News Books

I had read many of Carlene Thompson's books, and this one is by far the best book I have ever read!! Just when you think you have things all figured out, the book takes an unsuspected turn that leaves you still trying to guess who the villian really is. I can say this, I nearly dropped the book when the villian was revealed!! Carlene Thompson is by far the best author of suspense novels that there is!! Great Book!!

I love her books but the ending on this one was too contrived. She keeps you in suspense throughout the book and you don't want to put it down; however at the end, I felt let down.

Have you ever read a book and had the ending freak you out so much that you threw the book across the room???
Well, that was my experience when I read "Black for Remembrance".
I am a very hard critic and rarely do I read a book that I can remember years later.
I have read an enormous amount of mystery/suspense and this is by far one of the best thrillers I have ever had the privilege of reading.
From the first page to the last, I was completely enthralled. There is not a slow part to the story.
This book will stay with you long after it ends. At least it has for me.
Carlene Thompson is a brilliant author.

I GENERALLY LIKE CHARLENE THOMPSON'S BOOKS, BUT THIS ONE INVOLVED A SEXUAL PREDATOR, ABUSING AND MURDERING VERY YOUNG GIRLS. IT WAS SAD. HE DESTROYED THE LIVES OF TWO BEAUTIFUL LITTE GIRLS. THE BOOK WAS WELL WRITTEN, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS DISTURBING. THIS BOOK TAKES PLACE 20 YEARS AFTER 5 YEAR OLD HALEY WAS FOUND DEAD. I HAVEN'T GIVEN ANYTHING AWAY. THIS SICKO IS NOT THE CURRENT MURDERER. AT THE END, WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHO IS, YOU'LL THINK HOW UNDERSTANDABLY SAD.

This is another page-turning, suspenseful mystery by this author. Her fans, as well as those who enjoy books by Mary Higgins Clark, will not be disappointed. The author is clearly a master of this genre.

When Caroline Corday lost her five year old daughter Hayley to a murderous fiend she thought that she would never recover from the tragedy. Twenty years later, divorced from her first husband, Chris Corday, she is happily married to David Webb. The Webbs have a teenage son and an eight year daughter, Melinda. Caroline's now idyllic life is turned topsy-turvy, however, when she starts hearing the voice of her dead daughter.

Suddenly, everywhere Caroline goes, something happens to remind her of that terrible day twenty years ago. Moreover, people who were in some way connected with the case of her dead daughter start becoming murder victims. A bouquet of black silk flowers, accompanied by the same spooky message, is left for them upon their death. As this spate of events makes it clear that Hayley's death is no longer a thing of the past, Caroline does everything that she can to ensure that Melinda will not end up as a murder statistic.

The only question is: who is doing all these terrible things and why? Read the book and find out. You will find your self compulsively turning the pages of this well-crafted suspenseful mystery.

Laura is a normal girl with a sweet younger brother and a frazzled single mother. Her life is ordinary until the day her brother is stamped with the image of a horrible man. Laura turns to Sorry, an older, intriguing boy who she believes to be a witch. Will he be able to help her?

This story is entrancing to read. I first read it as a 13 year old, and I still find it fascinating. It is a great read, especially for those interested in witchcraft stories.

Margaret Mahy's book is an unusual take on the juvenile magic-user theme. It takes place in New Zealand, in a single-parent home. Laura Chant lives with her divorced mother, and her toddler brother. Nothing is entirely reliable in Laura's world, certainly not her slightly flaky mother, their extremely flaky car, and especially the surrounding landscape, being transformed from forest and farm into a new subdivision.

Chant, perfectly named, can sense things that others can't. She can sense that her brother's rapid descent into illness is supernatural, and that it is linked to the boy's unfortunate contact with the also perfectly named Carmody Braque. She also can sense that the mysterious prefect at her school, an older boy named Sorensen Carlisle, is a "witch" and that he may hold the only key to healing her brother.

Sorry, as he's called, is one of those magnificent characters, the enigmatic boy who shows all the signs of being a proto-romance hero. But here, he's young, sly, and not above using his advantage over Laura. Mahy writes Laura as a strong character, and watching her handle Sorry is a lot of fun.

This novel is full of brooding atmosphere but with a great contemporary setting. Mahy's protagonist carries her weight, but everyone else is equally nuanced and fascinating. The book calls itself a romance, but I've never read an adult romance filled with such menacing ambiguity.

