Audio Books

After taking Patrick's meditation workshop on applying "The Secret" to your own life, and having it be my 1st meditation experience ever, I was hungry for more and asked Patrick specifically if he could recommend a book with a cd for follow up on meditation practice. He grinned and produced a book without even telling me it was his own. The book is a great read, and has a meditation cd on the back cover.
I truly believe the soul is magical and is working round the clock in ways we don't often notice. When we open our hearts, we will see manifestation of just what we wish for appear at just the right time, before our very eyes. Patrick's work is truly inspirational. Bought them as gifts for my soul circle of friends. Highly recommend.

The CD alone is worth the price of the book! Patrick's soothing voice, eloquent words and spiritual wisdom are truly a rich blessing.
Ed Rockey, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair
Pepperdine University

Patrick Harbula's "Magic of the Soul" is one of those rare books that I picked up and could not put down, and that I have revisited many times as a source of inspiration and enlightenment. As a child, I loved watching magic acts and was mesmerized as I observed magicians seemingly pulling things out of nothing and transforming objects. Throughout this book, Patrick reminds us that our spiritual nature enables us to perform this "magical process" of calling forth greater goodness into our lives and our world than we have ever known. I particularly appreciated his practical insights on how we can transform our life challenges into something good and meaningful without denying the pain or discomfort we experience as we move through them. I cannot thank Patrick enough for the ways that his work has enriched my life, and how it has supported me in my work as a minister and spiritual counselor.

I highly recommend this book wherever you are on your spiritual path. "The Magic of the Soul" is loaded with practical tools you can use everyday. Patrick's personal experiences, inner journeys and spiritual studies culminate in this book and are shared as gifts for the reader. The book comes with a remarkable CD full of guided meditations. I especially love the guided visualizations where Patrick's voice is an enchanting journey to our own inner wisdom and love. Author Patrick Harbula is the consumate teacher that you can experience for yourself through his classes, workshops, retreats and certifications at the Life Purpose Institute. I encourage you to experience the magic of the message with Patrick.

Patrick has ascended elegantly so far in this life. He is a gracious, kind and unconditionally loving soul and this comes through brilliantly in his "The Magic of the Soul." I encourage people interested in their own spiritual and practical self development to experience his words, thoughts and meditations. We are blessed to have this wonderful man in our time. Read, enjoy, ascend...

Oover the last fifteen years I have been meaning to read certain authors. H.E. Bates, Anthony Trollope, P.G. Wodehouse, E.F. Benson and the like.

Last week I succumbed to a nasty bout of influenza and E.F. Benson. I had grabbed the slender volume of "Mapp & Lucia" from the library shelf and it had rested in my bookcase for almost a week. Not wanting to dull my brain with endless hours of television, I cracked open "Mapp & Lucia".

Ten pages into the book and I was hooked. Lucia, her period of mourning almost over is looking to regain her iron control on her hometown. First action, regain her star role as Queen Elizabeth in the village fete.

As I read Lucia's plots and plans, a strange thought hit me. Lucia is the creature Hyacinth Bucket (the main character of the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances) secretly dreams of being. Having taken over the fete from her dazed and confused friend, Lucia goes onto greater pastures, the hometown of Miss Elizabeth Mapp, reigning social goddesss.

Miss Elizabeth Mapp (known as Mapp) plots with her friends to rent out their respective homes a profit. Lucia and her best friend (a gentleman who brings to mind a cross between KUA's Richard and AYBS Mr Humphries) move and slowly begin to take over the town. Mapp is not pleased and a genteel war of one-upsmanship begins between the two ladies.

Drawings are rejected from the art exhibit, parties given, ownership of produce and fruit desputed with the poor town in the middle. Matters come to a head on Boxing Day (December 26) when Mapp decides to steal a longed for recipe that Lucia refuses to give to her.

Lucia stumbles on her rival in the kitchen and both women are swept out to sea on Lucia's kitchen table (yes, Lucia's kitchen table, this is a not a mis-type). The town mourns the two ladies as lost and the Great War of Mapp-Lucia as over.

Okay, enough said. You'll have to succumb to the collective charms of the ladies Mapp and Lucia yourself and find out all the bits I've left out. Now, I'm off hunt down and read the rest of E.F. Benson's wonderful books.

