Spring Flowers, Spring Frost: A Novel

Book Description

In a town at the foot of the northern Highlands, life goes on as always, but people are in a state of shock: a bank has been robbed, a sure sign of the Westernization of this backward Balkan land. Meanwhile, other strange events-such as the marriage of a girl and a snake-confirm that ancient legendsstill prevail. People are flocking from far and wide to search for a tunnel to the Secret State Archives, said to house records of crimes they may have committed. Some even claim the ghosts of former dictators Hoxha, Brezhnev, and Ulbricht-not to mention Oedipus-have been seen there. . . . Against this backdrop, a simple and sensual love story between a painter and a girl stands out as light against dark.

Customer Reviews:

Something to say.......2007-08-06

The old communist regime has fallen after 50 years of tyranny. A new, uncertain Albania is emerging that is mimicking the worst of the free world; bank robbery, fickle fashions, lust for money and delving into a submerged past for social order.
Following the story of Mark,an arts director from the old communist regime and his angst of the brutal past and emerging brutal present.

At first I found this book very esoteric. I could see how it related to Albania and Albanians, but I found little relevence for the wider world; a message for all mankind. (As say Solzenitzens works). It is also heavily laden with imagry which is a bit obvious in its aims.
However, I read it in two sittings and by the end I was quite taken with its messages; man follows all sorts of ideals-most of them murderous-all of them just rehashes of old ideas save in a different order of appearence. Can crime only be prevented in the populace when the state is the biggest criminal of all? Most of what affects our lives is hidden and submerged. I found it quite impressive by the end.

Not an easy to like book. I wish I had read some of his earlier work-perhaps the subtlety would have come accross as more sublime.
Kadare does have something to say.

A blending of elements.......2007-06-11

What do the thief of immortality from Mt. Olympius, Oedipus, an Albanian folktale of a snake-bride, the fall of Communism in Albanian, the death of the director of an art institute, blood-law and love have in common? Very little unless in the hands of a novelist as skillful as Kadare.

The very structure of the novel indicates a less-than-linear style. Chapter 1 is followed by Counter Chapter 1 etc. This structure permits Kadare to present a relatively simple and straight forward account of a love affair in the context of the post-Communist confusion of Albania. The protagonist, an artist assigned to the local town's art center, reminisces about the past - the "justice" and oppression. He explores his discomfort with the present. And, most importantly, he mulls over the universal questions raised about crime, death, punishment, freedom, oppression, ... in light of the material presented in the Counter Chapters. The Counter Chapters present the tales from mythology and folklore i.e. Tantulus, Oedipus, Snake-Bride.

The whole coheres splendidly. The book truly earned its awards: New York Times Notable Book, Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, The Man Booker International Prize ...

What is real?.......2007-01-08

After 40 years of Enver Hohxa's totalitarian rule the new democracy came in many fits and starts to Albania. Ismail Kadare explores the conflicts and contradictions left over from the old regime in a remote mountain town. People are still disappearing never to be heard from again. The secret police appears to remain in place and operating in the shadows. The blood feuds of the ancient rule book, the "Kanun", are rumoured to being revived. And the stories that the ominous secret state archives are hidden in vaults in the local area won't die. In this tense and confusing time, Mark Gurabardhi, a portrait artist, strives to live a "normal" life. With Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, Kadare has created an intriguing and engrossing story of realities and imaginations during a complicated period in his homeland. Kadare, who resides in France, was the inaugural recipient of the Booker International Prize and has only since then become better known in the English speaking world.

In "Spring Flowers, Spring Frost", history and legends mix with the banal day-to-day events of the protagonist's life. Greek mythological characters, such as Tantalus and Oedipus, mix with historical figures such as Brezhnev. The iceberg that was rammed by the Titanic takes on consciousness and presents its perspective of the tragedy. In his nightmares, Mark is imagining himself in an alternative role of a secret police officer. Or does he actually lead a double life and these are not dreams? Mark's model and girlfriend has secrets of her own that make her aloof and possibly dangerous to Mark. Can he help at all? Meanwhile his friend Zef is still missing... Kadare succeeds in creating an atmosphere of insecurity and suspense. Facts and imaginings increasingly intermingle, thus creating new realities.

