T Books

This work contains a lot of great information for a difficult time. Much thought and research was done to produce a sensitive and practical approach to a difficult subject. I read and referenced this work in my own book, The Wisdom of Death: Six Paths to Understanding Loss and Grief (available here at Amazon)and found it helpful in taking that journey into sorrow.

When I lost my father at the age of 25 and was left to handle *everything* (funeral, flowers, arrangements, property, and so forth) amid grad school and two jobs, I received too many pieces of advice and useless, but well-intentioned, texts. This book does wonders for the spirit, as it's a refreshing, true-to-life book to honestly get us through the loss of loved ones. No matter what anyone says, he/she doesn't know what you're going through; this book assists one with the unique experience of loss. I've given this book five times over as gifts to my siblings and friends who really needed these words and healthy, sensible suggestions. Kudos to the author! I still pick it up years later when I cycle back to struggling with my father's death.

Jill Brooke writes where others fear to tread. Her simple logic and easy-to read style gave me a feeling of peace while reading about this painful subject. Brooke writes of death as a muse and motivator and builds her theme slowly and in such a spirit of sharing that I felt I was being guided by a friend. One of the most important lessons learned, was how thinking, talking and remembering your loved ones with others keeps them alive through memories. The book is full of practical information and advice from grief professionals entwined around interviews from well-known personalities such as President Clinton who've experienced loss. A great gift,not just for the bereaved, but for new mothers looking for ideas on how to keep the memory of their parents alive with the next generation who never knew them. After reading this book, I felt I had the tools to help continue my loved ones legacy. This well researched book presents a very real way of thinking about death that removes some of the stigma and fear and leaves in its place compassion and hope for the future. Highly recommended.

I began reading books and articles on death and grief more than 40 years ago, and after a while, I found they all said the same thing, more or less. Then I read Don't Let Death Ruin Your Life. I was delighted to find a book that reflected what my experience working with grieving people has shown -- that while painful, our relationship with loved ones continues and grief provides the opportunity to learn about life and living with greater purpose. Jill Brooke provides a new framework for the stages/phases of grief and offers everyone hope. I recommend it highly, both to those who are grieving and to those who are working with grieving individuals. And as I think about it, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in living a better life.

...It was with great interest and relief that I read the book, Don't Let Death Ruin Your Life, by Jill Brooke. It's filled with insights, wisdom, and compassion. What I like most of all about it is the fact that it gives us permission to miss our loved ones--in a healthy way--for the rest of our lives if we want to. Brooke assures us that it's okay to 'keep our loved ones close by and honor their memory while integrating them into our lives that have now been changed by their physical absence.'

"Some of the ways that she shares how to do this is to notice how our loved ones live on in our beliefs and our feelings, and to tell stories about the positive ways they affected our lives. In doing so, we continue to have a meaningful, significant relationship with them while, at the same time, moving through our grief to a brighter place and reclaiming our happiness.

"This is an amazing book, and one that I'll be buying for others and sharing with people for a long time to come...

This book provides a really important aspect of the Estate Planning process for couples whose goal is to make informed decisions. I really enjoyed the author's balance in suggesting that women become more intimately involved in the family asset/financial activities. As an Estate Planning paralegal, I see many widowed clients who have an incomplete view, or no view at all, of what they own, or what their debt is like, when their husbands pass away - a very sad situation.

This book is a great segway into the wife verbalizing her respect for her husband's dedication to his job and that she wants to continue to manage the finances he worked (or works) so hard for if he should pass before her. I found myself looking at it similarly as if the husband was retiring from his position at work - he wouldn't want an untrained replacement who could discard all his hard work, resulting in the husband feeling as if the work he dedicated his life to was in vain.

This book really encouraged the wife not to question the husband's decisions regarding finances, but rather respect her spouse's life-long work to provide for his family. This would be honoring to the husband, in my opinion, if the wives opened a discussion with their husbands as an affirmation of their dedication to the family, and specifically the wife, for their loving support financially. Most husbands would crave the attention!

The surviving wife's independence is crutial to fend off the sometimes self-seeking children and "helpful" financial planners (many of whom are commission-focused salesmen/saleswomen), especially at her most vulnerable time in life. I would think that this potential alone would have husbands "jumping" to help their wives understand the family finances for themselves in order to protect their financial future.

