J Books

I've been teaching for 25 years, but this was my first year in third grade, with 30 kids. A number of them are constantly testing my limits, and I felt like I had lost my touch. This book was recommended to me, and I am reading it cover to cover over my spring break, looking for a renewed vision. The writing is easy to read, the ideas make sense, and I am ready to try again next week. I consider this essential reading for all "soon to be" teachers, and for those of us who need to reset and find the love for this job again.

This is a useful guide to class control for all teachers. It allows a teacher to review his/her current stratgies and see how those actions may be leading to increased student misbehavior. The basic issue is about taking control and not getting into useless power struggles with kids.

Setting limits is by far the most useful teaching resource I have ever found. I am in my third year teaching grade 8 history, which is a tough year for kids. Setting limits in the classroom gives clear fundamental processes for dealing with student disruptions and misbehaviors, as well as many successful strategies to prevent most classroom management problems. For all perspective teachers, I would buy this book!

This book is great. It is a honest, no BS accounting of what we do in the classroom and how to make your life smoother when dealing with difficult students. I have recommended it to many friends who are also teachers. I can not say enough good things.

I've purchased multiple copies of this book multiple times for professional development classes with teachers. It helps teachers positively manage classroom behavior in a respectful way.

A very nice book, with remarkable trees, however, from the cover I suppose I wrongly assumed they would be beautiful trees. Quite a lot of the book is spent on African trees of a very strange nature, and to my husband's suprise, very little was done on the banyan tree. I was looking forward to large, ancient trees myself. All in all, it is still a wonderful book, it just wasn't what we were expecting.

Great Book will enough the wonder hopefully they have it in the school systems or county systems

Trees are grouped by various, sensible categories that other books on trees might neglect: Giants: Gods, Goddesses, Grizzlies; Dwarfs: For Fear of Little Men, In Bondage; Methuselahs: The Living and the Dead, Shrines; Dreams: Prisoners, Aliens, Lovers and Dancers, Snakes and Ladders, Ghosts; and Trees in Peril: Do the Loggers always Win? and Ten Green Bottles. Pakenham's text is great fun to read, as can be viewed from those sectional titles, and individual tree titles such as "Tie up my feet, Darling, and I'll live forever" for the Bonsai tree that is the In Bondage section.

I suppose coffee table books really shouldn't be considered exceptional items to read - view, yes; read, not so much. This is an exception. Tolkien's Ents are invoked for a handful of trees, and rightly so; geography students who get a core borer stuck and (somehow) get permission to cut down what had possibly been the oldest tree in the world just to retrieve it are warned against; and, of course, it is mentioned that any fool can climb a gum tree. I've read this about six times this year, high time I count it officially.

beautiful book. Bought it as a gift for my brother.
I already have a copy for myself.

