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Everyday Matters
Published in Hardcover by Princeton Architectural Press (2003-09-01)
Author: Danny Gregory
List price: $14.95
Used price: $9.70
Collectible price: $60.00

Average review score:

Unexpected Support
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-15
I was not expecting anything when I started this book...frankly, I'm not sure I remember ordering it. In any event, the parallels between this graphic memoir and my own life make this book read more like an answered prayer than merely another memoir.

I take that last part back. It's not just that the author's experiences mirror my own life that makes this book notable. Rather, it's that Gregory manages to capture his own HUMANITY...without resorting to irony or the manufactured self-deprecation that seems to plague the modern memoir that makes this book so notable. I mean, finally!, someone has managed to write an HONEST memoir, one that does not require an attorney's Release of the Facts as a prologue.

"Everyday Matters" reads like a private journal, without the pretention that comes when the author knows other folks'll be reading it. Gregory's sketches are likewise uninhibited and imperfect; together, the text and illustrations create a personal, intimate environment for the reader that is inviting and judgment-free; none of the "You shouldn't have looked (though I knew you would, so I gave you my best side)" business that is the meta-text of so many memoirs, but instead offers a reassuring, "Well, that's me, hair and all...what do you think?"

A thoughtful, generous gift from Gregory to his readers.

loved this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-10
A very enjoyable read and inspirational. I went out purchased a sketch pad and started drawing after finishing the book!

Trauma and how to cope
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-27
This is a great book! I read it in an hour and a half. I enjoy knowing the process people take in order to deal with life's occasional hiccups that knock the world out from under you. It helps to know that you're not the only one sometimes. It's always a relief when the person works it out positively and thinks enough to want to share it with others. Thank you, Danny!

great little gem of a book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-23
love it, love it, love it !!!!
a wonderful inspiring little book.
perfect smaller size (6"x8") to carry along with your sketchbook to keep you encouraged in your drawing.

I expected more
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-08
I suppose I had some misperceptions of this book. I was assuming there would be more inspiration that would cajole me into journaling and artwork. I also thought is was he who was disabled - it was his wife. There was little mention of how his wife's diability figured into the whole pictue of his life. As a disabled person, I thought there would be some insight into overcoming disability to do what you want. I do however, love the way he draws and journals. In the end I saw this as a simple journal that anyone might have done. I still have his other book and I have higher hopes for that.

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Exempt from Disclosure: The Black World of UFOs: WP Vaults & Roswell, Site 51, Los Alamos, Rev 2008
Published in Paperback by Peregrine Communications (2006)
Author: Robert M. Collins
List price:
New price: $17.17

Average review score:

A must read !!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-29
Great book for the intermediate to advanced ufo enthusiast. The book reads more like a research paper filled with detailed notes on the alleged locations of the underground cryogenic tanks, and the history and engineering of the underground tunnels constructed at LANL and Wright Patterson. Robert also gives the reader a first hand look inside the secret Aviary group with background data of some its less publicly known yet highly powerful members. Robert discusses the controversial subject of Project Serpo. While he supports the existence of a USAP such as Project Serpo he is untrusting of the details of the project which he found to be laden with disinformation. Like a good crime investigator Robert Collins identifes the suspects, locations, and aquires first hand accounts from informants on the inside. The book provided fresh data and detailed personal accounts which this reader found captivating. I commend Robert for his hard and important work to uncover the truth.

ETs
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-24
Maybe the people who authored this book have the inside track on the truth of the last 70 year period of ET visitation, the reader will never know. There are some many cross avenues in the detective game to find the truth of this ever reaching subject. If only 10% of this book is the actual and real truth, then the whole UFO subject is more amazing that we have thought. I found the book extremely interesting and thought provoking and would recommend it to any party interested in the greatest cover-up of the 20th century and of today.

