V Books

I'm a mother of a toddler and expecting my second baby at Christmastime. I was blessed with a beautiful (for a hospital) birth with my son and hope that I'll have the same experience with this baby -- but I know from experience that I may have to fight for it. I may have to argue with the nurse who wants me to lie on my back, I may have to tell the doctor that I do NOT want an episiotomy, and I may have to kick out the residents buzzing around.

Why do women who want a natural, hands-off birth (without induction, without epidurals, without C-sections) have to fight so hard for one in a hospital setting?

"Pushed" is a very well-researched, readable look at how we got to this point. Block talks to mothers, midwives, doulas and doctors and, I think, really presents all sides of this issue.

I particularly appreciated her interviews with doctors who were sympathetic to moms who want VBACs or vaginal breech deliveries but unable to offer them because of insurance liability reasons. (If I were a doctor, I wouldn't want to risk losing my home or my kids' college fund so that someone else could have a VBAC, honestly.) This is an issue that I think gets the short shrift in many books and articles on modern birth -- it's not that doctors are necessarily trying to manage birth so that they can get to the tee times or make a few extra bucks from a C-section. Many of them want to help mothers have their ideal births but just can't take the risk, from a legal standpoint.

I do wish that Block had presented more solutions -- ideas for solving the current problem weren't really addressed -- and had also taken more of a look at why the insurance industry seems so reluctant to cover doulas, midwives and birth centers, when they usually result in a substantial savings. (My first birth was in a hospital, and my second will be as well, because we don't have the almost $4,000 to pay out of pocket for the local birth center.) She does mention that some moms have hospital births because they can't afford the out-of-pocket expenses of a homebirth or birth center birth, so it seems like it would have been a small jump to investigate why that is.

Now, here's my one complaint: In the final chapter, "Rights," Block took a very obvious pro-abortion-rights stance that I thought was out of place in the book and could likely offend a good number of her readers. (Many of the "crunchy" moms I know are pro-life.) Not to get into an abortion debate here, but I don't know why we can't assert that a fetus (particularly a full term one) has rights, as well as a mother -- especially in light of all the evidence Block presents that VBACs, vaginal breech births, etc. AREN'T dangerous to the baby; it doesn't seem like an either-or argument to me. At any rate, the "fetal rights" cases that Block addresses feel crammed in and not at all relevant to the rest of the book, from my perspective. Not to mention, ending the book discussing abortion, after spending the entire thing talking about what's best for mothers and best for babies, was extremely jarring.

Overall, though, this was a great read and definitely a must for any pregnant woman or anyone at all who's interested in why American women are giving birth the way they are right now.

This book is so needed. Women need to know what is happening in hospitals concerning births. Knowledge is the key. I got involved in the natural childbirth movement a couple of years ago. I overheard two businessmen calmly discussing a scheduled c-section. It went like this, "no problems with the meeting. My wife has scheduled the c-section for 3 pm on Thursday." They might as well have been discussing a golf game. Something inside me snapped. This was so wrong on such a fundamental level. I was not a mother and not even married at the time, but I set out to find out as much as I could about this epidempic and it is an epidempic. We fight for so many rights, why not the right to give birth? This book is enlightening, informative, and much needed.

Pushed was very informative and gave you SO much information about maternity care then and now. It also gave insight as to how to prep myself and how to be an informed consumer as to the type of maternity care that I would like to have. This book encourages women to take back birth and be informed instead of blindly trusting it to "the experts". I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who is considering going into the OB/GYN field and to any women who can get pregnant. This is fantastic! Once I started I couldn't put it down!

I had a completely complication-free pregnancy and planned on a natural birth. Like so many of the women detailed in this book, I ended up with a c-section because of fears of macrosomia (big baby). At my 40 week appointment, when I had not yet started dilating, the OB decided the baby was getting too big and I needed a c-section. When I protested, be brought in two colleagues and the three of them went through every possible complication for vaginal delivery of a large baby: shoulder dystosia, cerebral palsy, even stillbirth (yes, they sat there and told me if I didn't get a c-section it wouldn't be there fault if I had a stillbirth). I felt completely bullied and powerless and had the c-section. My daughter was a health 9 lb 12 oz, but I had terrible problems recovery from surgery, awful breastfeeding problems (my milk took over a week to come in), and postpartum depression that made bonding with my baby and, well, everything in life, difficulty. I still believe I could have had a vaginal birth. And now I'll likely never be able to have a VBAC, since so few hospitals and doctors allow them, unless I go the home birth route. This book showed me I was not alone. And while I don't have conclusive statistics, I can say that among my two sisters-in-law and three friends who were pregnant when I was, all six of us -- yes, all six -- had c-sections either for macrosomia or "failure to progress." And these were all healthy, normal pregnancies. Truly scary.

