Publishers Books

"Searching For Spice" by Megan DiMaria is a wonderful look at marriage and how it can grow a bit stale through the years. The cover drew me to the book. Then, the author grabbed my attention with the quote from Song of Solomon 8:14 that seemed to perfectly fit with the title. The story of Linda and Jerry captured my heart as I sympathized with their humdrum plight of day-to-day marital bliss. The situations and dialogue made me laugh out loud and sigh and tear up.

Not only does this book entertain, it also gives some solid ideas on how to spice up your own marriage. This was an absolutely wonderful way to spend several hours. I highly recommend this novel.

Sometimes an "ordinary, everday, oatmeal-for-breakfast, dog-underfoot, kids squabbling" life . . . is an extraordinary blessing. Ask Linda Revere, the heroine of Megan DiMaria's delightful debut novel SEARCHING FOR SPICE--after she campaigns for sizzling, scented-candle romance . . . and encounters a coldshower of conflicts. Then must finally face the uncomfortable question, "Is my faith . . . a 'Sunday thing'?"

Ms. DiMaria's well-written contemporary novel has laugh-out-loud moments, rings with truths today's working wives/mothers can understand, and ends with a soul-satisfying, uplifting moment of truth. And heart-tugging REAL romance. You can't beat that. You can only beg for more! Bravo!

I loved this book! It especially touched me because I'm going through the same health problems as Linda. And I'm so glad there's a sequel coming, because I want to tie up the loose ends.

Megan DiMaria does an amazing job of dropping the reader directly into the scene. The main characters are so real I have a hard time believing that Linda and Jerry aren't still living on somewhere in Colorado. Speaking of Colorado, be prepared to want to take a trip there after you read Searching for Spice. This is a fun book to take on vacation this summer.

In Searching for Spice, Megan DiMaria has hit a home run. You'll experience a wide range of emotions as you follow Linda and Jerry Revere as they approach their 25th Anniversary. Linda is looking for more romance from her husband and thinks that this is the one thing she needs to make her life complete...until curve balls begin to come her way. You'll find yourself turning the pages of this wonderfully-told story as fast as I did...and along the way you just might feel, as I did, that you've found a "sister" in Linda Revere.

A great book that uses a gardening analogy to teach how to improve your sales ability. Even though I'm not a sales professional, this book gave me excellent ideas how to go about improving customer relationships in my consulting business. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to build relationships with other people.

Top sales performers are rare. They consistently exceed plan year after year. The secrets of consistent overachievement are clearly laid out in SPROUT! Having personally nutured some some of the top sales overachievers in the Medical Industry, I see those key success factors in this easy-to-read book. Sometimes the most simple things are the most powerful. SPROUT! is one of those things.

The notion of growing your business like a garden may not seem particularly original, but the direction these authors take their sales advice in is quite fresh. In an unusual and welcome act of focus, they dwell on one aspect of the sales professional's life: how to prolong your career and stick with it, despite the weeds and rocks hurled continually at today's selling professional. Their advice is practical and couched in colorful anecdotes and garden metaphors. Sales advice blooms throughout the story of an imaginary sales professional, Marsha Molloy, who is struggling to get her professional groove back. Since burnout is an epidemic in the sales profession, this book is a valuable addition to the topic. It offers solid advice, or "sales seeds," in a colorful and engaging way. We strongly recommend it to all those who seek to do more than make a sale - and, rather, aim to build a sales career.

I read Sprout! in a couple of hours. Once I started I couldn't put it down. I loved the gardening methaphor, the simple elegance of the model and the meaningful insights from the discussions between the key characters. Already, I have reaped the benefits of implementing some of the actions recommended in my own job -- and I'm not even a sales person!