Exempt From Disclosure.....amazing book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-09
Although I have read countless articles and books related to the UFO, EBE phenomenon for the past 10 years...I have never been motivated to write a review...until now. This book "Exempt from Disclosure" that your considering as you scroll through countless reviews, is an ABSOLUTE must read. This book includes information on The MAJ-12 documents and affiliated members, JFK, Area 51, President Eisenhower, Bob Lazar, Project Serpo and how they all tie together in this fascinating world that the author (Robert Collins) reveals. This book provides information that only individuals in high ranking positions of elite groups are privy to. Now, the secrets are released and we are privelged to know what very few human beings even know exist.

Thank you very much for writing this book Mr Collins!!



If ya like Bob you'll love this book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07
If ya like Bob Collins (and I do)you'll love this book (which I did.) Kit Green is quoted somewhere in this book as stating to the effect that, 'you should always believe what Rick Doty has to say about UFOs.' Whether you regard Dr. Green as an honest broker or an agent of disinformation the fact that he's seen fit to add this tidbit makes the book an interesting read.

Hopefully this new edition addresses all the distracting grammatical and punctuation errors in the first edition. It's my understanding that Victor Martinez was recruited for this editing work. Curmudgeon that he is- he writes well. After all he's a school teacher.

In any case the revelations contained in this book are both startling and delicious and it is my fondest wish that Captain Bob makes a few bucks from his efforts. Buy this little book- you'll have no regrets.
Kim

UFOs and ETs are real!!! This book proves it.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-31
I've been interested in UFOs since I was a young child. I'm 46 years old now. Over the years I've read many books and seen many films and T.V.shows that have attempted to explain this phenomenon. The facts are: There is a multitude of evidence that exists that has confirmed not only that UFOs are real,but also that the ETs have lived here on this planet and the government knows all about it. There are a number of reasons why this subject is "above top secret",and they're all in the name of "national security. It would seem that our government is reluctant to disclose the truth because they're afraid it would cause a "world wide panic". They base this on a report that was written back in the forties. Apparently the government has been "conditioning" the public to help prepare them for when the time comes to disclose the truth. I guess they must still think we're not ready. How many generations have to be "conditioned" before they're ready to tell us? Time will tell. However,in the meantime,Mr Collins and Mr Doty have been kind enough to provide us this this book. In my opinion,of all the books I've read on the subject,this book is by far THE BEST. It's all in here. I couldn't put it down. Fascinating stuff. Ultimately,you have to be the judge as to the validity of what has been written. But all I can say is,after reading it,I've come away with a new perspective. I truly believe what Mr Collins and Mr Doty have claimed is the truth. I had the pleasure of corresponding with Mr Collins via e-mail. He is an awesome guy.I asked him if he would be willing to answer some questions. He was happy to do it. Granted,a lot of the answers he doesn't know(this subject is after all,still Top Secret,so I wasn't all that surprised)But what he did know,he was happy to share with me. In fact,he encouraged me to share the answers to these questions with as many people as possible(if you e-mail me,I'll be glad to forward you the e-mails). I highly recommend this book.

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A Family Apart (Orphan Train, No 1)
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1988-12-01)
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon
List price: $4.50
New price: $2.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Family Apart
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-29
Family Apart follows the lives of Irish children. They move from Ireland during the potato famine to NY to survive. But then their da dies and their ma finds it impossible give her family the basic needs. She decides to send them WEST so they can have the basics, education, and love. I read this book to many children because it is a quartet of books. Afterwards, they want to read the sequels. These tell the individual stories of each child. Being historial fiction, it also leads into to reading real accounts of Orphan Train riders lives. The book is exciting and has many emotions that children can identify with now.

A Family Apart: A BOOK WORTH READING!!! :)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-23
What if you and your family had to leave your mother and go west on one of the orphan trains to be split up into differnt families?

In this book you'll experience the wide array of feelings the kelly children are feeling and the adventure that the kelly chilren have to endure. The kelly's dicover Mike, the oldest boy, is a copper stealer, they are being taken from thier mother, and most comfort Mike because he blames himself for all that has happened.

I recommand this book to anybody who like suspenseful novels or is just looking for a good book to read.