Sixteen years after my own "failure to progress" emergency C-section, Jennifer Block brought it all back in minutes. Intervention leading to intervention was the story of my first son's birth. My second positive pregnancy test jumped straight from joy into abject fear. Fear is a good motivator sometimes--our last two were born at home with two certified (and illegal at the time) midwives. Their beginnings aren't muddled in with my own trauma. The sad fact is, it's all thought of as so "normal" that most women today don't know what they've lost.

This book should be mandatory reading-- I agree with the previous reviewer--America needs a revolution in it's birth practices. I plan on helping start it by giving this book to every woman I know thinking about becoming pregnant. Thanks to Jennifer for all the hours spent researching this material. It is sorely needed.

I laughed my head off while reading this book! I was actually sad when it was over! The characters are unique, hilarious, and impossible not to fall in love with. This is a dark comedy full of witty one-liners, zany situations, and a lot of sexual content. This book is not for the faint of heart.

You will laugh out loud, this book is truly hysterical. I am a new Tim Sandlin fan - Sorrow Floats and Social Blunders are just as good. Highly recommended!!

On the positive side this book was sometimes amusing. The story idea of two thirteen-year-old's experimentation with sex and resulting in a pregnant seventh grader was promising though poorly executed. None of the main characters are believable, not the narrator, Sam, not his girlfriend Maurey, and not his mother Lydia. The motivations and thought patterns of the adolescents especially lacked any power to convey belief. This novel should probably have stayed in the form of Mr. Sandlin's puerile fantasies, from which it sprung.

With "Skipped Parts", Tim Sandlin has assembled all the elements needed for a great book. Memorable characters, a good setting, tight pacing, a great plotline and wonderful dialogue.

The main character, Sam, is a thirteen-year-old boy. He puts me in mind of myself at that age, actually. Very prone to dreams and fantasies. He meets a girl, Maurey, also thirteen. Before long, these highly intelligent children are losing their virginities to each other. Not long after that, they discover that, oops, a girl can get pregnant before her first period.

This is the start of a series. I haven't read the other parts yet, but I really liked this one. I also enjoyed Skipped Parts, the movie based on this book, though bizzarrely they changed the kids to fourteen instead of thirteen.

This is a very good, sweet book recommended for pretty much anyone over the age of about eight or nine. Highly enjoyable!

In Sam Callahan, Sandlin creates one of the great characters of recent American literature. Equal parts Walter Mitty and Holden Caulfield, Sam is a hilarious narrator with a truly unique voice. If the book were nothing more than a series of comic misadventures of Sam and his irreverent Southern Belle mother, Lydia as they are transplanted from the good ol' south to rural Wyoming, it would be a great read.

However, Skipped Parts is far more than that. Beyond Sam and Lydia, Sandlin populates GroVont with no end of fascinating characters--almost all multidimensional and colorful--the kind of folks you only find in quirky places like Sicily, Alaska. In this book, its easy to imagine that folks like Dot,Hank Elkrunner and the old guys who populate the local diner have interesting lives and stories outside of the light they shed on the main characters and that they didn't just show up in the scenes to move the plot along. This gives the story an incredible richness.

Beyond that, the book has a heart as big as the Tetons and frequently wears it on its sleeve. Rarely is a book so laugh out loud funny also so poignant and touching. There are moments that are truly noble, truly sad and truly beautiful and its a credit to Sandlin that none of them seem contrived. If you can get past the stuff about precocious 13 teen year olds experimenting with sex, you find a great novel about growing up, dealing with family, redemption and the endless disappointments and possibilities of life. A wonderful, wonderful book.

