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Audio Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Audio
This House of Sky : Landscapes of a Western Mind
Published in Audio Cassette by Highbridge Audio (2000-06-19)
Author:
List price: $18.95
New price: $19.75
Used price: $10.99

Average review score:

Beautiful
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-13
This book was one of the few memoirs I have read when in the end I placed the book down and sighed "wow." What a wonderful story. The author rolled experiences together in western Montana with his dad and grandmother and turned it into a lovestory for fathers and grandmothers, for people of Montana, and all that using very little dialogue. (That gave the book a sense of truthfulness, as who can recite full conversations that took place years ago?)

The constant struggle with man against nature, man against man and man against himself come alive in these pages. Despite many obstacles of every kind, his father never abandoned him and sacrificed what he had to to raise his son and to give him what he needed. Montana and its bittersweet closeness never leave the reader; its isolation and wide open sky are always in the background. Thus the title is so perfect for this beautiful memoir.

This was my first Doig book and I will definitely read more of him. I definitely consider this book one of the top ten in American 20th century writing.

An excellent read!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-30
This was my first Ivan Doig book, and I loved it! As a result, I've read most of the rest of what Doig has written and thoroughly enjoy reading about (and remembering) the areas of Montana where I used to live.

heavyreader
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-28
Of the three best books I've read in 2007, this probably ranks number two. It took me a little while to get into it, but the wait was well worth it. Ivan Doig is a magnificent writer and his talents are well displayed in this book. The other two books were The Good Old Boys, by Elmer Kelton, and The Missouri Riders, by George Banks.

Great American literature
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-09
This is my all time favorite book. Period. Beautifully written, thought-provoking. It will make you want to move to Montana. It will make you love open sky and a horizon that goes on forever and the importance of family.

Strongly recommended
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-26
As soon as I started reading This House of Sky, I fell into Ivan Doig's world. By the end I was so mesmerized by his wonderful language and vivid characters that I was wandering around the house with the book up to my nose, bumping into things, trying to do chores one-handed while reading. I would never have believed that a book that starts out with the gasping, hideous suffocating death of one of the author's parents and ends with the gasping, hideous suffocating death of the other one could contain such boundless love of family, such joy, and such beauty. Doig's vivid writing shades perilously close to poetry, and he has an eye for the perfect anecdote to illustrate his point. Doig evokes in the endless drudgery of Montana ranch life a heroic struggle, and turns his hardworking, mercurial father into one of the great figures of modern literature. As a chronicle of Doig's childhood and its end and of the Montana sheepherding life in the early parts of this century, This House of Sky is a spectacular success; but as a tribute to his beloved family and especially his father, the book is a powerfully moving classic.

Audio
Three Little Words: A Memoir
Published in CD-ROM by Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc. (2008-01-08)
Author: Ashley Rhodes-courter
List price: $29.95
New price: $19.15

Average review score:

disturbing yet hopeful
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-05
Three Little Words is one girl's disturbing true journey through forgottenness, abuse and multiple foster homes. Hope IS found finally, but the process before that is heartbreaking, infuriating and senseless.
I was inspired by this girl's candor and courage, as well as by the power of CASAs and GALs to redeem lost kids.

A wonderful book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-30
I purchased this book thru my book club i am a child who grew up in foster care and Ashely's story mirrored my own. I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting.

A Must Read.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-29
Excellent. A book that you can't put down. A must read for those concerned about our children in the American foster care system.

Three Little Words Mean So Much
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-28
Ashley Rhodes survived 9 years and a total of 19 foster parents. "Three Little Words" describes the many cases of abuse Ashley experienced in the near decade that she spent in the foster care system. She witnessed cases where children who were already broken were further shattered into shells of human beings. The odds were against her in a system that still has problems. Yet she not only survived, she flourished.

It was uplifting to read a tale about the foster care system that actually had a happy ending. Too many times we read about kids lost in the system, or ones that are forever dealing with the issues that comes with being moved from one family to another.

"Three Little Words" is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone currently in the foster care system. There is a light at the end of the deep, dark tunnel. There is hope.