"Mapp & Lucia" is like reading Trollope's "Barchester Towers" with the gloves off. The teacup may be small, but the battles rumble like thunder on the bay. Lucia is incredible. She combines absolute self-absorption with ironclad charming resolve to succeed in her every endeavor. She really is wasted being queen of Society in a small English village when fulfilling the duties of Lord High Admiral would not cause her so much as a tiny frown.

Lucia is a newly minted widow in this hilarious outing. Her fires have been banked, and she is anxious to get back in the swing and show her mettle. She rents a house for the summer from the formidable Miss Elizabeth Mapp of Tilling. Miss Mapp is clearly the leader of society in Tilling and revels in her role. Lucia eyes the situation, and the lines are drawn in the most charming but resolute way possible Lucia is the richer of the two and possibly more clever, but Miss Mapp has some powerful advantages of her own. She has pride of place, a town full of quaking allies, and indomnable perseverance. When these two square off, the fun begins and doesn't let up.

This is a delightful read, a mood lifter of the first magnitude. "Mapp & Lucia" is my introduction to Lucia, and I cannot wait to further my acquaintance with this fascinating lady.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

This is the first book I've read in E.F. Benson's "Lucia" series, and it is fun-filled ride indeed. For Benson novices, Lucia Lucas is a middle aged, recently widowed (in this novel), perfectly nice upper middle class woman who just happens to have the mind of Machavelli. Missing her obvious calling for World Domination, she is instead content to rule the social life of her small English village with an iron fist. As "Mapp and Lucia" begins however, Lucia has long since deposed any serious threat to her social dominance in her immediate vicinity, and decides fresher pastures are in order. She packs up her things (including , of course, best friend and right-hand-man Georgie) and moves to Tilling, where she expects she will be made society Queen in no time flat. Unfortunately for Lucia, Tilling already has a Queen, one Elizabeth Mapp, and she has no intention of relinquishing her crown.

The scene is thus set for a true Battle Royal, only in Tilling the battelfields are luncheons and dinner parties, and the weapons fruit gardens and lobster recipes. The results are very very funny, as the genteel of Tilling spend a breathless year thoroughly enjoying each swipe, snub and put down. The hilarious climax has our heroines floating out to sea on an overturned kitchen table, with Lucia's last audible words promising delicious gossip just as soon as she gets out of her current mess.

Benson draws his characters exquisitely well, I found myself flat out liking her. She is an Englishwomen of the 1930's, past her prime but still youthful, who just happens to be blessed (cursed?) with the personality of an Alpha Male. The resulting battle of wits with the formidable Mapp is fascinating; Mapp is clearly not her intellectual equal but through a mixture of deviousness and and cunning manages to pull the carpet from underneath Lucia's carefully laid plans time and again. The supporting characters are equally well written, with best friend Georgie and Mapp's crony Diva especially amusing.

All in all, a funny, entertaining and biting satire that is well worth reading whether you are already a Lucia fan or are picking up a Benson novel for the first time. Highly recommended!

Read these books and discover the truth. It's all there -- the vanity, greed, passion, jealousy, and exultation. Don't let the objects of all these towering emotions fool you (lobster recipes, psychic bridge, red currant fool, babytalk Italian, dead budgies, suspect gurus, the Moonlight Sonata), it is the stuff of life!

