K Books

The battle of Cedar Mountian was fought in early August, 1862. The battle took place just south of Culpeper, Virginia along present day highway 15. Cedar Mountain was a prelude to the battle of Second Manassas. Robert K. Krick has done an excellent job of bringing this battle to light. As in all of Krick's books, the research is outstanding and the story well told. This was not one of Jackson's best performances on the field of battle, and Krick does not gloss over the mistakes. Robert K. Krick knows his subject, and it shows up in his writing.

385 pages for a 5 1/2 hour battle tells you just about everything you need to know. Krick is very thorough in depicting the battle and is also forthright in warning the reader that he is sometimes delving into supposition and making logical conclusions from the facts at hand. His writing is reminiscent of Gordon Rhea as is his detail. Good maps. I am hard pressed to see how this added to Stonewall's reputation as Bank's men, far outnumbered, kept Jackson from interrupting the consolidation of Pope's Army of VA. This book should stand as the definitive work on the battle.

Jackson leaves his lethargic performance at the Seven-day's battles to go North to confront Pope and northwest of Richmond he runs into a former nemesis from the valley, Banks. Banks gives him great fits in a slug fest described in minute detail by his battlefield biographer Krick. The desperate battle shows Jackson's personal leadership as he is at the brink of failure when he impulsively rushes to the front to have his troops hold and counterattack. He heroically pulls his sword and leads by waving it to the front. Krick's descriptions are so detailed and accurate there is a bit of humor as Jackson, unable to pull his sword out of the scabbard, waves his sword with the scabbard still in place. This is a ferocious battle as a cannon shot decapitates the leader of the Stonewall Brigade, Winder. Ironically, A. P. Hill comes up and virtually helps save the day. The Union Commander, Banks, although not considered particularly competent, always gave Jackson an unusually hard time in battle such as an earlier defeat at Kernstown. This battle, although a victory for the Confederates, still leaves a bit of a shadow on Jackson, as he seemed ill prepared for battle and survived with assistance from Hill's legendary light division. This battle has everything including a virtual suicidal Union cavalry charge at the Union's final desperate attempt at victory.

The tactics of the battle cannot be better described by anyone other than Krick who was the Superintendent of the battlefields at and around Fredericksburg. A great researcher, Krick probably walked the entire battlefield. Comes with a number of helpful maps showing movements, which help the reader, follow the detailed battle movements.

Over several decades I have read thousands of Civil War
books, and this is one of the best ever! It should be required reading for anyone researching and/or writing about any aspect of the Civil War. Mr. Krick's masterful study of the battle makes any further account superfluous; it has
the suspense and excitement of a novel. And, after all, why
bother with fiction when such superb historical books are
available? Excitement and education - what could be better?

In my humble opinion, Krick has written an excellent account of a small-scale and largely forgotten but bloody battle. Compared to Gettysburg, Antietam, Chickamauga, Vicksburg, and a host of other larger Civil War battles, Cedar Mountain has been largely forgotten. Fortunately, Krick has taken the time to produce an excellent account of what Stonewall Jackson himself admitted was his finest battle.

Krick manages to weave accounts of combatants of both sides with vivid battle actions and excellent descriptions of various terrain features that figured prominently during the battle. The book also contains something several other Civil War studies lack - excellent and ample maps. The maps are of excellent quality and help the reader better understand the flow of battle.

I haven't visited the battlefield since the mid-1990s but plan to return in the near future. Krick's title will be an invaluable aid for better understanding the battle during my next visit.

Read and enjoy. Highly recommended!

After reading Before Women had Wings, I hungered for more from Connie May Fowler. I found Sugar Cage to be a deeply satisfying follow-up. The novel, told in many different voices, takes us on the unforgettable journeys of a diverse cast of characters, all of whom reel the reader into an intricate tapestry woven by Fowler. Startling descriptions of Hatian voodoo rituals were among the most vivid scenes from the book, whose magical conclusion leaves the reader spellbound. A mesmerizing novel, Sugar Cage, like Fowler's other work, has left me hungry for more!

SUGAR CAGE weaves the story of such disparate people as Inez Temple, black maid to rich folks, Patrick Lackley, finicky mortician, and Charlie Loonie, front-man schmoozer for a local band. The women in this book will steal your heart -- especially the dear-hearted Inez, Charlie's loyal wife, Rose, and the magical Soleil Marie Beauvoir. The story is often dark and sad, but the mystical ending will inspire and uplift you.