Kadare's Albanian work was doubly translated: into French and from that into English. The excellent work by David Bellos makes the reader forget the language distance between the original and this version. Bellos captures the style and tone exquisitely and conveys the rich and poetic language that Kadare has employed. Bellos' account of his discussion with Kadare and reflection on indirect translations are an interesting complement which, unfortunately is not reproduced in the book itself. [Friederike Knabe]

Picture of an uneasy society.......2005-11-16

I have been a devotee of Kadare's previous books (and this one, like those, has been beautifully translated, this time by David Bellos); but I am afraid I found this one less satisfying. Unlike his other books, the treatment in this one can only be described as surrealistic. He moves between a number of themes - the story of Tantalus, the story of Oedipus, the sinking of the Titanic, an Albanian fable by which a young girl is married to a snake - whose relationship to the main story can perhaps be worked out by readers more sensitive than I am. And one never knows quite where one is, whether in a dream world or a real world, whether the central character is an artist or a deputy chief or police or both. The book also ends inconclusively: one's expectation that the fate of the characters will be resolved is not fulfilled.

I take the main theme of the book to be the disappointment with what happened in Albania when the Communist dictatorship collapsed. The vacuum this left was in part filled by a revival of the Kanun, the ancient code, which the communists had suppressed, of unending bloody vendettas between families. Kadare has written about the Kanun before, in Broken April, where one of his characters showed a romantic fascination for its "noble savagery" (see my review of that book). Now there is no longer any half-acknowledged admiration: only despair that such barbarity wells up again from the remote past, even while the shadows of the communist past still hover over the society and the Council of Europe is an ineffectual occasional presence. The tyranny of communism has been ended; but this is a melancholic and often poetic image of a society that is uneasily adrift.

Not bad.......2004-05-27

In Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, the most famous Albanian writer Kadare had to borrow an ancient Albanian folk tale in which a girl marries a snake so he could metaphorically tell us what happens in Albania these days.
A large number of Albanian girls are getting married to unknown Albanian men who live in Italy because there "it's much better" then in Albania but the thing is they don't have any idea that a great deal of them are getting married to forced prostitution once they reach the destination.
Kadare also focused on other issues in present Albania.

Again...very interesting views from the Albanian Kafka.

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The Erevis Cale Trilogy - Forgotten Realms (Books I & II: Twilight Falling & Dawn Of Night)
Paul S. Kemp
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000S6T7XW

Product Description

Partial Set includes first two books: Book I - Twilight Falling (ISBN# 0786929987) & Book II - Dawn Of Night (ISBN# 0786932252).

Customer Reviews:

Demon Jester without the jests.......2007-03-15

A well-told story of a fairly standard theme - the humans kidnapped and forced to survive in an alien and technologically threatening universe. In this example of the genre Weber (who always does put together a good yarn) presents the desperation very effectively, but the humans are just TOO adaptable and the aliens are just TOO cardboard cutout. A pleasant airplane read but not up to Weber's usual standard.

OK if you find it used, and have time to waste.......2006-10-18

Yet another one of David Weber's very predictable, quickie books to make a buck. As so many others have pointed out, the entire concept has been done much better: Anderson's "High Crusade," Pournelle's "Janissaries" and Barbet's "Napoleons of Eridanu.

The real weakness of the book is Weber's predictability and falling back on tried-and-true themes worked out in the Honor Harrington series. Telepathic aliens that hold the solution, evil but stupid villains oh so easily outsmarted by our endlessly virtuous hero, and the "contralto" voice which is obligatory for all Weber heroines.

However, it is a ripping-enough yarn for a not too discriminating reader who, like myself, bought it used. IF you have already read Anderson, Barbet or Pournelle, try Weber. Otherwise, get one of them.

Quick and Enjoyable Read.......2006-06-27

This is the first Weber book I've read, so I can't compare it to his others. That said, I enjoyed it very much. I was looking for a fast paced read, and this book supplied that. It held my interest throughout. Lots of interesting twists could have been injected, but then it wouldn't have been that nice fast paced action I was looking for.