E F Benson's characters are just sublimely and achingly funny, it seems with Mapp and Lucia he was aiming to scrutinise and satarise the nosensical heirarchy and rivalry of bored and over privelaged upper middle class folk.
This aspect of the British Class system was one he knew well and which was breathing it's last in the times in which Mapp and Lucia live, witness the somewaht irritating coldness with which the Ladies treat their Maids, Drivers and Shop staff.
Lucia is the dominant character, lithe, fashionable and razor sharp while Mapp is clumsy, mumsy and opts for bulldog tactics.
The two appear in many novels, Lucia more often and one cannot help wonder if she was based on a Lady whom Benson was ever so slightly in love with, but here they meet for the first time, as Lucia moves to "Tilling" for the summer in Mapps rented out home "Mallards". The array of colurful charcters they surround themselves with and draw into their delighfully bitchy and cunning war agaisnt each other, are of equal delight, of particualr note are Quaint Irene and Georgie. Perhaps seen as little more than bohemian in their day but doubtless these characters would now be seen as obviously Lesbain and Gay; with the former being in love with Lucia. A daring inclusion in Benson's time but subtle and beautifully inclusive one.
Fans of these deliciously naughty pair should see the 1986 TV series which is available on DVD. Geraldine McKewan (of current Miss Marple fame)is petite, pretty, acid and simply perfect as Lucia while Prunella Scales (Cybil of Fawlty Towers) brings Miss Mapp to dusty, dowdy and bullish life! Excellent stuff!
The series was filmed in Rye in Sussex, home town of Benson, it used many locations close to his home (Lamb House), such as the lovley houses of Watchbell Street (My favourite being No 11 which was used as Godiva's house) and "Twistevens" shop on Mermaid Street, actually a Tea Room in reality.
WELL WORTH A VISIT! Literature fans may also wish to know that Lamb House was once home to American novelist, Henry James before Benson's time. One can also visit Benson's Grave in the town. Benson was Lord Mayor of Rye for a while and the river "Tilling"-ton flows through the town.

I've read some great stuff on leadership, but "Mastering Monday" is one of my favorites.

John Beckett is not a theorist, but a practitioner. I've actually had the privilege of visiting his plant in Elyria, OH. I was deeply impressed with the way John interacts with his employees--they're family.

John is unashamed of his faith. The Bible is his source of inspiration. His use of biblical characters as examples of both success and failure doesn't come across as preachy, but prove that the Bible is still relevant for the world of work today. Ironically, John Beckett the `businessman' cites the Bible more than most preachers who attempt 'cross-over' books on leadership for the general public.

From personal observation I can confirm that John Beckett is the same person in and out of the marketplace. His godly character is particularly evident in the kind of family he and Wendy have raised. That's true success.

Surprisingly, for a man who is not a writer by profession, John Beckett communicates with remarkable clarity and creativity.

John Beckett has shown that integrating work with faith is possible---and the dividends are worth the investment.

I like "Mastering Monday" so much that I ordered a whole box!

John Beckett has a perspective of nearly 50 years in grappling with faith and work issues. His book, Mastering Monday, gives a remarkable perspective from a Biblical and contemporary setting to understand important issues. Beckett is well versed, well travelled, and has a thoughtful spirituality.

I know of few other marketplace leaders in the world as respected as John. His book should be a primer for every markteplace ministry and every church that understands the sacredness of vocational calling. Those of us who live in vocationally driven metropolitan areas will well appreciate the clarity with which John writes on the topic of calling.

We will encourage our church and marketplace networks here in New York City to make wide usage of this invaluable resource.

Dr. Mac Pier
President, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
Chairman, Fulton Street Anniversary Congress

How refreshing to find someone who has a positive, creative angle on business! Whether you are a CEO or simply in the work force "Mastering Monday" is essential study to help pave the way to a fruitful and fulfilling experience for those looking for a balanced family, community and business life.

From the outset "Mastering Monday" steps right into the nitty gritty work situations that regularly grab newspaper headlines tackling issues like .... personal conflict....union confrontation....attempted takeovers....global fall-out of bad business, etc. this leads into John Beckett focusing the reader on essential management policies and practices, the need to rethink relationships, as well as the balance between work and family, employee health, safety issues, and the bottom line in the balance sheet. This book sets out a corporate roadmap that spells out vision, mission, core values and principles essential to forge a balanced corporate character of your business.

"Mastering Monday" is designed to help businesses in the work place to bridge the gap between faith in God and everyday work bringing these two worlds together. John boldly relates some well known Biblical examples of godly personalities who set the highest standards of outstanding leadership from Noah to Jesus. There is a compelling chapter spelling out the end of business where God's principles of integrity and equity are ignored. John illustrates his point with some well known examples of corporate collapse due to business excess, pride, abusing influence in the workplace and devaluing people, with the subsequent impact on the business community and society in general.

In the final chapters John lays out five rock solid structural building blocks for a business based on sound Biblical principles that transcended time and circumstances. These principles cover areas such as....a sense of purpose....core values....the importance of people....stewardship in business and what it means to serve. Again John uses practical examples of these principles which have dynamically effected many spheres of today's business world and the benefits they have brought, not only to individuals but to the community by and large.

