worth it and a couple were offensive.

I love browsing bookstores! I tend to find books I never knew existed, including new books from favorite authors. This one links Senrid (which I didn't particularly like) with Crown/Court Duel (which I loved) & had historical references to the Inda series (also very good). I spent a very enjoyable 2 1/2 hours reading this. I'll also say that Russav was right enough to win the bet!

A serious look at an amazing man who changed the attitudes of half the world, written in a gently humorous style. Easier to read than many other biographies. The movie was good, but the book is better. I have to admit to a sneaking desire to join the Foinsters, though...

One of the better books of this variety. Not as funny as some, but good information, touring plans, etc.

Great for Los Angeles & very amusing. Not so good for Disneyland. (The analysis of California Adventure was worth a chuckle, though.)

Has one of the better hotel listings. Has very good listings for what-else-to-do in California. Good humorous writing. If you just need a description of rides at various places & what to expect, this is fully adequate & helpful. If you need a plan to minimize standing in line at DL, this is not the best.

Very informative, with good tips & suggested schedules. Includes nice guide summaries for things like hotels, restaurants, & rides. Does not have good descriptions of which rides chickens should avoid, though.

I actually read the 2009 version. Very good for planning ahead of time. Includes a line-minimizing plan that worked very well last time we tried it (several years ago, from an older edition). (Or was it the plan from Hidden Disneyland?) Fairly comprehensive & nice illustrations, but does not do a good job of warning which rides are not for chickens.

Mostly adequate descriptions of rides. Includes a line-minimizing plan for toddlers & for bigger kids. Very good basic descriptions. The first chapter of this book very helpful, with games to play while you wait in line! It is very good at identifying rides that shouldn't be ridden by chickens of various types (those afraid of heights or spinning or roller coasters, etc), which I find very helpful. If you aren't sure if you want to ride something, this is probably the best book for that purpose.

Poor beginning & poor ending, but good middle. Nonetheless, I won't let my children read it because it teaches some bad lessons along with the good ones.

1 1/2 stars.

Perilously close to landing on my horror “shelf.”

2 1/2 stars.

2 1/2 stars. Started out really slow, but the ending was good.

I have totally lost interest in the series.

3 1/2 stars.

2 1/2 stars.

4

What a way to end!!! Excellent ending for a CHAPTER, but since it was the end of the book, I might die of suspense!