Not alien enough.......2005-03-10

The main reason I did not like this book is its main premise. I never cared for the "advanced but stogy aliens, stunned by the adaptability of 'primitive' humans". This theme has been done many times, and I never found it convincing. Moreover, as is almost always the case in such stories, the aliens of "Excalibur Alternative" are far too human. I like aliens which are ALIEN, with incomprehensible motivations and un-human behavior, not East India Company in funny suits. For good examples of truly ALIEN (and much more menacing) villains see "Pandora's Star" by Peter Hamilton and "The Course of Empire" by Flint and Wentworth. The latter has an added twist of TWO alien species: one being a more or less "East India Company" style, and the other truly beyond comprehension -- not just to humans, but to the "conventional" aliens as well.

Now, that was my personal taste on the genre, and I am aware that some readers like the genre in question. However, I have issues with execution as well. First, as some reviewers pointed out, Sir George Wincaster and his men (and women) are FAR too sanguine about the whole situation. They treat being abducted by aliens with poise and rationality unlikely from modern people, to whom the idea is at least imaginable. That 14th Century Englishmen would react like this is completely unbelievable. Second, stupidity and arrogance of the main villain are so completely over the top, it's not even funny. His incompetence goes beyond "stogy and unimaginative" into the real of "absurd". Of course, if he were smarter, Sir George would have failed, and there would be no story.

Another good Weber story!.......2005-02-14

A good book that is light but still engaging and thought-provoking. It made for an EXCELLENT way to pass a Saturday afternoon! The basic storyline is fairly simple, a crew of English infantry, knights & bowmen on their way to France in 1346 get abducted by aliens, along with a few wives, children, and seamen. They are to be unpaid mercenaries, forced to fight alien races on alien worlds for the alien being that has kidnapped them.

Fairly pedestrian . . . EXCEPT for the main characters and the politics of who has kidnapped them and why. I initially thought that Weber had created human characters that were not very real in their ability to grasp new concepts, think beyond their initial prejudices and still be that stubborn and hate their captors that much. But then I remembered the people in real history who dared to dream dreams that no one else did and were there at the right time and place to try for those dreams, sometimes in the face of overwhelming odds. I also remembered that human beings ARE capable of surviving just about anywhere and, while they're at it, being individualistic, rebellious, stubborn pig-headed sneaks with very long memories. And I thought that maybe, while Sir George was definitely a rare and extraordinary human being, maybe he wasn't an impossible human being.

The story does move a bit slowly in some places in the first half of the book, but it's still an interesting read. After Sir George and the rest of the humans get their big chance, things move much more quickly. The last section of the book that starts with the Solarian Union negotiating with the Galactic Federation is wonderful, both in the story and in the story-telling.

The book has a rather eclectic blend of medieval military tactics, knightly accoutrements, the psychology of how to inspire men on the battlefield (and how to discourage them as well), Machiavellan plotting in a science-fiction setting, sudden plot twists and a theme of "what happens when someone asks the questions everyone thought they already knew the answers to?", so there are probably a lot of readers who will not like it as much as a straight fantasy book or straight sci-fi book. But for readers who don't mind genres being mixed around a bit, it's an excellent read.

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Area 51: Excalibur
Tension not resolved - yet!
Area 51: Excalibur
Book 6 in the series and still going strong
Only Two More Mountains to Climb

Area 51: Excalibur (Area 51)
Robert Doherty
Manufacturer: RH Audio Roads
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0739307738
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Book Description

EXCALIBUR:
LOST RELIC.
LEGENDARY TALISMAN.
ULTIMATE WEAPON.

Once thought of as myth, the legendary sword of King Arthur is now a fiercely pursued reality--the most important artifact in a worldwide chess game for control of man’s destiny.

Two rival factions have made their move for domination of the planet. And now former Green Beret Mike Turcotte and his elite team must answer the call of duty. Their dilemma: Which army to align with? Choose wrong and evil holds domination
over what’s left of humanity.

Only by tracking down the mythic artifact can Turcotte hope to resolve the crisis. His search will take him to the top of the world, to the summit of Mount Everest. But he has more to fear than bone-chilling cold and the thin air of the Death Zone, for he is not alone in the search for Excalibur.

From the Great Wall of China to a fortress on Easter Island, the players span the globe in this ultimate high-stakes game. They’ll have to decipher complex clues from deceptive sources to find the key that unlocks Excalibur’s power --a secret that has been carefully, meticulously hidden for five millennia. But one thing is clear: Excalibur is more than a myth. It may be the key to our survival --a powerful and sophisticated weapon that, if mastered, will determine the fate of humanity....