Tiaria true feelings about the book Family Apart.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-22
I really enjoyed reading the book Family Apart, because it keeps you guessing , whats going to happen next? Also it helps you learn a lot about orphans and what they go through. A Family Apart has a lot important teachings to offer. I would love to read the next six books in the series.

Great Paragraph
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-03
This wonderful book A Family Apart has a lot of meaningful things that can be learned. One lesson that can be learned is, that you don't know what you've got until its gone. If you have something or know somebody that means a lot to you, once you lose them you don't realize how important it was until its gone. A moral that can help you in life is to believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is good because if you are trying to reach a goal and you believe in yourself you will reach that goal and if you don't you might not. Another lesson that can be learned in this book is to love your family. You should love your family because they do a lot for you and they are your only family. The last great moral is to accept changes. Even though accepting changes is hard we have to, because sometimes we cant change them. As you can tell this great book A Family Apart has a lot of important teachings to offer.

a heart warming story
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-02
This was a thrilling book about a poor family that live in newyork the family has to deal with many problems first the dad dies, then the 3rd eldest gets in to some trouble because he is a copper thief Mike (the copper thief) is sent to a hearing The judge announces under there mothers wishes that the children ( Petey, Peg, Danny, Mike, Megan, and Frances) are to be sent west on the orphan train. Before the train leaves Frances the eldest child overhears that two kids in the same family are more likely to be adopted if they are boys. So Frances promising her mother that she would take care of her youngest brother cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Frankie. That's just the beginning Frances and her brothers and sisters encounter many other things on there quest to the west. Read this fantastic book and your eyes will open up to a whole new world of adventure thieves, slaves, fear, and depression it's sure to make your heart ache.This is a book you will always remember.

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Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering (New Edition)
Published in Hardcover by Naval Institute Press (1985-12)
Author: Robert L. Shaw
List price: $39.95
New price: $26.37
Used price: $12.00
Collectible price: $39.95

Average review score:

Comprehensive, concise info for combat sim fans
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-19
I purchased this book to make me a better combat pilot. I play a WWII air combat game on line that prides itself on it's realism. So when fellow players suggested I "Read Shaw" I took the advice. This is a textbook for fighter pilots. It covers everything a fighter pilot needs to know; Angles fighting, energy fighting, missiles, guns and merges. The information is comprehensive, clear and concise with a healthy appendix to introduce the newcomer to concepts such as lift limits and cornering speeds. If you want to be a better fighter pilot, even if only a virtual one, then GET THIS BOOK. It is the acknowleged "Bible of Air Combat"

The Bible of Fighter Tactics
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-12
If you have any interest in this area this is a must have book.
Simple and generaly fast reading,with lots of images to further extend the meaning of the text. Written by someone who knows about the art of fighter fighting. Good for real and virtual pilots alike (so many people say)

Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-30
A very competent insight on the dynamics of ACM and the relationship of the aircraft and weapon systems.

Excellent Text Not For The Casual Reader
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-28
This book is a serious educational tool for modern fighter pilots. I tried reading it in high school when I thought I wanted to "grow up to be a fighter pilot." The best thing about it is that I learned that being a fighter pilot requires a lot more knowledge of math and physics than I'd ever imagined. Real fighter jocks have to be a great deal smarter than they are portrayed in movies.

The subject matter is fascinating, and the book is clear and well-written. If you read it carefully, you will certainly learn something, but unless you are also sitting in a cockpit day after day, you won't have any context for the information you've put in your head.

I suppose a die-hard combat flight sim pilot might be able to improve his or her air combat skills with this book, but, honestly, for a civilian, the only reason to read this book is because you are so obsessed with air combat that you simply must immerse yourself in this subject matter. I doubt someone who has never flown into real air-to-air combat will ever have a true appreciation of the knowledge this book has to offer.

If you are serious about Combat Flight sims...
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-11
... then this book is a must-have. However if you are a pretty casual flight simmer and just are out for fun, this will just complicate your approach unnecessarily.

I got it with the intention of getting more serious, but unless you are a young person with ambitions of joining the air force, you may be better off just getting what info there is on line already.