Momentum for change is touching hundreds of corporations and organisations as they rethink how they can live out sound Biblical principles in business in seeking to integrate faith and work. This is a genuine move of God potentially changing the whole landscape of work as an integrated part of living out a Christ-centered life naturally in the business world. I would highly reccommend "Mastering Monday" to every one involved in business and management.

Noel Bell.
Retired partner of Noel Bell Ridley Smith, Architects and Planners.

As a sequel to John Beckett's interntionally acclaimed LOVING MONDAYS, we're now empowered with a practical handbook to help us engage the marketplace for Jesus Christ with enthusiasm and hope, doing so effectively and with significant impact for Him -- thanks to Beckett's tried-and-proved insights. Playing on words ('mastering" = serving the Master), the author speaks to practical issues related to various facets of daily Christian discipleship. But he does so from the unque perspective of his years of leadership as one of America's most successful Christian CEOs. Yet, he writes in such a gentle and winsome manner, that anyone seeking to live faithfully for God's Son in the weekly challenges of the business world will find great encouragement, while at the same time gaining key principles on how to integrate faith and work so as to doing nothing less than bring glory to God. As far as I know (and I've spent 30 years traveling the Church worldwide) there is not another book out there today that speaks so directly and forcefully to any follower of Jesus in the markeplace the way MASTERING MONDAYS does. I highly recommend it. And while you're at it, if you haven't done so already be sure to follow it up by reading LOVING MONDAYS. To be joyful citizens of God's Kingdom in today's world, you need to experience both: the "loving" and the "mastering". The Lord Jesus deserves both. Thankfully, Beckett shows us how.

John Beckett has accurately captured many of the struggles and tensions Christians experience daily in the marketplace. Aspects of the author's journey are common to many Christians. His chapter "Integrating two Worlds" will be a help to any Christian in the marketplace -it is an issue that continually manifests itself. The phrase "I found that my growing faith was often relevant to work issues - but the reverse was also true. Workplace issues challenged and strengthened my faith, occasionally more than I anticipated." provides an encouraging perspective. The author shares his own experiences in this realm - in a transparent way that should be encouraging to all who read.

The section "Companions on the Journey" provides a number of biblical stories and characters from which much is to be learned and applied to our work world today. These are not one size fits all stories, but the characters and illustrations the author selects will provide much to think about. This is mixed in with some stories of contemporary business leaders and recent situations they have faced and their responses.

Finally, a discussion of God's workplace agenda and what theme's the author believes are critical in this discussion. In light of some recent business failures (more specifically failures of leadership) - this section does a good job of connecting the themes to "good business". It is a reminder of what really matters - and some encouragement to have the courage to do the right things.

This is a pretty quick reading book, but I don't think it is a read once and put it on the shelf. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it every year or so to remind myself of proper perspectives and to be encouraged in my work.

I've yet to find a Victoria Holt book that I don't like. This was a great historical biographical novel. The historical research was accurate. This book made the triangle between Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and LetticeDudley come alive. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. It was absorbing ( I couldn't put it down) and I felt that it was a pretty acurate depiction of the Virgin Queen's life. What better way to learn history than by reading a highly entertaining novel?

This is, by far, one of the best books, if not the best, I have ever, ever read. Victoria Holt really did her research on this book, and it is a pleasure to read both from the fiction-lover's viewpoint, and from the biographers. Be forewarned, however, that if you are not already in love with Robert Dudley and Elizabeth I, you will be no later than halfway through the book.

Interesting read, I was fascinated to learn more about Lettice Knowles. From previous books I have read about the period, I had heard Lettice's name occasionally, and knew there was some speculation about whether or not Henry VIII fathered her mother during his affair with Mary Boleyn. We'll never know.

All in all an enjoyable read - not the greatest in the historical fiction genre, but worthwhile to learn more about the secondary players in the times of Elizabeth I.

I have to say, it's kind of sad that history has all but forgotten Lettice Knollys. She was, according to this book, one of the most vibrant and influential people of the day. But she also made a terrible enemy of her queen, perhaps explaining why more people don't know about her.

Everyone who knows something about Queen Elizabeth I knows that she loved a man named Robert Dudley, a man she gave great honors to and had known all her life. Some historians even believe that he killed her wife so he could marry the queen, and that they may have had a son together. But Elizabeth remained unmarried all her days (and supposedly a virgin) while Dudley had two wives in his life.