From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Area 51: Excalibur.......2007-05-12

I found this to be an excellent series of books. However, one must be able to get all books in order to enjoy the story. The books do not stand on their own.

Tension not resolved - yet!.......2002-10-16

The next book in the series keeps up the tension. The fight against the aliens and/or their supporters becomes more and more intense and desperate. We cannot even be sure about the position of the protagonists, and, oh boy, we have a dramatic final, which solves problems, but does not resolve the plot. We will have to wait for the final in "The Truth". I have never come across a series of novels that could keep up the tension as Doherty does here. An absolute must for SF - fans, who love this kind of science fiction. But I can imagine that those who like thrillers more than SF may be attracted by these books as well.

Area 51: Excalibur.......2002-10-04

A good storyline tires from lack of an ending. Each story has potential but when you reach the 'last' page you wonder what happened to the rest of the book.

If you have the time, read them all and you will enjoy fun read.

Book 6 in the series and still going strong.......2002-09-05

Robert Doherty's sixth book in the Area 51 series, "Area 51: Excalibur" is an excellent addition to the series and, as usual, filled with plenty of action and interesting characters.

Doherty does a great job re-introducing characters providing and background information to the series in the first 40 pages of this novel. Former Navy SEAL, Mike Turcotte and his eclectic group of cohorts again lead the fight against an alien takeover of the planet.

But which of the alien races is our friend and which is our enemy?

That is only one of the questions that Doherty tries to answer in this installment of the series. Faithful readers of the series will soon find the unique "tie-ins" with Earth's history that Doherty provides. His vivid imagination does a fantastic job linking The Sphinx, Noah's Ark, The Black Plague, The Arc of the Covenant, The Holy Grail, the rise of the Nazi SS, and Excalibur together as activites and events that were either casued by, or affected by the alien cultures.

In this installment, Turcotte and his band attempt to quell the attacks of the Kortad and Airlia as they each try to take over the globe. The adventure stretches from Area 51 to Pearl Harbor and from Mt. Ararat to Mt. Everest. If you are a fan of the series, you'll love "Excalibur". If you are new to the series you need to go back and start with "Area 51". Either way, you can't go wrong with this series.

The series (as we know it, anyway) culminates with the 7th and last installment, "Area 51: The Truth" later in the year.

Only Two More Mountains to Climb.......2002-08-13

It has been almost two years since I read the previous volume in this series, 'The Grail.' While these are excellent action adventures, they do not stay long to mind. I am embarrassed to admit that, when I picked this up and started reading, I was without a clue as to what was going on. It was rough going until I remembered the basic plot and characters, so I do not recommend this as a good starting point. The entire series is quite good, especially if you like alien inspired paranoid plots. So I heartily recommend going back to 'Area 51,' and inhaling the entire series.

These books are not heavy going. The primary premise is that the human race owes much of its mythology to the accidental arrival of an alien race called the Airlia back in prehistoric times. Originally, they were benevolent, but an internal rift between two leaders, Artad and Aspasia, caused sufficient chaos that the aliens took a more secretive role, influencing humankind for their own reasons, with little thought to the eventual effects on us. The 'Area 51' series is about what happens when humans become aware enough of this interference to take action against the aliens.

The last several volumes have turned on various factions competing for the possession of several artifacts - the Ark (both of them), the Grail, and now Excalibur, Arthur's sword. In the last volume Lisa Duncan, an American scientist, finds and activates the Grail. In the short time of her exposure, she is remade into something that appears human, but which is immortal. Unfortunately, the Grail is lost to Aphasia's forces, and Lisa returns to the U.S. to find herself and object for close scrutiny and testing.

As Aspasia and Artad marshal their forces in competing efforts to conquer the earth it is left to two men, American Mike Turcotte and Russian agent Yakov, each of which has a mountain to climb. Turcotte must scale Mount Everest to pull Excalibur from its scabbard and turn on the Airlian master computer. Yakov heads for Mount Ararat and the Ark, which is really the Airlian mother ship, which contains the master computer itself. In the meantime, war breaks out in Korea and Taiwan, and the Pacific Fleet is nearly immobilized. Dire straits indeed.