This book covers all aspects of ACM, and it is excellent for that. Just that after having read the book, I found I lacked the time to PRACTICE the maneuvers covered therein. And practice is the only way you will be able to translate what's in the book into anything more real. If you have an interest in combat flight, you may enjoy the book anyway, on another level.

All in all I'd have to say that it was a good addition to my library- now just trying to get the time to implement it in my fav sim.

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Happy Birthday to You! (Mini Pops)
Published in Board book by Random House Books for Young Readers (2003-02-25)
Author: Dr. Seuss
List price: $6.99
New price: $3.07
Used price: $0.78

Average review score:

Doc's Most Imaginative Tale
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-30
Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

When I was a child, this book took my breath away. I felt like I was living the incredible adventures in the story, from riding the Birthday Bird to choosing the tallest pet to eating the giant cake. I think this story inspired the adventures I try to create in my own writing.

Now that I'm a mom, I still love this book. It is a little long to hold the attention of toddlers or preschoolers, though, so I recommend it for Kindergarten & up.

1st Birthday Memories...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-21
I bought this book for both my youngest daughter and our cousin, both who were turning one.

Of course this book is way too advanced for them but I brought it to their 1st birthdays and had everyone who was in attendance sign it. I love looking at all the adorable things people have said and can't wait to show it to them as they get older.

Rips easily
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-01
My 2 yr old son destroyed this book just by turning the pages. I wish it were a board book and not a pop up book.

"Happy Birthday To You!"
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-02
Instead of purchasing birthday cards this year, I purchased several books and wrote a personal message inside the cover. I then passed it around at the birthday parties and invited the guests to also write a message. This will be a wonderful keepsake item for my children and my nieces and nephews.

wonderful book to have for my sons first birthday
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-20
This is a wonderful book any child should have in their collection. The book can become part of a yearly tradition celebrating their birthdays!

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HOW TO GET WHAT YOU REALLY WANT, A UNIQUE, STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO PINPOINT YOUR GOALS AND MAKE YOUR DREAMS COM TRUE
Published in Paperback by Ballantine Books (1983-04-12)
Author: Barbara Sher
List price: $5.95
New price: $2.74
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

a wonderful discovery process
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-06
A wonderful book to aid anyone in the process of discovering who they are and how to find a path to their dreams. Barbara gives lots of positive reinforcement, but is surprisingly practical. By the time I had filtered through numerous chapters of discovery exercises, I was exhausted. I wasn't sure I would really find the focus I needed to define myself and articulate the next phase of my life. However, when I got to the chapter on defining "touchstones" the homework paid off and I found something at my core that defined everything I wanted in my life. Hats off to Barbara for her humor, style, and wisdom to make the process so enjoyable. Bravo!

Good self awareness book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07
I thought this book offered some different ways in the effort to learn more about myself. The exercises are thought provoking and easy to do and provide a good insight into my own thoughts, habits and self. I don't think it is ground breaking or the answer to the million dollar question "Who am I?" but it does offer exercises to learn more about self and I think it is an excellent read and book.

A little dated, but overall quite helpful...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-27
I had heard really good reviews of this book from many people I respect for their life vision and general success. It was a quick read, and while I'm not usually a big consumer of the self-help genre, I found it had a lot of very practical applications that helped me get a bit closer to discovering just what it is that I can contribute to this planet. I was reading Erckhart Tolle's A New Earth, which was a great primer in basic Buddhist concepts, but which I found didn't quite deliver on the promise of its subtitle: Awakening to your life's purpose. It did perhaps help to prepare me and make me more open to finding Wishcraft, which did a pretty good job of digging deep and really directing me toward the discovery and acceptance of myself as a creative person, and in turn, that creativity is a gift to share with the world and not stuff down in favor of more "practical," "useful," work. I found the emphasis on childhood and over bearing parents to be a bit much -- maybe because I come from the apparently rare position of having been encouraged to pursue my creative side from a very young age, but decided independently that it was too frivolous and self-indulgent to make my life's goal. I am grateful for my personal journey beyond my talents and into worlds that have only served to reinforce that I am indeed supposed to exercise my creativity. Wishcraft has some great tools that helped me take this realization to the next step, to decide exactly what it is I need to do to make my creative side an active part of my everyday life.