I loved the worksheets; they truely enlighten women (single, married, or widowed) to the scope of all financial issues that are very important.

It is apparent that this book would be a really good wedding gift as well (planning before marriage chapter), especially since finances are high on the list of "issues to fight about." Starting the marriage with mutual respect for the family fiances, and continuing in the same manner, would surely strengthen all marriages.

Every woman should read this book - it is an easy read and extremely informative. I am amazed at how many successful women I know (some with higher-paying jobs than their husbands), trust their husbands to handle all their financial affairs without full knowledge of the situation. In my family, my father's exact words to my mother were "don't worry about it" and I can't tell you how many times she mentioned how those words made her angry. However, my mother stood her ground and eventually he helped her learn about investments and then they started discussing their investment strategy. Although he still did most of the investments, she was included in the decision-making process. Now after his death 2 years ago, she is handling everything herself but she likes to discuss finances with me - I think she misses the times when she and my father discussed the type of investments they were going to make.

As a former banker, I can tell you Helga's advice is sound. On a personal note, her way of educating you is encouraging and motivating. You will not be disappointed in this book.

As a Financial Counselor, I work with women to help them get conscious and connected to their money. This book pierces through denial and women's mythology that men should handle the finances. I think this book should be required reading for all women and recommend it to my clients. It is easy to read, powerful, and offers numerous practical solutions. Helga has turned her own personal tragedy into a gift to the world. I am a grateful that this resource is now available. It has the power to dramatically change lives.

Helga Hayse weaves together her own personal story with sage advice for women on taking an active role in their own financial future. She has a great writing style that's easy to read, but doesn't talk down to the reader. Her recommendations are thoughtful, and include some good general tips on how to have a meaningful and productive conversation with your husband.
My only gripe is that she writes (in a couple places)that "the odds of something bad happening are always 50%, they either will or they won't." Sorry, don't buy it, Helga. The odds of my computer blowing up as I type this is not 50% (implying that, on average, my computer would blow up every other time I write Amazon reviews).
But, that pet peeve aside, this is a great book that's worth getting, and worth holding on to.

I counsel both high school and adult students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The advice given in this important book is invaluable and I will strongly recommend it to my students of both genders.
I commend Helga Hayse for putting forth in such a clear, strong way that financial independence is essential to becoming an independent adult. Her authenticity is refreshing. Her discussions of self-deception, the price of silence, fear and repression of the subject of money, ignoring the obvious and so much more, are illuminating. I especially like her quote, "Children of parents who are not afraid of death are not afraid of life."
Just as Parent Education is part of the high school curriculum, I believe Financial Education along the lines of this book should also be taught. It is so essential to becoming independent.

This is an awsome companion to the early Elm Creek Quilt book series. Anyone who enjoyed the novels will absolutely love actually seeing the quilts that were described in the books. I, for one, will continue to purchase any of the Jennifer Chiaverini, Elm Creek Quilt series.

Really enjoyed this series ..... lots of variety in the lives of the main characters .......

In receiving this book, as other Elm Creek Quilting books, I have enjoyed seeing what I have read in Ms Chiaverini's writings. I am working on a form of Sarah's Sampler from this book. I highly recommend all of the Elm Creek Quilting books to beginner or advanced quilter. Also, if you have not read Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Series I am sure they will bring you immense joy in knowing how our "forequilters" brought their projects to completion.

Being relatively new to quilting (have only been quilting for two years) I admit I bought this book only because I liked the novels so much, intending to some day have the time and skills to make the wonderful quilts I imagined and that were so beautifully brought to life in the cover at least (Round robin is practically exactly as I imagined it to be).

To my surprise, the quilts were not lovely. They were exquisite! I went mad about them! and on reading the instructions I found them clear, and the bits and snips of information about the characters and extracts from the novels only added to the charm of the quilt, for they reminded me about the circumstances in the novel around that particular quilt.

