Reviews by Gazpacho

Gazpacho says "Just as winter looks to be permanent, the sun comes out." about Diana Palmer - Winter Roses

Gazpacho — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:28:26 GMT

Ivy is only 18 and already she has experienced more trauma than any young person should face. First, is her sister's betrayal. Why would Rachel spend years spinning lies turning their father against Ivy? Why did he disinherit her and turn her into the household servant?

The second trauma comes two years later when Ivy and Rachel's father dies, leaving Ivy with nothing. His death not only didn't answer any questions, it contributed more to the swirling mysteries surrounding Rachel's life. Ivy was forced to find a part-time job to work her way through college. But she is determined to make a better future for herself, if only Rachel would not hang over her shoulder.

An innocent message to the local baker turns mystery to deadly threats, exposing drug trafficking in Ivy's peaceful little town. When Ivy's sister dies, she finds a notebook that turns her world upside down. Now her life is in danger and she is overwhelmed. She is forced to seek refuge with her enemy, her best friend's older brother--Stuart....

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Gazpacho says "Chip Davis' Christmas Songs 2007 doesn't disappoint! " about Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Songs

Gazpacho — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:07:08 GMT

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Songs 2007

Over the years, my family has collected many of the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
albums. We like them so well that we listen to them year round. Chip Davis and the
American Gramaphone company have a way of providing upbeat renditions of music that makes us want to sing and dance. And sometimes we do. One of my favorite CD's just recently cracked badly enough that we had to replace it. Amazon.com made that a quick fix.

It's no wonder that when we heard that Chip Davis was finally, after 6 years, coming
out with a new Christmas album, we were overjoyed. Anticipation built as we waited to find our copy in the stores. I received my CD for my birthday two weeks before Christmas. Minutes after unwrapping the gift, I had that disk in my computer. I try to hog it all to myself, but everyone else in the family had to have their turn too. While Christmas Extraordinaire (the red one) is still my #1 favorite, and Christmas in the Aire (the blue one) is still...

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Gazpacho says "This is a beautifully illustrated first reference for children." about Laaren Brown and Lenny Hort - The Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible

Gazpacho — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:40:35 GMT

DK's The Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible

Stories retold by Laaren Brown and Lenny Hort

Illustrated by Eric Thomas

Consultants: Canton Diane Dorf
and Rabbi Steven Morgen

2007 Revised Edition

CD narrator: Teresa Gallagher
$19.99 USA/ $24.99 Canada

Back when my children were much younger, we homeschooled them. A large part of our educational experiences were the visits to the area libraries and museums. We had two of the best libraries in the state (my opinion!) nearby with some of the largest children's sections I've ever seen. We practically lived in those libraries and were on first name basis with most of the staff. Some of our favorite resources were the DK illustrated books and their EyeWitness books. Small children are especially auditory, visual, and tactile in their approach to learning, so these books were a perfect fit for us. Some of the books had accompanying audio tapes, some did not. Their colorful pictures gave my children hours of pleasure as they poured over the pages in search...

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Gazpacho says "I love a book with strong, witty female characters! " about Diana Palmer - The Morcai Battalion

Gazpacho — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:21:32 GMT

If you are familiar with this author's usual genre, then you will be surprised to read this completely foreign form of fiction to originate from Diana Palmer's pen--science fiction. Ms. Palmer's skill in weaving together dynamic relationships with strong, witty female characters is present in this new novel, part 1 of a series to be published in the near future. It is only the subject matter that she treats in a new, refreshing manner.

If you enjoy science fiction works, then you will thoroughly enjoy the new worlds, alliances, and characters introduced by this seasoned writer. Ms. Palmer introduces her book with a letter to her readers explaining that this book was a work in progress for forty-two years. When she introduced her work first, there was no Star Trek on the airwaves. Star Wars was still a vague idea in Lucas' mind. It is quite evident, then, that besides avidly reading westerns, the author in her formative years cut her teeth on Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov...

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Gazpacho says "Toughing it out was never so funny! " about The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less

Gazpacho — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:30:46 GMT

This book fits into the category of a memoir, although it is not a true memoir. The story is told by the middle child of 10 children, Terry Ryan. It is more of a tribute to Terry's mother who somehow reared her children during the 50's and 60's on less than $90/week. Evelyn Lehman Ryan, who graduated at the top of her class in high school, would have become a writer or journalist. Instead, she married a man who eventually became an alcoholic and with his drinking consumed 1/3 of his paycheck every week. In an age where most women did not work outside their homes, and as a mother at a young age, how was Evelyn to cope?

This remarkable mother turned her wordsmith abilities into contest entering expertise that won her cash for groceries, clothing, household goods, gifts, and every other necessity of life. Have you ever wondered about the ones who penned those Burma Shave roadsigns? Evelyn was a contributer.

This book takes a poignant look at Mid-West American small town life on...

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