This book is amazing. The writing is so simple and so beautiful that the images stay in your head for days after you've finished it. The story is about change and transformation, seen through the eyes of the two very different main characters. Both of them is different at the end, and has a different place in their lives and their families. The romance between Laura and Sorry really moves you, because they learn to love themselves as they fall in love with each other. Also, the magic and danger feels so real and not stupid or made up at all. The best thing about this book is that when you finish it, you feel transformed too. I love this book.

GENERAL COMMENTS: "The Changeover" strikes the tone of a precocious adolescent with verve. Fourteen-year-old Laura sometimes communicates with an open frankness that gets ignored, sometimes through sarcasm, which she uses as a screen when she must tell the truth but doesn't necessarily want to be understood. Her sensitivity to the nature of others grants her an awareness of her own growing body even as she delves into her gift to protect her brother. This book does a good job of showing the selfishness of teenagers, AND the selfishness of the parents that love them imperfectly, even as they compare to the sinister greed of Carmody Braque, the villain. The resolution(clue: quasi-spoiler appears in the rest of this sentence) aptly makes use of this comparison, by depending upon Laura's understanding of Carmdoy's needs, and her ability to exploit them as he exploits the children's desires.

MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS: Her sensitivity to others allows fourteen-year-old Laura to recognize danger, but she remains helpless in deflecting it, as when her parents get divorced. At fourteen, she is faced yet again with her gift of sensing the nature of things, and this time, it's her baby brother who will suffer. Mahy intertwines Laura's current dilemma with her family issues. She lives in a single-parent family in which the mother is no angel (although awfully close) and the absent father is no demon (although most noticeably absent). Laura is aware that her parents have needs that don't always include her best interest, but this doesn't mean that she doesn't seethe with resentment. At times, her mature assessment of the situation only frustrates her desire to react as a child.

ABOUT SORENSEN, LAURA'S CO-STAR: The flip side of her family is Sorensen Carlisle's two-parent family in which both parents are women (his mother and grandmother). His guardians, who are both witches, were sorely disappointed in Sorensen when they found a boy instead of the girl who might complete their circle of magic, and deserted him, albeit with a generous allowance, to an adopted family. One day he shows up at their door, with obvious marks of abuse on him, and in spite of his gender, the mark of magic as well. This late in the game, they are forced to repair their mistake as best they can-- only they can't take away his alienation from himself. It is these two teenagers that must fight Carmody, without further estranging themselves from their families in the bargain.

I read this book as a teenager when it originally came out in 1984. The greatest compliment that I can give The Changeover is that twenty+ years later, I still reread it sometimes--and I still enjoy it. I can't say that about too many of my childhood books.

The Changeover was a rare bird back in mid-eighties--there weren't too many well-written books about magic and the supernatural with teenage girls as the protagonists in those days. This was a genre that I adored and could never get enough of back then. So this novel was an instant favorite.

There are certain books that you read when you are young that shape the kind of person that you become--not necessarily in a large way, but in subtle way. The Changeover was one of these books for me. I didn't realize it when I read the book at fourteen, but The Changeover is a metaphor for changing from childhood to adulthood--from becoming a girl to becoming a woman. And this book really captures that--all the insecurity and the fear, and even the pleasure that you feel as a girl in your own new-found, womanly power. I guess this book appealed to me so much because it made me feel better about a lot of the things I was going through at fourteen; it gave me a certain confidence in myself: I wasn't just getting older--I was becoming a different being.

I have read other comments about this book and I agree with the reviewers that say they want a sequel. I still think about Laura from time to time--she and I were the same age when the book came out--and I often wonder what became of her and what type of woman she became.

It is put together very well and easy reading. References are made on just about every page to Life Lessons. There are Answers to Life's Questions throughout. The Life-Changing Principles are incredible. I recordmend this book to anyone who wants to learn about living in todays world.

Although I don't like the NKJV translation at all, this is a very good study Bible. Pastor Stanley's numerous notes, articles and life lessons are very pastoral and insightful. They add more to the text than the usual study notes you find in most study Bibles. This is a fun and informative study bible and I recommend it wholeheartedly. A keeper.

After trying out several other personal study Bibles, I settled on this one as my everyday, go-to Bible. I purchased the leather bound, burgundy one with index. It really has a quality look, feel, and the indexes are a wonderful help in studying The Word. There is so much USEFUL information and marvelous study helps. The Life Principles and Answers to Life's Questions always seem to pop up at just the moment I need them or the Holy Spirit wants me to read them. It is one of the most blessed and blessing editions of the Bible I have ever read. Dr. Stanley can be proud of this legacy work. It will continue comforting/helping people for generations to come. It is that good of a resource for the Believer. I have also used the Life Principles Daily Bible for about 6 months as my morning quiet time/devotional. It is too is awesome.

