Average customer rating:
- If you have an ERISA problem and don't know where to start..
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Employee Benefits Law
Manufacturer: BNA Books (Bureau of National Affairs)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1570181284 |
Product Description
Your invaluable reference on employee benefits law. Here is your first source for decided cases, legislation, regulations, and other forms of employee benefits law guidance issued by federal agencies. You get detailed, annotated coverage by distinguished members of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law who provide careful analysis and explanations of ERISA Titles I and IV; rules of tax qualification, deductibility, and other key tax issues; interplay with related legal areas-including employment discrimination and labor relations; and a wide range of other issues you face-or will face in the future. Consult Employee Benefits Law to find a balanced presentation of multiple perspectives--anagement, union, and plaintiff. Each chapter reflects the team of authors exhaustive research, analysis, and evenhanded treatment.
Customer Reviews:
If you have an ERISA problem and don't know where to start.........2002-11-02
Ok. I already feel odd writing a review of this book. The anticipated audience is incredibly narrow and if you found this review, you probably know what you are looking for. However, I think this is one of the greatest books. As a law student who is planning on specializing in ERISA, this book has been an invaluable resource to me. It is the first place I turn when I have an ERISA question to research. It won't provide all the answers but puts a very complex statute into perspective. It would also benefit the non-lawyer who might be involved in benefits.
Book Description
Comprehensive "how-to" manual takes all levels of students through the creative process, providing detailed instructions for painting such simple subjects as bamboo and plum blossoms as well as more ambitious motifs: birds, fish, and landscapes. Some sections describe how to adapt Chinese brush painting to Western subjects. 150 illustrations, including 82 in full color.
Customer Reviews:
Definitive text.......2006-06-29
This is the classic text on Chinese brush painting written by a British woman who studied in the traditional manner with Asian painting masters.
Her presentation is thorough (history, tools, technique, pedagogy) and she guides the student through the traditional first four "subjects" that are traditionally studied--the "Four Friends", i.e plum, bamboo, orchid, chrysanthemum--in that order. Mastery of these four subjects thoroughly schools the students in the brushwork required in this style.
Even those who do not wish to paint in this style exclusively should study this work. Western style painting can only benefit from the exquisite sensitivity of brushstrokes disciplined in this tradition.
Book Description
A brand new model for healing emotional eating through the creation of strong internal boundaries.
Customer Reviews:
Core-level healing of emotional eating issues.......2004-07-01
Beyond the Food Game will never replace any of the quick-fix diet books on the best seller list. Its intention, rather, is to delve deeper, much deeper into the very underpinnings of our personal (and cultural) obsession with food, eating, and body appearance and, still deeper, into our estrangement from our Core Essence. As Jane points out, we live in a mentalizer culture that does not honor the wisdom of our bodies, discourages expression of our emotions, and does not recognize the spiritual nature of our Being. Our participation in this culture results in a deep wounding, and we become cut off from our very Selves, separated from the Oneness and unity of all things. Adrift in the dark, we create false selves as coping mechanisms and choose from a wide range of compulsions and addictions (food, alcohol, drugs, television, shopping, caretaking, keeping busy, etc., etc.) to ease our anxiety and mask our wounds.
Beyond the Food Game describes the three false-self prototypes and provides step-by-step guidance for full healing. It's a pretty simple process, hardly easy, but definitely worth pursuing!
I strongly resonate with Jane's perspective that disconnection from Spirit is at the root of all addictions. It is pointless to jump on the current carb-free diet bandwagon when what we really need is to heal the wound of separation.
Jane facilitates workshops and a program for women that support the concepts in this book. Her BodyWay program (www.bodyway.com) is conducted as a weekly conference call with women worldwide. Herself recovered for many years from a disabling "eating disorder", she has walked this path herself and emerged on the other side. I feel grateful to have attracted her work into my life and honored to know her, and now, happy to share this review with you!
PS: BTW, Beyond the Food Game dovetails nicely with The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff, in which Liedloff compares childrearing customs in our wacky Western "civilization" with that of the Yequana culture of South America--and the resultant personalities and levels of happiness/anxiety of each group.
Lots on why we overeat, not enough on practicalities.......2004-06-10
The author's own life experience is with bulimia, and mine is with plain old overeating. So maybe I just don't get where she is coming from. Be that as it may...
The author seems to be dead-set against counting calories or any other mechanical method of controlling eating. Therefore, she just doesn't discuss those topics. We are just supposed to do psychological work and then trust our bodies to tell us what we should be eating.
I'm all for working on emotional issues. But say you had a spending problem and were told to only work on your Inner Child issues--not try to balance your checkbook anymore, or worry about how much you were putting on a credit card. Sounds a little ridiculous. Most people need some kind of concrete record and feedback to know if they are spending within their limits.
IMHO, it's the same with food intake--you need to have some idea how much you are eating, whether you are counting calories, points, or carbs. You don't want to get *obsessed* about counting money OR food intake, yet it must be done to some degree.
The author does give a useful-sounding technique for when you feel an emotionally-based binge coming on. But I have found similar techniques online, for no cost.
There is nothing about forming habits, building motivation, or general stress-reduction. The whole thing revolves around connecting current emotions with old wounds from childhood.