For a first novel, I found the writing astonishing. Anyone who can make you care about so many contrasting characters (and make it easy to follow the thread) is a born writer. I adore a novel that pulls you in from the very first sentence . . . SUGAR CAGE does that.

This was the type of book that you can never put down. I read it all in one night. The best part about the book is the way the author displayed each character individually. It then ended up showing how each of the characters were uniquely linked togeather. It's a book that I will always love to read again and again. I would most definitly reccomend it.

Connie May Fowler creates intimacy for the reader and all of the books characters. By bringing first person to all the characters we get to know more about how people choose the decisions they made and what motivates each one towards the life they choose. I really enjoyed the way she was able to keep the story progressing thorugh time but also using other's perspective on what occured or is occuring at the moment. Also the influences of Haitian voo-doo help add new depth to Florida southern culture. And gives new information to the reader about pagean religion and the intellegence and beauty it brings to the characters of this book. I felt her pride or her willingness to explore and place in a positive light Haitian voo-doo. I think the main essence of the book for me was that everyone needed to listen to thier own voice. And once they steered away from that is when thier lives turned towards unhappiness. The realness of coming to terms with our demons and releasing ourselves into our own strengths was what I felt Fowler was trying to get across. The beauty of how she used everyones perspective instead of one main character and narrator is what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed being able to be sypathetic to everyone's life and the way they had/have chosen to live it.

Inez Temple is working as a maid in a cheap tourist hotel on the South Florida coast when she meets Rose Looney. A Haitian woman with an ability to "see' the outlines of peoples lives, Inez sees in the sugar crystals in the bottom of a glass Rose has drunk from the outlines of a cage and knows early on that Rose and her new husband, Charlie, and their friends Junior and Eudora, and their children, are destined to be trapped in many ways in the years to come.

15 years later, Rose knows this as well. How she struggles to find her way through her broken marriage and try to save her only son from the same fate in the midst of all the "bars of the cages" society and life confine her within--poverty, racism, sexism, cultural snobbery and so on, is at the core of this unusual tale of life in the melting pot that is South Florida.

The mysticism gets a bit out of hand at times-and stretches credulity it the process, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent novel.

This is the type of book for people who want just a touch of tradgedy and also a dash of romance. This is a book I totally recomend for all teen readers. It is an absolutely wonderful book and it has been like a delightful journey to a whole new world!

This is without a doubt the best book I've ever read. I have never read a more innovative, entertaining, and interesting take on the Arthurian legend. This book is absolutely fascinating, the kind you wish would go on forever! When I finished reading it for the first time, I turned back to the beginning and started it again. This book is wonderful!!

I thought this was the best book I had ever read. I loved how the author brought you into to this fantasy world as you were soon off on an adventure with Rigan, Morgan, and Arddu. If you haven;t read this book you should,. -A grade 6 student feb.16,99.

I read this book perhaps 7 or 8 years ago, and only once. But to this day, I remember it as one of the best books I have ever and most likely will ever read. Welwyn Katz takes a fascinating story and puts an entirely new twist upon this interpretation of Arthurian legend to make a truly wonderful, truly memorable book.

It was amazing. I read the book quite a while a go, but the images that I pictures were so vivid and the description of the battle of cruelties between the two magics were so imaginative - 5 stars way up!!!

I found this book to be an expression of love and support by parents who have had to make the hardest decision. It is filled with wonderful thoughts and memories of those who have loved and lost a child. It was a help for my husband and I who had to make the heartwrenching decision of terminating our pregnancy.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has loved and lost a child.

I wish our geneticist would have had copies of this book ready to hand out (along with the medical information about our baby's chromosomal abnormality). It would have been a HUGE help to have read this BEFORE interrupting our pregnancy (We learned of this book the week after losing our baby). This reaffirms our choice...we (as THOUSANDS of other parents) chose the route we did out of the utmost love for our unborn son.

The book has stories shared by others who have 'walked a mile in my shoes'; however, most of them went through the L&D process (the main method at the time this book was written). It doesn't mention much about D&E (except for a short section).

If you find yourselves or someone that you love in this heart-wrenching situation, by all means read this book!!!