In Sprout!: Everything I Need To Know About Sales I Learned From My Garden, Alan Vengel (consultant, speaker, and educator in management training and organizational development) and Greg Wright (San Diego based business consult) collaborative in using the garden and gardening as a model to illustrate easy and practical ways for sales professionals and managers to generate peer support and motivation. Job burnout rates in professional sales is very high, as a result, the loss of employee talent, experience, and the consequent expenditures for rehiring and re-training replacements is a corrosively expensive drain on the corporate bottom line -- not to mention the emotional toll burnout represents in devastating so many men and women in their careers as sales professionals. By adhering to the "user friendly" steps outlined, explained, and illustrated in Sprout!, salespeople can beat "career blues" and successfully continue in their chosen profession with renewed vigor and appreciation. Very highly recommended reading!

After reading this book, I've since given away my copy and bought it twice. It's based on a simple concept: eliminate negative self talk by recognizing it, arguing with it, and replacing it with the truth. Anyone who has ever been discouraged, experienced doubt, or been angry at themselves will learn from this book.

The book is excellent. Im' reading it for the second time which I rarely ever do with books. The dissatifation I have is the 1st week I had it the book started to come apart. Books are not made as good as they use to.

Very beneficial book for both counselers and clientele.
I would recommend this book to anyone searching for a Christian solution
to every day problems that are difficult to identify and overcome. I first read this book in 1984.

After reading this life changing book by Backus I am completely transformed. I used to suffer from depression and anxiety (for 10 years) and had paid lots of money for therapy and medications but NOTHING helped me until I read this book. It opened 100 windows and has changed my life for the better.

I read this book many years ago, and it was a huge turning point in my life. I will never forget it, but acutally I lost my copy to someone who borrowed it. I couldnt find it any place and actually forgot about it, until just now when a site i was on recommended it. I am so excited that I can get this book again. It is one of the best books I have read.

Mark Albion explains a very contemporary balancing act: how to run a business based on values and still make a profit. Companies ranging from Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's to small bakeries and toy makers have prospered while supporting the social concerns of their founders and employees. Building such values-based businesses is not easy. They face the same profit-and-loss problems as other small companies, plus they take on an additional layer of social issues. Albion tells his personal story, buttressed by corporate examples and interviews with 75 owners of values-based businesses. getAbstract suggests this book full of practical advice to anyone who is willing to sign up for the challenge of running a values-based business.

This book gives good insight on how to build a successful business that goes beyond just profitability. Mark Albion describes how to strike a balance between personal values, profitability, corporate social responsibility, and environmental contributions by what he calls the "five values-based leadership practices". I do recommend this book to those interested in learning the characteristics of a values-based business leader.

Joseph Morgan
MBA Student at Loyola University New Orleans

Poor. It consists of fillers and redundancies that could hypothetically be widdled down to a small pamphlet. Albion throws around trendy managerial phrases throughout, but fails to inform the reader as to how to seriously apply them.

Great information and I will use in my life. Thank you Dr. Mark Albion, you are the best!!!!

While most of my Babson classmates are pursuing jobs in the corporate sector, I am working on a business plan for a values-based business which I hope to start after graduation this December.

Mark, thank you for providing me with a guideline.

--Derek Marin

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I'll start by saying that having just followed the "below 70 miles per week" training plan pretty faithfully, I just lowered my personal best in the marathon by 19 minutes, breaking 2:50 for the first time. I also actually enjoyed running the marathon, right to the finish, did not hit "The Wall", and sustained my highest weekly mileage ever without sustaining injury. I attribute a lot of this success to this book.

You need to be fairly serious about training to benefit from this book - the training plans are best suited for those who are willing to do 60 miles per week or more. (The 70+ mile per week plan contains a section "When 93 miles per week just aren't enough"). But the book places a strong emphasis on recovery and nutrition, which I think were critical in allowing me to increase mileage without getting hurt, sick, or run-down. And you certainly don't need to be elite - just willing and able to find the time and energy for a fairly large amount of training.