Doherty writes in a classic action oriented style. While his language isn't stilted, the characters speak in short bursts, and introspection is a rare thing indeed. But, the plot is complex enough to keep the reader's attention moving from one cliff hanger to the next. Expect to enjoy the book, but as I found out, don't expect to remember it!

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The Excalibur Alternative
David Weber
Manufacturer: Riverdale, NY Baen Books 2002.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J5JFXE

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The Pilgrimage of Faith

Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development

Still very usefull

Christian lifecycle

Making sense of people's understanding of life

Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning
James W. Fowler
Manufacturer: Harpercollins College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Developmental Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Faith | Christian Living | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0060628405

Book Description

Dr. James Fowler has asked these questions, and others like them, of nearly six hundred people. He has talked with men, women, and children of all ages, from four to eighty-eight, including Jews, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists. In many cases, the interviews became in-depth conversations that provided rare, intimate glimpses into the various ways our lives have meaning and purpose, windows into what this books calls faith.

Faith, as approached here, is not necessarily religious, nor is it to be equated with belief. Rather, faith is a person's way of leaning into and making sense of life. More verb that noun, faith is the dynamic system of images, values, and commitments that guide one's life. It is thus universal: everyone who chooses to go on living operated by some basic faith.

Building on the contributions of such key thinkers as Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, Fowler draws on a wide range of scholarship, literature, and firsthand research to present expertly and engagingly the six stages that emerge in working out the meaning of our lives--from the intuitive, imitative faith of childhood through conventional and then more independent faith to the universalizing, self-transcending faith of full maturity. Stages of Faith helps us to understand our own pilgrimage of faith, the passages of our own quest for meaning and value.

Customer Reviews:

The Pilgrimage of Faith.......2007-08-19

In the tradition of Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, James Fowler researched and now describes in user-friendly language (at least for this technical genre) six stages of faith. By faith, Fowler means how a person makes meaning out of life's mystery and misery (my summary definition).

His six researched-based stages provide the individual with a way to do a self-check: how mature is my faith? As an important aside, I find it interesting that many writers who attack religion seem to demonstrate a very immature understanding of faith and an even more immature practice of faith (broadly defined).

Fowler's stages are also helpful for parents, pastors, counselors, lay spiritual friends, and spiritual directors. They provide a GPS to guide people-helpers as they help people along the pilgrimage of faith.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians.

Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development.......2007-05-15

This book presents a skillful conceptualization of the relationship between human development and spiritual maturity.

Still very usefull.......2007-01-11

Although this study of James Fowler is 30 years old already, I don't know a more recent book, which describes the possible development of a believing christian so clear. In this sense, it is of more current interest than ever.

Christian lifecycle.......2007-01-11

This book is a necessary book for anyone who is involved in faith/spirituality work, particularly with young people. It connects with all the major developmental theories, particularly Piaget and Kohlberg. A vital resource for graduate students involved in faith ministry and development.

Making sense of people's understanding of life.......2006-12-28

Have you ever wondered why some people take religious texts literally and others understand them as metaphoric? Ever wondered why some believe that their religion is "the only one" while others view all religions as streams leading to the same ocean?

Ever wondered why everyone seems to start life seeing things in black and white, and while most continue to do so, some people begin seeing in gray or even colors? Why every tradition starts with a list of concrete laws, and then eventually someone comes along and sums them up with one or two -- if his or her listeners will only pay attention? And why some members of the tradition feel more comfortable with the dozens or hundreds while others let them go and embrace the one or two?

Fowler deals in depth with the six stages of faith, moving from the "Mythic-Literal" that we all begin with, explaining why some of us never outgrow it and each successive stage. He then discusses the processes one must move through, which he calls "crises of faith," in order to move from one stage to the next.

He also explains why those in a low level of faith not only cannot understand those at a higher level, but are usually either distrustful, afraid or worshipful (or possibly all three at once) of them, and often pressure them to move back to the lower stage so they will feel more comfortable around them.

This book is helpful to anyone undergoing a crisis of faith or to anyone who is confident in her own faith but is being pressured by old friends or family members to return to a previous religious background.

Stages of Faith: The Psychology of human Development and the Quest for Meaning

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Stages of Faith: The Psychology of human Development and the Quest for Meaning
James W. Fowler
Manufacturer: Harpercollins College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEVR6S

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This book is written by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo.

