Fiona McPherson

I have been reading this book along with [Written in Stone: A Journey through the Stone Age and the Origins of Modern Language] by [[Christopher Stephens]]. This book is laid out thematically with a whole lot more Indo-European route words. The intention of the author is not to be a guide to proto-IndoEuropean, but for average students to see the relations of word among the languages and be a better writer. The best small book for people who have a linguistic desire for Indo-European is the American Heritage Dictionary which has small volume of roots lifted away from the dictionary as a whole. This book was written/compiled by a New Zealander and was hard to catalog with University library resources, so it is a bit obscure. I could only find a library source for the ISBN number from a New Zealand library, which only uses Dewey Decimal.… (meer)

Dave's life has fallen apart. He can no longer go home, his abusive father has burned their house down. He now lives with the family of his best friend, but Mike is no longer the person he used to be...quite literally. Mike has transformed into something else, something not human. Will Dave be able to get past both his tortured past and learn to cope with the fact that the only person he can trust now seems more animal than man?

Although I've said repeatedly that I dislike reading books online, I had to make an exception in this case because I liked "Secrets" so very much when I read it. In this sequel, the story continues told from the point of view of Dave, Mike's best friend. The book primarily deals with Dave trying to work through the horrors of his abuse at the hands of his father while simultaneously attempting to help keep together the family Mike's father's secret past is threatening to pull apart. Throughout the story Mike and Dave's relationship changes drastically from friends to true family, a transition that scares Dave even more because of his own past. The story is very emotional and interesting. Dave is an incredibly sympathetic character and I really felt drawn in by his pain and fears for his future.

This ebook is available for free on the author's website, www.fmmcpherson.com, where you can also learn more about "Secrets". I'm not sure how much sense this book would make as a stand alone and would strongly suggest reading "Secrets" first. I think this story is best suited for older teens to adults.… (meer)

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this book up. From the cover and the description I wasn't sure if I was getting myself into a full blown horror novel or something with a bit more depth. Happily I discovered a truly intriguing story about much more than werewolves.

Secrets is the story of Mike who thinks he is a typical teenager until he begins hearing strange voices and experiencing extremely realistic delusions. Terrified of what is happening to him he turns to his best friend who comes to the conclusion that Mike is suffering from schizophrenia. Eventually they both realize that something much stranger is really happening to Mike.

I loved the complexity of the relationships between the characters in the book. The true center of this story revolves around the idea that family is something we choose as opposed to being what we are born into. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who loves not only fantasy and horror, but wants to read a story of true friendship and trust.… (meer)