Unfortunately in my profession, as a prenatal genetic counselor, we occasionally providing bad news to expecting parents. Many of those parents have express great appreciate for this book as being extremely comforting during their time of need.

I bought this book after my husband and I lost our first and only child to anencephaly. I looked for ages to find a book which specifically addressed the emotional pain that parents who chose to terminate a fatally ill child have, and had no luck. Then I came across this book and it was a godsend. The book takes into account the very personal and gut wrenching decisions that parents must make, and talks about them in compassionate and empathetic ways. I would HIGHLY reccomend this book to any parent facing the loss of a much loved and wanted, yet fatally ill child.

I got this book after we made our decision, but I would recommend it to anyone who is making a prenatal decision or who is dealing with their decision. Well written, empathetic, a book any parent in this situation can relate to.

Sara, teaches how to turn your life from a Stone to a Gem. She motivates you to get rid of the debris in your life by coming out of the the Rock Pile and surrounding yourself with other Gems.

She tells about how she sat back and let God control her life. Sara Freeman Smith, is truly a GEM. A must read book!!!

After reading this powerful book,I was inspired, motivated and empowered, to seek my true God given purpose. This book offers practical and simple tools to aid in finding direction in every area of one's life.

Great job!!

This book is quite an inspiration to me for I am reminded of myself and the difficulties in life that befell me at an early age. I am greatful that the Love of God is displayed in the life of ordinary people.

I was moved and touched by the candidness of the author to share things that are quite senitive and kept close to the heart. That is something I want to do, yet the time is not right. To share how elderly people loved her enough to adopt her and rear her as their own child touched me in ways that are identifiable to my own situation.

It is my opinion that any oridnary person who is struggling to make their life worth while in the mist of difficulty would do well to read this book and discover that God knows how to intervene and provide you with what you need.

I must say that this is a very inspirational writing on what one could use to turn their life around and walk into a status of brillance. The author has explained in a clear format what it takes to accomplish the task of becoming a Gem...

Thought provoking questions are asked that will cause you to search your life and see where you've turned and maybe you should have walked straight or taken a step back and meditated for 15 minutes more. She realizes what the foundation should be in becoming a stronger person and uses sound doctrine to substantiate her findings.

She addresses throughout her writing expressions of possitive thinking and guidance on what process should be implemented to reach the next level in your life. You can not miss the mark once The Six P Process is setup and you are focused on obtaining change in your life.

As a writer and inspirational speaker, I can honestly say that this book inspired and motivated me! Sarah Freeman Smith does what few writers have the courage to do....she lets us see her as a person, not as a critical expert sitting up on a throne. After only a few pages, I found myself in awe of Sarah's life story. If anyone can tell us how to turn dull lives of stone into shimmering gems, it's Sarah. I put her in the league with Iyanla Van Zandt and Jewel Diamond Taylor!

This book is hysterical. I love that the author actually put in writting many of the things I thought to myself while I was pregant. Thanks for the laughs, and your honesty! I'm going to give this book to every new Mom I know!

This book is brilliant and much needed, a knee-slapper that rightfully makes fun of a topic we often take way too seriously.

Even a man would get a lot out of Moore's quick wit and delightfully crass straight talk. I read my girlfriend's copy and immediately recommended the book to several female friends. Maybe I even secretly bought a copy for myself...

Kudos to Moore--a book that should be read by every pregnant woman and every man who secretly wants to impregnate a woman but is too cool to admit it. Her publisher should sell dust jackets of a manly variety so we can easily hide the guilty pleasure.

I'm always looking for one of those books you can read a line from and laugh while opening presents. The laughs come a little easier for me now that my girls are in their 20's and their friends are having showers. It's one thing to be a good writer. It's another thing to be funny. Mary is both.

Cindy Gabriel

My first pregnancy, I wanted all the info and read through mounds of informational month-by-month guidebooks. For my second pregnancy, I just wanted a good laugh and this is it! This is the perfect book to make you laugh-out-loud at those little talked about effects pregnancy has on a woman. Buy this book if you are pregnant for the first time, the second time or the fifth (and beyond). This is definitely a must-have for your baby shower gift basket!