In fall 2006, Lansing's forestry department planted a tiny gingko biloba tree between the sidewalk and the street in front of my house.
It had four and a half branches, all oriented in one plane like the candlesticks in a menorah. You could barely roast a wiener with it.
I scrambled into the house for a book I had bought, by sheer coincidence, the previous day -- Thomas Pakenham's "Remarkable Trees of the World."
Yes! There, sprawling across pages 110 and 111, was a gingko nearly 1,000 years old, still living in Tokyo, measuring 30 feet in girth and 66 feet high.
Pakenham, a British historian with Irish wanderlust and a gentle sense of drama, has traveled the world to photograph and research the history and lore of 60 of the world's most remarkable trees.
This oversize book, just now out in paperback, is so relaxed and un-sensational you picture Pakenham walking from tree to tree, a Haydn string quartet playing in the background, not minding the continents and oceans in between. It's a follow-up to another book that's just as good: "Meetings With Remarkable Trees," in which Packenham confined his wanderings to the British Isles. The response to "Meetings" was so warm that Pakenham packed his bags and expanded his search to global proportions.
Pakenham's style is that of a curious, intelligent pilgrim. He pairs generous full-page or double-page images of his subjects with un-fussy, lightly conversational background information. He clearly respects local lore and legend, but doesn't go overboard with it, nor does he bog the text down in scientific details. The result is almost a set of personality profiles.
The images are spectacular -- given the subject matter, most of them can't help it -- but sensitively chosen and framed, with an eye toward the unique setting, mood and attributes of each tree.
It's a low-key approach, but if this book doesn't awaken your sense of awe, nothing can. That little stick of a gingko in my front yard, for example, belongs to a hyper-ancient species/order/family that predates dinosaurs. Its peculiar lineage (it's related to ferns) is betrayed by unique, fan-shaped leaves that have no central fold.
Of course, trees have their own agenda, and don't care whether they get into a coffee-table book or not (it's tempting to think they'd rather not, insofar as books are made of paper). But it was hard not to think of Pakenham's gargantuan gingko as a thundering encouragement for my little tree's stressed-out, brown-fringed leaves and spindly trunk.
For one thing, Japanese Buddhists believe the gingko, not the Bo tree of India, was the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment.
If lore doesn't thrill, Pakenham serves up history and science. For example, a gingko 800 yards from the epicenter of Hiroshima threw up new sprouts even after the atomic bomb hit.
But enough about gingkos. In this book, the reader will meet a panoply of the world's most amazing creatures: General Sherman, a mega-giant sequoia in California that weights 1,500 tons and is probably the largest living thing on Earth; ancient teapot-shaped African baobabs out of a Dr. Suess illustration; the leaning Italian cypress said to have been planted by St. Francis; wind-lashed cypresses clinging to the rocky California coast; great oaks with hollows where 20 people can sit down to a banquet; bristlecone pines now into their fifth millennium of existence.
Some of these magnificent trees are near roadsides or chained off in parks, all but ignored by passersby. The wonder of this book is that it tunes the mind to the low-frequency, centuries-long chords only these creatures can hear. Looking at trees that have lived the better part of a millennium make you wonder whether there will be a California -- the home of a disproportionate number of these giants -- or a Lansing in 1,000 years.
My bet's on Lansing, which is far less likely to slip into the ocean before my gingko grows up.

The leprechaun in this story might make you laugh. If he doesn't, Snickers the hedgehog will. You might also get a kick out of the things laughter is made of, I did. All of these fun things are inside the shell of laughter and mix themselves up in correct proportions to produce laughter. An elf then spreads the laughter over the world using the winds of the world. And because he does this, we can all have a laugh. Great story!

This story is not so much about laughter as it is about small people caring about saving laughter in certain parts of the world when the Shell of Laughter is stolen by an evil spirit named Killjoy Crosspatch.

The fairies learn what laughter is made of including eighteen tickle feathers, the sound of puppies barking, a two-part joke, Christmas snow, and a few other things. They also learn how laughter is spread around the world and that we must have some sorrow as a balance in the world in order to know what laughter and happiness are.

I like the flow and length of this book because it held my kids' interest and was a quick two-night bedtime read. My son is four and liked the story as much as my daughter, six. I have read them the first two books in this series. My son wanted to know if the brownies were going to get to lead some of the adventures instead of just helping the fairies. I won't be telling him that it looks like that isn't going to happen since this is The "Fairy" Chronicles because I want him to continue to enjoy the stories..

This is a good Smile and Feel-Good book and we will be reading it again. I recommend it for kids of all ages.

These are not the fairies of yesteryear. Nor are they ultra-mod or futuristic. Creative use of characters, good writing and a nice flow of events make this an enjoyable book. Recommended.

Thistle and the Shell of Laughter is a lovely fairytale story about fairies, but it is also a tale of the need for balance in our world. Two concepts are prominent in this book. First, that tears and laughter must both exist and second, that without sorrow we wouldn't know what happiness was. There is also a clever balance of characters in this book, real balancing fantasy (hedgehog, elk, rabbit, tortoise, bird vs. unicorns, elf, gnome, witch, fairies). The Stone of Tears balances the Shell of Laughter. The elf twins balance each other (Staid vs. Blithe).

Many fairytales don't present their lessons and themes as well as this one does. I was impressed when I read the second book in this series by how small the Web of Dreams was. I am even more impressed with this story because it is extremely clever. I don't believe a child will be able to pinpoint the theme, but will enjoy the story. As an adult reader, I find myself reminiscing about the fairytales I read as a child because this is a new version of some of those classic and clever stories.

Thistle is a fairy. It is just before Christmas, and she is at a sleepover with her friends. They go to Fairy Circle and see unicorns. The Shell of Laughter is stolen from an elf who takes it around the world so everyone will have laughter. Thistle goes to find the shell. Other people help her. A hedgehog giggles and helps her. They go through the forest and find the shell and a mean spirit who stole it. The end is happy because there will be laughter in the world again. The fairies go home for Christmas. I liked this book, and I will read it again.