The book that launched a thousand books
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-10
This was Barbara Sher's first book, but until now I'd only read (and loved) her follow-up books. I've read alot of other books on positive affirmations and projecting to the Universe what you want and was stunned to see that this "oldie, but goody" was really one of the most simple and straight-forward approaches to that concept.

Even if you've read lots of other self-help books, this classic is still one everyone should read.

life-changing!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-10
I got the 1979 copy of this book about 4 years ago on a recommendation from a therapist who saw that I was drifting along with no real goals. I had tried college twice before (by this time I was in my late 30's) and each time quit because I didn't know what I wanted to do or to be. The "college career center" was no help whatsoever. The test I took there had me taking courses for industrial engineering, which I had zero interest in, but I figured maybe the test saw some hidden talent that I didn't know I had. Wrong. I started reading this book and doing the exercises and slowly discovered what it was that I wanted to be....an interior designer! I would have never thought of it in a million years without this book changing my way of thinking. I felt like it was a huge revelation! It was a relief to finally know, at the age of 38, what it was that I wanted to do! I started college again and had to quit after a year and a half due to a pay cut at my job. The old me, the pre-Wishcraft-reading me, would have just given up right then. Actually, I DID freak out for about a week. But the new me sat down and brainstormed like in the book and thought long and hard about what needed to be done to be able to stay in school and follow my dream. I'm happy to say that I only took a year off of school and am actually now in a better school. I've also been so inspired by the other reviews for this book. I have recommended this book to friends and will always keep my copy no matter where I go in life.

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The Last Open Road
Published in Hardcover by Think Fast Ink (1994-07)
Author: B. S. Levy
List price: $25.00
New price: $175.65
Used price: $4.65
Collectible price: $25.00

Average review score:

There Is A Little Buddy In All Off Us
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-02
I have been a sports car enthusiast for almost 50 years. While my life doesn't parallel Buddy Polumbo's, I can relate to his coming of age in and around foreign sports cars. Although fiction, many of the locations that Buddy travels to are real tracks and small towns that I frequented in my youth. The same with the bars and restaurants. The variety of characters belonging to the SCCA (SCCM) and participating in these sports car events are people that I was able to relate to. Perhaps they were the very same individuals. The sports car community was a small group of colorful enthusiasts, all motivated to be involved for different reasons, but the sport was fueled by those with the money to support the racing habit. For those of us that can relate that past era, The Last Open Road is great read. I cannot wait to start Burt Levy's other books.


the last open review
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-08
The Last Open Road
This story starts off with a young man that is called Buddy Palumbo. He has a friend that he trusts very well and no one else would listen to him the same way. Something vey bad happens to him and he got handed some of his responsibilities at the Sinclair. He never actually got hired when he started working there. They just started to pay him. His dad did not want him to grow up and be a grease monkey he told him to work with the Union. A very rich man that owns oil rigs all over the United States. He owns some of the very nicest cars that included Cadillac's and Jaguar. No one has ever seen or heard of them. Buddy got the opportunity to work on them and soon after he figured them out he was the only mechanic allowed to work on them.
I liked this book because I am interested in driving and racing cars. It was fun to read because it was so realistic and talks about real cars and real mechanical problems they have. I can relate to the people in this book because I race and I understand their family problems. You will figure out what I am talking about when you read this book.

mid-prairie teen

If you like classic cars, you'll like this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-19
B.S. Levy's The Last Open Road is a great read for anyone who is interested in wrenching on cars, particularly classics. I'm college age and I can relate to Buddy Palumbo in a lot of cases. If you're familiar with older British cars, there's some unique humor there as well. Great read.