This is a great gift for anyone expecting or any new moms! "The Unexpected" is hilarious and says all the things that you are thinking but may be afraid to ask. I laughed out loud reading it especially at the "Baby Shower" chapter. It also has chapters on the first six months of baby's life that will help sleep deprived moms laugh a little.
I have given two books as gifts to expectant friends and have a copy for myself. I plan on having one in every baby gift basket I give!

In 1805 a young boy Sam and his uncle are pressed into the British navy. Meanwhile A girl named Molly moved to America from England because her father died and her mom fell in love with an American. One day Molly goes into a bookshop and buys a book with a piece of Sam's ship called HMS Victory and signed by is granddaughter. Sam's life is described very well and is very detailed and you always know what is going on. Molly's life is very dramatic and really draws the reader in. Toward the end Sam's story gets gory and if you don't like that kind of stuff you won't like that part. This book was so good I couldn't stop reading it.
This book was the perfect mix of history and modern day mysteriousness.

Jordan.

Victory by Susan Cooper is a tale of time. When two people are join together from different times. United by one person and a cloth both people come together. Both feel the same way as each other. Sam Robbins is a boy who's family was poor. He joins his uncle but is then press into the navy. Molly Jennings a girl who

Certain authors publish with an aura of definite mystique. Lloyd Alexander, for one, can still elicit a certain thrill when his books sit on a shelf. Ditto Philip Pullman. But of all these fellows, not a one of them can hold a candle to the majesty and plum good writing of Ms. Susan Cooper. Her "The Dark Is Rising" sequence is still the go to series when it comes to Celtic myth and Arthurian legend. It was with great shock that I discovered a couple years ago that not only had she written comic pieces (as with "The Boggart") and time travel ("King of Shadows") but that she was STILL WRITING. Somehow I'd assumed "The Dark Is Rising" books were written decades ago solely for my own enjoyment and that the author had long since passed on to another world. Hardly. It is fortunate indeed that "Victory" proves how wrong I was. Not quite a time travel book, but not quite realistic fiction either, this latest Cooper saga follows two children, inexplicably tied to one another. And while it's not the author's finest work, there's no denying the fine fabulous writing that has gone into it.

Molly's world has fallen totally and irreparably apart. A logical girl, she understands why she and her family have moved from London, England to Connecticut. She knows that her new stepfather and stepbrother are fine fellows and that her house and room are bigger and more beautiful than anything she's ever had before. She knows this. However, Molly is so homesick for England that she'll hold on to anything that might tie her to it as if it were a lifeline. When a book of the life of Lord Nelson falls into her possession, Molly starts finding herself connected to the life of a boy who lived hundreds of years before her own. Sam Robbins was, during the time of the Napoleonic wars, pressed into serving on Horatio Nelson's ship. Once he is on The Victory, Sam finds himself both horrified and awed by his experience as one of the crew's powder monkeys. Told in alternating chapters, the book charts Molly's journey back to her former home to visit The Victory today, and Sam's journey over the seas on the boat he would soon regard as his own.

Because the book is shifting continually between the present and the past, Cooper sometimes writes herself into an interesting predicament. On the one hand you have Molly, who's misery is palpable. Cleverly, Cooper allows the reader to feel the child's homesickness and sheer unhappiness just as if it were their own. We are utterly sympathetic. At the same time, though, Cooper has coupled this tale alongside Sam's story. There is a moment in the book where Sam has just been forced to wear an iron bar in his mouth for three days as punishment for something he mistakenly did. He cannot eat or drink or sleep and the bar cuts painfully into his skin, drawing blood. The chapter ends after the bolt is removed and suddenly we're back with Molly who's problems, let's face it, shrivel up and dry in the face of Sam's agony. As I read the book I wondered if Cooper was aware that the reader might not sympathize with Molly as keenly once they'd been introduced to Sam's torturous situation. I needn't have feared. I suspect that Cooper knew exactly what she was doing when she paired Sam's tale with that of Molly's because at that moment the reader starts to feel that the Molly dilemma can only be solved if she herself understands how small her problems really are. The climax comes when Molly does realize this in an almost violent but necessary fashion.