This is a really touching coming of age story in the 50's. The mother has to go to a sanitarium with Tuburculosis. The father is stuck in his own world of painting. There are 2 siblings, Robert and Megan, that are coping in their own ways with the abandoment issues that arise from not only the mother's illness, but the father's inability to handle the situation. Tamara is left basically in charge of everyone. Besides the obvious issues that are going on, there is the storyline of the number of moves the family has endured and how much they are wanting a permanent home.

I enjoyed reading this book very much, but it didn't touch me as much as some of the other coming of age stories like, Whistling in the Dark, The Book of Bright Ideas and Cold Rock River. Those stayed with me after I was done and while I really enjoyed this coming of age story, it's not one that will stay with me like some other ones.

Still it is well worth reading and I highly recommend it.

This is a story you were waiting to read, full of life-size characters... the type of book you don't want to finish.

And a first novel? ... wow. I can't wait to read her next one!!!!

I just love Sarah Willis' writing style and felt this book was equally as wonderful as her book: THE SOUND OF US. It didn't take too long for me to be totally drawn into this story of Tamara and I felt myself rather sad at where the story ended. I just wanted to keep knowing about her and her family and how their lives turned out. I highly recommend this book and hope anyone who reads it becomes a Sarah Willis fan. If you haven't yet read THE SOUND OF US, do yourself a favor and read it! It's real good reading. There isn't a single downside to SOME THINGS THAT STAY. I loved Tamara and her view of her world. The characters seemed utterly real and engrossing. The last sentence of the book was the perfect uplifting end to Tamara's story.

At fifteen, Tamara Anderson hates being different. But thanks to her parents' free-thinking ways and vagabond spirit - totally contrary to the conventional 1950s American lifestyle - Tamara and her younger siblings Robert and Megan start over in a new school each year. In fact, moving every spring is about the only thing the trio CAN count on.

The year of 1954, however, things are different in a way that no one could ever have anticipated. Tamara's mother has become sluggish, no longer seeming to care about her former passions. At night, she coughs incessantly, as the family tries to pretend nothing is wrong.

Meanwhile, the family's acquaintance with their new neighbors, the Murphys, threatens them spiritually and emotionally. The Murphys - especially eldest daughter Helen - are devout Baptists, intent on "saving" the atheist Andersons.

Yet despite her parent's vehement objections, Tamara finds that she's eager to embrace the concept of God. She wonders about his nature, why he would let her mother become ill - and whether God might just be the only thing left to save her family from total disaster.

This quietly-told story of a young girl's coming of age, their struggles to stay afloat both physically and emotionally when they're faced with the possible loss ofo their mother, and the idea of what really constitutes conventionality is bound to leave an impression upon readers' minds.

In the spring of 1954, Tamara Anderson is fifteen when her family moves into the pretty farmhouse across the road from the tar-papered house. Tamara is the oldest of three children. Her father is a painter whose landscapes require new locations for inspiration. The family moves yearly arriving weeks before the end of one school year and leaving weeks before the completion of the next.

Some things that stay is a coming of age story in which Tamara faces more than the standard fair of parental misunderstanding, sexual awakening and sibling confrontations. Raised in an extremely liberal, atheist family, Tamara has of none of the body/sex hang-ups so many of us grew up with and her sexual awakening is refreshingly guilt-free. Moving constantly, she dreams of stability and a more-than-fleeting connection into society. In the course of the story, she tries out the Baptist church with the neighbors from the tar-paper house--neighbors who are more than the junky cars littering their front yard. In light of her atheistic upbringing, Tamara's contemplation of God, organized religion, prayer, and fate vs faith adds an interesting layer. She faces ethical dilemmas, maternal illness, paternal selfishness, and, of course, sexual awakening.

A deep, meaty story, Sarah Willis' Some things that stay is a great book club selection. My book club read it and loved it. The concepts raised yielded plenty of spirited conversation. I recommend it.

Reviewed by: Laurel Bradley, Author of A Wish in Time
A Wish In Time

This book is great! The illustrations are so impressive that even though they only black and white your children will love them. We spend time on each page just looking over the illustration each time we find something we didn't see before. And the story, WOW! This story is a must for every little girl. The story teaches young girls not to be niave and believe every little flattering word someone is telling you. In the end all that sweet talk may just be fooling you so someone else can get what they want, like the spider getting the fly. I will be reading this book more often to my daughters as they get older!