There are a lot of things to get right in a marathon, and almost all of them seem to be addressed here: all the different types and intensities of training, how to make sure you recover on your "easy" days, how to replenish carbohydrate stores after long runs, how to taper, race day strategy, carbo-loading, hydration, and even how to recover intelligently in the month after the race. Impressively, the book manages to cover all these aspects while being readable and quite easy to comprehend and remember.

A lot of ideas in this book are quite similar to Daniel's Running Formula (another good book) but tuned specifically for the marathon and made a bit easier to digest because it only covers that one event.

Nothing new to read here, just the same old marathon training instructions we have all heard.

This program is tailored for the "serious but busy" athlete.
A big plus are the scaled programs from <50 mpw to >70.
The main emphasis is on LONG HARD RUNS. It is no secret that this is the key to aerobic development (Canova, Noakes, Costill etc).
Pfitz puts it into practice w/ a well thought out program.

My only issue would be that there is no "anaerobic threshold" training e.g. 6x2k @ 10k pace. While maybe a bit of overkill, training at this pace worked well for me in the past, and is advocated by others (Vigil, etc).

Definitely worth it - I will be following the 18 week cycle (with a few of my own modifications) for my next race.

Advanced Marathoning presents a variety of training programs as well as information relevant to marathon training at large. The book is itself well written and comprehensive. It is not a *fun* read like Hal Higdon's Marathon training book, but is more pointed and helpful for a serious runner.
Why to buy this book:
-Valuable information--The research and details are second to no other book I have seen. This book explains why the training plans work, not just what to do.
-Training programs--The training programs have been the most helpful. They are more detailed than most plans which just give you a daily mileage or say "tempo".
Why not to buy this book:
-Redundant information--All of the data in the book can be found on the internet with relative ease. There is no new data presented (even if it was new at the time of initial publication). If you just want the data peruse the internet.

This book totally transformed my marathon training. It took me from a middle of the pack runner to a Boston qualifier. It explains the demands placed on your body in training for a marathon and what it needs to recover and how to focus your runs so that each time you hit the pavement, you do it with a purpose (i.e., no more "junk" miles). I use the training guides in the back of the book religiously. If I'm ever away from home more than a few days, this book goes with me!! I've given it to at least 4 other people. In my opinion, no runner should be without this book.

I read this first, though it's the second in the series (One Wore Blue is the first), however I found that I was not lost for having done so. The stories are separate enough that you don't have to follow the order. This was my first Heather Graham book, and I am now a fan. The book really absorbed me and I just had to make time in my busy day to read a few pages here and there, whenever I could. I was hooked.
I needn't tell you the storyline since it's posted everywhere. You won't be disappointed with this story.

I loved "One Wore Blue" so much and my hopes were high for the story of Jesse's brother, Daniel Cameron. This book grabbed me from the very first pages. The story of the Confederate soldier in love with the Yankee lady may seem to be cliche, but Heather Graham does it with such emotion, such passion, such depth that it seems like a brand new story. As with the story of Jesse and Kiernan, Daniel and Callie's story is rife with emotional turmoil. The characters are easy to fall in love with and you find yourself aching for them to find their way to each other. I get quite frustrated with the stories that have the hero and heroine endlessly fighting and bickering, but with Heather Graham (especially this particular trilogy), the tension is always deeper than selfishness, or the lead characters merely being irritated by each other. When Callie goes running after Daniel right before he is captured, you hold your breath wanting desperately for them to be able to avoid the pain you see coming. When Daniel thinks that Callie has betrayed him, your heart breaks knowing what a horrible misunderstanding has occurred and you are right there with them in the midst of their pain and longing for each other.

This book not only lived up to my high expectations, it surpassed them. This is a MUST READ, as is its predecessor.

This is one of my favorite trilogy reads. All three are wonderful from start to finish. I'm sharing all my 5 star reads in hopes you'll read this and like it as much as I did. This I actually read before I started leaving my reviews on Amazon. Happy reading. Don't forget there's 1 more in this series.