F. J. Sheed was a brilliant writer. His To Know Christ Jesus, like Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ, is a great help to reading all four Gospels at the same time coherently, for as the author states, they were not written with chronology in mind, therefore the sequence of Gospel events could be confusing at times. Sheed not only guides the reader step by step through Christ's life, but as a friend of Christ (clearly the author was a man of deep prayer) he also makes the reader stop at certain places along the way to help him meditate and bring depth to the reality of Christ and the significance of His actions on Earth. This is truly a masterful spiritual work. I recommend reading it with the Bible open. It will deepen anyone's understanding and knowledge of Christ and give one a keener sense for detail, and one cannot love what one does not know well, hence the importance of this book.

This book provides the best gospel commentary/reflection known to man.

For every gospel story, this book has a thorough look at the passage along with comments on related passages. This book is well-written and easy to read. You can skip from chapter to chapter, or just read from start to finish.

Though it is easy to read, the material is dense. I've re-read this book 3 times and I'm still getting new stuff from it.

There are few books that I will *specifically* require my children to read. This is one of them. (Though I guess I'll have to wait 'til the kids are about 15-16.)

I checked the web site at www.ignatius.com for this item using the ISBN 13: 9780898704198, and the description there is of a paperback book.

The description below is from the Ignatius site
[ ISBN: 9780898704198
Author: Frank Sheed

Length: 399 pages
Edition: Paperback
]

I think that back in 1992 the book was published in hardcover under ISBN 10: 0898704197, but that edition appears not to be available any more.

I am providing this review solely about the edition that is available here rather than about the content of the book. I haven't read the copy I received yet, it was a paperback even though i was expecting a hardcover.

Frank Sheed takes the four Gospels and brings them together masterfully into one volume. Great explanations of the times and customs surrounding the events also. A must read along with Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ.

You should think you know everything about the life of Christ. try to read this book, and you'll see you have lots to learn. I think it is a really interesting book.

Rick Singer has outdone himself! If you thought his first book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present," was wonderful, you haven't read anything yet. Singer has taken the word "mindfulness" to a new level and shows us how to apply it to every moment of our lives. A Japanese Proverb says, "Beginning is easy, continuing is hard." However, they obviously hadn't read Singer's new book, " Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul: 111 Meditations for Everyday Enlightenment" -- Rick has made it easy to begin and continue. -- Sue Vogan, author/radio show host

Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (11/06)

If you have every wondered how to start finding peace within yourself, look no further than this book. Mr. Singer's book gives you the tools to change your life and be inspired to live each day to its' fullest. Day by day this book expands on wisdom imparted by a surprisingly diverse group of people, from well known spiritual leaders such as Gandhi to Jackie Collins, popular author. Mr. Singer provides you with a daily meditation based on the thought of the day. Questions for thought and personal journaling, as well as affirmations to carry through out the day, round off each day's mediations and help you find answers to your life questions. Also provided each month is a suggested reading that enhances the daily enlightenment exercises.

Mr. Singer walks the reader through his strategies for transformation. These include:

Modeling - gaining insight from the quotes and the people who said them,
Bibiotherapy - reading to gain knowledge and insight,
Mindfulness - applying the daily guidance throughout the day,
Journaling - express your thoughts and feelings in a personal notebook,
Visualizations- visualizing your transformation each day will help you achieve the results you want, and
Affirmations - internalizing and applying these truths throughout the day.

I found this book very easy to read. Every day's meditation can be completed in a few minutes. Subject and author indexes are provided should you have need for a specific topic of meditation on any given day. The suggested monthly readings fit well with the meditations and feature some of my favorite inspirational books. Each day's meditations, journaling exercise and affirmations related to some aspect of my life and challenged me to look inside myself and find my purpose. Every message was inspirational and left me wanting more. I found it impossible to read only one day at a time, even on my busiest days. I read the entire book in less than a week. Now, I look forward to each morning's message and journaling. Already I can say that I am further down the road to inner peace than before picking up this wonderful book, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds."