I highly reccomend this book, and since I am already starting one of the projects, soon I will add a review about how it was to actually follow the instructions to a neophite. I expect more experienced quilters will have no trouble at all

As I was reading the Elm Creek Quilts Novels, I tried to picture these works of art in my mind. This book was a delight because I was able to refer back and forth from the book to the quilt. It enabled me to enjoy the novels even more! Thanks so much for that "extra enhanced" visual. It has inspired me to start making my own quilt blocks.

I purchased this book as a gift for a friend who is a New Yorker and loves to know everything about the city he loves. He was thrilled with the book, as he'd been reading it already whenever he visited his brother, and said he can never put it down once he picks it up. Covers everything there is to know about NYC. I can't speak for myself, having not read it personally, but the hard core New Yorkers at the table when I gave it as a gift all swore by it!

Wonderful book. Full of tidbits of information about NY. Some I knew already and some were eye-openers! I recommend it to anyone with a thirst for knowledge.

This is a very entertaining book. Good for a coffee table type book.

If there was anything you ever wanted to know about NYC but couldn't find the answer, this book will have it. What an amazing treasure trove of history, information and trivia. This book should be in every library in America.

Looking for very old maps of the Big City, the Mayoral and Presidential elections, Capsules of about every neighborhood in all 5 boroughs, histories of Broadway, Wall Street, MidTown, Columbia and NYU, the New School, and every other educational institution. Music from Classical to Jazz to Pop to Rock (but there is no listing for Sinatra! I think there should be.)How about the incredible skyscapers, docks, restaurants, clubs. And all this goes back to 1624, when the Dutch first settled. And sections on about every leading NYC personality ever. (though for some reason Mantle and Dimaggio are not listed separately, amoung many other famous NYC sports stars ). Even though the book is 10 years old, it is about as timeless as you can get, even with my very few small quibles mentioned!

Roger von Oech is one of the power houses in creativity books. This particular tome is an example itself of a creative endeavor. Perhaps some of these ideas are expressed elsewhere by Oech or others but the presentation here is what makes a difference. I found myself ruminating and thinking of how each of these sayings can help me out of current conundrums and I did find myself at least seeing situations from different perspectives, which can sometimes be the way to start finding a solution. The book is a very quick read and should be a reference in anyone's creativity book collection.

I am a raving fan of Roger von Oech's creative work as embodied in his books & card decks, namely:

Books:

- A Whack on the Side of the Head;
- A Kick in the Seat of the Pants;
- Expect the Unexpected;

Card Decks:

- Creative Whack Pack;
- Innovative Whack Pack;
- Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus;

I have used all his creativity stuff ever since I started my own strategy consulting (& book store) business in late 1991.

From my personal & professional experience, I would like to say that the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work has been designed to serve three strategic purposes:

- understanding - & removing - your mental blocks;
- breaking your habitual patterns;
- shifting your focus & changing your paradigms;

As a matter of fact, once you appreciate & commit to these three strategic purposes in your life, you will soon realise that there is nothing in this world to stop you from getting rid of old ideas & getting new & fresh ideas.

Allow me to quote Edward de Bono: "...the mind is habitually uncreative - it is usually preoccupied with organising masses of incoming data into convenient patterns. Once this pattern is established, then the mind tends to rely upon that pattern in future situations, in order to facilitate decision making & action in an otherwise complex world..." (The Use of Lateral Thinking).

Breaking old habitual patterns is definitely the first & foremost priority in your journey to creativity!

Once your shift your focus, you begin to change your paradigms or the way you look at the world around you. Always remember this: Your brain follows the direction of your dominant thought. Once you focus on something, that thing becomes the foreground. Everthing else will fall into the background. Most opportunties are unfortunately hidden in the background. The moment you begin to shift your focus, you are pushing the 'foreground' into the 'background', & pulls the 'background' into the 'foreground'. Get it?

'A Whack on the Side of the Head' will help you to break through your mental blocks. They will open up your mind for innovation. This book is filled with provocative puzzles, exercises, stories & helpful tips.

'A Kick in the Seat of the Pants' takes you on a guided tour through the four stereotype roles of the creative process - Explorer, Artist, Judge & Warrior. Understanding - & applying - these roles will fire up your personal & professional creativity. Tactically, they will change your mental focus as you change to play each of the four roles. I would like to add one more role from what I have learned from the Japanese creativity experts: Antique Dealer. This singular role will allow you to combine all the four roles into one.