Confederate Spy in Florida, Rebel, July 17, 2006
Reviewer: Betty Burks (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

In the swamps of South Florida, Panther captured the Moccasin, a slivery Rebel spy. Florida was a slave state in 1862 and most of the planters depended on slave labor. They felt that the Confederacy had the God-given right to independence, just as the thirteen Colonies had managed to win and prove their right to rebel against England. Now, the Rebs were the patriots just as their forefathers in New England, USA, were.

A battle of wills between the Union major McKenzie and the Confederate spy, Lanie McMann. He'd been ordered to capture the South's most notorious spy, not knowing he'd find a beautiful young woman dressed in men's clothes. By law, she would have been hanged; for Lanie, however, her captor became her lover, even married her before becoming her bitter enemy. The Civil War, as I once explained it to a native of Belize, was brother against brother in the South, and was not about slavery per se. It was Lincoln's assassination by Rebel sympathizers which brought the issue of slavery into the possible reasons for such a horrific internal war.

She proved to be the most exasperating human being he'd ever come in contact with: willing to fight when all hope of any purpose or victory was gone, and never ever willing to accept defeat in any way, shape, or form. Just as I was taunted by a mean person saying "You're wrong," "Wrong again" because he claimed to be a 'professional. I have news for him, a pro does not have to always prove he's right. With the captured spy and her manly Union captor, some dialogue: "You have been beaten" and "You are beaten, and the point here is t hat you must learn that you can be beated." "You should be horsewhipped," she declared -- and she was right. No man tells a Southern woman that she is inferior in any way. We fight for our rights. Some years ago, I told a local historian had I loved back them, I might have been hanged as a Confederate spy (Knox. was Union) and he agreed. In one of his recent history lessons, he describes the defeated Jeff Davis as a man of 63 with receding hair and a wispy goatee who visited this town in 1871 who was on his way via rail to Memphis. Davis described Grant's administration as wicked and the writer had him and one of his generals, Forrest, as leaders of the klan which was started by a group of Pulaski lawyers and judges. It was not a part of the Confederacy at all, formed to protect Southerners from the Northern Carpetbaggers during reconstruction. We still need their protection, as a director of the Carpetbagger Theater hoodwinked $100,000 out of the City Council on false pretenses. We also need their protection from corrupt 'professionals.' "Her grief was real; the only way to find life again was to live," in any type of warfare. Other titles in this series about Florida's involvement in the Civil War include 'Captive' and 'Surrender.'

This story takes place in the 1800's during the civil war. Callie finds an enemy soldier dying on her front lawn and can't bare to just leave him to die. She takes Daniel in and nurses him back to health. They fall in love very fast but Callie is forced to betray Daniel to save his life. He hates her for it and swears to return for her one day...for revenge. When they meet again will there firey romance rekindle or will hatred take over?

I LOVED this book! It is only the second romance I have read and I have to admit that I am an addict now! You can just feel Daniel and Callie's love for eachother! I have to say though, the war parts were boring to me. I found my self speed reading through the parts where Daniel was fighting in the war. I just wanted to get back to reading about him and Callie together. The book didn't grab my attention at first but I am so glad I stuck with it because it really does grab it eventually and leaves you not able to put it down! A must read if you enjoy reading about passionate romances.

This is a very good book, but not great. Matthiessen's writing is engrossing and it is difficult to put it down. However, the vileness of some of the subject matter is a bit hard to swallow. This is, no doubt, a realistic tale, written after Matthiessen had traveled throughout the continent. The movie does have an influence, as one keeps thinking of Ms. Hannah. The plight and evolution of the natives and their values is intriguing. The disaster that results from outsiders forcing culture and religion down the throats of the "savages" is thought provoking and relates to many situations one sees. The characters aren't all that likable, but certainly very real. Hazel is a sad case. The jaguar shaman-to-be is a character about which it would be nice to learn more. Matthiessen says that he rewrote the last journey many times. This is the toughest part of the book to follow; is it real or a dream? I actually did reread parts of the end. There's no escaping the depression that comes from dwelling on the conflict in the jungle. I still feel that, despite the author's beliefs, his nonfiction work is better. But this is an enjoyable novel, regardless.