Richard Singer's book "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" will definitely change the way you look at life and become the person you were sent down here to be.
What can you look forward to when you get this book? The book is broken down into daily assignments...you read a quote from one of the great minds, then a short paragraph to guide you on your day along with a mind searching question which you answer. This short daily time enables you to gradually change your mindset and I have found that I think about my daily question and answer all day. I have a small notebook I take along with me and have all my short daily thoughts written down...which helps me keep the concepts I have learned so far fresh in my mind.
Another good thing is that Richard gives you a monthly reading assignment...a book written by a great mind, past and present. Having the whole month to read the assignment enables you to absorb the information.
I am gradually changing the way I look at my life and people around me have started noticing a change...more positive, more hopeful, more grateful to the abundance that I do have in my life...even if right now it's not the monetary abundance...but I am now hopeful and positive that that too will change very soon.
Thank you Richard...you have written a book that everyone can handle gradually...so even those who say "I have no time to read" can do this and will gradually want to read more.

Richard Singer is a genius at adapting a profound quote from a well known thinker of the past into a challenge, an inspiration, a motivation, and a source for contemporary personal application. Arranged as a program for daily reading, each meditation allows the reader the opportunity to gain knowledge, insight and understanding to change.

Richard than provides thought provoking questions for reflection, contemplation, and action. These questions become the basis for a personal journal that will enable the reader to assimilate and internalize these principles, to consider a higher calling to live life with an intense constancy of purpose and a sense of fulfillment.

An example of quotes found in the book is one by Richard Singer himself:
"There are three gifts you can give on a daily basis that will eventually transform all of creation; they are love, compassion, and kindness."

Richard had provided a book of the month suggestion. I plan to incorporate these books as must reading for the year ahead. I personally was challenged to live in the present moment, with a combination of determination, persistence, and patience.

This is more than a self help, motivational or inspirational book. It is a program for a changed life. I highly recommend it for anyone wants to move beyond mediocrity and to experience a more fulfilling, meaningful, and purposeful life.

If you are a seeker of truth and knowledge, "Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present" is a must read. The author created a masterpiece juxtaposition of both classical and contemporary thinkers most thought provoking works presented in a wonderful format which encourages the reader to record their own thoughts brought out by the myriad of masterminds presented so artfully in this work. The author definitely did his homework. An enthralling, mesmerising book, that no one's library is complete without. Do yourself a big favor; buy this book!

CJ Heck has really touched on the important issues that perplex and interest children from three to ninety-nine. Her concise but child-like style embodies much wisdom in her seemingly effortless story telling in the form of poetry. Her poems are geared to be understood by a child, yet the content reveals subjects that a child will wonder about, but not be able to be fully addressed by a child. The poem, Grandmother's Apron is especially pertinent. The poem is about death and explains the pain of losing someone close to you, but in such a reassuring way. Many of the other poems are whimsical and care-free like Barking Spiders, but addressing only the lighthearted things won't carry a child into adulthood. CJ Heck knew that, so she mixed all aspects of growing up into a wonderful blend of poems.

You cannot afford to pass this book by. It is well worth the cost and a must have in your child's library.

CJ Heck has published an incredibly creative and FUN book! My husband and I sat for hours sharing and laughing out loud... and then we shared it will our sons. All three, ages 5, 8 & 10, absolutely loved the great rhyming stories and silly illustrations. We can't wait for another book by CJ Heck!

Hi everyone! I'm CJ, the author of "Barking Spiders". I would like you to know, autographed books are available through me. I ship within two days and I include extra gifts with every order, too. Just click on the "New and Used Books" link to order. No extra fees, no waiting.

Thank you -- may you always see the world through the eyes of a child!
Hugs,
CJ

REVIEW FOR "BARKING SPIDERS,"

Once in awhile an author comes along with a truly delightful children's book. CJ Heck, author of "Barking Spiders and other such stuff" has been able to reach into the child within all of us. Her poems lead us through the inquisitive minds of children everywhere! The imagination in her poems is enlightening, witty, funny and sometimes sad. The wisdom through her work is woven together in a way that each poem tells a story that is both honest and clear.

This book captured my attention until the very last page, therefore telling me that it is a must for every household. What child wouldn't want to know what a "Barking Spider" is? What do they do? What adult wouldn't want to know either? I enjoy how CJ Heck is able to take a simple action such as a child brushing one's teeth and transpire it into a poem delivering a message of family, knowledge, and above all that ANY subject is worth noting! She has been able to go down to the level of a child without losing her adult perspective. Each poem has a simple message that tells a child that no question is silly.

What is really exciting about "Barking Spiders" is the way poems are introduced to children. What a wonderful teaching tool for any class! It is great to peak the interest of youngsters today and I would have to say "Barking Spiders" most certainly delivers.