The second was Lettice. She was the Queen's cousin and possible her niece as her mother was popularly believed to be Henry VIII's daughter through Mary Boleyn. She came to court when Elizabeth came to the crown and soon fell in love with Robert Dudley. Later they would become lovers and eventually marry. But always it was a relationship of three people, the Queen, Robert and Lettice. Later on, the Queen would give her son from her a previous marriage great honors, and eventually was forced to behead him when he led an uprising against the crown. In that relationship too was the Queen, Lettice's son the earl of Essex, and Lettice.

This book is her story. It's a little dry at times, being a supposed memoir Lettice writes before her death at the age of ninety six, but overall not bad. I do like to think of Robert Dudley as an entirely different person as described in this book, but hey, this was the authors vision and if she saw him as grabbing for power (which he was, true) and not truly loving Elizabeth for herself not just for the crown, that's her choice.

The only bad thing about this book is the most annoying way Lettice constantly says how beautiful she is and how she's so much prettier than the queen and all men love her and bla bla bla. It gets old fast. But hey, a vain women would probably write her life story like that.

Other than that, I just like to view Elizabeth and Dudley in a more romantic way then this book does. Possibly I'm deluding myself. But if you're like me, then read this, because its not a story I was familiar with and I bet most people aren't either, and then read the secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, for the very sweet scenes between Elizabeth and Dudley (part of the book takes place right after Elizabeth becomes Queen).

Nate The Great lives up to his moniker as the neighborhood detective who works alone in this hilarious and page-turning novel for young readers.

The simplicity of the writing will add to the enjoyment for kids and parents, as well, who will be sure to be reminded of hard-boiled detectives in those old black-and-white movies we've all seen on TV.

You'll love sharing this book (and a big stack of pancakes) with your kids!

Nate is one of the best kid detectives I have ever met. The books are instant classics and I was inspired and interested in reading the whole series since third grade. I will buy the whole collection no matter what, just to have this smart gumshoe in my book case for my own pleasure to read again and again.

This book is a great detective book. Nate helps his friend find a lost picture.

I never did read any Nate the Great growing up...and what a shame. It's amazing that Sharmat can do so very much in terms of story and humor with so few words. It's great for beginner readers and uproariously funny as a read aloud story (especially if you can do the P.I. voice-over effect). This initial installment (I believe there are over 20 in this series) finds Nate the Great on hire for his friend Annie who has lost a favorite picture of her dog Fang. Nate is confidant that he can find the missing painting and sets out to systematically follow all the leads he's been given. He questions suspects and eventually tracks down the culprit, while enjoying meal after meal and snack after snack of, what else, but pancakes (his favorite food, of course).

This book is funny, charming and most of all...my kids just LOVED it! I have a 6 year old and an 8 year old, sometimes story time is tough and we're having more and more trouble finding books that appeal to both a 6 year old by and an 8 year old girl! We'll be reading more Nate the Great, because they both found it hilarious and best of all, Girl easily read it to Boy several times after having it read to them as a bedtime story! Absolutely Hilarious, I give it an A+

With charming illustrations and a clever case-cracking hero, early readers will love to read this book as well as the others in the Nate the Great series. Nate has a kid's dream "job" of being the neighborhood detective, and he is surrounded by quirky companions whose cases he solves. These witty stories with a vintage originality will have kids reaching for the next one . . . and the next. . .

While this is not quite Dr. Seuss' most inspirational book, it is certainly up there and is the type of book happily devoted to creativity. The illustrations are fun and silly, as is the text, but there is still that smidgen of proper Seussian wisdom.

Not too long, not too short, extremely entertaining as all Seuss books.
I gave 4 instead of 5 stars because I am very frugal about scary images with my kids and as I read it I remembered a couple of the pages scaring me when I was young.

This is my favorite of all the Dr. Seuss books I have seen. It is imaginative and the illustrations are really fun. My son and I read this book so many times that we had to buy a new one. When my son was an infant I would find him sitting on the floor looking at this book on his own and he would be mesmerized for several minutes while turning the pages.

Very fun to read. My toddler son enjoys hearing it. Can't go wrong with this Seuss title.