If you are into Inner Child work in general, the book may well appeal to you. But it certainly isn't my cup of tea.
Breakthrough Insights.......2002-05-19
Reading the first chapter was all it took for me to be convinced Jane Latimer was talking directly to me. Her description of the experiences, and resulting thought processes, that shaped my relationship with food was validating. I felt more at peace with who I am.
I thought I had healed my Inner Child. But as I've completed the "assignments" she suggests and followed her recommendations to use journaling and a source of spiritual support, I have identifed some previously unconscious beliefs and needs that were being expressed through compulsive eating.
The compulsions are all but gone, and food is no longer a major focus in my life. Thank you, Jane!
True healing.......2001-07-24
If ever there was someone who knows about healing from the inside out, that's Jane Latimer, who, in my opinion, is a true healer. She is an example of a woman who lives her life at the edge of her authenticity, utilizing her innate talents to weave a life that is rich with self-expression and creativity, of benefit to all who come in contact with her.
I am fortunate to have worked with Jane in her support and meditation groups, in private counseling, and have many of her books. Each book is wonderful in its own way, for its message, and also because of Jane's gift for writing-down-the-bones.
Beyond the Food Game is one example of Jane's ability to put down on paper an entire process - in this book it's healing from emotional eating - that enables the reader to reach deep inside themselves to extract what needs to be revealed, illuminated and healed.
This dis-ease of eating restrictively, or bingeing/overeating compulsively is ingrained, rampant, and condoned in our society. We try to manage our lives - our feeling or lack of feeling - through ever increasing compulsive behavior - restricting or bingeing - only to find that the result of this type of behavior is self-annihilation. To quote Jane "I don't see individuals who suffer from emotional eating as pathological. I see us as expressions of a pathological culture that has replaced true aliveness with soulless, empty shells of existence."
If you're looking for just another diet or quick fix to entertain yourself until the next quick fix comes along, this book is not for you. If you're motivated to do some deep work that will richly bless your life in ways you cannot even imagine, then this is the book and process for you. You read the book at your own pace...ditto the homework exercises. The chapters and exercises in the book are like treasure maps that point the way to a life of full recovery from food obsession. Even if you consider yourself hopeless, all you need to do is read the book, and do the exercises, one chapter at a time.
Jane shows us how to use the tools - we are the artist and life is our canvas. We learn step-by-step how to create our paint-by-number self-portrait that is more vivid and real than we ever imagined.
If you have dreamed of full recovery - or - even if you are skeptical, afraid that full-recovery will always be just beyond your reach, this book is for you. I also encourage you to check out Jane Latimer's website for classes and workshops which provide even more in-depth support to move you beyond the destructive games we play with food and eating behaviors. Her other books nicely supplement the homework/exercises in Beyond the Food Game. I have found the meditation exercises in The Healing Power of Inner Light-Fire to be especially helpful.
It's not really about food..........2001-05-29
Jane Latimer really gets to the heart of it all in this book. Eating disorders are really about the wounded SELF. She gets beyond the obsessive calorie counting. This book is more about healing the wounds of the wounded self, than counting calories. Jane's voice is a gentle, caring one; she comes from a place of knowing, as a recovered bulimic herself. The "Good Parent Messages" and other healing techniques are incredible. The author sees eating disorders as "Portals to Self-Discovery" ...Wish I had this book years ago!! I would love to take one of her workshops.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting.......2002-10-22
Jane Stuart is busy planning her sons birthday party, when the body of a young woman is found hanging from a tree. Dead. By a group of kids playing an innocent game of scavenger hunt. Immediatley everyone turns to Jane, Shady Hills, New Jersey's very own private detective. As a recent story in "People" stated. Much to Jane's chagrin. Before she knows it, another murder takes place. This time editor Holly Griffin is murdered. But not before she can sign Jane up to be the pop star Goddess' literary agent. Before Jane knows it, she's in over her head. What with murder, kidnapping, book parties, weddings, funerals, and cheating. Who would have ever thought that a small town like Shady Hills could be so full of mystery?
I found this book enjoyable and fun, yet lacking in the mystery department. "Hanging Hannah" is more of a book that deals with relationships. Whether it's between Jane and her son, Jane and her boyfriend, Jane and her co-worker, etc. Still, it's a nice cozy read when you've got nothing to do.
He's done it again!.......2000-08-29
This second contribution by this wonderful author outshines the first, if that is possible. I read the entire book in one night because it was so wonderfully written and suspenseful that I could not stop. Needless to say, I was very tired the next day but it was completely worth it. Anyone who enjoys mystery books (I like the Kay Scarpetta series and the Stephanie Plum series) should definitely check out this talented writer. I am anxiously awaiting the third book in this excellent series.
Great mystery series!.......2000-07-20
HANGING HANNAH is the second mystery in this enjoyable series. Our sleuth is Jane Stuart. She is a sensitive widow and mother of one. She is also a literary agent, which adds some interesting elements to the story for those who love to learn more about the book business. Winky is her cat. She helps Jane to solve mysteries in the most unusual ways.