Dorothy Krusky, Canada
Author of "The Christmas Cat" a children's Christmas story. 2005
"Life's Ride - A Journal of Poems 2007

CJ Heck touches on some things I don't remember reading in children's poems or stories. I like how, from a child's perspective, she articulates their thought processes which are not that much different than adults with the exception of conclusions drawn. I found the book funny, entertaining, and sweet. One of my favorites is "Just Like Me", a poem about identity, with a great humorous last line. "Waiting" is another one of my favorites and is so universal whether you are a child or adult. I thought "Monkey Me" was very funny and true. Overall, I'm glad I have the book and will read it to my friend's children and my own someday. It would be fun to get their reaction.

What a wonderful love story this book is. Not just a story of love between humans, but love for a region and love for a culture. The reader comes away with an understanding of the beautiful Sherpa people and a personal glimpse into their world. As I head to Nepal shortly, I do so with a better idea of the unique setting - a setting that provided such a magnificent backdrop to this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I love reading all kinds of books about Mount Everest. I read "Into Thin Air" and that immediately got me "hooked". However, this book really emphasized the importance of the sherpas and the difficult job they have to do in order that the climbers might achieve their dream. It is a beautiful love story.

This fictional story about the Sherpas of the Mt. Everest region of Nepal is highly entertaining and informative. I am planning a trek to Everest base camp and this book provided invaluable insight into my future experience. I have become very interested in the Sherpa culture, food, religion, etc. since reading this book. (Prayer flags fly from my balcony now). Linda does a good job telling about the Everest experience from the Sherpas point of view rather than the climber's. There are many books written about the climber's experiences but few about the Sherpa experience. The Sherpa have been gaining support from many who have visited their country. The love affair between a Sherpa and an American writer is thoughtfully threaded though the Everest and Sherpa fabric so that it is not overbearing. I enjoyed having a glossary of terms in the back. A must read for climbers and trekkers and all who love outdoor adventure.

There are many adventure/love stories but few that cover a world that is so remote and different from ours in the west. I could "see" the mountains, "hear" the yaks, "feel" the cold, and "long" for a love so deep.The story carries to you to the land of Everest and the Sherpas in an interesting and fast paced adventure. Although fiction, it seems as if these characters are somehow known to the author and may in fact be real people with the names changed for privacy. I dare you top begin and put the novel down once begun.

Great book. The detail about the Sherpas' lives could have only been written by someone who had been there. Really takes you to a completely different place and culture and lets you live it. Great read.

This book looks like it is a simple, quick read. The layout is appealing, the words aren't smooshed onto the page and yet - there is such richness in the words, such complexity of heart, soul and spirit.... I read it through once and now revisit it, daily, for further insight.

Henri Nouwen is one of those authors I have read about but whose words I have never read in more than short quotes.

This book has made me into a fan.

My life is changing due to this book. It is one I can heartily recommend to anyone interested in living a more complete life, Christian or not Christian alike, the teachings are applicable across denominations and possibly even across faiths.

Nouwen walks his talk and can't help but take you along with him. I wish I could speak to him, to ask him questions.

Ahhhh, his other books will have to be enough.

This was the best book I have read by Henri Nouwen. It is a book every Christian should read and ask the question "Can I Drink the Cup?"
I will read and reread this book and mail several to my family and friends.

An easy read. Helped me to better understand that the sorrows and joys of one's life can also be blessings which we should lift up and celebrate.

Excellent Book by Henri Nouwen. Read 3 Nouwen books at once and recommend his books for spiritual reading.

During this past Lent season, I fasted and contemplated for a while. I came across this book by Henri Nouwen. His other book "Out of Solitude" helped me much when I was taught about fast and contemplation 15, 16 years ago, so I picked this up, got a cup of mocha, and started reading...

Through the years, my life goes on and on, occupied by work, family, church, and everything seemed all smooth and peaceful.

Unknowingly, I have suppressed in my mind much life's hardship, sufferings that cross my paths.

This little book somehow restores wholeness (catholic) back to my incomplete self, not by teaching information, but by sharing with me Henri's own personal journey and reflection.

Insteading of compartmentalizing my memories, embracing and deepening life's hardship, uncertainty, sadness brings me healing.

Now I live my life with peace and strength not of this world.

