After The Night by Linda Howard - A Review

Ever since she was a girl, Faith Devlin has adored superb, sophisticated Gray Rouillard. They're at opposite ends of the social scale. Gray's father virtually owns the small township of Prescott and Faith looks up to Gray as the ideal adolescent hero. That image is shattered in one devastating night that forever changes the lives of both Gray and Faith.

Gray's father, a notorious womanizer has finally gone over the edge and left his family, vanishing into the night with his lover - Faith's mother. Upon discovering these disappearances, Gray takes out his overwhelming rage on Faith and the rest of her family by evicting them in the middle of the night, from the Rouillard-owned shack that they'd been living in for free.

The memory of that night forms the rest of Faith's life. Her goal is to return to Prescott and find out what really happened to Gray's father (Guy) and her mother (Renee). Faith has worked extremely hard to improve her lot in life and make something of herself. She is no longer the small town girl from a family of white trash.

Faith anticipates that she won't be widely welcomed on her return to Prescott - her family's reputation of petty thieving still stuck, even twelve years later. It doesn't help her case that she's the spitting image of her mother.

In an effort to protect his still fragile remaining family members, Gray tries to again run Faith out of town, this time by making it difficult for her to easily live there. His plans are thwarted in a number of ways. Faith is determined to stay in Prescott until she has solved the mystery. Someone else in town is unimpressed with Faith's investigations and begins to threaten her. Gray discovers that he's attracted to Faith, and finds himself fiercely protective of her. As he spends more time with her and she shares some discoveries which raise more questions, it make him question what really did precede that night 12 years ago.

While the overall plot of the story is okay, my main comment about this story is my difficulty in liking the hero as a person.

While the reader can appreciate Gray's physical attractions, and Faith's left-over-from-her-teens attraction to him, he wasn't and isn't the nicest person at all. For a guy who did have a bit of a soft spot for Faith as a fourteen year old girl, he showed absolutely no care or concern for her welfare when he watched her gather her family's meagre possessions, which had been thrown out of the house and into the yard by his police buddies. During her desperate collecting of belongings, she was hampered the whole time by her six year old retarded brother clinging to her legs. She'd been as much a victim of his father's and her mother's actions as 22 year old Gray had, yet he put her through this additional trauma. On top of this, he tells her she is "nothing but trash".

He repeats that wording 12 years later when he kicks her out of her motel room. (He owns the only motel in town.) He also has no qualms about shaking her or grabbing her wrists until he leaves a bruise. This makes him borderline abusive, making it hard to relate to him as the romantic hero. It makes the reader wonder what Faith sees in him, particularly when he does or says nothing to redeem himself in regards to his words and actions of 12 years ago.

The Twilight Saga - A Romantic Fantasy

I have always been a sucker for romance. There was a time when Mills & boon, Silhouette romances were literally my bread and butter. But I grew out of them soon and switched to action packed adventures, spy thrillers, sci-fi thrillers and never looked back, till now.

I stumbled upon the Twilight series, when I was searching for a fantasy series similar to Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. HP literally spoiled me for any other books for quite some time because I couldn't find that kind of fantasy and magic anywhere else. Suddenly murder mysteries & thrillers looked very dull. What wouldn't I have given for another fantasy series with just the same brilliance!!

Even though the common link is fantasy in both their works, the series are handled quite differently by J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. While the HP series is really more of a growing up kind of book, where you can actually feel how the characters grow and mature with each passing year, Twilight has characters that are literally frozen in time and the genre is more romance interwoven with fantasy.

Stephanie Meyer's narration has none of the simplicity and brilliance of J.K. Rowling (Maybe something to do with the fact that she is English!)It is a bit convoluted and dragging at places where it could have been shorter. Yet, her words create a vivid picture in your mind. You become Bella Swan and when she swoons at the sight of Edward Cullen, you swoon right along with her. There is extraordinary brilliance in some of her chapters while some tiny portions definitely lack the same lustre.

The characters in the books are simply too sweet; Bella Swan, the oddly intuitive but clumsy and plain girl who falls head over heels for a vampire; Edward Cullen, the gorgeous vampire who can't help loving Bella and of course wanting her irresistible blood and one of my most favourite characters, and for many people I am sure, the russet coloured werewolf, Jacob Black. He endears himself to his readers by just being himself - warm, brash, quick-tempered, loyal and loving till the end and not to mention the hapless human father of Bella, Charlie Swan, caught in between all this fantasy and yet holding his fort with just his love and concern for Bella.