During a birthday party Jane is throwing for her son, there is a gruesome discovery. When the mystery begins, everyone reminds Jane that she is the new Miss Marple and expects her to get involved. One of the perks for getting involved is meeting a handsome returning detective. Jane juggles her job as parent, friend, agent and sleuth with more grace than she realizes. She is a strong, nonsense character surrounded by other well developed and yet to be developed secondary characters.
I enjoyed this cozy so much I plan to follow the series in the future. Besides some terrific series characters, the mystery itself was fascinating. It blended in with Jane and other characters lives without loosing ground. It took a turn or two that I wasn't expecting and the ending was a remarkable surprise.
Delightful work.......2000-04-24
People's Magazine heralds Jane Stuart as North Jersey's Miss Marple for solving the case of the missing nanny. Owner of the Kenneth Stuart Literary Agency, Jane has no aspirations to a sleuthing career, but her reputation makes her a crime magnet. When a stranger is murdered, the shocked citizens of Shady Hills expect their local "private investigator" Jane to uncover the truth. Jane has a personal interest in this crime since her son discovered the body and the victim was seen hanging around the inn owned by Jane's friend Louise.
When the police question Louise's philandering husband Ernie, the innkeeper asks Jane to help solve the murder. Reluctantly, Jane agrees to conduct some inquiries although she is becoming romantically involved with the lead investigator. Her professional job also turns complicated when she agrees to handle Goddess, a female Fabio, as a client. However, Goddess' editor is killed during a publishing bash given for another of Jane's clients. Jane realizes she now needs to solve these homicides fast or she will become a media event again.
Life parallels art in this amusing and entertaining amateur sleuth mystery. The author, like his protagonist is a literary agent residing in a small New Jersey village and knows first hand how to deal with authors and publishing houses. This experience is firmly focused in Jane's professional life so that readers have an up close and personal look into the publishing world. Winky, the feline owner of the Stuart family, provides humorous relief from the high-tension environment and will be adored by animal lovers who read this mystery. HANGING HANNAH is a humorous who-done-it that captures the essence of modern day living in a small town amidst the BosWash megalopolis.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
- Valueable Example of Confederate Propaganda
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Macaria: Or, Altars of Sacrifice (Library of Southern Civilization)
Augusta Jane Evans
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0807116629 |
Book Description
First published in 1864, Macaria; or, Altars of Sacrifice was the third novel of Augusta Jane Evans, one of the leading women writers of nineteenth-century domestic fiction. A wartime best-seller, whith more than twenty thousand copies in circulation in the print-starved Confederacy before the war's end, the novel was also extremely well received along the Union front, so much so that some northern officials thought it should be banned. Long out of print and largely unavailable until now, Macaria is a compelling narrative about women and war. In Macaria, Evans charts the journey of two southern women toward ultimate self-realization through their service in the war-torn Confederacy. discarding the theme of romantic fulfillment, Evans skillfully crafts a novel about women compelled by the departure and death of so many southern men to find meaning in their own "single blessedness," rather than in marriage. Drew Gilpin Faust, in her perceptive introduction to this edition, places the novel in the context of the concerns of Confederate nationalism and the contributions of women during the Civil War. She provides an ideological and historical framework within which to interpret the novel and introduce it to a new generation of readers. Largely overlooked in the current revival of women's fiction, Augusta Jane Evans is less well known today than she should be. The reissue of this volume will do much to garner Evans a well-deserved place in the existing body of American literature, and especially southern and women's literature.
Customer Reviews:
Valueable Example of Confederate Propaganda.......2000-05-23
When I discovered Drew Gilpin Faust's edition of Augusta evans's novel, _Macaria; or Altars of Sacrifice_ while working on a college research paper, I was excited to find an example of the writing of a woman I had read brief mentions of in various books and an example of fiction published in the South during the Civil War. Although Evans's writing is flawed, as was pointed out even during her lifetime, when writing was often more flowery, by occasional digressions to show off Evans's learning--as when one of the duel heroines has been observing the stars through her telescope and muses on astronomical history--Evans's story is compelling and valueable. The story concerns two heroines living in Mobile, where Evans lived by this time: Irene Huntingdon, who has been raised in luxury but seeks to be strong and to find meaning in her life instead of simply spending her time and her father's wealth on fashion and shallow socializing, and Irene's poorer, artistic friend, Electra Grey, with whom Irene remains friends despite both a longstanding grudge that Irene's father holds against Electra's family and Irene and Electra's enduring love for the same man. Faust explains in the introduction that a Union general banned his soldiers' reading of _Macaria_, which had been republished by her antebellum New York publisher soon after its publication; while Evans's southern characters often showed too much materialism, snobbery, and insensitivity to make the South seem like an unquestionably superior region, her refusal to write as if she accepted the by then explicit northern view of slavery as a centrally important issue in the war and her portrayal of her central characters' personal growth do give strong signs of why the general who banned it might have worried that it would weaken some people's commitment to restore the union and to accept the view of the war, promoted by the time of its publication, as a fight against slavery. A final reason for _Macaria_'s value is its resolution of the question of women's role in the South, regardless of class, at least as viewed in the emergency period of the civil War; _Macaria_ does not end with the usual conventions of nineteenth-century domestic novels, and Faust's introduction provides some mixed contemporary southern reactions to the way in which Evans chose to end her heroines' story.