This style of the book reminds me of Edward Gorey. The illustrations are fabulous, if the matter is a bit dark. I have bought this for numerous friends after finding it at a unique bookstore in Portland, OR. Everyone who reads it ends up loving it.

wonderful story with a twist at the end. Wonderful illustrations. Don't in an old spooky way.

This book is amazing. We LOVE it! I love reading it to my daughter, because its a very easy read with a great cadence, and its fun to pour over the illustration to find something new every time. Tony DiTerlizzi is an awesome illustrator, and I am looking forward to seeing more stories illustrated by him.

This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone. This is an excellent book by an excellent author!

I bought this book on account of all these rave reviews, and everyone was right - this is one of the very best books on writing fiction there is. I have over twenty, and even after all that, when reading yet another chapter on point of view is like slogging through sludge, Swain brings such refreshing verve and wit to the subject that everything seems new again. And it actually is, since he clues you in to key aspects you'd never considered before.

First, some clarifications - forget the title and the ugly cover. Rip them off, if you like. A better title would be "Techniques of the Dramatic Writer Who People Will Enjoy Reading." `Cause that's Swain's clarification - that this book isn't about pretentious writing for literary journals, and it's not about shallow novels or selling out. It's about solid storytelling and what engages audiences. What will, in the end, sell, simply because it's what publishers are looking for - novels with depth, feeling, and compelling characters that carries audiences along from one scene to the next.

Most books on writing stay at one level - the literary theories that just briefly touch on actual works you've heard of, and the cookie-cutter manuals that stay on the surface without giving you the tools or insight you're looking for. But here you find a combination of psychological depth and street wisdom that never floats off in heavy philosophy and yet never sinks to crude sketches for the popular market. It tells you how to write with both emotional insight and compelling action.

To top it off, Swain not only gives you the basic story structure of a hero facing conflict, but also gives a few nuggets I haven't seen in other books, such as curtain lines, scene and sequel, pet fragments, simultaneity, framing tightly in close-ups, reaction sentences, and the hero's stated goal vs. their true goal. The section on wish fulfillment was especially enlightening. There's also sections on a writer's life and being productive - including fifty pages on Planning, Preparation, and Production - that are sharp and true to life.

"The best observation anyone can make on preparation, planning, and production is that everyone has a God-given right to go to hell in his own way - and don't let anyone kid you out of yours."

Sitting down with this book is like sitting down at an all-night diner with a straight-talking veteran like Gene Hackman and having him lay out the terrain for you. Sketching phrases on napkins and crossing out words, telling you stories about fellow writers, and always setting up dramatic situations and how you can make them better. Spinning out stories about the waitress and explaining between goals of achievement and goals of resistance and how her boss's reaction could be the key.

Swain's enthusiasm is uplifting, his candor refreshing, his insight exactly what you need. He even breaks up each chapter into sections, so there's barely a single page with a solid wall of prose. For instance, the sections on increasing tension include 1) Build with scenes, 2) Don't confuse delay with complication, 3) Tie your characters to your story, 4) Balance your forces, 5) Have enough at stake, 6) Force continuing adjustments, 7) Keep the action rising, 8) Box in your hero, and 9) Drop a corpse through the roof.

Each of these is given a half page or more of explanation: "Your job is to spot holes and plug them; to foresee escape routes and block them; to cut off your hero from all apparent hope. If you don't, your reader's going to see those holes, and scream because your hero doesn't duck out through one."

It clocks in at 320 pages, jumps right in on the very first page, and though written in 1965, it's dated only by the magazines it names, mentions of typewriters, and a funny line about computer tubes. You still find the usual Steinbeck, Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Travis McGee. Everything else is as timeless advice as Shakespeare or Stephen King would give.

(For a pointer, it helps if you already have a few stories under your arm to check with Swain's advice as you go along. Also, when he mentions character types, or dramatic reversals, write in the margins the books and movies you've seen this in. It'll sharpen your perception and help you make the connections between what he's talking about and the works you've always enjoyed. And finally, Chap. 3 is good, but can be skipped to get right to the best parts.)