Thank you, Ashley
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-13
Ashley Rhodes-Courter's memoir is well written, well researched and heartfelt. She has become a champion for foster care welfare reform, deservedly so. I think Ashley would have succeeded as an adult even if she had stayed at The Children's Home of Tampa, due to her own high intelligence and inner strength. However, her adoption into the Courter family has enabled her to thrive and come to peace with herself much faster and more completely than she might have achieved on her own. Thank God for families like the Courters.

I wish Ashley much success in her continuing efforts to reform child welfare. It is a noble fight and much needed.

As a longtime Guardian ad Litem volunteer, I especially appreciated Ashley's recognition of her volunteer GAL.

Audio
The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class
Published in Audio CD by Your Coach Digital (2008-04-01)
Author: Keith Cameron Smith
List price: $19.98
New price: $10.52
Used price: $8.32

Average review score:

Million Dollar Wisdom
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-17
Simply elegant. I was walking the aisle at Barnes and Noble in the personal finance section when I looked at the shelf. There was a sea of books. Each one had great titles and tips to offer, but this one stood out.

The announcement at the store was "Barnes and Nobles will be closing in 5 mins. please make your final selection." I was probably somewhat influenced by a quick read since the book is only 112 pgs. But.....

It's one of those rare finds that keeps things simple and in perspective.
It was simple truths not hard science that won the day because of my limited time.

When the author broke it down to real stories, I felt a connection to the simple wisdom and the application.

What person wouldn't be touched by his story of the prostitute that didn't have to turn a trick at least one night because Keith bought her family groceries and something else....

He gave her hope. He fed her children. He blessed her mom, who was at the trailer park watching the kids.

If you want to find a money book about economics and stats, you won't find it here. If you want a book that'll give pearls of wisdom from a real understanding of simple truths, you'll find what you're looking for in this book.

I wish you well.

David Dallas Rivers




--------------------------------------------------------------------------


My first impression
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-27
Some of the better information is included in the sample (sent via Amazon Whispernet :) ). I bought the book anticipating more good information but I learned very little new things from the rest of the book.

The book also lacks of hard facts (statistics, numbers, etc). There are better `Millionaire' books out there.

Fantastic!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-11
This book is great! It describes qualities that millionaires possess that the middle class usually do not develop. Some keys to thinking of the millionaire mideset are thinking of their long-term goals, even as far as 10 years out, and working for profits. The authors talks about how millionaires read one book a week, a habit I found to be worthwhile. I find adopting this habit stretches your thinking and takes you beyond what you thought you were capable of. I thought this book was very well-written and exceptionally practical. The author recommends reading this book every month until the principles are ingrained in you.

One of the "Must Haves" for future Millionaires
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-02
I was given this book by my brother. I have already read it twice and given out 6 copies to the other members of my team. The book is a no nonsense easy read. The author gets right to the point. He talks about giving, about goal setting, about personal habits. For example, have you ever noticed what the middle class always talks about, each other! While the rich discuss ideas. These small things we all do day in and day out have an effect on our behavior. Pick up this book. You'll be glad you did.

A Good Thing in a Small Package!
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 27 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-19
Good things come in small packages. THE TOP 10 DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN MILLIONAIRES AND THE MIDDLE CLASS by Keith Cameron Smith is just over 100-pages, but contains volumes of life's lessons. Smith lists his top 10 distinctions in reverse order by chapter, in other words, the books starts with chapter 10 and ends with chapter 1.

This is a great little travel book as its compact size and flowing narrative make it perfect for the briefcase or purse and for a short flight or waiting for your meeting. However, you will probably want to do as I do and take notes, so an accompanying spiral notebook will be needed as well.

In reality, if you're a student of self-help type, goal oriented, think and grow rich type books, there no big revelation here. It's basically the same ideas you've heard from Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Jack Canfield, or even Napoleon Hill for that matter, but Smith gives a superb presentation that is easily digested. If you're not the kind of person to settle into 300+ pages of Awaken the Giant Within or The Power of Focus, but want to learn the same basic principles, this book is right up your alley.