Average customer rating:
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The Usborne Book of Cutaways (Cutaway Series)
Clive Gifford
Manufacturer: Usborne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0746024037 |
Customer Reviews:
Where are the cats?.......2007-03-16
The cats are not in very much of the story. I would call this a mystery, but not a "cat sluth" mystery. There is alot more about the cat in the Joanne Fluke "food mystery" books.
Crushing Crystal.......2007-01-06
It is always a guilty pleasure when the person done in in the Who-Done-It is a pain in the posterior and deserves her fate. This way, the reader gets a two-fer -- murder most satisfying plus the apprehension of the perp! Well done and well written.
Love the series.......2005-08-14
I really enjoy the Jane Stuart series. Crushing Crystal was another great one. The plot moved along well, the mystery was engaging and the characters are well thought out and developed. My only gripe with the whole series is that Jane is SO critical of everyone. She seems to really not like a lot of people. After a while, it gets to be a little much the way she complains about everyone.
Killing The Obnoxious in "Crushing Crystal".......2005-04-14
After solving multiple murders and other crimes while living in the small town of Shady Hills, New Jersey, Literary Agent Jane Stuart has seen and experienced quite a lot. One thing she should have noticed is the fact that the most obnoxious human beings she comes into contact with often die in one fashion or another. It has been a short three months since the events depicted in the last novel, "Toasting Tina," and once again she is dealing with another truly obnoxious human being. October is in the air and Jane is looking forward to Halloween. She is also looking forward to getting rid of an unwanted houseguest, Crystal Ryerson, sister of Jane's housekeeper, Florence. Crystal is finally getting her own place and Jane hopes to see much less of her.
Jane, for Florence's sake, has suffered Crystal's boorish behavior and meddlesome ways for the last two weeks while she looked for a new place and a new job. Crystal thrives on meddling and seems oblivious and when warned, uncaring regarding the damage she constantly causes on other people's lives. Her new job working at the town's only library has increased the list of those touched by her poisonous personality. It therefore comes as no surprise when she is killed at the library while Jane, her reading group, and numerous other possible suspects who all wished her dead were present for the fatal fall.
Of course, with a nudge from Florence and while recognizing the local police are worthless (except for her love interest, Stanley) Jane begins to ask questions of the numerous suspects. She soon discovers that the tranquil postcard image of her small town hides a dark secret that she had no idea existed. The novel becomes Jane's odyssey to set right numerous wrongs as well as finding a killer while staying alive in the process.
This sixth novel in the series follows the same formula as the earlier novels in the series. The most obnoxious, meddlesome, vile character loved by a couple and hated by many is killed in an ironic way. The local police who seem to still be amazingly inept and are unable to do what Jane does while she manages her literary agency and deals with many authors. The ongoing backdrop of the agency and her client list continues and serves to prove occasional amusement and distraction from the main storyline of this cozy as it has throughout the series. The years pass, and though the characters have aged some, remain fundamentally unchanged with almost zero character development.
For those so inclined the formula continues and works well. For the rest of us looking for the author to show character growth while moving the series to a new level, it might not work so well.
Book Facts:
Crushing Crystal (A Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery)
By Evan Marshall
Kensington Books
www.kensingtonbooks.com
2004
ISBN # 0-7582-0228-8
Hardback
247 Pages
$22.00 US
$31.00 Canada
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Who crushed meddlesome Crystal?.......2005-01-12
Jane is happy to see her nanny's sister, Crystal Ryerson, moving out. In the two weeks she's been assistant director at the public library, she has meddled into everyone's business. She is definitely not popular. Plus she has also meddled in other people's lives due to gossip she has heard. Nothing good comes from her meddling.
Jane's reading group meeting at the library has to stop their meeting with library shelves and books come crashing down on Crystal. Jane's boyfriend, Detective Stanley Greenberg, discovers that the bolts holding the bookshelf up had been deliberately removed. Everyone at the library becomes a suspect, especially those who had gone into the back room before the shelf came crashing down.
Many of the people Crystal had meddled in their lives were at the library at that time. So not only do they have means, they have motive. Then things become more confused when a beautiful teenager who worked at the library is found dead in the woods. Next two more girls go missing. Jane is no longer positive that the meddling had anything to do with Crystal's death.
Jane is a literary agent. She has many interesting clients, including Goddess-a pop star who had written a book (with the help of a ghost writer). Goddess ends up asking Jane for a favor. After Jane says yes, she begins to regret it.
Plus Jane can't resist trying to figure out who murdered Crystal, especially since she promised her nanny she would. Can she discover the murderer's identity and keep herself out of harms way?
This book was very good. I really enjoyed it. Jane is such a likeable character. I love her interaction with her many clients. It really adds to each story.
I can't wait to read the next book in this series! I highly recommend this book.