'Expect the Unexpected' uses thirty of Heraclitus' (the world's first creativity master) epigrams as creative springboards. It has intriguing questions designed to topple old habits of thought & fire up your imagination.

All the three card decks are basically extensions of the three books, to allow convenient usage during brainstorming sessions.

From my strategy consulting experience, these three card decks have proven to be inexhaustible sources of inspirations.

In fact, the Innovative Whack Pack combines the creative power of both the 'Creative Whacks' & 'Ancient Whacks of Heraclitus'.

I strongly urge readers to seriously consider having the entire collection of Roger von Oech's creative work added to your Creativity & Inovation Library, & all the three card decks placed permanently on your desk top at all times.

Seems to me a different approach and format with the same recommendations as his other books. Read the authors other stuff along the way and this one is creative in its layout and approach but found it more of the same. Had trouble staying with it.

Roger von Oech, the founder and president of a consulting firm that specializes in stimulating innovation and creativity, has written a very enjoyable and mentally invigorating toolbook for unleashing the power of thirty of the passed-down paradoxical sayings of the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus (500 B.C.E.). If you want to improve your ability to "think outside the box," then this little book may be just the right tool for you.

Why Heraclitus, and what is his connection to creative thinking and innovation? According to von Oech, "I've been consulting Heraclitus for many years, and he rarely lets me down. Indeed, if creative thinking involves imagining familiar things in a new light, digging below the surface to find previously undetected patterns, and finding connections among unrelated phenomena, then I believe that Heraclitus is the world's first creativity teacher. His ideas not only inspire us to think in these ways, they also provide us with strategies to understand our problems in a fresh manner. For these reasons, Heraclitus is the guide I turn to whenever I need a new perspective."

The book is well researched with a lot of good supporting stories, examples, and historical anecdotes that brought to life the meanings of Heraclitus' sayings. Von Oech did a great job of showing how these sayings can be applied to everyday situations when creative and innovative solutions to problems and challenges are needed. The book also contained many thought-provoking sketches and good introspective questions to further stimulate individual creative thinking.

Von Oech identified three ways to read and use the book. The first is to read it straight through like a creativity workbook to find some ideas you can apply to your life. The second way is as a source for daily meditation by reading and focusing on one saying each day for the next month. Lastly, you can consult it like it was an oracle to help you break out of your normal thinking patterns when you need a shot of creativity. I read it like a workbook, liked how it made me think, and now I am using it for daily meditation. I will also use it as an oracle to help me deal with some challenging issues.

I believe that this book has the ability to unlock the potential of my creative spirit, and I believe it can do the same for anyone who reads it.

I was first tempted to give this book only one star for disparaging the notion of "pure philosophy." But then I began to question what the purpose of philosophy was. Who has done philosophy more of a disservice, Von Oech, who sees the creative potential in Heraclitus and passes it on to willing readers, or the academics, who have purified and rarefied philosophy into something quite unrecognizable to the ancient Greeks? That was the easiest question I've had to answer in quite a while. Von Oech gets what the pointy-headed pettifoggers of academe do not: philosophy is only effective as it relates to the world. It is not a mere matter of linguistics nor an interpretation by each textual reader, but rather a force guiding humans towards creativity through its answers to our everyday questions. There was a time in the past when philosophers wrote for the educated public. Nowadays, philosophers write for other philosophers, substituting rhetoric and wordplay for creativity. The loser is our culture, which depends upon philosophy as a lynchpin.

Von Oech's fascination with Heraclitus goes back to 1971 while studying in Germany. Picking up a book of Heraclitus' epigrams, Von Oech became instantly hooked when he read "the way up and the way down are one and the same." He writes that this caused him to spend the next several weeks trying to figure out its meaning. Since then, he says, he's wanted to put out a "creativity tool" based on the works of Heraclitus.

And what a creativity tool he has created. His grasp of Heraclitus is firm and, moreover, he is able to apply each epigram he examines to the problems of thinking and creativity in the workplace. The reader will also notice a warmth coming through: a deep love of the subject and philosophy in general, something we do not always get from our academics, as anyone who had to sit through Philosophy 101 with a boring pedant will tell you. And Von Oech will succeed in doing what our friends in the ivory tower have failed to do, and that is to instill a love of wisdom in the heads of his students. For that, Roger von Oech, I salute you.