My only regret is that I wasn't given this book in college, rather than the stale, technical wish-wash that made writing fiction seem like typing up doctorates to please your professors. Those books one had to sit down and slog through, but this one I always looked forward to, knowing that even the things I already knew would be told with bold, brash wit and made new again. Which is, actually, what good writing is all about.

I have purchased dozens of self-help writing books, writing magazines and writing related software over the past years, however I could have saved a lot of time developing effective writing techniques by purchasing Dwight Swain's book, "Techniques of the Selling Writer", earlier on in the process. I highly recommend this book to the beginner, as well as the long time aspiring writer.

This is a good one. It's written in an encouraging tone, it's entertaining, and it's full of good advice. The age is showing a little (women are either ditzy blonds or housewives who spend their husband's money on mink coats) but that just gives the book a certain charm.

It doesn't extensively cover the whole topic, this is not one and all book. It gives you the basic tools on how to create conflict, characters, and structure, but you should still check other books for tips on editing and style.

This was one of the first books I read on the subject (I've since read several others) and it really helped me to structure my writing better, consider POW, and the character goals. The friendly, supportive tone was very important, this book boosted my confidence and my manuscript is all the better for it.

So many other books are filled with dire warnings how hard it is to get your novel ever published and how there are thousand things you can (and probably will) get wrong. Not this one, it tells you to just keep on writing because that's the only way you'll get better.

I've read this book a few times now and I find it one of the most helpful in crafting genre fiction. Swain gives a writer the nuts and bolts for building scenes and increasing tension to a satisfying conclusion for the reader. If you want to get published, I highly recommend reading this book and studying it!

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwilight V. Swain contains some gems, but you must mine deep to find them. Written several decades prior, it shows its age. While one could get away with prose that takes forever to get to the point, the modern reader and writer expects a faster delivery.

Yes, this is a symptom of the microwave society. I don't excuse it, but accept it. Unfortunately, this book could lead new writers to believe bloated prose is still acceptable in publication today.

Believe me: It's not.

I still recommend buying the book as the wisdom is timeless, but the technique in delivery is not.

Realize what you are getting. You might--as I did--thumb through some passages that go on and on before that single sentence makes the point near the end.

That one sentence is still worth it, if you don't mind the mining.

Wolfe

I ordered 7 of this pop-up books. One for my six year old and the others all served as great presents for his friends. I like to see the boys' expression when they opened the book and gave off a big "wow".
This book comes up with brilliant ideas, and is well crafted. It is both interesting and instructive. Thanks Amazon for this perfect product in a good price.

I bought this book for two of our grandsons who are 6 and 3 years old. The 3 year old loved the big colorful pop-up pages while the 6 year old loved learning about the story. I, myself, learned a great deal about the medieval days as well. The book is the right size, made well, and very educational. Makes a great gift!

I adore this book and honestly who knew pop up books could be so informative? This book was so much for me to read and great for my little cousin too. She's three years old and she likes to sit on my lap as we look through the pages. Theres even a little catapult inside where you can throw little pieces of paper across the room! (I'll admit I had a bit more fun at that) This book is really a piece of art that I plan to save for her so when she gets older I can give it to her :) that is after I get one for my own collection. Again a great book and an even more fabulous read.

I have looked at Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart's books on their website as well as Amazon.com. I finally bought this book and I love it!

The craftsmanship and artistry is beautiful. Children of any age, including adults like me, will love this book!

Not only is it well-crafted but it's educational and loads of fun. After this book, I ordered another!

This was a huge hit with my nephew who brought it with him
everywhere the first week. He loves playing Runescape, so it was a natural for him. He still loves it, but at least he puts it down while eating! The details are beautiful and it's a high quality pop-up book, well executed, substantial and with great background material.
I'm a pop-up fan myself and could have gladly kept it!

she is the best by far. I love this author she has never let me down I wish I could get a copy of her new one ASAP. All I can say is I love her books.