Customer Reviews:
Roasting "Toasting Tina".......2005-02-17
I have no objections to mysteries being classified as "cozies." Whatever its ultimate origins, the genre crystalized into form in Britain and the US with the adventures of the formidable Misses Marple and Silver. Neither do I object to the all-but universal plot of the modern cozy: intrepid heroine (1) stumbles over a murder victim, (2) decides that only she can solve the case, (3) enlists the aid of friends, (4) dates/is married to/feuds with a policeman who is suffering from a terminal case of loose lips, (5) gathers evidence by means of assorted misdemeanors and felonies--all to be dismissed in the end as mere foibles, (6) stumbles on the identity of the killer, (7) confronts same unarmed and alone in some lonely place, (8) listens to an aria worthy of Verdi or Puccini in which the killer explains why he or she dunnit before he or she (9) attempts to do away with the heroine, (10) unsuccessfully. I am an opera fan, after negotiating the story lines of Verdi's "Il trovatore" or Wagner's "Ring," I regard any mystery plot as a model of serene lucidity.
The sheer predictability of a cozy mystery plot is, in fact, its greatest strength. For upon these familiar bones, clever and talented writers have rung an immense variety of changes with wit, sharp dialogue, interesting insights, obscure lore and lovable looniness. The cozy mystery is the novelistic equivalent of the sonnet form in poetry.
Then we mystery readers must come, like chimney sweeps, to dust in the form of this book, "Toasting Tina." I find that of the six posted reader reviews, four have assigned the highest rating, five stars. What were they thinking of?
This is one of the most cynical books I have come across in a long time, right up there with rock star tell-all biographies or ravings such as "Holy Blood and Holy Grail." If you disagree with my finding of cynicism, then consider the implications of the title, "Toasting Tina" and, for that matter, the titles of the other books in this series.
This is a book designed to accommodate the basic cozy plot in the minimum acceptable number of pages. The cookie-cutter characters lack the depth of a sheet of paper. Tina is the designated odious person. Florence is the Trinidadian earth mother. Winky, the cat, is no more than a wind-up toy. The heroine's son is not even that much. Salome and Bertha are each exactly the same character, the overbearing romance author. Jane, the heroine, has no inner life at all, no concerns except devoting herself to solving the mystery. She is supposed to be a high-powered literary agent, but she is remarkably casual, even slipshod about it. All the wit of the book is to be found in its title. The dialogue oscillates between banal depths and barely serviceable heights. The climax of the story is such a brazen bit of airy hand-waving that the author doesn't even try to justify it with rational explanation.
Cozies are literary snack food, but there are some truly delicious snacks out there. This one is a week-old soda cracker found in a dumpster.
One star.
Weakest In The Series--Toasting Tina.......2005-02-15
Within the mystery genre, there are many sub-classifications one of which is covered by the term "cozy." This novel fits the generally accepted classification for a "cozy" as it has minimal violence and the violence happens offstage and is only talked about, not really seen. As opposed to certain authors who detail line by sickening line the violence and the state of the body afterwards. Not the wisest time to eat a snack while you read one of theirs.
Personally, I hate the term "cozy." It brings to mind for me two elderly women sitting by a fire for three hundred pages discussing who might have done the dirty murderous deed by the dark of night. "You know, Thelma," says Elizabeth her flashing needles not missing a stitch, "I never did trust the Vicar. He has such beady little eyes and his forehead always seems to have such a peculiar sheen to it." The fire pops, knitting needles flash, and their cups of tea sit cooling on a low table between them while a cat sits over in the corner licking his paw. "I don't know, Elizabeth. The Vicar is a good man. But, I don't trust that Peters fellow. Always walking around in all types of weather day or night. Not right for a body to be doing that, not right at all."
That it isn't and those aren't the sort of books for me either. Though I suspect more than one of my neighbors has made the same observation about me in the dead of night. But I digress and that is so unheard of in one of my reviews, isn't it? Anyway, if you are still with me, a few years ago I was asked to read an earlier novel in this series by Evan Marshall. For those that don't know, the author is famous for his book series, "The Marshall Plan for Writing" and has quite a few interesting articles on writing in various major magazines. The one sin that I am guilty of in my own attempts to write and publish, is that I spend way too much time reading everyone else's work and not nearly enough time on my own. But, when I had a chance to read Evan Marshall's novel I was intrigued and couldn't pass it up. Unfortunately, that feeling does not extend to this novel, which could easily be the weakest of the series to date.
Picking up shortly after the events in "Icing Ivy" the series centered around agent Jane Stuart and family continues. This time, Jane must, while attending the Romance Authors Together (RAT) conference, meet with Tina Vale, the new vice president of Corsair Books. Tina got where she got the old fashioned way and she could be the most hated person in publishing today. For some unknown reason, she hates Jane Stuart and to punish her, she is voiding the contract between Nathaniel Barre, a rare undiscovered talent who Jane represents, and Corsair Books. She does not want the first manuscript that Corsair won after a furious bidding war before she took over and is dumping the book as well as verbally trashing it and the author. The financial loss for the author and Jane is staggering as well as the knowledge that this will damage the author's career and Jane's reputation. Then there is the question left unanswered-why does Tina hate Jane so much?
While a cat show in which "Winky" the family cat is entered goes on as well as the romance authors convention (both of which provide drama for secondary storylines) Tina lays emotional waste to a number of people in her typical bulldozer fashion. When she is subsequently found dead, shortly after dropping one heck of a hateful speech on Jane, electrocuted by an antique toaster that was to be part of her collection, the cast of suspects is huge. Unfortunately, news of Jane's personal situation, and their confrontation make Jane the prime suspect, something her reputation and her company can't afford. Therefore, knowing who most of her fellow suspects are, she begins making the rounds asking questions that at least one person, the killer, doesn't want answered.