One last thing I would like to comment on, and this goes out particularly to writers. In the little hard-back copy that I have, in the back matter, Smith mentions the "Sabon" typeface that he used for his book. For my old mid-50's diabetic eyes, this was one of the most readable fonts I have ever seen. I highly recommend it. In fact, the overall quality of the hardback book makes it a great little gift.

Audio
Against All Hope
Published in Audio Cassette by Blackstone Audiobooks (1997-08)
Author: Armando Valladares
List price: $83.95
New price: $31.46
Used price: $24.00

Average review score:

One of the saddest and most horrifying memoirs I've read!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-24
A beautiful and terrifying memoir of Castro's Cuba. This man suffered unspeakable injustices at the hands of Castro's servants. The honesty and heartfelt memories of this man persecuted by the Communists is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Wonderful testimony to the bravery and courage of the human spirit in the face of horrible odds.

A Great Chronicle Of Castro's Achievements
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-19
Castro has now ruled across the terms of 10 US Presidents. The secret of his longevity is not his popularity with the Cuban people, but rather his ruthless suppression of any dissent or competition. Valladares provides a keyhole view into this world of true terror and depravity.

Behind the warm white beaches where libbies from around the world find paradise there exist prisons where the brutality is only equaled by that of Stalin, Saddam, Mao and a few others. Any yet, like the American press' refusal to admit the terrible atrocities of the Soviet Union, these are happening in our back yard.

Those who claim to be against abuse of prisoners or the imprisonment of those whose only crimes are peaceful protest or political unreliability should take an evening to read this book.

It is not a comforting book and evening reading may lead to sleepless nights for the routine horrors of Castro's prisons are the stuff of nightmares. Without assurances of its validity, this book reads like fiction in that it is difficult to conceive that so much could be inflicted on another human who poses no threat.

Highly recommended

A conscience's prisioneer life in Cuba.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-19
I read this book, translated to the portuguese, here in Brazil, some years ago.It's a book about the decades, who this Castro's victim was under prision in Cuba.A nightmare's life and for more then two decades.
The failures of this book really exists.At first, the author don't tells you nothing about cuban revolution.In fact, never there existed a battle in cuban revolution.Fulgencio Batista simple scaped, without a single shoot.A mafia's man, whithout a single drop of moral or courage.This was really the true Fulgencio Batista.
At second he doesn't tells you nothing about the sucess of castrism in latin America and the catholic church "liberation theology".Having nothing of liberation and nothing of theology, the catholic church in latin America became a marxist organization.

Makes Shawshank seem like a Club Med
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-15
Another Amazon reviewer got it right when he wrote that this book should be given to all one's deluded friends sporting hip "Che" T-shirts. This eye-opening, stomach-churning account of the author's 22 years in Cuban prisons, the conditions of which make Shawshank seem like a Club Med, demolishes the romanticized memory of "freedom fighters" like Che and exposes the lie that Castro's Revolution created a socialist paradise. And it highlights Communism's inability to understand or erase one of the most important traits of human nature: our hunger for individual freedom and personal dignity.

Valladares wastes no time plunging us into a hell Dante himself could barely have imagined - on page one he is abducted in the middle of the night by the political police on trumped-up charges (having been denounced, he feels, by a jealous coworker for his disapproval of Castro's embrace of Communism), and before his prison odyssey is over, he endures and observes the worst extremes of totalitarian repression. The tension and the drama never let up, and often reach the breaking point. The litany of sadistic human rights abuses goes on page after page, every page; the degree of physical and psychological cruelty is so incomprehensible as to nearly defy belief. And yet Valladares and others maintain an almost superhuman strength of character and will to live that are inspirational and humbling. Amazingly, there are even flashes of humor and an ultimate triumph in this maddening and disturbing memoir.

Against All Hope is one of the most gripping books you will ever read. It has a compelling social conscience and an inspirational message of hope, faith, courage, determination, and even love, and it will leave you with a changed perspective on yourself and the world.