I enjoy reading this version of the Bible. It offers so much comentary. I am using it for school work so I appreciate the speedy service and delivery.

The thumb indexes are very helpful in finding Chapters easily. The Life Principles included in the Bible are a real plus. The highlites in blue of significant passages are helpful. The other markings by passages are nice to note also. Very satisfied.

This book is broken down into 70-something wonderful pearls of wisdom and advice-some practical, some nurturing, and some just pointing out where we can appreciate the "now". I would recommend this book for anyone, especially if you have a shorter attention span (each chapter is 2-3 pages), or if you're short on time (you can read a chapter at a stoplight or in line). Excellent insight and wisdom!

A friend of mine gave me "Creating a Charmed Life" last year and told me that she used it to read a chapter at a time to her staff at work. I found myself reading each chapter or essay in a similar manner and enjoyed it very much. So this Christmas I bought two copies to give to friends with the same advice. It has a calming effect in the harried life.

I spotted this book when I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life. (I read the book and truly felt inspired to make changes and to become more accepting of myself and others. I refer to the book all the time-it's like my own little pocket guide to life. Yes, I bleieve in God and have faith but I'll admit, I waiver. I grew up in a house where my mother did not have the skills or confidence in herself to be able to enjoy her own life or teach her daughters to enjoy theirs. If I am lucky enough to have children I will make sure I teach them these principles. Thank you, Victoria Moran for helping me wake up and enjoy life.

This can be useful: to keep this book on your shelf and open it to a fun suggestion at random. It lists ways to treat yourself as a way of reminding yourself to be good to yourself at regular intervals.

But it may only work if you're a very girlie kind of gal: this is something I don't usually notice unless it's very pronounced as it is here. The author's idea of a good time is to dress up with hat and gloves and call all her best girlfriends and go out for a traditional English tea and then to get pampered at the neighborhood spa. I myself would find that a total ordeal!

So, even though she has some good insights, she and I don't have much in common, and this book struck me as more outer-oriented and materialistic than her Lit From Within book, which I would recommend, and which concentrates on inner peace.

I have read this book and loved every chapter!....and I am purchasing a dozen, one for every female on my Christmas list, friends, neices, mother-in-law, setp-mom, etc..... I feel relieved that I am not the only female who feels this way. I especially like Chapters 8, 12, 31, 44....all of them ! This is the book you will read over and over again !!!! Thank you Victoria !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Debbie

Morgan is amazing in this book. I must say this book was my favorite so far. I havent read the fifth yet but this was actioned pack. I finished this book in one day.

Oh, my god. I liked Cal so much and he turns out evil. Such a dissapointment. The book itself wasn't though. I don't want to give too much away. But pretty much what happens is Cal and Selene turn out evil, Hunter turns out good.
I am so confused(sarcastic). Its a real page turner. Anyone who loves to read, read it.

And agian this is one of my Favs!

This book is awesome just like the other ones.
Morgan is just starting to calm down when her she is haunted by a terrible thing that happened in a pervious book. Cal is acting strange and makes Morgan more nervous. Towards the middle of the book Morgans life is shifted when an unexpected visitor shows up.
This book is great and I couldnt put it down. Cate shows in Dark Magick that something is coming. You pracitcally feel it in the words. Its exciting and shifts the plot for the rest of the books.

The events at the end of the previous book have Morgan very upset. Is Hunter dead? Did she really kill him? Has anyone found his body? Every day and hour brings agony for her.

Cal becomes more mysterious. He is both closer and more secretive, and strange things are going on with his mother. Morgan becomes confused. But then she finds out Hunter is alive. She is relieved to know she was not responsible for someone's death.

In her confusion she must learn to try and trust Hunter and even his cousin Skye. What she learns makes her more confused.

Final confrontations reveal much about the characters and their plans. It is a good and tense story. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I purchased the Sweep series for my 13 year old daughter in the hopes that maybe she would read. "She hated to read." Well I was amazed, and could not get her to go to sleep, as she would spend the whole night, with a night-light on reading these books. She enjoyed them so much, and could not stop talking first about Cal and then Hunter, that I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Well after two weeks, a book a day, for a girl who hated to read, it sparked my curiosity, so I started reading, and was surprised to find out how enjoyable a Teen book about Teen Witches could be. I am not really into Wicca, but these books are really enjoyable. I am on my fifth book, and my daughter read each twice, and is know on the Circle of Three Series. I have to highly recommend these books to those parents who can not get their daughters to read. These are excellent stories, full of fantasy, horror, and fun.