James Qwilleran stayed the compulsory five years in Pickax to complete the requirements placed on his inheritance. He is now officially a billionaire. Now it is time to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He intends to go somewhere--a quiet island with a beach or a mountain hideaway--someplace where he can have seclusion and quiet to sort out his options and make plans.

Qwill (as his friends call him) decides on a whim to spend three months in Spudsboro, a small town in the Potato Mountains. It was recommended highly by some friends who camped there recently. Finding a house to rent is always difficult with two Siamese cats as roommates. The only thing he can find is a huge house on the very top of Big Potato Mountain. It was originally built as an exclusive lodge for well-to-do tourists. More recently it was the home of the area's most influential businessman--owner of the local newspaper. It didn't take long for Qwill to discover the house he rented had been the scene of a ghastly murder a year earlier.

I do admire Jim Qwilleran's ability to converse with everyone he meets. He is well practiced, of course, since he made his living for years as an investigative reporter for various newspapers. He knows just how to steer the conversation and just the right questions to ask. He makes people so comfortable that they usually tell him anything he wants to know. Of course, he has an uncanny ability to read people and know when he is being lied to. Within two days of arriving in town, he is sure that the wrong man is in prison for the murder.

The author does an amazing job of making us empathize with Qwill's frustration with the situation he has gotten himself into. He came to the mountains for solitude and a time of reflection. He had no desire to get mixed up in the politics of the region--environmentalists vs. developers. He really had no desire to get mixed up in the mystery surrounding the murder. But...being a reporter for so many years (and truly caring about the innocent man in prison), he just could not resist finding the truth. It doesn't take long. Qwill has learned to trust his instincts--and the instincts of his cat Koko. Together they follow the clues and confront the real murder.

I highly recommend that you get acquainted with Jim Qwilleran through the "Cat Who..." mystery series. You will like him.

This is a great book about a man and his to crime finding clue cat Koko and YumYum. There is a mystery on potatoe mountain on a death of a local well known man. Was the wrong person framed. This book is fantastic except kind of has a dissapointing end. But i loved it anyway. I hope you enjoy this book and look for my other reviews

The Cat Who is the best serries ever full of humor wit and complexity,
James Macentosh Qwilerin is a off beat repoter/Billion air with his 2 cats Koko and Yumyum who are no shorter than extra ordinary.
This is the best book serries I have ever read and would recomend it to any one over 10.
[...]

In an earlier book in this series Jim Qwilleran inherited a pot full of money but there was a stipulation. He had to live in Moose County for five years or he forfeited his windfall. As this book begins, Qwilleran has just completed his five years and is contemplating his future. He has come to love Moose County and it's quirky residents but he was born and raised a city boy and sometimes he longs for more action. The former reporter decides that he needs some time in a quiet atmosphere to think through his options and one of his friends suggests that he spend some time in the Potato Mountains.

In order to find a summer retreat that will accept pets, Qwilleran has to rent a huge former mountain inn that sets on the peak of Big Potato Mountain. It turns out that the last owner of the home was murdered and as normal, Koko immediately begins to exhibit strange behavior. Yum Yum on the other hand starts to tear out bits of her own fur, a behavior that has Qwilleran very upset until the veterinarian tells him that this is not unusual in a spayed female. It is a trait that I have witnessed in my own spayed female cat and this little sidebar makes it very clear that Mrs. Braun most assuredly knows her cats.

Qwilleran for his part has all kinds of trouble in the unfamiliar mountain setting. He has learned some things about rural life during his sojourn in Moose County but the mountains provide an entirely different set of challenges. He gets lost on the mountain roads, almost falls over a waterfall, gets lost while hiking in the woods and gets trapped on the mountain after a dam break. What's a poor city slicker to do?

Despite all of his trials, Qwilleran still manages to get involved in local politics. More specifically he gets involved in a fight between the Spuds (people who live in town and support development) and the Taters (mountain people who oppose development) and he finds that a serious injustice has been done to one of the Tater families. With the help of Koko, Qwilleran wades through the evidence (and a mudslide) and discovers the truth, which once again puts his life in danger and requires a cat to save the day.

The mystery itself, as is often the case in this series, plays a decidedly secondary role in a plot that is laced with humor and oddball characters, including an old mountain man who builds Qwilleran a gazebo that has no door. This book is also a warm fuzzy mystery with a conscience as Mrs. Braun goes to great lengths to point out what happens when humans try to bend mother nature to their own ends. As usual, the writing style is engaging, fun and entertaining. This author's characters are always unpredictable and unforgettable and the cats are fascinating. Mrs. Braun even throws a few witches into this book, just to keep things interesting. This is one of the best books in the series so far and it was a real pleasure to read.