Cuban paradise
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-05
Give a copy of this book to all your friends wearing Che t-shirts. After so many descriptions of beatings and hunger strikes, you become numb to the next ones. I recall the AI campaigns in the 70s-80s to send letters and postcards to the Cuban and Soviet embassies just to remind them that the world was watching. Sadly today AI has degenerated into just another wacko outfit. The UN comes in for a beating of its own in this book, as it just sat back and closed its eyes, passing resolutions against Israel and other nonsense instead of putting pressure on Cuba. This continues today with Zimbabwe, NK, and others.

Take a look at "The Aquariums of Pyongyang" for a look at the same song, different verse.

Audio
Alien Chronicles, Book 2: The Crimson Claw (Lucasfilm's Alien Chroncle, No 2)
Published in Audio CD by Highbridge Audio (1998-10-01)
Author: Deborah Chester
List price: $24.95
New price: $11.39
Used price: $4.99

Average review score:

It better than I expected......
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-11
I have a bad habit of reading books out of order. The reason being my local library doesn't contain certain volumes. Even though, I started with this volume I felt as though I didn't miss a beat. When reading this book I felt that this world is waiting to be discovered and I have to say I'm proud to be one of the few that discovered it. Ms Chester has a unique way of drawing you in and wow, I felt like I was in entirely different universe which separated itself from anything out there. The whole infrastructure of the Viis empire and community was interesting. The Viis being superior to any race out there gave you an understanding of how Ambris felt. She felt supressed and seeking out a way for every race to feel equal. Even though she was a slave turned famous gladiator she stayed true to who she was and what she believed. No mattered what had happened to her especially when she gave birth to genetically experimented children she still believed in the greater good of things. Everything in this book shows how Debra Chester had great depth of knowledge of this universe. So now goes on my search for part one and part three.

More Than Just Science-Fiction!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-10-16
The Alien Chronicles by Deborah Chester are among the finest books I have ever read. The journey that the characters undergo is so epic and far-reaching that once you experience them, you will feel as though you have lived an entire life within this alien universe. The characters are well-defined, rich and provocative. The story itself is so much more than what it seems to be. Even though those living within these tales are fantasy species with abnormal customs, they are so unbelievably human. The trilogy revolves around the quest for freedom. The abiru -- a race of slaves who possess no rights whatsoever -- are considered greatly lesser than their Viis superiors. They are beaten, sold and killed at the whim of their owners, echoing the horror of our own history of human slavery. The oppression of the Viis leads to in-fighting and betrayal amongst the abiru, making it nearly immpossible to trust another untouchable. But even amongst this reign of distrust lies the hope of long-lasting, beautiful frienships -- as demonstrated by the wily Kelth thief (Elrabin) and the lovely and powerful Auron pet/gladiator (Ampris). The bond that develops between them is almost instantaneous even though it takes Elrabin years to realize how much Ampris means to him. They share a sort of unrequited platonic love. Unrequited in that it's not what they say to each other but what they do for each other. There are also strong antagonists, from the fear driven mad-gladiator Ylea to the tempermental spoiled sri-Kaa Israi (whose ascension to power is far from pretty). She is such a fantastically written villian that you will find yourself wanting to jump inside the book and slap her silly. The decisions she and those before her make in regards to the abiru are often times disturbing and haunting. (The period Ampris spends in the medical testing facility of Vaas Vess is particularly horrifying.) In summation, this book she be heralded as so much more than dime store science/fiction. It should be placed among books such as 1984 and Animal Farm. I know I will be recommending this book to everyone I meet henceforth. Even those who would never think of picking up a science fiction novel. Deborah Chester should be lauded immensely.

the Crimson Claw
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-12
I you like books that get you hooked this is one of them. You enter a new world with strange creatures. But it is writen well enough that you can almost see the creatures. This book is about a strange creature called Ampris who is forced to fight as a gladiator. Many of the fights are described including her last one were she makes a life changing mistake, in her fight for piece and freedom...

the Crimson Claw
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-12
I you like books that get you hooked this is one of them. You enter a new world with strange creatures. But it is writen well enough that you can almost see the creatures. This book is about a strange creature called Ampris who is forced to fight as a gladiator. Many of the fights are described including her last one were she makes a life changing mistake, in her fight for piece and freedom...