This is one awesome book. It really helps the reader let go of unwanted body fat for good so that it doesn't come back again.

Finally a book that empowers the reader with the knowledge and tools for creating health, instead of blindly following another 6 or 12 week program. I appreciate the fact that the authors of "Fat That Doesn't Come Back" acknowledge the intelligence of the reader. This book gives straight answers without sugar coating the information. This is the only book you will ever need to guide you towards a healthier lifestyle. It gives a holistic approach to health, which is truly the only way to achieve success! As a parent, it excites me to pass on the knowledge of nutrition and tools to create health to my children. Thank you Krista and Robert!

OK, how many diet books can we possibly take in this country?? You can pretty much do away with 90% of them, the only thing they offer is "eating plans" that you won't follow for more than 1 week and while you do you feel like it is torture.

This book is about reversing that mentality taking responsibility for your eating habits, but not having a "plan" where certain foods are off limits, because those are always doomed and leaving you feeling the urge to "be bad" and have a cookie. This book talks about changing your mentality from "I can't have" to "I don't want to have".....

Great book, I never review books, lots of personal examples make this interesting and the writers are very knowledgeable and
honest. Will change the way you look at carbs, fat, calories and exercise.

I have tried practically every diet on the planet. No longer because this book has helped me transition in to a lifestyle free of dieting. The authors are right on with this book and I will do what I can to encourage others to benefit from it as I have. It includes everything. From the mental importance to the physical exercise to all that a person needs to know about nutrition. This book was an easy read. It was inspirational. It moved me and I am now enjoying a life that will forever evolve. The book is excellent!

Robert and Krista,

Thank you so much for such a great, inspiring book. Being a professional Martial Arts instructor and teaching in a systematic way for my students, your book used the same organized approaches to send the message for all types of learners. The concepts of this book: healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, and overall quality of life are very simple and easy to understand. It is very inspiring and motivating for the reader. Personally, I felt I was already fit, but as I applied the principle of healthy and balanced eating, I realized I had consistently improved my energy level. Learning how to balance the intake of protein, fat, carbohydrates and the importance they play in your life, makes it easier for the individual to understand eating and being healthier. After reading this book, I became very cautious and aware of what I might say to my students, so then I recommend it for their own reading as to erase their books of "so-called-dieting." Furthermore, I like the idea of "releasing" the fat. It is interesting because releasing the fat seems to be more permanent than losing it. When you lose something, you always have the possibilty of finding it again. My wife and I, have throughly enjoyed this book so much that we apply it personally to our lives and encourage our children so they can also begin to understand what a healthy lifestyle is about.

Prof Terry Brown was one of my tutors when I was a student and the book, like the man himself, is a wealth of information which I referred to constantly. He is an excellent tutor, and the book reflects this fact. It was an enormous help to me, as indeed Terry Brown himself was.

"...probably the most up-to-date textbook on molecular biology...a useful text...and reference..." (Annals of Pharmacotherapy, September 2003)

"...a second edition to incorporate new developments in genome science and to make the book more `user friendly'...the book substantially exceeds that modest objective; this is a text suitable for anyone who does not specialize in genome science." (Clinical Chemistry, Vol. 48, No. 12)

"...this didactic masterpiece...model of a modern university textbook deserves to be read and studied by...students worldwide." (Modern Pathology, Vol. 15, No. 9, 2002)

"...a marvelous text...plenty of definitions and excellent illustrations essential for an introductory textbook...the reader is...guided wonderfully through the text...this text is an essential cornerstone of information..." (Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 19, No. 12, December 2002)