A co-worker of mine started reading the book, but stopped when she found it dull. I was fascinated by this reaction, especially since I've been wondering how kids would react to this story. Would they be bored? Thrilled? I think Molly's contemporary tale is definitely necessary. I suppose the first image of the funeral march for Lord Nelson might be a bit slow as beginnings go, but once Molly is thrown head over heels into the ocean as her step-brother and step-father sail, the tale definitely picks up. Of course, it's filled to brimming with ship terms. And there's quite a lot of discussion of how the ship is laid out. Interestingly enough I kept suddenly envisioning the layout of the ships found in "The Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. I suspect that if you wanted to make a reader reluctant to pick up this story, just explain to them that there are ship fights similar to those in the "Pirates" movies. I can't guarantee that that would work, but it's certainly worth a shot.

But you know, it's just all about the writing, isn't it? The little moments that separate the good books from the so-so ones. Cooper has a couple of those up her sleeve. One of the story's more touching details is the fact that Molly adores her new little baby step-brother, Donald. At one point the family is on the Tube in London and Donald is alarmed by the loud noises. Molly plays peek-a-boo with him to cheer him up. "All the surrounding grownups watch, with nostalgia soft in their faces, except one thin man in a tight dark suit, who retreats behind a newspaper with a disdainful sniff". I could never tell you why, but that's one of my favorite moments in the book. Cooper's writing never lightens the story's tough situations, by the way. Sam is pressed into service with the Navy against his will and the ship situation is gritty, gory, and thoroughly unpleasant. Just the same, you get a hint of why Sam felt that it should become his life's work, no matter what.

Boy, I sure hope that a huge swath of kids today are Anglophiles. Between "Endymion Spring" trying to convince them that Oxford is a hip youth hang-out and Ms. Cooper giving us a hearty heaping of Lord Nelson facts, the time has never been better to be enamored of all things English. With it's almost too tasteful cover and whopping great amounts of historical fiction ah-flowing through its gills, "Victory" is probably not going to be the first book the kids pick up when they walk into a library or bookstore. For those with a penchant for both history and realism, however, they may well find much to love here. Enjoyable indeed.

Suffering from severe homesickness for her former civilized life in London, eleven-year-old Molly Jennings is deeply unhappy. She has been transplanted to Connecticut into a new life and family by her mother's marriage. Forced into a sail with her stepfather and stepbrother, Molly is accidently knocked into the sea. Her terror, before she is pulled to safety, is so profound that it seems to set into play strange, psychic connections with a young British sailor from the past, Sam Robbins. Having been kidnapped into service in the Royal Navy, Sam ends up serving loyally on the HMS Victory with Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The seemingly unrelated stories of present-day Molly and early nineteenth-century Sam are told in alternating episodes. The connection between the two is masterfully. gradually revealed. The excitng past infringes on Molly's present until it culminates in a frightning denoument aboard HMS
Victory, now a marine museum. The ending, which ties up the complex threads of the story with astute perceptions of history, is totally satisfying. Another victory for its author.

Sam Robbins is an 11-year-old ship's boy, forced from his home in England when he and his uncle are pressed into service in His Majesty's Navy in 1803. Sara Jennings is an 11-year-old girl, forced from her home in England when her mother remarries and moves the family to Connecticut in 2006.

Years and miles apart, the two youngsters share a bond, woven into the cloth of a tiny fragment from the flag that once flew over HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson at Trafalgar. The two children's lives couldn't be more different, yet author Susan Cooper weaves them together with the expert touch of a seasoned writer, best known for her landmark "The Dark is Rising" series. Cooper's research is impeccable; although Sara is an entirely fictional creation and Sam was nothing more than a name on a ship's register, Cooper has turned them into real, three-dimensional characters who feel, and consequently make readers feel, too.

Cooper's work is always readable and entertaining. Seasoning her story heavily with history from the exciting days of Nelson's Navy, there's enough detail about life aboard a naval flagship to make readers feel the wood beneath their feet, hear the wind in the rigging and knock their bread against the table, for fear of weevils. The juxtapositioning of Sam's and Sara's narratives -- Sam's in first-person past, Sara's in third-person present -- is completely natural, flowing easily across centuries as their stories unfold.

Written for young-adult readers, adults will find themselves equally captivated by this delightful novel.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

I purchased this book new in 1980. It is one of the best math reference books I have seen and that I own. It's coverage is quite broad and rigorous and it treats each subject with care and often works from first principles and introduces the applications and often the historical context. I used it extensively during college and keep it here at work for reference when I need to get up to speed in a certain area of mathematics.