Lives up to the name.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-06
This lives up to the first book and usally you don't think the second will be as good as the first, only on a rare occasion, and this is one. It was better, faster paced, and gives more understanding to the character's roles. If you read the first you HAVE To pick this one up. I waited forever to have this one out, and I couldn't wait very long. This is a good book, Terrific, and Deborah Chester is a great Author.

Audio
The Bible Experience: Old Testament (Inspired By)
Published in Audio CD by Zondervan Publishing Company (2007-11)
Author:
List price: $84.99
New price: $46.00
Used price: $99.89

Average review score:

love it
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-28
If you have trouble reading the bible this is great it's like listening to a play being acted out, only it's the bible word for word.

LOVE IT!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
I absolutely LOVE this Bible. I have had the New Testiment for almost a year now. But I couldnt find the old Testiment for the life of me at a resonable price. I got it as a Birthday gift and havent stopped listening to it since. This is a great Bible for kids to listen to before they go to sleep so that they can fall asleep to something positive and they will actully soak it up faster than reading the Bible alone. Instead of falling alseep to cartoons or anything else of this world.

My Bible Experience
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-22
I have been trying to read the bible for years; I've tried many different strategies and was unsuccessful. I am so grateful for this format. To hear all my favorite actors read and project the emotions, the background sounds of animals and the crowds are great.
The actors speak as if they are experiencing the events they are reenacting. I have a better understanding of the context of where most of the phases and exerts that I have heard of most of my life come from. I am more engaged in listening then I was in reading it myself. I would recommend this for the sheer entertainment value alone.

A serious blessing- A notch above the rest (make that 5 notches)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-07
When I first heard that this project was being created and that only the New Testament would be available I was a bit impatient. I started hearing about this project in so many places and by several different people. To cap it off, my church showed a promo in service one Sunday that was end-capped by a certain surprise for our congregation- our very own pastor was going to be on the recording. (In addition to a few other pastors familiar with our congregation.) When I received the NT, I certainly was not disappointed.
I could hardly wait for the Old Testament and finally I got the notice in my eamil that it was going to be available. I got it and have been listening to it more and more. I find the Psalms and surrounding books to be especially wonderful when I am having a hard time sleeping or the devil is trying to discourage me. God be glorified- at any time and always!
Now for the funny thing- when I got to the OT, I skipped right to Ecclesiastes because I knew that was the book my pastor had spoken for. To this moment- after several listens- I am truly not sure that his voice is his voice. (I kinda figured it out...) I'm used to the whole sermon and then some. ;) I decided to finally get the guts up to tell him this Sunday, "Happy Birthday and by the way- I am totally not sure that I heard your voice on The Bible Experience." That should go over so well... LOL (BTW- His name is Reverand Lawrence Powell. You can find his book, The Power of the Seed, here on Amazon.)
Just a caution/quick word of advice- do not get hung up on the voices. So many of them are recognizable but if you pay too much attention to that you will lose the essence of the WORD of GOD. God uses whatever tools necessary to ensure the spread and ingestion of HIS WORD. Don't forget that. (I wil be honest though and say that hearing Eartha Kitt's voice primarily takes you a little aback but you get over it quick enough.)
Happy listening and Be Blessed!

Bible comes to life!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-06
I have wanted to purchase this collection for quite a while.I was not disappointed. The music and the voices actually bring the Scriptures and passages to life.I am especially pleased with Yolanda Adams. I wish she could have read more!It is refreshing and even though we know the bible it causes you to look at it in a new and even fuller light as you imagine more the situations and the joy and even the sorrow that the artist show us in their deliveries.The book of Psalm takes the listener through so many emotions. Everyone will have a favorite from this collection.