Excellent Journal of the '50's
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-09
This is a well-written and enjoyable book that elicits images that are very familiar to folks who were teen-agers during the wonderful 1950's. It is almost as though I know the characters and can easily apply familiar names of real people in my past to them. Highly recommended reading, especially for car enthusiasts!

BETTER THAN "ON THE ROAD"
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
If you grew up in the 50's or 60's and knew a sports car from Detroit iron, and lusted after the former...than this is your book. This is a tour de force of the origins, excitement and naivete of what the attraction was for those weekend racers. Buddy Palumbo is this loveable amateur mechanic, hang-around carguy who through luck and heft manages to have the rides of his life at one of the first sport car tracks in the US. What you will enjoy is the reality of the details of the cars, the attitudes of those in and around the machines, the helter-skelter ways you drove in those days... and that BS Levy has captured this period in his own time machine for you. If you are a carguy, you cannot put this book down, and you will laugh your head off turning some of the pages as Bert reminds you of how we were. I had just reread Kerouwac's On the Road when I picked up Bert's book at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca...because it had a XK120 on the cover which was my first car...and because Bert, himself, was there guaranteeing me I'd love it. He was so right! I'm now onto his next novel, Montzuma'a Ferrari, which takes place on the Carrera Panamericana (translates The Mexican Road Race). Bert is a true race car fan and driver and describes emotions and thrills like you are there with him. I passed the book onto my car club members and its still being read and recirculated. This is a read to savor...enjoy!

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The Mirror of Merlin (Lost Years of Merlin)
Published in Paperback by Ace (2001-10-01)
Author: T. A. Barron
List price: $6.99
New price: $0.01
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

The Mirror of Merlin (Lost Years of Merlin)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-31
The book came in expected condition. They shipped quickly and did a great job.

hooray for imagination
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-20
More of us need a mirror so we can truly see ourselves and discover that there are positive changes we can make that will enable us to be better people and that can make the world a better place to be. This is perhaps the weakest book of the five, but is still a good read. Do start at the beginning, however, of the series, or nothing will make much sense (if anything DOES ever make sense in this mixed up world of today).

Melin magic strikes again
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-03
Mark Rodriguez 2/26/06

The Mirror of Merlin, Author: T.A. Barron, ISBN: 0-441-00846-1

The Mirror of Merlin book review

As Merlin realizes that his home, Fincayra, is in grave danger of the ever growing haunted marsh, he steps up and decides he is going to find who made that happen and why. This story takes place at the legendary island called Fincayra, just before the medieval times. The characters in this epic story are Merlin, his friend Hallia, the evil witch Nimue, and a friend he meets on his way, Ector, (otherwise known as Arthur). As Merlin and Hallia find a ballymag (a water creature who lives in the marsh) in a stream instead of a marsh, he tells them that the haunted marsh is growing rapidly. They also discover that the marsh ghouls are attacking innocent people, which they only do when someone invades their territory. But they don't know that the evil witch Nimue is behind it all. The reason why the haunted marsh is growing so rapidly is because Nimue traveled through the magical mirror. This can take people into the past or future. Since she traveled through the mirror she has the power to control the marshes because someone unexpected taught her about the magical way. So she uses her magic for evil and controls the marsh ghouls and the marsh itself so she can take over the legendary island Fincayra. This book is one of the better fantasy books I've read.
The reason this book tops my list is because I really like fantasy books and that this book seemed really good to me. This book was also a real page turner. It kept up with the story and it sometimes got really suspenseful at times which caused me to read it even more. There are also really good descriptions throughout the book. I really enjoyed this kind of genre for this book because I love fantasy and anything with swords, dragons, or wizards has always interested me. This book really hit on all of those things that I love. I would recommend people from 6th grade to 8th grade to read it and if you are the kind of person that likes fantasy I would really recommend this book for you. Also there were a couple of surprises in the story that really got me. One of them was finding out that the little boy named Ector is really King Arthur. So if you need a book to read, pick this one up and enjoy!