Edward Cullen is literally too good to be true. His love for Bella which almost feels like devotion to a goddess, is straight out of a fairy tale (Something that Bella herself contemplates, now and then) He gives her whatever she wants and would have given her Jacob if that's what she had wanted(and if Stephanie Meyer had the heart to do it of course). In the end, most of the loose ends get tied with Jacob 'imprinting' on Bella and Edward's half-breed daughter, Renesmee conveniently, solving the triangular love tangle easily.

When I said most of the loose ends, I meant that intentionally as some characters are still half reconciled and you get the feeling that there is more to come. Like for example, what happens to Leah Clearwater, the were-wolverine, who decides to join Jacob's pack and seems to nurse a soft corner for him? And there is Nahuel, another half-human and half-vampire who may be a competition for Jacob later for Renesmee's hand. There is also an invitation from Zafrina, the Amazon vampire who insists that Bella visit their rain forest along with Renesmee at some point. While these are trivial, there is the constant threat from 'the Volturi' who would never take the implied defeat at the hands of the 'vegetarian' vampires of Carlisle family. Will they come back and take on the Forks' vampires one by one? Will Jacob and Renesmee really need to run for it this time? Would they probably run to the Amazon rain forests? What will happen to Edward and Bella then?

Seahawk Burning Written By Randall Peffer

A good Civil War naval story as the ships from the north try to track confederate ships, both trying to destroy the other and all ships they find while searching. The locales stretch from the United States coast, inland waters, South America, Africa, Europe, and points in between. You have to remember in those days there was no way to search for a ship except by word of mouth or accidentally finding that ship while transcending the globe. Also in those days the sailors, as well as their captain, were very rough and crude men that were very likely to kill captured crews from ships, burn the ships after looting all the goods aboard, and turn the few of the captured crew members over to the first possible place on land or sea.

Raphael Semmes was captain of the confederate ship, The USS Alabama. The Alabama was a strong and powerful ship. Semmes would take no quarter from any opposing ship and would kill and/or destroy almost any other ship along with its crew just to get a "worse" reputation. Seahawk Burning takes you mostly by sea to many areas of the earth to fight others, get provisions, have ship repairs made, unload crew members who's time was up and find new crew members, while making those stops. Most of all the ships officers and crews in those days were not very healthy, some from not eating correctly, drinking far too much alcohol, associating with wild women that gave them more than they bargained for, and of course the normal sailors brawls.

The many areas traversed by the USS Alabama took them through many a bad storm that damaged ships and their crews quite bad. Weather; another item they knew little about and had no idea what lies ahead. Meanwhile back in Washington, DC, President Lincoln, the various government leaders including the Secretary of the Navy, the Yankee leaders, and all of their cohorts, schemed as to how to capture and destroy this Confederate ship that was wreaking havoc on their ships. So far Semmes has eluded them but the word of mouth was starting to narrow his travel path. The ship that was closest on his trail now was the USS Kearsarge Captained by an ex shipmate of Semmes, John Winslow, who wanted his former friend and opponent very much. Winslow was not in good health, having only one eye and it pained him much of the time. Semmes had his gal, Maude, constantly on his mind. The Yankee government to obtain information about Semmes was also tracking her. Maude had two babies with her, one white and one black. She loved them both, as did Semmes. She had to keep on the run throughout the eastern United States and through Canada to avoid capture.

Book Reviews: Internet Marketing Article Category

It is every home maker's dream to own a house and turn it into a heavenly abode, full of comfort and style. There are several aspects of building that perfect home for your family and yourself that you may not know about entirely.

However, there are a number of ways that you could gather ideas to build and maintain each and every part of your home according to your needs and preferences whilst making a perfect style statement.

Aspects of Housekeeping

If you thought that housekeeping was all about beauty and decoration of the place where you live then you need to read on. Housekeeping is about every aspect of life within a household.

Here are some of the main aspects of housekeeping for your reference.

Home Décor
House Maintenance
Food and Recipe Preparations
Diets Habits
Personal Hygiene
Health Safeguards
Pets and Their Safety
Style and Fashion
Savings
Entertainment

These are some of the major things that are essential about a household and needs extreme care. And there can be nothing better if you have a magazine that can give you enough inspiration, advice and insights about the best possible ways you could handle all of the above aspects and much more.

Good Housekeeping Magazine

You may wonder how a magazine can help you know your home better. Well, the answer is it helps you understand the needs better and specific areas where you need to pay more attention.

Let us see how.

Food and Nutrition - You may be cooking meals that your family eats every day. In this way you know what each member of your family likes and dislikes at the table. But what you need to know more importantly is the kind of nutrition that the food is giving to each member of your family and how much is sufficient for them.

Pets - There are many of us who prefer to keep pets at home. We love different kinds of pets. But what we need to know, more importantly, are the ways to keep them safe and healthy. Good Housekeeping magazine will also tell you who to consult or where to go for professional help and advice.