I was a double major in physics and mathematics as an undergraduate and kept this nearby at all times. Of course some texts provide more detail in specific areas, but this is definitely one of the best, if not the best reference review mathematics book available. Very few books or sets of books have the breadth or scope of this book and the technical depth and rigorousness without becoming pedantic or obtuse.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in mathematics or would like a good mathematics reference book that covers most topics that might be of interest. The only issue is that the book was written in 1977 and so does not cover some topics that have been expanded on and become popular since that time. Fractals, computational proofs of theorems, etc.

This is the math book I wish I had in high school or middle school, but I didn't get it until college and it wasn't out in print until late in my high school years anyway.

I purchased my copy of this book in the late seventies and it is the reference work that I have used most often since that time. Nearly all the areas of basic mathematics are covered and I used it when I was teaching mathematics full time in the eighties. I also found it invaluable when I was solving problems that appeared in math journals and now use it extensively in my role as co-editor of Journal of Recreational Mathematics.
This book, or a subsequent edition when this copy wears out, will always be within arms length on my reference shelf when I am doing mathematics.

If you can get your grubby hands on this book, DO IT.

This book is AMAZING. I really fell in love with it when I checked it out of my middle school library. It was dusty, and no one had checked it out for...TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. I checked it out...and ended up checking it out for the year. Sadly, they did not let me buy it from them. But, to my luck, I found one when I was on ... vacation! Though, it is in poor condition.

This book has so much information. It is very compact and dense. It uses about...hmm...three colors, and black. Each color means something different. For example, each thing in a blue background means it is a sample problem or example. The colors make it absolutely fantastic, and readable.

This has a pretty good overview of A LOT of mathematics up to about 1980. That is, there is no fractal geometry and stuff. And take the word 'overview' lightly...it can get pretty in-depth.

I wish they made these kind of books today, where content and quality is more important than eye-candy and superficial explanation.

Get this book if you can.

I have two editions of this text, both bought back in the 1980s, and it is one of the most amazing books I have ever owned. Over the years, time and again this book has delivered when I needed some quick facts and a refresher on material I may have learned elsewhere. The best part of it is that it is full of illustrations, important when one is trying to obtain intuition on a subject. Not much is missed here, at least as of the date of publishing. Facts that might require pages and pages to uncover in a more comprehensive title on a subject, e.g., differential calculus, are all packed within a few pages in this title, making it a good reference.

I was suprised to see this title is out of print. Hopefully it makes a comeback. So much information never took up so little shelf space as this book. For those who love mathematics, this is a must buy in my opinion.

This is THE book that I use with my home schooled children for MATHEMATICS. It is well written and has clear and comprehensive coverage. Start at page one and go through the text in order. Highly recommended, and I hope that we will see it back in print soon.

I have been a Druid for twenty-three years and I have recommended this book to my adult children and others who are interested in the Druid path. It is a thought provoking read - but it is not a book for reading in one sitting. I found myself going back, re-reading, and contemplating the intent of what was written. I enjoyed it a lot, and recommend it highly. It should be on every Druids book shelf. It represents the metaphysic principles of the Druid path that I have not found anywhere else. It defines and explains the essence of what a Druid should be in the here and now based off of historical evidence of the Celtic culture and the Druids. It briefly explains the past of the Celtic culture without becoming a boring thesis. This naturally sets up why Druids were Druids and how they interacted with the tribe.

It suggests doctrinal and theological principles that Druids likely taught in relation and perception to the Celtic way of life and perspective. Many of which we would do well to emulate and thus the title - it is very appropriately title for the contents of this book.

It does not have any rituals, but these are available from several other sources. It simply reflects what a Druid should be, steeped in Celtic lore of one living in our harried world of today. Good read - get it.

In addition to being the best book on Druidry that I've seen in the last few years, this author includes extensive information on Celtic history. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in either of these two subjects.

This book is perfect for the established Druid or those who are just curious. It offers a lot of important background information that other books I have read leave out. After reading this book, I feel a renewal in my Celtic and Druid beliefs.

Seemingly effortless in it's portrayal of a complex subject, I agree with the other reviewers who consider this the best book on Druidry available. I only wish I had found it 15 years ago! Easy to understand, accurate, encompassing a wide variety of topics, practical, well organized & engrossing. Kudos to Graeme Talboys!