I have read most of Diane McKinney-Whetstone's books, and this one like the others did not let me down. It is a well crafted, organized story of a very personal nature. It reminds me how nieghborhoods used to be, both black and white. Nieghbors would share and assist raising each other's children, drink each other's food, and get into one another's business without major repercussions. This is the village that raised many of us in the older portion of the modern generation, before we were raised by the video game and television set. The characters are human, sturdy and accessable. I've seen these people, I know these people, I like these people. This is a very well written and enjoyable book. And i would encourage you to read it if you have a chance.

As with all of McKinney-Whetstone's novels, you are moved by her literary prose to destinations, times, eras, and so many fine places of the heart.

I am also a big fan of Diane McKinney Whetstone, and while I'm not sure why it took me so long to buy and read this book, I am really glad that I finally did. Once again the author has given us characters who we can't help but love - even the ones that we probably aren't supposed to! I enjoyed this book immensely and can't wait for the next one!

The novel LEAVING CECIL STREET by Diane McKinney-Whetsone is set in Philadelphia in 1969 on a beautiful African-American neighborhood street. It was a joy meeting Joe, Louise, Shay, Alberta, Shawn, Neet, Deucie, and Brownie in the novel. Cecil Street and its inhabitants reminded me of the cohesiveness of the African American neighborhood in the past. This is when African American continued to try to keep their streets as nice and neighborly as possible. The story centers on family, betrayal, secrets, love, survival, and dysfunctional families. It included vivid imagery and was full of nostalgia.

The author's novel writing skills are extraordinary. She really knows how to provide vivid setting descriptions that made you think that you are right there where everything is happening. She gives you a feel for the problems that the characters have contented with in the past and current. Her character descriptions make them seem like someone you have known; they jump right off the page. Even though there were scenes were my teeth cringed (eating cat food, mouth surgery) I couldn't stop reading. This story bought back memories of my childhood neighborhood. Where everyone knew everyone's business however, the neighbors were always there to lend a hand whenever needed

One problem I had with the story was that many of the subplots developed by the author were not brought to a conclusion, which left me with many unanswered questions. In addition, through there some very dicey scenes in the book, as soon as the excitement happened, the book ended. .

Overall, I rated the book a five based on its easy read, vivid descriptions, interesting characters and wonderful story line. What happens on Cecil Street could happen in any neighborhood. If you like a good story, read this book.

got a couple of these for moms with small kids in our family... they will read them to their little ones and all of them will have a good time! that was an easy one!

A friend of mine received this book on Mother's Day. Her daughter had glued pages in the front submitted by every child and grandchild she had, with drawings, photos, and testimonials of what she meant to them. I was crying even before I read the book. When I actually got to the book itself, the tears turned to sobbing, but GOOD sobs, if you know what I mean.

Don't get me wrong -- it's not sappy, just a plain and simple realization of what moms are to kids. I LOVED IT!!

I love Berkeley Breathed, not only for his illustrations but for his witt. This is a great book for children, the story line starts as mom being somewhat a tyrant ,the terrible things we must make our children do! eating broccoli and such. But ends with the ultimate sacrifice we would all make for our children, don't worry no one dies. I think children learn that eventhough we seem to be "the bad guy" as a parent there is no sacrifice too great we would make for them. I hope he writes more! I would buy his books just for myself.

Very clever story that open kids' eyes to how amzing moms really are. Terrific illustrations. I discovered it as a gift to my 5-yr-old daughter, but I now buy it for all my favorite moms.

My son loves this book. We read it quite often. The author is talented and the pictures are great. One of my favorites also.

i was leery at first about this manga being so complex with so many character, i had to read each book two times slowly to get all the details. but this is so worth it, it has depth and even the secondary characters are great and filled out. i love kira and kato and set.it takes some concentration and effort but what a great story. i'm a vampire kind of a girl, i never knew heaven could be so evil.ha!if you only read one manga in your life, this should be it. it's totally TASTY!

I'm assuming that if you are reading a review for volume 13 of this series, you've already read volumes 1-12 and so a) know how great the series is and b) don't need any particularly good reason to read the next volume rather than skip straight on to volume 14. That said, I'll stick to an important and helpful matter: this is the North American English edition from Viz. Despite the cover art shown on the product page, which is from the Japanese edition, this is actually the English translation. Enjoy.

The series is still strong. If you have gotten this far you'll buy this manga.