An excellent adventure story that is both fast paced and well developed. I've read a number of books by Matthiessen. This is the best I've read yet by him. His fiction is far better than his non fiction in my opinion.

I see there are many 5 star reviews here on Amazon. I 2nd these reviews. Recommended.

I am reading this book as a book on tape which is a good way to "read" it. This is a "good read" and worth your time. Recommended. Email Boland7214@aol.co

Why do I never hear Matthissen's name come up when there is speculation about who will win future Nobel Literature prizes?
AT PLAY is surely one of the great novels of the last half-century, and the reviewers hit on all of the reasons why. But add to that FAR TORTUGA, and the Watson Florida trilogy; and then add to THAT his brilliant and important non-fiction, from The Tree Where Man Was Born to The Snow Leopard, to In the Spirit of Crazy Horse; then, for good measure add in Matthiessen's involvement in The Paris Review, and you have a resume that is Nobel-quality.
Hey, I love Roth, too (admittedly not everything), but get serious!

This case study of culture clash is the story of Protestant missionaries trying to bring the Word of God to jungle savages. They think themselves heroes of The Lord, but there are no heroes here save, perhaps, Louis Moon a reservation half-breed who lost his faith. Moon is now an aimless mercenary staggering through life, bouncing off one obstacle after another. When it becomes his job to massacre the indigenous people, he is revisited by drug-induced dreams of his youth and instead joins them as their rain god fallen from the sky (and a failing airplane).

Self-righteous missionary Martin Quarier, becomes less certain of his beliefs as the novel progresses, but seems incapable of moving beyond them. He sees the absurdity of the doctrinal feud between Catholics and Protestants, yet cannot think of priests as anything but the Enemy, in league with Satin. And Satin seems to be working on him, as well, churning up lust for the wife of another missionary.

The religious beliefs of the natives give a glimpse of how faith gets started. Their minor gods clearly provide more for them on a day-to-day basis than the major one Quarier tries to serve. He creates a "rice convert" or two, but is ultimately a miserable failure.
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is a classic tragedy of misunderstanding and miscommunication. If you haven't read it, it's worth that first read. If you have, it was probably long enough ago that it deserves a second look.

A Child's Christmas In Wales CD: And Five Poems
Hurrah! Now I won't have to wait for the radio to play Dylan Thomas reading his wonderful Child's Christmas every Christmas. Truly a beautiful recording of the other poems as well.

My goodness, these illustrations are ugly. They completely detract from the beauty of the language. Either read it out loud to a blind person or stick with the version illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.

This reading of A Child's Christmas in Wales is tops! It wouldn't be Christmas for us without hearing Dylan Thomas tell his story. He recounts a holiday of simple, family and neighborhood doings, and paints a picture of snowy, seaside Wales of the 1920's.

I love this story, as do all my children, who, from their earliest years, have not much struggled with the density of the language nor the scatteredness of the story. 5 of my 8 great-grandparents are from Wales, and the remaining 3 have the blood in them as well, so maybe it is like drinking water for us.:-D Our minds are all scattered, and words, even English words ;-D, fall on us in clumps....which makes it doubly hard to keep a clean house. LOL

The sort of prose-poetry imaginative way of seeing and describing the world unique to Welshwomen and Welshmen and Welshchildren, which does not seek to keep up the pretense that history can be separated from myth, story and desire, and which requires loving with eyes wide open to [and eventually embracing] one's own and others' bumps, bruises and idiosyncracies included, is extraordinarily well represented here. So, by the way, is speaking and listening to the close and Holy darkness!