J.L. Price

Audio
The Book of Qualities
Published in Audio Cassette by Audio Renaissance (1991-01)
Author: J. Ruth Gendler
List price: $10.95
New price: $29.50
Used price: $29.20

Average review score:

A True North Star Book for Life's Journey
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-27
I have had this tiny little book for 20 years. I treasure it as one of the greatest books filled with a cutting wisdom that reminds me of the simple and profound truths of God's Wisdom. Not written in religious tones, but carrying such deep spiritual healing wisdoms. Big Truths are simple, and we humans do seem to have an addiction to complicating life, and creating chaos when quiet reflection would reveal the simple nature of truths so well revealed in "The Book of Qualities". It has a centering quality about it, making one go, "Ah yes, that's the truth of it".....after reading a one page passage on anything from "COURAGE" to
"GREED", to "AMBIVILENCE", to "GUILT", to "POWER" and too many more to list here. Give yourself one of the greatest books you will ever own. I expect that you will put it in a special place,easily accessible, and always quitely waiting for that moment when you might need to remember what "truly matters" about being human in this life we create. As soon as I post this review I am heading straight to Amazon again, and purchasing 2 more copies to keep tucked away as I have worn the pages of this wonderful little book over 20 years of re-reading it.

Timeless
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
I was given this book several years ago by a dear friend. As is always the case when someone gives me something, it sat untouched for almost a year.

When I finally picked it up... I devoured it. I plotted the relationships within the "community" and also used it to journal, hanging out with the characters in the book for a day or so and seeing how they lived in my life. Ultimately it made my understand just how life and time can affect us all. It's helped me be more tolerant of others... and myself.

This year I was the person who gave it away... It's funny the look on some people face... "Oh... GREAT... Yeah, thanks!..." When they actually open the BoQ and spend some time with the characters, they'll understand.

It took me longer than it should have, but it was there waiting for me when I was ready. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I wish I'd written it.

An Old Favorite
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-05
I owned this book for many years often quoting from it to friends. I either lent it or lost it in a move. I missed it. An old friend returned.

If I were stranded on an island...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-11
I absolutely love this book, and everyone I show it to falls in love with it too. Gendler had the idea to take qualities such as anger, complacency, joy, and contentment and write about them as if they were people. In so doing, she has captured their essence in a poetic and powerful way. Once in awhile you encounter a writer who reveals things that were right in front of you but went unnoticed for years, and in so doing enriches your vision and your world. Gendler is one of those writers. Every time I read it I experience the same sense of wonder and discovery. If I were stranded on a desert island, I'd want this book with me. I don't usually seek autographs but I am honored to have an autographed copy. Gendler is also a visual artist and has illustrated her own work.

Quality Poetry
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-06
April is National Poetry Month. Yeah, I know: there's a national month, or special week, or weird celebratory day, for every topic and group in the universe now. There's even a book up at WNBT that lists, by month, everything from "National Dental Health Care Week" to "International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day". (Although those two topics might not be so unrelated as they first appear, har har.)

But I actually look forward to National Poetry Month. I love poetry. Poetry challenges me, feeds me, shocks me, makes me giggle, soothes me in songs, comes to me from sacred texts and coffeeshops and in emails from friends. And, unlike many genres of literature, I believe there is a poetry book for everyone. There may not be a story from the thriller group that you'd like, or a biography, or a book on investing. But I'm fairly certain if we looked, and probably not even for that long, we could find a poem or two that you would love.

I told Kevin I was prepared to write two or three columns for National Poetry Month, or even do the entire month of reviews. He gave me a look. He thought one column would be enough. "People just don't like poetry all that much," he told me, gently but firmly - although he writes fine poetry himself.

So how do I choose one book to focus on? Actually, it was a clear and easy choice. There is one poetry book that fits all of us.

When I had to be in the hospital for a while during my college years, a friend brought me this special book - J. Ruth Gendler's "The Book of Qualities". Since then, I have turned around and given copies of this book to all different people in my life. I've shared this beautiful little book as a gift for graduations, wedding showers, birthdays, major illnesses, surgeries, and as a thank-you note. I've read selections from it at open mike nights, support groups, and memorial services.