Graeme Talboys is to be congratulated on the writing of such an effortlessly readable yet intellectually satisfying account of the history, nature and practice of the modern Druidic tradition. This book is written for Druids and non-Druids alike and both will learn from it. The book begins with a succinct but useful history of the Celts and then proceeds through philosophy, cosmology, ritual and practice. One of the most difficult aspects in writing a book of this type is getting the structure right - taking the reader through the various aspects of Druidy in such a way that they receive the right information in the right quantity and in the right order; this is the book's strength. The writing at times seems to suggest a preference for solitary practice over the institutional. His section on modern organisations could have offered the reader more information on contemporary orders. It was interesting to note that the Bibliography contains no books by either Philip Carr Gomm or Emma Restall Orr, both leading figures in major contemporary Druid communities. The Way of The Druid is an excellent addition to contemporary writing on modern Druidry and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about its beliefs rituals and practice.

Matt Bourdoul joined a wagon train because the beautiful Jacquine Coyle and her family would be traveling on it. He knows there is something wrong because they are going to the gold country. Matt feels the danger and he must find out the plans of this wagon train before it is too late. Louis L'Amour is very descriptive of the setting and his characters. He paints a vivid story of danger, intrigue, and adventure. This is one of his best books. By Ruth Thompson author of "Natchez Above The River" and "The Bluegrass Dream

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early Settlers

L'Amour does it again. Not only a captivating, well-written story but he shares a bit of history from the physical location of the story. Much overlooked, L'Amour is a tremendous writer who can create character, plot and drama in an efficient and exciting way.

When a group of Outlaws devise a scheme to rob a wagon train of white settlers for over $300,000, it seems that nobody will be able to stop them. With the cunning Sim Boyne as their secret leader, their plan seems foolproof. But they never counted on a young, honest gunman named Matt Bardoul joining their wagon train. Bardoul is skeptical from the beginning, but his interest in a girl takes him into the action. All this takes place in the time of the Sioux troubles of America and some of this history is given along the way. It is a good book, but you'll have to read it to see if the Indians take the blame or not this time.

I rated the book,Westward the Tide by Louie L'amour to get four stars.In the beginning, they used a great way of describing characters and built foreshadowing at first opportunity. I also enjoyed how they explained some important events durinmg that period, and the relationships between white men and Indians.When there were fights, they described what happened very clearly, and drew an almost perfect picture in my head. Halfway through the story, an Indian comes to a man, and explains the Indian's entire point of view of white men, and told what they are doing to the land. I thought this was very clever of L'amour, and it was helpful for anyone reading it to further undertstand that time period. The battles made the book exciting, but some parts of it lacked interest and were too boring.

Just one look at the beautiful and spirited Jacquine Coyle and Matt Bardoul knew that she was the woman for him. So when he finds out that she and her father and brother are planning to go on a wagon train, he decides to go along too. When he first learns about the wagon train heading for the rich pasture of the Big Horns and the gold which would be plentiful there, he finds nothing wrong. But soon he starts getting an uneasy feeling that something is definitely wrong. The wagon train would be made up of strong and innocent men and their families but they would be lead by a pack of the worst murderers, thieves, and gunslingers. Though Bardoul gets and urgently whispered message telling him not to go, he is still determined to go on the train because of Jacquine and the land at Big Horns. Bardoul doesn't realize that he is getting involved in a very deadly plot where the bad guys would stop at nothing to make sure everything goes according to their plans. Will Bardoul be able to figure out their plans before it's too late?

I just love Louis L'Amour's westerns and "Westward the Tide" has got to be one of his bests ever! With plenty of intrigue, suspense, action, and romance, for any L'Amour fan this is a must read. One of the best things I like about this book are the characters which are portrayed. Characters like Matt Bardoul, Jacquine Coyle, Brian Coyle, Clive Massey, Buffalo Murphy, Logan Deane, Ban Hardy, Portugee Philips, and more, L'Amour wonderfully displays the different types of people who made up the American frontier.

Other L'Amour books I highly recommend are: All of the Sackett books, including my most favorites, "Jubal Sackett" and "Galloway, "North to the Rails", "Broken Gun", "Crossfire Trail", and "Comstock Lode".