Like most Taschen art books, this is a high quality publication, nicely printed and bound. There is a good deal of information and many paintings for the top artists (Elvgren, Petty, etc) and short bios and paintings for dozens more. The paintings are why you'd buy it of course, and the reproductions are excellent. Often the editors did not have originals to work from but that seldom shows. A very few of the larger prints of what must be reproductions are a bit blurry, but not many. However, I personally would have preferred fewer examples so that more of the paintings could be full page. Lots are, but in more cases the reproductions are quarter page and sometimes nine to a page. They are still very good due to the quality reproduction, but lose much of their impact. And impact, after all, is what pin-up art was all about. Still, there's something to be said for quantity too, and this 447-page book has hundreds of fine paintings. Two other quibbles. This hardback has a printed cover, rather than a paper cover, which to me makes it less classy as a display book. I know, I know, it's a pin-up book, but still. Also, like many art books, all the descriptions (the words) are in English, German and French. No complaint, but it's worth knowing in advance that many pages are dedicated to this duplication. That said, if the subject interests you, this is a must have, just like another of the authors' pin-up books for Taschen, Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups (Taschen 25th Anniversary Special Editions).

If you like this genre of art, this is a good reference with a wide spectrum of artists and good quality pictures. Nothing obscene, but a bit of titillating work consistent with the style. Good background summaries. Not an all inclusive or exhaustive reference by any means. If you want a lot of a specific artist then you need a book on that artist alone as there is too much out there for one book. This one makes a good coffee table book and is good for art/ fashion inspiration.

I love this huge book. It gave me background on the artists that I wasn't expecting, and discovered new artists that I hadn't seen before. Covers a wide spectrum of styles too. It's my #1 coffee-table book.

They adorned American calendars, magazines, and paperbacks: playful on water skis, glamorous in evening gowns, seductive before their bedroom mirrors, each one presented in luscious, candy-coated colors to beguile the sensibilities of the businessman, the mechanic, the G.I., the clerk. They were "Pin-Ups," artists' near-fantasy renderings of femininity designed to catch and hold the attention of the American male. They were also, unfortunately, disposable--disappearing into the trash when the calendar was out of date, the latest magazine edition released, the book cover worn to tatters.

Fortunately, however, Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel have gathered together a wide array of these paintings and reproduced them in THE GREAT AMERICAN PIN-UP, a collection drawn from Martignette's own personal collection. And from 1920 to 1980, from Vaughan Alden Bass to Ted Withers, this book offers 447 pages crowded with full page, half page, quarter page, and inset reproductions of the best of the best.

The book opens with a series of essays on the subject--essays which are offered in English, French, and German translations and which cover the social trends and historical events that gave rise to the genre. The entries are listed by artist and ordered alphabetically, each artist receiving at least a small note and some, such as the legendary Vargas, considerably more. But this is all extra stuff: then as now, the real attraction is the art itself, and it is all beautifully reproduced in the full brilliance of original color.

Whether the portraits are bathing beauty cheesecake, sultry glamor, or ill-concealed nudity beneath transparent robes, what most marks the classic pin-up is a sense of playful innocence, and that comes shining through in this truly entertaining, colorful, and often beautiful book. If you are looking for a glimpse of the art, here it is--in all it's radiant and sometimes naughty glory. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

An absolutely brilliant book. It bridges the gap between coffee table book and text book. An excellent overview of pinup art with glorious reproductions of the original pinup girls.

I absolutely love "The James Bond Lifestyle Seminar," but this audiobook fell short. The plot was decent, but nothing better than you'd expect based on the synopsis. The main character is supposed to be 33 years old, yet his voice sounds like an old man. He sounds very unsure of himself. Also, a lot more could have been done with the sound effects. They did not immerse me in the scenes, as another reviewer claimed.

Wow! My sister pointed me to this audio book and I couldn't believe my ears. I just relaxed on my bed to listen and was absolutely delighted with the movie-quality of the sound effects. Not only is this a masterful, well-written plot, it's also a quality production. The best I've heard.

And those stars that the magnificent author/director Paul Kyriazi lined up for this special version of his book!!! Well, all I can say is that I remember swooning each time I saw any of them on the big screen. (I hope my hubby doesn't read this.) But when I saw Rod Taylor--who narrates this story, with such a come-hither voice--starring in The Birds with that gorgeous Tippi Hedren, I almost fainted. Yes, he was that much of a hunk ... and still is, according to my sister!

Incidentally, people used to say I looked like Tippi. Ah-hhh, memories ... But getting back to this audio book, I loved it to pieces.

Keep up the excellent work, Mr. K. You're terrific, and almost as handsome as the great Rod! Ciao, baby ...