In "'The Cat Who Moved a Mountain', Jim Qwilleran took a vacation to the Potato Mountains to have a much-needed rest away from it all. It was here he found he had rented a hotel that had been the site of a year old murder. The locals tell him that the man is now in jail. But Qwill finds out that they have the wrong guy! Then, with the help of Koko, he finds the real murderer and lures him into addmitting it was him. Then Qwill has a near-fatal run-in with the murderer. What will happen? I'll let you see for yourself! Enjoy the book!

This is a helpful resource for those beginning in the field and will give new ideas to those who have been working in the field for awhile. Each exercise is introduced and explored thoroughly. These exercises can be used "as is" or as a jumping off point by using your own creativity to tweak them for each unique client. We need more books like this.

I have been working directly with children and families for over 2 years, and I have utilized many tools in an attempt to provide an effective intervention; however, none of them have been as effective as the worksheets and intervention strategies found in this book. It has helped me to get to a whole new level when working with families. The tools provided in the book WORK, and I have REPEADETLY experienced it first hand. IT IS NOT JUST ANOTHER BOOK OF USELESS ACTIVITIES!!!

The worksheets and homework assignments are not just given; however, a complete explanation of the appropriate utilization of the tool, as well as a case study with the tool is provided. As a graduate student who is in the process of learning how to be a professional and competent counselor, this book greatly assist me in learning how to apply effective counseling techniques in REAL LIFE SCENARIOS!!! Many of the activities in the book can be utilized in both a Christian and Secular setting. This book has NO BOUNDARIES for the multitudes that it can affect.

The Christian Therapist's Notebook is by far, the most helpful book I've come accross in my Master's degree program in Counseling Psychology. The exercises are ready to use and detailed enough for a beginner or more experienced counselor to implement. One of the interesting components about this book is that it takes into consideration the individual as a integrated unit, considering even the spiritual component of a person's life.

The Notebook has activities for individuals, couples, adolescents and even children. It is a great resource for projects related to group and group processes, as it gives exercises that can be used for a variety of concerns.

Finally, the best part of the book is that the authors have carefully compiled a list of resources not just for the therapist but also for the client; therefore, you have an available list of materials you can refer to the client, which is organized by topic (ex: eating disorders, anxiety, etc.).

As a student and future beginner therapist, I appreciate the wealth of information the authors have shared and systematically organized. It is a great tool box!

Christian therapists need look no further, combined this with the Bible and you will have all the tools you could ever hope for! No doubt you too will think that this book is so well thought out and masterfully written that surely the Lord Himself must have had a hand in this.

The book is very user friendly, you can just open to the section you are looking for and begin. With each and every section being strongly based in Biblical truth and wisdom that only comes from years of experience in the world of mental health counseling. The information is comprehensive and does not leave you confused or wanting further explanation. This book is easy enough for a student, but comprehensive and effective enough for a therapist to use.

Whether you are a Christian therapist, pastoral counselor, or someone who just likes buying books on the internet this is the book for you. I for one hope that Dr. Henry continues to write more books.

This workbook is divided into three sections, one for individuals, one for couples and families and one for children and adolescents. Each one of the sections include homework assignments, handouts and suggested activities. The focus of the book is to answer the question of what do you do when the door closes and you have to deal with the practical issue of effective therapy. In the Christian Therapist paradigm you also have to deal with you can connect this person back to God. The purpose statement of the book is very clear - to provide Christian therapists a way to be passionately Christian and still remain clinically professional.

The information provided is very comprehensive. For each exercise there is a guiding scripture, objective, rational for use, instructions, vignette, suggestions for follow-up, contraindications, resources for professionals, resources for clients, and related scriptures. All of the activities are strongly Christian and Bible based. This fact alone makes it an excellent resource for any church pastor or other leader who is counseling in a church setting. It is also excellent for any therapist working with a client with a background in the Christian church. The exercises are honest and point out in the contraindications when it would not be appropriate. When an exercise makes presumptions as to the client's spiritual level or orientation the contraindications spell it out in the contraindications section.

The Christian Therapist's Notebook is an excellent resource for the Christian Therapist working with Christian clients and highly recommended for that purpose. The exercises are on target and integrate standard therapeutic principles into a Christian environment.