While not great literature, a great read!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-30
This novel is a fast, fun, and thoroughly entertaining read. While not on the same level as the classic fantasy novels, Barron has found a way for the reader to connect to the young boy Merlin, and always want more at the novel's close.

The Miror of Merlin
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-04-27
I liked this book because it presented problems not yet thught of in the average reader's mind. This bookis also intertwined with the other books so you didn't have to meet the whole cast of characters. It took little characters from the other books and made them bigger in one way or another.In every book new information is presented, this book holds alot. Not considering learning about Fincayra itself this book is only second to the fifth book.
I think the best part of this book was when he meets himself, it was a comical meeting. Full of questions and anwsers. The meeting of young and old made me feel and think of pity, sorrow, laughter and wonder on what is to come in the future.
I think the most vivid part of this book was when older Merlin grows a tree right in his own house. In the middle of his own living room! Reading the tree grow is as if you are right in the room when it happens. As if the tree is planted in the book and you are riding it yourself. Not only do you feel that you were there but that you belng there.

News
Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs, and Declarations of Independence
Published in Hardcover by Hyperion Books (1995-07)
Author: John Hockenberry
List price: $24.95
New price: $2.25
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

This is one Bad Dude!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-25
I'll be brief. My mom told me about this book years and years ago. I finally read it a few years ago.

Style-wise, I thought it was a bit melodramatic and I thought the author was stretching for words for emotional impact. Thus, I deduct a star for that.

What this guy's been through and what he's accomplished? Five stars isn't enough. I'd give him a million if I could on this site.

His journalistic travels to the middle east, especially his ride up the mountain on the back of a donkey, leaving his wheelchair behind - intense and beautiful.

I look up to John Hockenberry. I have a travel site, Wheel Adventure, and I am a paraplegic in a wheelchair. I think about this guy when I travel alone. If he can do it, I can travel solo as well. And I have and continue to do so.

Glad mom suggested this. One of the best reads ever and I was an English major and have read a slew of books.

I'm not sure we would get along in life, but that's why I loved this book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-19
I bought this book immediately after a close relative was injured in a car accident. It seemed different than the others (Although some of the others have been a great help in other ways). I know NPR and I had seen Hockenberry on NBC. The book was over the top better than I could have hoped. It is unique because it is written with such a clear voice in language that really grips you and takes you for a ride, it is funny--even laugh out loud funny and I'm a cynical person, it is witty, it has a political edge (which is why he and I would have some loud arguments at the dinner table), and it is not sugar-coated so while you are interested and amused you do get an education about what it's like to be a "crip." The best part is that when it was done, and I read it pretty passionately, I knew for a fact that I probably would not like him as a person, but I do respect him. Interesting take on "crips" for a newbie to that world. Thank you so much for this and I do hope that my dear cousin will be up to reading it one day.

Moving Violations is a fantastic read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-03
John Hockenberry has a declaration to make, and he does it in an incredibly moving and entertaining manner. I highly recommend this book. It is poignant, very funny, and educational--about Middle Eastern geography and politics and about life from the perspective of those in a wheelchair.

The book changed my life.
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2005-10-12
From buying it (i think) 2 days early and reading over a very nice summer weekend in june 1995, i knew this book was - just- different. Amazing use of the language, probably the best crip biography to date (and it's well over a decade now. Based my Honors Thesis in College on what Hockenberry wrote in this book, traveled miles and miles to see his off broadway play, speaking dates across the country, and even got to know myself - and him, better as well, he ain't on nbc anymore, but this still stands as probably one of the must reads in disability studies or crip liberation.