My favorite version isthe one illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. To me she has captured the complexity of the Welsh personality best, though i have nothing to say against the other illustrators praised in these reviews. I DO have a warning for you: there are some skinny versions flying about which do not have the poem-story complete and correct. This sort of work cannot suffer removal or modification, IMHO.

gbg

If you have read A Child's Christmas in Wales, you know that it has to be a classic. But you can't fully appreciate it until you have heard Dylan Thomas read it. What a deep, expressive, poetic voice. For years, I have listened to the recording on a Caedman record. It is wonderful to have it on a CD.

I've used this book so much over the past 2 years I may need to replace it soon. While the rating system took me a little while to figure out (the numbers do NOT represent the ranking, just the location on the map), the book is very user-friendly. In addition to giving accurate directions to each campground, it directs you to the correct page and area in both the Colorado Atlas & Gazetteer and Colorado Recreational Road Atlas. By rating Scenery, RVs, Tents, Shade, and Privacy, the book helps you locate the campgrounds based on what is important to you. The elevation info is great if you have young children who might not appreciate waking up in the snow and I love that the book tells you which tent sites are the most popular since we tend to reserve campsites well in advance of trips. This is a great book.

The book is a very good reference on a large number of campgrounds. It has a strength in that it provides pictures, unlike for instance the Moon guide. In my opinion, the book would be better if it covered the CGs more evenly: the authors' choices of "best" very often coincide with "most popular" (read: "most crowded") and the quieter campgrounds do not get the coverage that may be of interest to readers.
Another annoyance I found is numbering of campgrounds. They are not numbered and listed in a logical order that would allow reading about closely located ones in a sequence. Instead, you can read on one and the adjacent one on the map is fife pages down, yet the next one in the text is 50 miles away. This makes one go back and forth between the map and the text if you are trying to get impression on CGs in a certain area.
However, all this notwithstanding, I think this book is well worth having.

We have camped in Colorado for years, but this guide gave us new campgrounds to explore and try. We like the idea that the author includes ratings on both tent and RV "friendly" places, as well as including shade and sun, spacing and privacy aspects.
Love the pictures!
We find the format easy to use and the organization by regions is good, too, although the San Luis Valley should be kept separate from the Eastern slope.
This is the first summer we've used the guide, but will keep it in use for many years.

I do not own an RV, but noticed that the book is full of campsite info from all around the state, and includes whether the sites allow RV's, tents, pets, if they have hook-ups, ect.

We used this book to determine every campground we'll stay at in CO.
The pictures were wonderful and the ratings were very useful. We are tent camping so it was nice to find a book that not only catered to the RV campers but the tent campers as well.

A very wide and learned man from India once said to me that there 'were as many commentaries on the Gita as there are stars in the sky". Although not quite accurate scientifically, there are literally untold commentaries on what is thought by followers throughout the ages to be God taking shape as a human being during a battle on a field north of Delhi India around 5200 BCE. Whether or not one accepts the spiritual nature of the gita, there's no denying it offers insights into almost every imaginable aspect of human behavior -- be it saintly or demonic.

This rendering was told to Swami Kriyananda by his own Guru, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, perhaps the most recognized book on yoga and Hindu beliefs in modern times, Swami Yogananda. This commentary is unique in that it provides psychological comparisons to the many seemingly confusing names, events, and thoughts passed from Lord Krisha to Arjuna, his friend and a man about to unleash death on 100,000 of his family members and friends.

A must have for the seeker of spiritual growth or just someone who wants to know more about why people do what they do when they do it.

gary in tampa

The first version of the Gita that I read through completely, was a small book written by Christopher Isherwood. A disciple of Swami Prabhavananda (see 'My Guru and his Disciple' by Christopher Isherwood), it was given out by the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in California. In vers libre format, it burnished my budding apetite for genuine spirituality at the time (early 1980's) with new wings. I soared with the loftiness of the message deeply resonating with the glorious descriptions of the magnificience of the Self during those early and halcyon days of my quest.