I was turned onto this series just by it's beautiful artwork. The syle is truely unique and angelic...no wounder it's about angels.

The story starts off as a young teenage boy soon finds out that he is in love with is sister! As if that could be strange wait till you here this. The boy, Setsuna, is the re-incarnation of one of the most powerful angel's in history; and now people all over heaven and hell want him.

What will it take to convince Setsuna, that he is greatly needed by humanity...

I hope you thought this useful...

Hypnotic~

This book is mainly focused around Setsuna Mudo and his forbidden love with his little sister Sara. Things get complicated almost immediatly (as it has a plot, a subplot and lots of extras), angels, evils, monsters, evil cd-roms that kill you and craziness insue.

Basically Setsuna is the reincarnation of the Organic Fallen angel Alexial, who has three wings, incredible power and a physchotic twin brother, Rosiel who she 'failed' to kill in the great battle. His best friend is Kira, who seems to be guiding Setsuna, and has been following Alexial through her multiple rebirths. Sara, Setsuna's sister and lover seems like just a normal girl, but is she? Many other seemingly 'background' characters come into role and the whole story starts rolling.

The drawing is so beautiful, I've been turned into a complete Kaori Yuki worshipper. I own her artbook and have read lots of her other works (I recommend Godchild). The characters are so gorgeous, you'll fall in love with them.

The plot is very very twisted and intricate. You have to read the volumes in order, otherwise it will make no sense. I have reread the first few volumes many times to understand (the first volume especially, as the first few pages don't focus on Setsuna) I first read this when I was about 12, so it was desperatly confusing, but it gets easier to read as thigns start falling into place. It's one of those things where all of a sudden a lightbulb lights up and you totally understand everything that happened.

It's such a great manga, it's so gorgeous and has a gorgeous story to go a long with it, what more could you want?

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! This book is a "must read" for anyone searching for deeper meaning in their walk with God. It opens the christian's mind and eyes to a lifestyle and not a belief... something that the 21st century church needs desperately.

A MUST IF U ARE GOING TO GROW AND HAVE A INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
WITH GOD.

After spending years in church disillusioned and discouraged and after leaving the church altogether, I've read many excellent books written by people who have walked the same road. This was one of those books and it was incredibly encouraging and inspiring. This is practical faith being walked out in small, meaningful ways by people who, like the author states, are "nobodies". I admire people who do naturally resemble Jesus and don't even realize it. That is the result of relationship with the Father-a life that resembles Jesus for no personal gain whatsoever.

I have been reading this book for about five days. I usually burn through a book rather quickly so this one is a slower read for me as it is not a long book.

I believe the primary purpose of a book is to open our minds for learning- expansion. Some do it through being a truly enjoyable read- I do not find that to be the case with this one. Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of sharing the insights of one flawed human with another. Misery loves company and seeing that I am not alone in my ineptness provides some relief.

What I struggle with is Mr. Palmer's use of humor. For me, it is way to predictable and pulls from the overall work. As an example, Robert Fulghgum says, "Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you." That is slightly ironic and humorous-it adds to his work. Mr. Palmer's are not up to the same level.

It probably sounds like I am panning this book- not the case. I am glad I am reading it. Dealing with life's everyday grind- more importantly sharing the experiences with others is invaluable. This book does that very well.

I read this book at a very critical point in my life. I was fed up with what we commonly call "Christianity". I was fed up of the formulas that were supposed to make my Christian life work, formulas that were making me miserable because they weren't working; I was fed up of all the guilt I felt from not being able to fully "obey the Bible" and live a fruitful Christian life; but most of all I was tired of all the pretene that came with Christianity in contemporay circles, not being able to be fully authentic about the true nature of my problems because we are always too busy trying to promote the "abundant life".

This book was a Godsend in this regard, it helped me to dispel all the popular misconceptions about what it means to be a child of God. Jim Palmer looks at Christianity through a rare prism of honesty and humor and makes even the worst of strugglers or sinners like myself feel a degree of comfort and security in Jesus. I especially loved the chapter on Hip-Hop and the one about the gentleman who struggled with his sexuality.

I highly recommend this book. It is on my short list of must reads for people who are curious about the Christian faith or have become dissilusioned by contemporary Christianity