Everyone returns again in this installment, as Jane deals with being a suspect and the hardships every agent must endure. As in other books in this series, one reads this novel primarily for entertainment in trying to figure out which real life person the author might be commenting on. Unlike others in this series, the identity of the killer is telegraphed very early to the reader this making Jane play catch-up to reader expectations throughout the work. As such, the read while very fast at 211 pages, is somewhat unsatisfactory, as it does not have any twist or really unexpected surprises. Instead, it reads very formulaic as if it has been done over and over again and in some ways, it has as it follows his blueprint for developing a novel for publication.
Still, the novel and the series overall is worth reading for the humor. Humor that will appeal significantly more to those who pursue writing as a calling or a career. In this novel, Evan Marshall reminds one of how to behave in the agent/writer relationship as well as making it extremely clear what not to do. While this novel is weaker than earlier novels in the series, the formula still works for those still inclined to pursue it.
Book Facts:
Toasting Tina: A Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery
Evan Marshall
Kensington Books
www.kensingtonbooks.com
2003
Hardback
ISBN# 0-7582-0226-1
$22.00
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
A great cozy mystery.......2004-12-28
Jane Stuart, literary agent, meets with her client Nate Barre and Tina Vale, publisher of Corsair Books. Unfortunately Tina wants to make Jane pay. She chooses to do it by canceling Nate's million-dollar contract. Apparently, Jane's husband (now deceased) was Tina's lover before they married. Jane never knew about it. Tina never got over it.
Tina is in town to get an award at the Romance Authors Together (RAT) convention. Tina fails to show up and is found dead in her bath. It appears she committed suicide. She was electrocuted with one of her prized antique toasters. A note was found.
At the same time, there is a cat show at the same Inn. Jane's son Nicholas and nanny Florence are there showing their housecat Winky. Jane makes an appearance to see how they're doing. Things aren't going very well.
Plus the RATs and the cats are not getting along well. Detecive Stanley Greenberg, Jane's boyfriend, has to keep an eye on things and help settle any disputes.
Jane does not believe Tina committed suicide. Stanley finally acknowledges that it appears to have been murder. Bad part is that Jane is one of the suspects.
Fearing this would ruin her business reputation, she decides to try to find the killer before word gets out that she's a suspect. She enlists her assistant, Daniel. They begin interviewing the various parties.
Shelly Adams, Tina's assistant, meets with Jane to provide information about Tina.
As Jane gets deeper into investigating, she finds herself in danger. Can she find out who killed Tina without ending up another victim?
This is the first book I've read in this delightful series. It definitely won't be the last. They have a new fan.
Jane is such a likeable character. She is the type of person you would want to get to know. She is able to stumble onto information in a believable manner. Her literary contacts really helped in this story. Her relationships with the other characters were well written and believable.
I highly recommend this book.
Suspicion falls on Jane..........2004-03-28
From Library Journal:
Series sleuth/literary agent Jane (Icing Ivy) attends a romance authors' convention and a cat show conveniently held at the same hotel. Longtime rival Tina is also there, and as new vice president for a publisher, she intends to cancel the lucrative contract of Jane's client. Someone kills the woman shortly after her revelation, so suspicion falls on Jane. For all collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Light and frothy mystery.......2004-02-20
When literary agent Jane Stuart's client has his million dollar book deal cancelled, Jane pulls out the stops. She demands and finally gets a meeting with publisher Tina Vale. But Tina's motives have nothing to do with the book--and everything to do with Jane. Jane stole Tina's great love and now Tina is getting even. Of course, getting even is something Tina is especially good at and she has enemies throughout the book industry. Since they are at a meeting of Romance Authors Together (RAT), plenty of Tina's enemies are lined up.
When Tina turns up dead, an electric toaster in her bathtub with her, suicide is the first suggestion. But a missing key and a long list of enemies makes murder a more likely prospect. And Jane realizes that she'd better find the killer herself--before word gets around that she is one of the suspects. Jane's investigation takes her through a herd of obnoxious writers, ... publishers, and slimey agents before she starts to get a hint at the truth.
Author (and literary agent) Evan Marshall adopts a breezy and fun style, pokes fun at the romance industry (the RAT meeting seems like the worst of Romantic Times and Romance Writers of America, together), and generally has a good time with this light mystery. Serious mystery buffs may be disappointed at how easy the killer is to identify, but will enjoy Marshall's fast pacing and Jane's inventive detection techniques. TOASTING TINA makes for an amusing and very quick read.
Customer Reviews:
Stabbing Stephanie.......2003-07-18
Probably most famous for his helpful book, The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, Mr. Marshall has also created a very enjoyable series featuring Jane Stuart and her cat, Winky. These characters were first introduced in Missing Marlene, which was followed by Hanging Hannah. As this is the third in the series with a forth novel, Icing Ivy due in November, it isn't possible to review this novel without giving away some background detail. In you have not read the series, I would encourage you to skip this review and instead read the books in order, as you won't be disappointed.