Home and Home Décor - If you have bought a home then it is a place that means a lot to you and your family. But you also have to know ways and means to preserve and maintain this home for a long time to come. And this is followed by home décor. A unique style that makes a statement of comfort and warmth is what you can get with some good ideas.

These are some of the aspects that Good housekeeping magazine can help you with. There are several other additional features like holiday information and exotic recipes among other exciting information about the latest trends in fashion and lifestyle to help you enjoy better.

Good Housekeeping Magazine Subscriptions

You could always find your local vendor to give you the latest issue of the Good housekeeping magazine. However, there is another way that you can opt for as well.

You can select from one among the many offers of subscription to good housekeeping magazine available from online sites.

It could entitle you to the following advantages.

Discount and attractive offers on Good Housekeeping magazine subscriptions

Free gifts and vouchers

Free home delivery

So go ahead and get a Good Housekeeping magazine subscription to remain ahead in life. Enjoy and live it to the full with some of the best advices and tips to a great life.

Women's Magazine For Women of Substance and Style

Today's woman is not only a homemaker; she's a qualified professional, a well-achieved businesswoman, a sports enthusiast, a fashionista and a lot more. For such a multifaceted and well rounded personality, nothing less than what's deserved would do. Women all over the world are looking to groom themselves, enjoy better lifestyles, nourish their personas and move ahead with times. That's why they are looking at Women's Magazines for enriching their lives besides just making easy and leisurely reads.

A Woman's Magazine can't just focus on one part of her life and has to look beyond the ordinary. Every woman is unique and has specific likes and dislikes. Also magazines need to cater to women from different age groups because what might be relevant to a teenage girl might not be so for a woman in her 50's.

That's why more and more Women's Magazines have begun to involve their readers in the creative process of making a magazine. The famous experiment by a woman's magazine in Europe by choosing a girl next door as a model for their cover has only started a trend and there's a lot more to come.

A Woman's Magazine brings to you latest lines in the fashion world, from high street to designer boutiques, health and lifestyle columns written by experts, heartwarming stories about women world over and much more. In fact, they are not just meant for women any more. Men find these magazines equally interesting and can understand a lot about their women. Or they can consider giving their wives subscription to these magazines as thoughtful gifts.

Different features of Women's Magazines world over are:

You will find helpful housekeeping tips through these magazines, which are useful for homemakers.
You don't only look after your loved ones as a woman but need to look after yourself as well. There will be many health and beauty secrets for you in these magazines.
For professionals there will be career advice and guidance on issues that you might encounter at work place. Also there are inspiring interviews with entrepreneurs all over the world which are motivational.
There will be columns on relationship advice. You can learn and talk about issues that you might not otherwise be comfortable with.
You will find comfort in stories of women all over the world, which you can identify with. It is like finding a strong, cohesive voice for women across different cultures and backgrounds.
For fashion lovers, there are updates about latest fashion trends, talks with designers and models etc. You will also find helpful tips to groom yourself for different occasions and how to make bargain buys.
You will find information in travel and living sections of these magazines about different travel destinations. You can actively plan your family holiday or a getaway with you girl friends.
There will be fitness mantras given to you by trainers of repute, which will help you stay in your best shape.

Ranger Rick Magazine - For Kids Who Love Nature

What magazine should you get for your kids that they can enjoy the entire year? Like most kids, mine love nature. So after looking into things, I found that Ranger Rick Magazine might be areally good choice. The number one rated nature magazine for kids, Ranger Rick Magazine has garnered many awards. In addition, it is affordable and fun.

Dating back to 1988, Ranger Rick Magazine has received many awards and honors for their work as a nature magazine aimed at kids. In 1988 the magazine took home the EdPress Golden Lamp Award as the best overall educational magazine. In 1991, Ranger Rick Magazine was recognized as a National Magazine Award finalize for their special issue on frogs. EdPress awarded Ranger Rick again in 1992 with its Distinguished Achievement Award then with their Golden Lamp Honor Award in 1993; EdPress also honored the magazine in 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003. In 1996 Ranger Rick Magazine got the Parents’ Choice Gold Award, and then did so again in 1999 and 2003. All of these are based on the work Ranger Rick Magazine has done for children and for nature.

Many parents will tell you that if you buy your child a $20 toy, he or she will likely have lost, broken, or grown tired of it within a month. However, for that same price, you can get a one year subscription to Ranger Rick Magazine, which is a monthly publication. Children will look forward to its arrival every month and if you have more than one kid, there will be competition to get to it first. It is better than a $20 in that they will play with it for a year, plus it is an educational publication. There are fun nature facts, activities and articles in each edition that children can appreciate and enjoy.