26 years later, I find a new version of the same holy book. Also by a Westerner, but probably one who understands the Hindu religion and what it stands for, better than most practising Hindus do. Reading this book, got the same lofty feelings to well forth, but this time I sense deep undercurrents of feeling attached to the concepts of this age old treatise, yielding a new dimension and richness to the presentation of these holy truths. Having been born and bred an American, Kriyananda has been able to convey the holy message of this text in a way that is tailored to the demands of a fast paced modern society, going increasingly global every day.

In the early chapters of this book, the allegorical link between the five Pandava brothers and the chakra system is explained. This is relatively esoteric material that has never appeared before, at least to my knowledge. Later on, the Gita is analyzed, stanza by stanza, beginning with a Sanskrit paragraph and its literal English translation, followed by an extensive commentary in each case. In these commentaries, Kriyananda puts down in writing his own memories of his Guru's comments on the various passages of the Bhagavad Gita. For the benefit of those interested in reincarnation, Yogananda had said that he himself had been an incarnation of Arjuna, the Pandava prince, who received the information from Krishna firsthand. That fact could probably be one of the factors that account for the interpretational depth of these writings. Wherever possible, connections to other major religions are cited and the explanations are forthright and lucid. In particular, there is a section on the physical aspects of Kriya Yoga which is the science of breath as taught by Paramahamsa Yogananda and which has only been recently released to the general public. The physiological consequences of a regular practice of this process are explored. This is also material that has never appeared before.

One of the greatest strengths of this book is that it is a fast read and holds one's attention, even as these eternal truths unfold one by one. This work is unquestionably a labour of love, being Kriyananda's magnum opus after eighty plus books.

In closing, I would like to mention, that like all Scripture, the Bhagavad Gita is only a book. It is a miniscule version of the ecstasy that ISNESS emanates, although one may and does feel whiffs of the same from the reading. The real task of experiencing the ISNESS is, of course, a different story, but this book could be a useful tool along the way.

This book is a must read for all sincere spiritual aspirants, no matter what his/her religion is. This is truly a cosmic text which reaches deep into one's soul. It is a perfect introduction for newcomers to the power and depth of the Bhagavad Gita and for those who seek inspiration daily upon its deep wisdom. The author clearly shows that the Bhagavad Gita is actually deeply allegorical in nature. This book will definitely help the reader to achieve inner bliss if he/she is very sincere about his/her spiritual life.

Swami Kriyananda has produced another gem of wisdom and compassion with this book. If you have nor read the Gita before, this is indeed an excellent recommendation because it is non-sectarian in its approach, compared to some of the books on the Gita out there. This book is simply galvanizing!

Lastly, I would also like to recommend the book The Bhagavad Gita: Royal Science of God-Realization: God Talks with Arjuna: The Immortal Dialogue Between Soul and Spirit (2 volumes) by Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Kriyananda's guru as well. That book is an equally great masterpiece as well!

An exerpt for the Vaishnava section on Wikipedia website:
"While many schools like Smartism and Advaitism encourage interpretation of scriptures philosophically and metaphorically and not too literally, (Gaudiya)Vaishnavism stresses the literal meaning (mukhya vitti) as primary and indirect meaning (gaua vitti) as secondary: sâkhâd upadesas tu shrutih - "The instructions of the shruti-shâstra should be accepted literally, without fanciful or allegorical interpretations." Jiva Goswami, Krishna Sandarbha 29.26-27" (This is from a Hare Krishna/I.S.K.O.N/Gaudiya sampradayam scripture)