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Is a charming book by the immortal Dr. Seuss who wrote many fine children's books in his time. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! is no exception. This book encourages children to imagine and eventually explore the world without fear.

The book has excellent illustrations that amuse children--and adults; and the rhyming text always impresses me.

The book starts by encouraging children to use their imaginations to think up what other animals and/or places in the world may be like. This alone can stimulate a lot of conversation between you and your child about other places in the real world and what life is like there. This will go a long way toward teaching younger children about the world out there that one day they will be exploring for real. In addition, the book also has Dr. Seuss using his own imagination to give examples to children as to how to use their imaginations; we get words about foreign things and sounds like "guff" and "schlopp." This does a marvelous job of teaching children to always be optimistic.

The book has even more value. Younger children will profit from learning words critical to their growing vocabularies including yellow, blue, red, pink, black, white, night, day, left and right--and more! Excellent.

The book cover withstands some throwing around just in case your child accidentally mistreats it; and, as always, the paper quality of these books by Dr. Seuss is very good.

I highly recommend this fine children's book. It teaches much to both very young children and older children as well. Get this and enjoy it with your growing child!

This book is a must for everyone to read. It is very inspiring to live a month full of life and no regrets.

One Month To Live by Kerry and Chris Shook This book is not what I thought it would be from the title. I had expected to be reviewing a book that talked to cancer or other dying patients to uplift them. However, this is a book for everyone, and it is excellent. The authors advise us to imagine what if we had but one month to live... how would we spend our time? This really makes you put your priorities in order. The challenge is to live this way for thirty days, doing only what really matters to you, spending quality time with family and friends, drawing closer to nature, God, or your higher power, and cherishing each moment. The book is one we should take to heart and live by, because this is not a dress rehearsal, and no one knows how many more days he or she has...each day must be treasured and lived to its fullest. A terrific guide.

Samuel Johnson once wrote that, "Nothing focuses the mind as well as the prospect of being hanged in a fortnight." Perhaps the same could be said of the prospect of knowing that you had but 30 days to live.

Such is the premise of the book, "One Month to Live." If you knew you had but one month to live, how differently would you live. How would you spend your time or break your current routine? How would that clarify your values?

Co-authors and husband and wife team Kerry and Chris Shook collaborate to offer a day by day series of reflections on how one might use these thirty days. The focus is one strengthening one's relationship with God and Jesus Christ. The intended audience is clearly Christian.

"One Month to Live" is a provocative call - somewhat like Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life" - that forces you to reflect on what your priorities are and what lends meaning to your life. Whether you are Christian or not, the exercise is worthwhile. (The book lends itself quite well to small group study clusters.)

A limited time horizon of 30 days forces us to shed ballast in our lives, focusing on those relationships and activities that are truly meaningful. In the end, we don't know if we have 30 days or 30 years left on this earth.

What we do know is that, in a sense, we are all terminal.

This book is fabulous. I borrowed it from the library and since has bought several copies for others. I gave to one as a birthday gift and it receives raves as well! Now everyone wants a copy. The word is spreading like fire! An Excellent Read.

This book has made a huge impact on how I view and live my life. Taking everyday to reflect on what is important and what I can do to take life by the horns is a daily reflection during this study!

Initially, I bought the Praying for Purpose book to infuse my daily quiet time (plus it was on sale). I was enjoying Praying for Purpose so much that I decided to take the advice at the front of the book and read Pathway to Purpose as the foundational book. Significant time elapsed between my buying the book and actually reading it--mainly because the longer chapters were daunting when combined with my hectic schedule. Nevertheless, I knew I need to really delve into it because I am at a watershed period in my life. Well, once I began reading I was drawn into the contents. I was particularly struck by the author's relation of her own story. She writes with strategic candor--sharing vignettes of her life with precise relativity to the principle being shared. I was not able to fully relate to the first 2 chapters but I appreciated their advance wisdom. I am still working my way through both books because ever so often I stumble on something that takes me a few days to "soak in." Nevertheless, I've enjoyed Pathway to Purpose so much, I bought copies for each of my Women's Ministry Coucil members. I would totally recommend it!!!!!

I found this easy to listen to but not of much help to any pathway to purpose for me. It was interesting and did get some ideas from listening to it.