Mr Kyriazi's production of Hard Rock Lovers was just fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat on a daily basis! I put the audio book on my iPod and listened while I jogged. I gotta say it motivated me to get out there and I am so sad it is over! I cannot wait for his next Audio production!

The story is fantastic, gripping and sexy. I absolutely loved it!

Bravo!!!!

The "Hard Rock Lovers" audio book was not at all what I expected, but what a wonderful surprise! It's a twisted, tangled web of events played out by a handful of multi-leveled, intertwined characters. The story is well written, beautifully told and convincingly enacted centering on the heights of a successful rock star and the terrible costs that are paid when that success is abused. People and events are manipulated by all the characters to satisfy their own needs and agenda.


"Good" and "evil" are blurred. "Life" and "death" are blurred. Relationships are blurred, but the irony of fate is boldly presented and it's made abundantly clear that our "next" existence offers another chance to hopefully do better. The inevitability of change, the subtle and sometimes dramatic interrelationships between cause and effect as well as the ever-present, ever-looming scales of divine and poetic justice are persistent threads. A beautiful blending of drama and melodrama are used to develop both the story and the characters. The audio presentation is top-notch entertainment, particularly when you consider that all acting is accomplished solely through vocal artistry. The actors do a fantastic job of inviting the listener into their world and moving you effortlessly through the story.


I really enjoyed listening to this audio book. It is wonderful from start to finish and my congratulations go out to all involved. It's a winner on all levels.

From the moment Hard Rock Lovers comes on ... it takes you by the hand and mind, and immediately draws you into this intriquing story, narrated by the imcomparable Rod Taylor, of revenge, love, lust, cold reality and spiritual enlightenment.

Robert Culp kept me laughing with his perfect low-life agent performance, always the best! James Darren was the perfect rock star, mean, talented but sad, his performance was # 1. Ishtar Uhvana was great as Medusa, she added the sweetness to keep some reality in the rock world and her ending dialoque brought tears to my eyes. Loved Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris was brilliant as the evil Reynaldo, and Nefta Perry as Connie played the perfect Rosie Perez.

The ending gives you hope and leaves you with happy feelings. You will want to play it again and again; it only gets better each time you listen.

Paul Kyriazi is my hero. I am his BIGGEST fan.

Thank you Paul for the fun and exciting adventure!

A must have. Helpful not only in what to say to others, but also therapeutic messages for the reader.

I gave Healing Conversations to a friend troubled that she didn't " know what to say" to her family about her grandchild's scary diagnosis. She graciously received it and was pleased she didn't need to read the entire book because her specific concern is covered in a few short sections. She makes a good point. Readers under stress can find examples of numerous topics handily addressed in brief chapters about ways to support others through tough times. Other readers, particularly clergy or family educators, who simply want to feel prepared for helping others through the vicissitudes of life, will find reading the whole book helpful. It is a teaching tool about attitude and attention that the author dedicates "to each of you who, in a moment of uncertainty, take the chance to offer or to ask for a healing conversation."

Because life is complicated, even we who are not therapists find ourelves serving hurting hearts occasionally. In our personal lives, or in the course of regular work, official job descriptions may not cover it, but stuff happens! Requesting or offering acknowledgment and support for rough, uncertain passages presents occasions when we or others ask, " Please help me find a new way to see things because right now I can't even think straight!"

Suitable ways to respond in person and in writing are the focus of Nance Guilmartin's easy-to-read compendium. She coaches lay readers about being present in caring, appropriate ways for those experiencing a range of major and minor hard challenges, transitions and altered identities.

Her "Getting started" introduction reviews, in cogent paragraphs principles (summarized here) for healing conversations:

* Listen - actively hearing with ears, eyes and heart, suspending internal conversations and the impulse to ask questions

* Pause - to reflect, tap into compassion, and tune in to the other person "like putting the clutch in when you are driving a car with a stick shift. It lets you slow down just enough to engage the gears before you speed up."

* Be a Friend Not a Hero - Helping others through a rough time is not the same as rescuing them or rushing them.

* Offer Comfort - People can care without agreeing, disagreeing, fixing or prescribing how others should feel. Comfort allows room to be who we are at the present time.