I must say this first,I have been studying the Vedic scriptures since about 96',and, I am sorry to say,I was a Hare Krishna devotee for about four years from 02' to 06'. I was one of the Pujaris or Ceremonial priest in the now defunct Venice Radha-Govinda temple in Venice, Ca. I learned alot of the basic principles of the Vedic religion from them. Outside the elementary principles, much of what they teach is tinged with thier particular sect/cult flavor or doctrine. I.S.K.O.N or the Hare Krishnas believe and see only a historical, surface understanding of the Bhagavad-gita, other scriptures and stories. They critizes,condemn and keep down with fanatical furvor,as I have experienced with them...the notion of a deeper,Intuitive, Spiritual, Philosophical, Esoteric truth to the Vedic scriptures and stories. The whole time I was with them, I felt like I was being intuitively,soulfully,esoterically and philosophically strangled. They believed with the extremism and fanatism of Southern Baptists in the total surface-value,exoteric understanding of the Vedas. I was always chastized and critized for my pro-esoteric/intuitive understanding of the Vedas. Before coming to I.S.K.O.N or Gaudiya math, I always Knew,intuitively and through my own many Spiritual experiences through Vedically-backed meditation as instucted in the Vedas,Yoga-sutras and Tantras, that there was and has always been and always be...a deeper, esoteric, hidden meaning and understanding to the Bible,Gnostic texts, the greek myths, alchemical allegories and symbolism, to the Homeric epics and...to the Vedas,the bhagavad-gita and Puranas. And, come to find out, from Swami Kriyananda and Swami Yogananda and other hindu holy men....this is the proper "Brahminical" or Priest/Yogi Caste understanding of the Revealed scriptures. This is also confirmed in the very scriptures that I.S.K.O.N uses. But, they do not truely acknowledge them. Before coming to I.S.K.O.N and Gaudiya math,I use to love the Bhagavad-gita, and I knew that there was a deeper, esoteric truth to it and other Vedic scripture that ONLY a meditator or some one who had direct experience in Linking and Communion between God and the Soul. The Real Brahmin Caste in India Truely understand this, and Actually, the term Brahmana, means "One who KNOWS Brahman" or one who has attain this Linking and Communion with God or Brahman. This is what Makes a Brahmin...I.S.K.O.N talks about this truth, but, thier understanding of a "Brahmana" is that of the physical caste person performing rituals and even then, they are against them also. Their Translation of the Bhagavad-gita, Sri Isopanishad and other Vedic scriptures are the most Blantantly mistranslated editions of these scriptures I have ever came across. Mistranslated and writen to suit their particular cult/sect slant, flavor and agenda. I read their particular translation 3 times since 02', and, for a time, it has totally turned me off from the Bhagavad-gita...sorry to say. And, it has bothered me that my experiences in the cult I.S.K.O.N or the Hare Krishnas has affected so much that it Burnt me on the Bhagavad-gita. Since leaving the temple on Watseka ave., I couldnt even look at other Bhagavad-gitas with out thinking about the extreme mistranslations of the I.S.K.O.N one and the fanaticsm,extremism and philosophical and physical intimidation of this group. This has really bothered me. Then one week ago, while I was at a barns and nobles, I accidentally came across this book. And, it has been a breath of freash air.This book proves my original intuitions of the Scripture were correct and gives insight to much, much more. It flys in the face of the fanatical, and in certain verses, the absolutely incorrect translations of this group. This book of Swami Kriyanandas has all but disolved the Southern Baptist/Christian evangelistic-like understanding of the Hare Krishnas for the Vedas. And, it is nice that there are others who agree with the Inner-Intuitive TRUTH of the Scriptures. And that there are others who are Free-Thinkers and above Fananticism. This book of Swami Kriyanandas has brought me back to the Bhagavad-gita....like the prodical Son, coming back to his Father.

I cannot put into words the impact this book has had on me. This is my 4th translation of this text and this one is the best. Originally I started reading the Bhagavad Gita as it has a calibration of 910 (David Hawkins, Power vs. Force. It is a cosmic text which reaching out of the book and touches ones soul. This version is a joy to read. It is a dessert fresh from a tree. It is a day not too hot with gentle breezes. God becomes the companion rather than the gloom and doom king/parent/authority. Many of my friends now have this book just from seeing the joyful change in me.