This book is excellent for doing exactly what the title predicts. It has certainly been a pathway to God's purpose for my life. I am slowly discovering the passions that God has placed in my heart and connecting them with, what else but, His purpose for my life.
Carole

This book is one of the most significant books I've read in awhile in regard to helping me honestly evaluated God's place in my life and my own motivations for serving Him and relating to others. This book makes me feel like I want to sit with the author and discuss at length the concepts she brings forth in her book. Ms Brazelton must be an awesome mentor.

If you are wondering about your purpose or or ust plodding along day to day, this is for you!!!!!

Peter O'Toole starred in the 1990 TV film version with Mare Winningham and it was titled "Crossing to Freedom." I remember really enjoying the movie although I have yet to read the book. I checked, but this movie doesn't appear to be on DVD or VHS.

This is a very well written story that shows how amidst war and destruction there are still people who can keep their humanity. The author also demonstrates that advanced age is no barrier to good deeds and perilous undertakings.

Nevil Shute describes the surroundings and characters with such detail it is hard not to see exactly what he wants the reader to imagine. Unlike any other book I have read, I was entranced. I have always been intriqued by stories about WWII, and this is a good one. When elderly Englishman takes a holiday in France trying to get over his sons death, he finds himself the leader of a band of children trying to escape the German invasion.

I was amazed that the movie has not been put on VHS or DVD. The movie follows the book fairly closely. Monty Woolley plays the elderly man, and Roddy McDowall and Anne Baxter play two of the children. Otto Preminger is a German Major. Made in 1942 it is both dramatic and comedic. I highly recommend you try to catch it on TV.

I have been a Nevil Shute fan for a long time. Many have never heard of this author. This is one of my favorites along with "A Town Like Alice" and "Trustee From the Toolroom". I'm glad to find it in print again so I can replace my very tattered copy and get my 16 year olds to read it!

I first read this book as a child when, identifying with the children who could have been my compeers, I saw the movie at least five times. I loved the book then, and I love it now. The story is simply told, from the point of view of an elderly Englishman, whom we first meet in his London club during the Blitz. Too exhausted to move to a shelter, he begins to tell his tale to a stranger, who has also decided to sit out the raid, while the Luftwaffe's incendiary bombs fall closer and closer. The old man's story unfolds slowly as tells of a fishing holiday in the Jura--the mountains that border France and Switzerland--in the early months of 1939. The story may, in fact, unfold a bit too slowly for some modern readers who have been exposed to the terse squibs that proliferate novels nowadays, but Nevil Shute is such a skillful storyteller that he draws the reader almost unawares into the narrative, rather in the manner of an expert angler reeling in his fish.

Even though I know the story well, I could not put the book down until the very end. I was, after all these years, inextricably hooked.

This is an excellent and hillarious poetry book. I used to work in an elementary school library. The kids would love it when I would read it out loud to them. This also makes a good oral language book. My own kids love it as well. The pictures are great.

I teach kindergarten and my students picked out this book for me to read to them during snack time and I fell in love. Now it's one of their favorite and I have it memorized. I'm buying one through amazon to have at home to read to my own son. Not only is the text funny, flowing, and interesting... but the illustrations are absolutely hilarious! My students love to act out the pictures and point and laugh at pigs in their underpants and a cow tied down to train tracks. Did I mention that I love this book?

We checked this book out from the library and it has become one of the top ten requested reads from my daughters (4 & 2-years old), so we've decided to purchase a copy.

Not only are the story and rhymes great, but the pictures are incredible for playing "I spy". "I spy a pig in a kilt! Who else spies him?" There's alot of action and detail, so it's a lot more than just a good reading book or a great picture book.

I think this book should be on the book shelf of every kid!!

David McPhail's art work is reason alone to buy this book but the story is an added delight! I highly recommend all of his books, but this one in particular. Children will love it as well as adults!

I happened to catch an episode of PBS's Read Between the Lions, which highlighted this book. I thought it was cute and picked up a paperback version at the bookstore when my daughter was still a baby. My daughter loved it. It was one of those books that ended up being a repeat bedtime book and she still enjoys it today. Of course, the paperback version started to wear and tear, so I went to Amazon to find it in hard cover. We will keep the book until she has kids of her own to read it to.