This has to be my favorite book of all time. Dr. Harra is such an amazing person, with such an inspirational story. If you want to learn about Karma, how Karma works, planetary Karma, familial Karma, and spirituality, this is the book.

Very well-written, very well thought out. I must have purchased 5 copies by now and given them to my friends and family. A must-have for anyone interested in spirituality. A must-have for anybody living on Planet Earth.

- Omar W. Rosales
Author "Elemental Shaman"

How inspired Mrs. Harra must have been when she wrote this book. If not inspired, then amazingly enlightened about Karma and how it affects each and every one of our lives. The book comprehensively teaches one the true meaning of Karma, how he/she could shape their future through Karma, and how one would use Karma to attain an absolute life. I honestly, highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to better any aspect of their life; You will not be disappointed by it.

Where there is longing to understand the deeper meaning of your journey and have more clarity about the roles of the people in your life...Carmen Harra's "Everyday Karma" inspires greater heartfelt confidence with life's challenges and offers more empowering choices to live a happier, more authentic life.

This was one of the best books I've ever read. It's very educating and I can almost guarentee that you will come out of it with an entirely new, more enlightened perspective on life. Anyone looking to better his or her life (or just in search of a good read) should definitely pick up a copy.

Everyday Karma was an enlightening and enjoyable read. The book was easy to follow and understand. Life is very complicated and full of difficulties for the average person but Everyday Karma simplifies it all. Dr. Carmen Harra explaines the depth and value of a person's actions and reactions. Even the most insignificant action can create karmic instability. She also stresses the importance of karmic resolution and has creates a system to do so. Every chapter of this book leaves the reader enlightened and pondering the importance of life. It makes one want to be a better person. Definately a worth while read and a good book to have around for re-reading during difficult times.

I have spent some time in NYC before but had always been with a city resident and hadn't ever needed a guide. But when the opportunity came about for my husband and I to spend a long weekend there, I absolutely took it. I love the city (in small doses, couldn't ever live there), but hadn't ever had a chance to do any touristy stuff. So I read some reviews and picked up this guide.

I spent a few days reading over it, and after my trip, I would say it's a great guide if you don't know what you want to do, or how to structure your days, because it has very specific suggestions for stuff like that. It has a section for each part of the city, at the end of which is a run down on a sample day one could spend in that neighborhood.

But as far as a comprehensive while-you're-there guide? I wish I had gotten Not For Tourists. This was a great planner, and had street and subway maps that were incredibly useful, but when you're looking for a bookstore nearby to kill an hour? Nada. Also, because of the setup of the book (chock full of Top Ten lists, duh), it jumps around a lot. One museum is mentioned in four different places, and vital information is only on one of those pages, but from the index there's no way to tell which one of those pages has something important like the hours of the place, for example, so you have to check every page.

Again, great for planning, less great for a carry-along for your trip.

Great subway map! Just don't forget to read the signs in the subway, some trains only run certain days/times. AND if I remember correctly PATH is not really in the book.

For those traveling to New York City this is an essential guide to bring with you. The restaurant recommendations are top notch. The maps are detailed and a pocket subway guide is always helpful. Whether you are going in for a week or a weekend this is the guide you want to carry with you when you are out and about. You may want to use another guide if you are going in for a longer period of time for planning purposes but again this is the one you want to carry with you when you are in the city.

I've used this guide several times on trips to NY and it is absolutely terrific. Pocketable, beautifully illustrated, wonderfully organized. We went to two of the restaurants recommended and were totally pleased. Very easy to use and filled with useful information. Will add a lot to a visit.

I visited NYC for the first time a few weeks ago. I took only three books about this city with me: this guide, the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", and "The Metropolitan Museum of Art Guide". Truth to be told, this guide is probably the only one I couldn't have done without.

"Top 10 New York" is an extremely useful small guide that doesn't have as much information as the "Lonely planet NYC Guide", but that has the essentials, and excellent fold out maps in color that are more easily understandable than those of other guides. I would like to highlight the fact that even though I am very absent minded, I could easily find my way in NYC thanks to those maps. And if I can, everybody will be able to do that!