As this novel opens, Jane Stuart is exhausted. Her literary agency is still struggling but seems to have turned the corner financially speaking. Because of the events in the two previous novels as well as the simple strain of being a widow with a small child as well as running a business she needs a vacation. The problem is that Thanksgiving is just a few days away and she plans to be gone by then and still has not decided what sun drenched island she is going to. Not only is the cold weather of winter blowing into New Jersey, but so too is cousin by marriage, Stephanie.
Stephanie was related to Kenneth, (Jane's deceased husband) so she feels a tremendous obligation when Stephanie calls her. Stephanie is moving to the same village as Jane Stuart, Shady Hills. She is moving from Boston after she lost her job there to join a publishing company that also happens to be moving to Shady Hills at the same time. Carson and Hart happens to be run by a quite famous now college roommate of Stephanie's who has helped her out by hiring her. But she needs a place to stay temporarily while she looks for a place of her own and with much reluctance; Jane finally agrees that she can move in with her.
Stephanie arrives and soon has the house in an uproar. Apparently racist, she dislikes Jane's assistant, Daniel as well as Jane's nanny, Florence. While she seems to be able to tolerate, Nick, Jane's ten year old son, she certainly does not like Winky the cat, her accommodations or just about anything else in Jane's world. But, reminding herself frequently that Kenneth would have wanted her to help her, Jane tries to tolerate Stephanie's problems and appalling attitude. After all, it won't be long before she has her place of her own and Jane is going to go on vacation, if she can just pick the spot.
But her plans keep getting derailed as strange things begin to happen in her small little town with Stephanie's arrival. Break-ins, a rather rare event in the past seem to surge in numbers and then people start dying. At the same time, Stephanie seems to be having more and more problems at work and desperately begs Jane to go undercover at the publishing company and snoop to see if things are really running right. Jane eventually agrees and discovers that strange things are indeed going on with one heck of a twist.
This series is very enjoyable. Clearly Mr. Marshall is drawing on his own experience as head of his own literary agency as well as his own advice to writers. He cleverly weaves some of that advice again in each one of his novels without coming across as heavy-handed or preaching. At the same time, each novel reveals a little more about the main characters while having plenty of action with numerous twists and false clues. Clearly, no major character is totally safe in this series, which also adds to the enjoyment factor.
This is a series that should be definitely started with the first book, Missing Marlene. This series is well worth the read, for writers and mystery fans, alike.
Great Light Mystery!.......2002-05-14
I picked up this book at my local library on the "new" shelf. Looked interesting with a cat involved. I could not put the book down! It was very easy to read, kept me entertained and made me want to read more by Evan Marshall. I then read the "Hanging Hannah" and "Missing Marlene". Now, Mr. Marshall just needs to write another one. The novels are about a literary agent widowed mom with a child, in a small town in New York. Her husband has recently tragically died and she is running the agency with her assistant and trying to get on with her life. She has an uncanny knack for solving mysteries and gets involved with her nanny, neighbors and eventually figures out the mystery. Her son's cat, Winky, always unsuspecting, helps solve the mystery. A great entertaining book.
"You won't be disappointed.".......2002-01-07
Literary agent Jane Stuart is just getting back on her feet. A widow for the past three years, she has her hands full raising her son, keeping her literary agency afloat, and solving the occasional murder. With things finally on track financially, Jane decides it's time for a vacation. But before she can pack her bag, she gets a call from her late husband's cousin Stephanie. It seems that the pretentious and blatantly racist Stephanie is actually moving to Shady Hills, New Jersey to take a job at an upscale boutique publisher, Carson & Hart, Inc., which is run by Faith Hart, a Grace Kelly-like celebrity who was once married to a foreign prince. Stephanie notices that something is not quite right at Carson & Hart, and when murder ensues, Jane goes undercover as an editor to investigate. With the help of her cat Winky, Jane is set to track down a killer, before the killer decides to eliminate her first.
Stabbing Stephanie is the third entry in the delightful cozy series starring Jane Stuart and her cat Winky (See, Missing Marlene and Hanging Hannah). Evan Marshall has a deft hand with dialogue, and his inside look at the life of agents and editors makes for very entertaining reading, indeed. Jane herself is charming, as are her somewhat eccentric neighbors. The small town ambience adds to the intimate feel of the book, and you'll be rooting for Jane every step of the way. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of Jane, Winky and the inhabitants of Shady Hills, New Jersey, by all means do so. You won't be disappointed.
--Claire E. White
The Perfect Light Mystery.......2001-06-22
Stabbing Stephanie was delightful. The main character is Jane, whose wicked wit is so entertaining and also real. She's a great heroine, intelligent and kind, but not at all too good to be true. Marshall draws his characters well. I especially love the way he writes (and mocks) the annoying people. We recognize them all, and have had to put up with them at a party or the office at one time or another. The mystery itself was great fun, and like his other books it built gradually with lots of and twists and turns, and then became exciting and fast-paced toward the end. Stabbing Stephanie get an "A."