In "The Book of Qualities", poet and artist Ruth Gendler dedicates one page to each of almost one hundred human characteristics and feelings. These are the Qualities. With playful and insightful words, she describes each Quality as though he or she were a person you know. Change becomes your unwelcome houseguest; Honor could be your grandfather; Courage may be the woman who befriended you as you faced your divorce. Each of the Qualities has a favorite color, or a hobby. They have faces and hair and cars and clothes and jobs. And in those characteristics, in each Quality, you will recognize yourself and those you know - often in delightful and startling new ways. This little book is truly a classic: one of those books that you will find yourself revisiting time and again, once it has become a part of your life. Every time you re-read it, you'll find something new.

Editor,"Of A Predatory Heart"

Audio
BRN BRS & TRUTH-PKG (First Time Library/Audio Cassette and Book)
Published in Paperback by Random House Books for Young Readers (1988-04-12)
Author: Stan Berenstain
List price: $6.95

Average review score:

Lessons our two year-old enjoys
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-14
I remember the Berenstain bears fondly from my childhood. The books are entertaining with nice illustrations, bright colors and the always interesting...talking bears. They introduce life lessons without being overly preachy about. Our two year-old remembers the lessons and we use them regularly to remind him when he slips up. He is just figuring out how to lie ("mommy didn't give me vitamin yet"). He understands when we compare what he says to the book he knows so well. We've got a bunch of these books and we plan to get all of them!

Terrific Teaching
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-03
This and all the Berenstain Bears books are excellent teaching tools for preschoolers. My four year old granddaughter asks for them to be read over and over.

Great stories that teach little kids about issues that really relate to them
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-18
The Berenstainbears has long been one of my favorite books to read to my children because they love it, and because it teaches them lessons about things they will actually deal with in real life. Also, very cute and lovable, the Berenstainbears is a great series for your child to read.

what a whopper
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-21
This was a great book. Sometimes you can tell your children something many times, and a book or children's show can suddenly make it click for them. Lots of good lessons here-- always tell the truth, lying breaks the trust between people, and lying makes things complicated and leads to more lies, i.e. When Brother & Sister are asked what happened for the second time, they can't exactly remember how the story went the first time they told it! Stan Berenstain had a wonderful talent for making a life lesson entertaining.

Because Trust is One Thing You Can't Put Back Together Once It's Broken
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-11
"It was a lazy sort of day in Bear Country. The air was sto still that the leaves on the big tree house where the Bear family lived were hardly rustling. Except in the beehive, where the bees were always busy, nothing much seemed to be happening. It was the sort of day that sometimes leads to mischief." -- From the book

Papa Bear was in his shop working on some furniture while Mama Bear was out shopping. Bored, Brother and Sister Bear debated what to do next. Should they go pick blackberries? Or maybe twist each other up on the swing to see who gets the dizziest?

Brother Bear clutched his soccer ball, and doesn't seem to want to do anything--and Sister Bear becomes irritated and impatient. "My goodness!...I think you must be in love with that soccer ball!"

Brother issues a challenge to Sister "I bet I can dribble this ball past you!" Then the siblings began to violate one of the house rules: don't play ball in the house!

Well, Mama's favorite vase gets broken--and she arrives shortly afterwards. Instead of owning up to the deed, Brother and Sister cook up a whopper of a lie. When the go to re-tell it to Papa, they didn't have their story straight, either.

Mama expresses her sadness...not so much that her favorite lamp is broken (although this is true, too), but because her cubs may not be telling the truth. The siblings quickly tell her the truth--and are surprised to her tell Gran on the phone that everything was fine in the tree house.

Confused, the cubs ask Mama about what appears to be a lie. Mama replies that "We've got two fine cubs who have just learned a very important lesson about telling the truth. And what could be finer than that?"