Chinese Banquet Cookbook
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Chinese | Asian | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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The Chinese Chicken Cookbook: 100 Easy-to-Prepare, Authentic Recipes for the American Table

ASIN: 0517555212
Release Date: 1985-01-30

Customer Reviews:

This book is written by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo........2006-12-03

The ISBN for this title is the same as Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's Chinese Banquet book also published in 1985.

This cookbook includes a recipe for five spice beef aka five fragrance beef. YUM.

Book Description

This comprehensive collectors guide takes aim at more than 120 scope makers and 60 mount makers and features photos and current market values for 300 scopes and mounts manufactured from 1950-1985. A brief company history of each maker is given, along with a discussion of the scopes and/or mounts manufactured by that maker. An overview of telescopic sights is also included, as well as a definitive discussion of scope optics and mechanics.

This is the only book available that allows proper identification and evaluation of old rifle scopes and mounts. Gun collectors, dealers, gunsmiths, hunters, shooters, antique and pawnshop dealers will find this a must-have reference.

Stroebel, a collector and dealer in scopes for the past 20 years, is the author of "Old Gunsights: A Collectors Guide, 1850 to 1965".

-Covers 120 scope makers and 60 mount makers.
-Features photos and market values for 300 scopes and mounts.
-Definitive reference guide.

Customer Reviews:

good reference on older model scopes.......2000-08-31

this is a book with a lot of pic. and enough detail of older model scopes to be worth checking out, the detail is fair and the prices listed are pretty close to todays market,(at least in my neck of the woods) This is also a pretty rare book as far as topic w/ few books writen on the subject and for the collector, worth checking out.

Average customer rating:

Very Good Information

Good, but not the best

Using the Band Saw: Techniques for Better Woodworking (Workshop Companion)
Nick Engler
Manufacturer: Rodale Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Woodworking | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Using the Scroll Saw: Techniques for Better Woodworking (The Workshop Companion)

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Using the Table Saw: Techniques for Better Woodworking (The Workshop Companion)

ASIN: 0875961401

Customer Reviews:

Very Good Information.......2001-08-11

Nick Engler's book is filled with very good information. I have this and Mark Duginski's Band Saw Handbook (another great reference) and one of the interesting differences is that Engler isn't a proponent of coplanar tracking like Duginski is. I guess this is an arguable point and it's good to read books by two woodworking authorities who have opposing views. Engler is a proponent of changing the speed of your band saw for the type of sawing you're doing and shows you how to build a base with step pulleys and a has a job/blade type/speed chart. He also shows you how to construct a couple of extension tables to support larger work as well as several jigs and accessories to make sawing easier and more accurate. In the back of the book he has a few projects (Noah's Ark, chess set, Queen Anne side table, and nesting boxes) to exercise your band saw skills.

Good, but not the best.......1999-11-30

I liked this book, but I am afraid that it cannot hold a candle to the Band Saw Handbook by Mark Duginske. I bought both, but my advice is to buy the Duginske.

Book Description

Organized in three sections: Nourishing the Senses, Feathering Your Nest, and Delighting in Details.

Filled with decorating ideas to turn any home into an oasis.

16 doable decorating projects plus 10 soothing recipes that make the most of presentation, setting, color, and texture.

Handy shopping guide shows where to find bed, bath, and aromatherapy products as well as decorative accessories to create a relaxed, nurturing environment.

Customer Reviews:

I like it :).......2005-05-06

This is a great coffee table book to look at and get inspiration on decorating and giving your home some added touches for a comferting feeling.

Nice pictures, but.......2004-04-14

Nothing else! For a decorating book you would assume it would have more to tell you how to decorate, but it's very simply a few scanty pictures, and little else. There are much better books out there, and this is disappointing seeing that it comes from better homes and gardens.

EVERYDAY COMFORTS: DECORATING IDEAS FOR MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN

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EVERYDAY COMFORTS: DECORATING IDEAS FOR MAKING YOUR HOME A HAVEN
Better Homes and Gardens
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WQXTAK

Book Description

Artwork by Gunter Rambow.