an absorbing read.......2001-06-01
Things are finally looking up for Jane Stuart, the proud owner of the Jane Stuart Literary Agency. Not only is her relationship with Stanley Greenburg, a police detective, well on course, but her business is also doing well, so that she can finally afford to go on a much needed vacation. And while the unwelcome news that there has been a spate of break-ins in her neighbourhood alarms her, she's not about to allow the news to cramp her good mood. And then Jane receives a 'phone call from her late husband's cousin, Stephanie. Stephanie's best friend from college, Faith Carson, and Faith's second husband, Gavin Hart, have decided to move their new publishing firm to Shady Hills, and Stephanie has been offered a job as an editor. So Stephanie will be relocating to Shady Hills and needs a place to stay until she can find more permanent housing. Although Jane remembers Stephanie as a self absorbed and rather acerbic person, familial obligations force Jane to offer Stephanie temporary housing until Stepahnie can sort herself out. Jane tells herself that she will not have to deal with Stephanie very much especially since she will soon be leaving for her holiday anyway, but Stephanie's snobbishness and racism soon leaves Jane wishing that she didn't have to deal with Stephanie at all!
Soon however events spiral in a way jolts Jane completely. First there is another break-in. This time however, there is an eye witness: the housekeeper observes the whole crime, and not only got a good look at the burglar but also who commissioned the crime. But because she is an illegal alien, she tells the police nothing, choosing instead to confide in Jane's housekeeper, Florence. Florence and Jane try to convince the woman to talk to the police, but even before they can make any headway, the housekeeper is murdered. And then Stephanie comes to Jane with the story that there is something very wrong going on in the new publishing firm. And the information she offers leads Jane to conclude that the murder and the goings on at the firm are somehow linked. Feeling an obligation to help Stephanie, and wanting to discover who murdered Florence's friend, Jane goes undercover to discover what is going on. Jane however has a deadline to solve the mystery before her vacation starts. Will she be able to meet this deadline? And will she find that it was worthwhile putting herself in harm's way for Stephanie?
"Stabbing Stephanie" is a really fun read. To begin with the novel has that small town atmosphere and the few characters that this novel deals with were well portrayed and depicted, especially Stephanie. A very complex woman, who veers from coming across as being vulnerable to being manipulative and obnoxious. I found myself torn between feeling sorry for her and disliking her completely. The mystery novel however takes quite a while to take off -- from the title you already know that Stephanie is going to be killed off. However this does not happen until the novel is nearly over! Evan Marshall spends alot of time and effort setting the stage and drawing you into the plot. And the effort paid off. I thoroughly lost myself in the unfolding drama of what was going on in Faith Carson's publishing firm, and how everything seemed to be tied to her past. Another thing I liked about this novel was the insider's look that Evan Marshall provided us with on all the wheeling and dealing that goes on in the publishing world, making you realse that talent is not enough -- you really need the services of a savvy agent as well!
"Stabbing Stephanie" may not be a 'straight' mystery, but it is a well crafted novel and makes for riveting reading.
Average customer rating:
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A Southern Woman of Letters: The Correspondence of Augusta Jane Evans Wilson (Women's Diaries and Letters of the South)
Augusta Jane Evans
Manufacturer: University of South Carolina Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Book Description
Augusta Jane Evans Wilson (1835-1909) was one of nineteenth-century America's most popular novelists and outspoken supporters of the Confederacy. Her nine novels include the recently reissued Beulah, the stridently pro-Confederate Macaria, and the extremely successful St. Elmo, which had sales rivaling those of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben-Hur. In addition to writing best-selling books, Wilson was a powerful letter-writer whose correspondents included prominent Confederate leaders. Wilson's epistles, 112 of which are gathered in this volume, reveal the depth of her ambitions for herself and the Confederacy.
Wilson worked hard to place herself at the center of action during the Civil War and after the surrender assiduously maintained her correspondence with prominent people of her day. In addition to writing Confederate propaganda, her wartime activities included an extended correspondence with General P. G. T. Beauregard and Confederate congressman Jabez L. M. Curry. In her letters Wilson reviews battle plans and military policy, offers political advice, and illumines the hardships suffered by southerners. Her correspondence portrays her as an assertive, well-educated woman who addressed powerful men on equal terms and only occasionally lapsed into traditional feminine deference. Of equal interest, the volume includes Wilson's writings to friends, publishers, fans, and family members. Wilson's working correspondence with her editors and myriad admirers captures her views on the purposes of fiction, the trials of publishing during the war, and the difficulties of combining career and family.
Books:
- Erte: My Life, My Art
- Eva Hesse Drawing
- Everybody's Guide to the Law- Fully Revised & Updated 2nd Edition: All The Legal Information You Need in One Comprehensive Volume
- Frederic Church, Winslow Homer, and Thomas Moran: Tourism and the American Landscape
- Generalized Poisson Distributions (Statistics, a Series of Textbooks and Monographs)
- Georgia O'Keeffe : Catalogue Raisonne
- Get Writing: Sentences and Paragraphs
- Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith
- Greetings from E Street: The Story of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
- Guitar Man: A Six-String Odyssey, or, You Love that Guitar More Than You Love Me
Books Index
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Recommended Books
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- The Solitaire Mystery: a novel about family and destiny
- Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex, Vol. 1
- Sacred Tibet
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- The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
- The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
- Pat O'Neill: Views From Lookout Mountain
- Presidents Card Game III
- Corporate Retirement Security: Social and Ethical Issues