What to do when you answer the door and the wolf is there.
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-07
I want to keep my review short because, if you have not read this book, reading my review will take up some of the time in which you could be reading the real book. When "Moving Violations" was first published, I heard a review of it on NPR. John Hockenberry is an NPR alum so I expected the book to be almost as good as the review led me to believe. I ordered it from Amazon and devoured it in almost no time. It was actually better than the radio review had led me to expect. A month later, I got a call from Seattle that delivered horrific news. My 21-year-old son had been in a contest with gravity and gravity had won. Although he had just had 18 hours of surgery, there was no way to know if he would ever walk again. Through the years since that time, I have read "Moving Violations" many times. It initially gave me entrance to a new world and was much more helpful to both my son and I than all the rehab publications combined. I knew, from the moment I answered that phone call that both my son and I had crossed into the Twilight Zone and nothing would ever be the same again. The Twilight Zone, however, had at least one map. My son's journey was, and continues to be, unique (as all such journeys are). I did feel, from the very beginning, that we had a preview of some of the directional signposts and even some of the scenic overlooks. I cannot help but think that our family has been living and learning about this new life in a richer way than would never have been possible if we had not read this book. As soon as my son came home from rehab it became clear that he had lost his will to live. I had a captive audience and started reading "M V" aloud. It is well written and mirrors many of the dilemmas in the life of a young male with spinal cord damage. I think it only took two days for my son to get interested enough that he started reading it himself. This book was truly one of the first things that helped him recover his will to live. Living with a catastrophic spinal cord injury is not even at the bottom of the list of interesting travel sites, and while I cannot believe that anyone would take that path voluntarily, "M V" is proof that, along with the horror, there can be adventure and possibilities in life; possibilities that could be so easily missed. So...READ IT! While spinal cord injury may never be a part of your personal life, sooner or later something awful could be. As the Eagles remind us, "The wolf is always at the door." In whatever guise the wolf presents itself, you will have learned something useful about what to do when or if the wolf appears.

News
My Dog Skip
Published in Hardcover by Random House (1995-04-05)
Author: Willie Morris
List price: $15.00
New price: $4.45
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $22.95

Average review score:

My Dog Skip
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-18
This is a wonderful and touching story. It is a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who has ever had a pet. I especially like that it has a jack russell in the story.

About a boy and his dog...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-23
This book is the story of Willie Morris' childhood companion, a dog named Skip. Willie recounts his adolescent years and all the fond memories of his dog and friends as they grew up together in small town Mississippi. The story is heartwarming and the author paints a very clear picture of all the shenanigans, good times and bad that he and his dog had together over the years. I liked this book; but I think a male reader would appreciate the bond between a boy and his dog more than I can.

Best Book!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-17
This was a great book! It was so touching and heartfelt. I love dogs and this book is an example of someone who loves dogs like me so I can connect! Greatly recomended!

One of the best dog stories I have ever read
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-17
Willie Morris was a truly great author! This story of his childhood with his dog was really heartwarming. It is so simple and warm and humorous, you will just love it. Warning: you will cry your eyes out at the end, but it's worth the pain. One of the best animal stories ever, I hope many kids read this in school. If you loved the movie "A Christmas Story" you will love this book. The movie version of "My Dog Skip" is also quite good, though it is kind of upsetting that in order to create drama the wonderful father of the book is kind of nasty in the movie. Willie Morris was a great author who also wrote a cat book entitled "My Cat Spit McGee" and several books about his life that remind me a little of Russel Baker's memoirs. One is entitled "North Toward Home", another "Good Old Boy" and one is about life in New York City.

Beautifully Told
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-06
Willie Morris has recounted the life of not just a boyhood pet, but a dear and close friend.
The Story of Skip's life as told by his owner is full of mythic adventures of childhood. Where every new day was full of joy and wonder. Morris' storytelling brings the dog, his family and the lush southern landscape into full and brilliant view.
When you read My Dog Skip you can just feel how much this young man loved and revered his dog.
Any of us who have had a much loved pet know that the bond between animal and human can reach so much further than just "pet and owner". Willie Morris makes the statement that Skip wasn't just his dog, but his brother... that is a beautiful thing. Morris grew up an only child but did not feel alone by any stretch of the imagination. He was loved deeply by and deeply loved his dog Skip.
Another great point made in this book is how Willie Morris learned so much from his dog Skip. He clearly states that the most lasting lessons he has learned about love and loyalty came from knowing his dog.
This book captures so well the love a boy or any human being can have for a pet... I loved the story and highly recommend it!


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