The Berenstain Bears and The Truth is one of the best books by authors Jand and Jan Berenstain. Absent of moralizing and harsh scolding (which sometimes crops up in the Berenstain Bear books), this wonderful tale shows children that there is consequences to lying--the most important being broken trust. This book also teaches forgiveness (if rather indirectly), as well as thinking about consequences BEFORE acting.

In short, an EXCELLENT book for teaching children the importance of telling the truth!

Audio
Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul (Chicken Soup for the Soul (Audio Health Communications))
Published in Audio CD by Health Communications (1997-10)
Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne, and Marci Shimoff
List price: $11.95

Average review score:

This Book is an Emotional Rollercoaster
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-26
I was given this book as a gift from my son. I read it on an airplane and laughed and cried so much that at the end of the flight, the man sitting next to me said, "you are quite an emotional lady!" I bought a copy of this book for the lady that helped me when I got stranded when the flight was delayed a day. She read one of the stories in it while I was changing clothes and I found her in tears when I returned. It's a great feel-good book.

A Great Addition to the Series
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-28
In this collection of stories from and about mothers, there is something for everyone. Whether you need to be inspired, comforted, or amused, whether if you are looking for a laugh or a cry you can find a story for your mood. The Chicken Soup authors always know how to pick a collection of stories that truly brings the subject to light, a tear to your eye, and a smile to your lips! This time, what a worthy topic: mothers. As a positive psychologist in private practice I certainly know the powerful and permanent importance of our mothers in all of our lives!

real page turner
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-26
I CAN NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! Some real tear jerkers too. A must for all moms.

nice book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-10
my family got this as a gift about 8 years ago. I don't remember much about it but I remember the stories about the mother losing her son during a skiing accident, the girl who bought her mom bobby pins for her birthday and the story where they're celebrating a grandmother's birthday and she dies at the end of the party after seeing her entire family at the celebration.

WELL WRITTEN,WELL TAKEN!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-29
AFTER READING THIS I AM REASSURED THAT GOOD HONEST BOOKS ARE FINALLY MAKING A COME-BACK!!!!!!

Audio
Circles of Seven with Poster (Dragons in Our Midst)
Published in MP3 CD by Oasis Audio (2007-11)
Author: Bryan Davis
List price: $14.99
New price: $13.05

Average review score:

Great Christian Fantasy
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-16
Bonnie and Billy are sent into the Circles of Seven to rescue prisoners. But in a land of deceit and temptation, whom can they trust? From an abandoned town to an island castle to a deep chasm, this story is a feast for the imagination and emotions. The climatic battle is better than any movie because of the realistic characters whom you can identify with.

Excellent Service
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-17
It took about three days for me to receive the book that I ordered from Amazon. And not only did it come in a timely fashion but it was in excellent condition. No surprises here and that's what I like to see. I would definately come back in the future, especially for the prices.

ANOTHER GREAT THRILLING READ
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-14
This series just keeps on raising the bar. The book starts in high gear and never lets up. The final third of the book is just plain UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! Davis just piles on the tension and always is giving us more details about Dragons, Merlin, King Arthur and Excalibur. He very realistically adds to their Myths and makes it seem like this has been part of the Myths for all times. He is very creditable as he leads us along this fantastic journey! Adults who love the lure of Myths should give this series a try. They won't be disappointed.

Easily the best book I have ever read.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-06
Now, don't think. Do not pass go. Put this book directly into your shopping cart. The series of Dragons in our Midst is by far the best series that I have read, including the Harry Potter books(can't stand them now that I've seen six truly great books, the four in this series and the two Inheiretance books) And this is the best book in the series, by a single scale. This is definitely worth reading again and again and again. THIS BOOK AND SERIES TOTALLY OWNS!!! BUY IT!!!

The best book so far in an awesome series!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-08
The Dragons In Our Midst series is one of the best series of bookks that ther are, and Circles of Seven is the best book so far. Dragons In Our Midst makes Harry Potter seem extremly flimsy and shallow. (Which is actually fairly true in any instance. JKR was overpaid.) Anyway, THIS IS AN AWESOME BOOK!
BUY IT!


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