Customer Reviews:

Your Life can be Charmed, too!.......2002-03-05

"Lives Charmed" shows you how the people who seem to 'have it all', created their lives to be that way. As I read this book, I found myself taking many things from the individual lifestyles and applying them to my own life.
I began to see a common thread of thinking, a way of looking at the world that makes sense. All of the subjects of the 'mini-autobiographies' have their own unique style, but the spirituality is the same. They all have a deep connection to their Inner Wisdom, the Earth, their Soul and their God.
Linda's personal anecdotes about how these extraordinary people came into her life are the real treasures in this book. I cried when I read about her father-like relationship with Paul Williams. I laughed from my own skeptical-belly when she described her first meeting with Guru Singh.
This book is a treasure for your personal library and a great gift for friends & loved-ones. I can't wait to read more of Linda's extraordinary conversations. I am looking forward to 'Lives Charmed II'!!

Lives Charmed opens the door to our own magic.......2002-02-17

Although Linda writes about the lives of celebrities, the quality of the writing and the anecdotes she chose from her lengthy interviews frames their humanity first. These people struggle, as we all do, with the trials and traumas of life and loss, love and tragedy, they just do it with a spotlight illuminating their struggles as well as their triumphs. Their generosity to share the lessons learned on their journeys and Linda Sivertsen's vibrant and focused writing makes this book a kind of treasure map to help all of us on our journeys to discover our own magic within. Thanks, Linda, for helping me believe in and create my own "Life Charmed"!

How to be successful and enjoy life.......1999-04-29

As the author of the 'Paul Williams Music And Acting' web pages, I was first drawn to this book because it contains a fascinating chapter on singer, songwriter, actor and humanitarian Paul Williams. Being an avid fan of Pauls and Vice-President of the Official Paul Williams Fan Club I was interested to know what Linda could tell me about Paul that I did not already know.

What I found was that Linda has a gift for writing about those areas of her subjects lives which are usually 'hidden' from public view. Not that this book is a 'kiss and tell' book with lots of scandal. It is rather an account of what has made her subjects the contented people they are today.

Contentment is the over-riding theme of all the mini-biographies. Despite some of her subjects past histories of abuse and self-abuse, they have all come to a place in their lives when they have the courage to look back and understand the part their past history has played in making them the fulfilled people they are today.

After a brief introduction at the start of each chapter Linda then leaves it up to her subjects to 'tell their own story'. Rather than a 'question and answer' type of interview Linda has very effectively chosen to divide up each chapter into topic headings, and then leaves it up to her subject to tell his/her story in his/her own words. What makes this book the gem it is, is the topics Linda has chosen to focus on. Each of her subjects starts by defining what to them is 'Happiness' and then moves on to talking about their 'Early Years' and 'Influences'. Other topics regularly covered include 'Obstacles', 'Spirituality', 'Life Work', 'Family', 'Drives', 'Fears', 'Visions', 'Miracles' and 'Earth'. Not subjects one is used to hearing 'stars' talk about.

As well as Paul Williams, Linda also interviews people from a variety of walks of life. Linda interviews include a number of actors (Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Woody Harrelson, Robert Townsend and Catherine Oxenberg), film producers (Sandy Gallin and Janet Yang) journalists (Keely Shaye Smith and Leeza Gibbons), spiritual leaders (Guru Singh and Robert A.Johnson), sportsmen (Arnold Palmer and Chris Chandler), artists (Wyland and Beatrice Wood) as well as super model Tatjana Patitz and an English lord (Lord Robin Russell ) who works to save endangered animals through his English safari park Wobern Abby.

The fact that Linda is obviously a person who her subjects trust makes each account an extremely personal and hence fascinating read.

Moving. Touching. Insightful........1999-03-13

What a gift these stories are to the world. This book made me realize we are all humans on this planet and we all go through our "stuff". With each story, I was moved to ask questions about myself. It made me discover more of me. Thank you for this insightful and moving testament to the human spirit. When's the next book?!?!

A brand new genre of book that will uplift your life.......1999-03-13

If you could pick up a book and have it relate to all parts of your life. Give you the spark you need to push through some of your most important issues, this is the book. I read this book and could not put it down because of the interesting way Linda constructed these very deep innermost revelations of some of the people I have admired for so long. I am now anxiously waiting for book two to come out. This has the markings of a fantastic book series ala Chicken Soup For The Soul or for that matter I could see this as Television series. I recommend this book to all readers. It has everything that most people would enjoy. I give it Five stars. *****

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