From my point of view, this guide is ideal for those tourists that don't have a lot of time, and want to see as much as possible during their visit to NYC (specifically Manhattan), if possible without a tourist guide. "Top 10 New York" points out quite a few places you simply must go to in the city, but also tells you about different neighbourhoods, and their history. There are many photos in color that help you to decide what you want to do, and historic data that allows you to learn about this city.

Moreover, most visitors will find the insider tips for tourists helpful, and the planned walks and itineraries a good option. Other useful sections in this guide are, for example, "Best shopping districts", "Best hotels for every budget" (I found my hotel through Internet, though), "Best restaurants in each area" and "Most fun places for children". What is more, "Top 10 New York" is almost pocket-sized, so you can carry it with you everywhere, even if your purse is tiny (not my case!), or if you have bought too many things and your handbag is rather heavy (yes, that often happens to me).

All in all, I am very happy I bought this guide, and I strongly recommend it to you :)

Belen Alcat

I've read other books by this author and liked them, especially "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." Perhaps I didn't read the emailed Amazon promo carefully enough because I had no idea that this book was written 35 years ago. It is a story of a druggie living in NYC in the '60s. Although I was part of that culture, I really didn't know anyone as deeply into weed as this character so it was hard to relate. Was the story supposed to be happy, funny, or just sad? It was hard to tell. And how DID the chorus get all those fans?

There has been a lot of counterculture literature since the rise of the Beat Generation in the 50s. Much of it fails to measure up to the standard of Kerouac, Ginsberg or Burroughs. There are some writers who have managed to rise up to the occasion with classic or near classic works. Terry Southern would be one that comes to mind. Another writer who has produced some fine works is William Kotzwinkle. Before, "E.T. The Extra-terrestial", Kotzwinkle was noted for producing counterculture literature. One of his most famous works is the 1974 novel "The Fan Man".

This novel chronicles the sleazy misadventures of the self absorbed hippie Horse Badorties. He is typical low life East Village for that time period, man. He knows the score and will always find the door for a quick out. He avoids things like rent and pays for commodities with rubber checks. Surely this is a time piece cause many of his ideals wouldn't fly in today's climate.

The title is derived from his continued attempts to be a salesman of small battery powered fans. He consistently uses them and tries to sell them in any store or business he enters into. It is all part of his grand scheme. He even envisions utilizing the fans in his Love Concert that will be presented at St Nancy's Church. (I am wondering if this is meant to be the famous St. Mark's Church in the East Village which conducted poetry readings for decades.)

Kotzwinkle endeavors to capture the thought process and speech pattern of an East Village post hippie lowbrow. In this, he is very successful. The narrative moves along in a hazy stream of consciousness. Horse Badorties is a slob who is no stranger to the herbal pleasures of Mother Nature. The novel begins with Horse waking up in his filthy pad. Kotzwinkle is very descriptive in detailing the encrusted, greasy condition of this pad. It would probably not be too appealing to squeamish stomachs. I found myself thinking, "Man, and I thought I was a slob." Horse Badorties is not only from another era, he seems to be from another universe.

Badorties is full of big ideas and cons. He doesn't pay the rent and destroys the pad with his junk and filth. He is trying to conduct a love concert which will feature a chorus of 15 year old girls, most of whom, he tries to bed down. He has music sheets which he claims is church music from hundreds of years ago. Suspension of disbelief is required to take seriously anything Horse Badorties says.

The narrative is written in the first person, and we get a lot of "mans" sprinkled throughout the text, man. Like, man, after awhile, it can get pretty unnerving, man. In this respect, it is similar to a novel like Huck Finn where Twain attempts to capture the slang and accents of 19th Century Missouri. Kotzwinkle is very successful in this endeavor. He manages to tap into that vein of consciousness from Badorties viewpoint. This can be frustrating to the reader. If you consider how annoying it can be to listen to a person who overuses the word man in their speech, man, well, it can be just as annoying reading this text. Some readers would probably get lost in trying to follow the narrative. You almost have to try to put yourself in Badorties shoes. That is not a pleasant proposition. Kotzwinkle is very successful in capturing this stream of consciousness.

My impression is that this book is meant more as an adieu to the hippie era and the summer of love mentality that the 60s rock exuded. This is really about the crash, man. This is when people began to drop out without tuning in or turning on. In reading the book, I get the sense that I am listening to the voice of a man whose time has passed. He is left to wallow, in his own words, in putrified wretchedness. There must have been quite a few real life people like Badorties populating the East Village during those years. Perhaps there still are a few dinosaurs and relics there today. All in all, this is a very amusing, entertaining and irreverent book, one that will certainly make you laugh. Yes, it's a fun book. Pick up a copy! Along with this novel I'd also like to recommend another East Village novel called The Losers' Club (Complete Restored Edition) by Richard Perez.