* Be In Touch with Your Own Feelings - "Helping others feel comforted in our presence has a lot to do with what's going on inside us. . . we are able to sit with our own discomfort long enough to be with theirs. We are able to offer compassion to them because we can also give it to ourselves."

* Be There Over the Long Haul - Adjustment takes time. Sometimes a friend, family member, a colleague or a neighbor needs us to be nothing more than a sounding board--over and over again.

* Show Up Even When It's Awkward - It's okay to feel uncomfortable and helpful to be honest about it. Being a caring presence, letting the person feel safe, is the important thing.

* Be a Helpful Resource - Sometimes the sensible thing to do is refer someone to a resource that might answer needs better than we can.

* Take the Initiative - Taking the time to put ourselves in others' shoes is a helpful first step in knowing what is needed.

* Be Compassionate - Even if we have similar experience, we can't really know how someone else feels, what causes them pain, or what will help them. We need to be patient. Remember to listen to others' stories before asking whether it would help to share yours.

Through brief, interesting anecdotes, she helps readers see how the "getting started" guidelines play out in real situations. She helps readers understand and appreciate healing communication (especially conscious listening, shared silence, rephrasing and reframing) that can lift spirits about such life changing situations as caregiving, end of life, trauma, divorce, embarrassment, attempted suicide, anger, frustration, job loss, physical and mental health changes, retirement, bankruptcy, relocating, and a variety of other personal and work-related matters.

With a useful table of contents and index, the messy, irrational emotional whirlpool of topics is arranged in simple, understandable short sections of true life experiences with helpful insights drawn from them. Comments and approaches are suggested. Being correct is not Guilmartin's point. Being receptive and connecting with others in useful ways is what she is teaching here. Example after example of practical application of personal, attentive empathy show ways to help individuals heal. She discusses spoken and unspoken, judgment-free communication to help individuals gain strength and perspective.

Some of the anecdotes and commentary give additional practical examples of how others have worked through bewilderment or healing or have conceptualized a situation in a beneficial way. A letter from a leader of a nonprofit notifying her group of her cancer and asking for needed help, a list of helpful suggestions and requests from the wife of a hospice resident to his visitors, and some near death experiences are some examples. A few of the stories are a little on the sappy side, but illustrate her subjects well and are all worth reading.

The general contents may be basic and obvious to those who read lots of books like this, but the memorable examples are enriching. Healing Conversations is both a motivational refresher and a handy resource to recommend for others dealing with all manner of personal discomfort. It is a valuable reminder that we all are more than our roles, we're fellow humans first.

At this time when thousands of people are responding to Hurricane
Katrina, "HEALING CONVERSATIONS" offers us invaluable suggestions and guidelines for how to
ask for, offer and, yes, especially, accept help during difficult, sometimes mind-numbing, circumstances. These
stories enable any one--whether you are a volunteer, teacher, doctor,
student, government leader, lay counselor, or even just a friend, family member or confidant--to be more at ease when
dealing with the unimaginably difficult situations BOTH survivors and
responders are encountering during this massive recovery effort. If there ever was a time when this book can speak volumes to all of us, this is it.

David W. Oberdorfer, M.D., F.A.C.S., M.F.A.
Emergency Room Physician & Immediate Past President, "Society for Humanism in Medicine"

This book is a must read for anyone whose work centers around pastoral care and pastoral concerns. Often the most asked question is "what do I say when...." and this book gives you the answers through the telling of a story in such a way that one remembers what to say when. Not matter what faith community you are a part, this book belongs in your library and in your own home whether you do pastoral work or not. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

As a therapist I've learned through long experience that often the most difficult but helpful thing I can offer others is the gift of listening with full attention. That's very difficult for us because our own emotions run away with us when we're with someone in pain. We get scared or angry and we want to make the problem go away--by offering advice or by changing the subject. Nance Guilmartin has put together a very useful guide for how to deal with our own fears and take "healing conversations" to a deeper level where we can actually help those in pain--by being there with them and, with their permission, doing what we can do to help. I especially like her very practical and down-to-earth advice: "Show up even if it's awkward." "Be there over the long haul." I highly recommend this book; everyone will need it more often than they realize, because the opportunities for healing conversations are there every day.