Ranger Rick Magazine is also a fantastic resource for improving reading skills. The children will enjoy reading it and the text is targeted at elementary children. They will grow their vocabulary with nature words and definitions that they can use. When students know something is useful to them, they are much more likely to retain the information.

If you have children who love animals and nature, then you may want to consider Ranger Rick Magazine as a gift for them. They can learn from it, improve their reading skills, and will actually enjoy it every month of the year. It will be the best $20 you have spent for them in terms of education [http://www.exeterdaily.com/category/home-news] and entertainment all wrapped into one.

Zoobooks Magazine for Your Animal Lover

What kind of gift can you get my kids? I know my children just love animals. They enjoy trips to the zoo, watching nature shows on television, and learning about the behaviors of different animals and types of animals. So, as a gift, I found that a subscription to Zoobooks Magazine is affordable, fun, and exciting for my animal loving children. There are a number of reasons as well to get your kids involved in Zoobooks Magazine.

First off, Zoobooks Magazine is actually written with the improvement of childrens’ reading skills in mind. They are use visual words, pictures, and activities that involve interaction to encourage reading and learning potential. Children who read Zoobooks Magazine will expand their vocabularies and reading habits because it is something they enjoy reading.

Another great thing about Zoobooks Magazine is that they offer a great resource for your children as they work on homework assignments relating to animals. Why make homework a chore when your kids can have a plethora of animal information in their own Zoobooks Magazine subscription right at their fingertips. They are loaded with findings and illustrations from experts in the field of wildlife.

Not only do children love animals, but with Zoobooks Magazine they are introduced to the knowledge in a fun and exciting way. They offer answers to fantastic questions and silly ideas that children don’t normally think of. Like why bees do their own dances and why stripes keep tigers from going hungry. A subscription to Zoobooks Magazine will help your children to learn about what they already love, plus they will learn to ask better questions and think on their own.

In addition to all of the educational value, Zoobooks Magazine is very affordable. For 12 issues, one full year, you play less that $2.00 an issue. For that small amount, your children get a gift that will enjoy all year, a resource for homework, and a reading aid as they develop skills. You will be able to feel your child’s excitement as he improves his reading skills in reading and vocabulary. They are also easy to hang on to and use for siblings and future children.

Another great use for Zoobooks Magazine is in the classroom. The use of words and pictures draws children to the text and gets them reading. In addition, they are learning science and expanding their vocabulary in the classroom. Each Zoobooks Magazine has a creative activities section in it to encourage lesson planning around them. Word puzzles, pages available for reproduction and classroom use, and games.

Whether it is for your own children or a classroom of students, they probably love animals. So think about the Zoobooks Magazine [http://www.evergladenews.com/category/education-online] to take advantage of that love and help children learn.

A Review of the Week Magazine

he week magazine was founded by Jolyon Connell in the United Kingdom in 1995. In April 2001, the magazine began to publish an American edition; an Australian publication followed in October 2008. Dennis Publishing publishes the UK edition while The Week Publications publishes the US edition.

The various publications of the magazine provide a digest of the week's news and editorial observations from worldwide media that offers readers numerous political viewpoints. In addition to opinion and news, the magazine also covers news related to science, arts and business. In September 2007, the magazine's US version launched a daily website. While the daily website carries the undertaking of the print magazine over to the internet, it also publishes unique commentaries from writers like David Frum, Will Wilkinson, Robert Shrum and Brad Delong.

The Week magazine is also the title of an influential literary magazine in Canada and two other weekly news magazines established in the UK. These publications are not associated with the current magazines.
The Week (1883-1896)


This publication was Canada's primary political and literary periodical. Famous contributors included journalist and novelist Sara Jeannette Duncan, poet Charles G.D. Roberts and political critic and intellectual Goldwin Smith.
The Week (1933-1941)


Marxist journalist, Claud Cockburn started the first British magazine known as The Week as a newsletter in the spring of 1933, after he had come back from reporting on Germany. It focused on the increase of fascism, anticipated Private Eye and won a large readership, according to Cockburn's son. Jessica Mitford accredited the journal's influence to its use of undercover sources. However, it stopped the publication in 1941.
The Week (pre 1965-1968)


Pat Jordan and Ken Coates re-founded The Week some time prior to 1965. They were Marxist members of the British Labour Party and were connected to the New Left Review to which Cockburn sporadically contributed. Their version of The Week provided a collective critique of Harold Wilson's government, particularly over its failure to resist the Vietnam War. Jordan edited the paper until 1968, when he cooperated with Tariq Ali in beginning of The Black Dwarf. At that time, The Week became a monthly periodical called International, which was printed by the International Marxist Group.