This classic captures both the sense of the drugged-out sixties--when the prevalent youth drugs were less dangerous and addictive--and the quirky character who is the narrator. I recently read a book, also funny, but more serious--by which I mean deeper--that covers the same time and place: I Think, Therefore Who Am I? Both protagonists are similarly afflicted by the short attention span that characterized pot- and acidheads of that era. But then, that book, "Memoir of a Psychedelic Year" is clearly a memoir, and Kotzwinkle's book is only putatively so.

At any rate, The Fan Man is an excellent book. One of the funniest you'll ever read, if you like pothead humor--as I do. Sadly, Kotzwinkle never reached this level of hilarity again. I Think, Therefore Who Am I?

I read this book at the age of 12! It somehow made it onto a shelf of the St Rose of Lima school library in suburban Toronto. I read it cover to cover and for a short time it was cooler than porn for a few boys on the school hockey team. I returned it without mentioning it's subject matter to anyone in a authority. It could still be there. Maybe somebody was pulling pranks, or maybe Miss Heitzner, the soon to retire librarian was more progressive than she was ever given credit for! It's been a long time, 28 years or so, but I always remembered Horse and his anticts. In particular his getting laid and the school bus scam. Let's say it made an impression.

I read this book in my youth, and try and read it every couple of years. I rank it right up there with a confederacy of dunces, another classic. horse and ignatius are two of my favorite characters to come from the world of fiction. I came of age in the late 60's and early 70's, being a former hippie [ now my politics are just to the right of atilla the hun ] this book captures that era perfectly.

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.

This is a wonderful book any child should have in their collection. The book can become part of a yearly tradition celebrating their birthdays!

I bought this book for my son to read to him on his birthday. It is a lovely book that my three year son enjoyed very much. We will be making the reading of this book a yearly tradition!

I just love all Dr Seuss books! This one is just as good. I'd never heard of it but when I saw it I had to get it for my son. I got it for his 1st birthday party for everyone at the party to sign like a yearbook and give him wishes for when he's older since he won't remember the party. We love the book too though!

I bought this book for all 3 of my children for birthdays.
We read it every year on their birthday--it is an amazing book.

I highly recommend for birthday gifts or just because you love Dr. Seuss!

We assign this book for our Advanced Yoga class. It is a great way to bridge physical activity with mental activity in the practices of yoga. I enjoyed this book, but it is not for beginners. I think some basic understanding of the practice is needed before reading this which is in more detail.

Being a yoga teacher, I am often asked if there were only 1 book on yoga that I could recommend, which would it be? The answer is The Heart of Yoga. There is no hidden agenda here. The essence of yoga from the heart of a yogi. My second choice would be Srivatsa Ramaswami's-- Yoga for the Three Stages of Life: Developing Your Practice As an Art Form, a Physical Therapy, and a Guiding Philosophy. Second only because it did not have a translation of the Yoga Sutras included, as does The Heart of Yoga.

This book is interesting but is a somewhat detailed read. It teaches the background of yoga and ideas toward developing a personal plan toward practicing yoga.

I had to pick this book up for my yoga instructor certification course. Initially, I approached like I do all textbooks, with dread and out of necessity. I expected it to be WAY over my head, especially since I am relatively new to rigorous practice of yoga. However, Desikachar's writing style and tone make this book completely accessible. I have learned so much from this book and what I have found is that Desikachar's words are very easy to incorporate into my dharma talks and apply to my yoga practice. The book is very well organized and very well laid out with each section building on the previous section's information. There is even a Sanskrit pronunciation guide in the back of the book! In addition to that, Desikachar's gift is his ability to share his knowledge and his passion in a way that engenders hope and allows the readers to have faith in their abilities, at whatever level of their yoga practice. It's not so much that he tells you what to do and places an expectation on you to do it. No, it is more as if he shares what he knows and wants the reader to be able to experience the joy and the profound effects of yoga. I highly recommend this book to any level yogi who practices any style of yoga.

I have used this book both a teacher and a student. I use this book for all our teacher training programs with huge success. This is a gem of a book. A necessary read for students and teacher's of Vinyasa. Having practiced at the KYM mandiram and having met Desikachar makes this book even more amazing as he is a living vibration of this book.