E Books

This book is about a girl named Lucy. She just finished fourth grade and this is going to be the WEIRDEST summer of her whole life. Everything around her is changing. Her grandma (with Alzheimer's) moves in with them, her worst enemy might move in next door to her, and she begins to receive e-mails in some secret code! Lucy thinks that maybe, if she has someone (or something) to tell all her problems too, she might be able to come up with solutions to the problems. Does she? Read the book and find out!

i read this book in 3rd gread. i loved this book so muhc. afther i read it i lended it to m\y frineds and she loved it. if you like the internet and like tghe compiuter youll like this book. it i san very easy book to read but has a great story. afther reading this book i made mi own e-mial log. so inconculison. this is a good reads. that everyone will enjoy

Lucy gets an E-journal computer program and she writes about her summer in there. She explains how her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease, moves in with her, how her best friend betrays her, how she has to go to summer camp and doesn't want to, and how much she wants a ferret. Can Lucy make it through summer camp? Can she forgive her best friend for betraying her? Can Lucy finally get the ferret of her dreams? Find out her story section by section.
Lucy goes through many tough experiences, kind of like me. I really like this book because I really relate to Lucy and her stories. I would definitely recommend this book to any animal lovers who also enjoy a good laugh, and anyone else who might want want to learn about ferrets, cats, or Alzheimer's disease. So get reading!

I hate reading!!! When I saw this book at a school book fair. I Grabbed it! It looked so intresting. When I started to read this I loved it and I didn't want to stop! I could read this 10
times and still not want to stop! I am 12 years old and I sill love this book from when I was 10 in the 5th grade!!!!

I think this book is really cool and completely true.I loved it!!!!!

This is an excellent book. I have used it for medieval, folk/fairy tale, multiplication, critical thinking, and role playing studies. It is also just a wonderful story for read aloud at home or school. The illustrations are just beautiful.

...Nesbit writes beautifully and is clever and unpredictable enough that without going over the kids' heads, the reading adult can enjoy it too. The illustrations are excellent; I just wish the hardcover version was available!

A century-old thoughtful twist on the fairy tale genre by a classic Children's writer (would love to see reviews of some of her other works). Melisande is a princess subject to the usual misfortune: a wicked fairy not invited to the christening casts an evil spell on her--"The Princess shall be bald." Not to worry the King has a wish he was given by his fairy godmother locked in his safe, the Princess may use it however she wishes when she comes of age. At that point, the Queen says,

"Dearest, for my sake, wish what I tell you to." "Why, of course I will," said Melisande. The Queen whispered in her ear, and Melisande nodded. Then she said, "I wish I had golden hair a yard long, and that it would grow an inch every day, and grow twice as fast every time it was cut..."
"Stop!" cried the King..."You've done about enough." For he had a mathematical mind and could do the sums about the grains of wheat on the chessboard...

You can imagine what happens next. According to the formula, they promise the Princess's hand in marriage to the Prince who can solve this problem. One unfortunate attempt leaves her growing into a giant a la Alice in Wonderland. The final solution is very clever and I won't spoil it for you. There is a great deal of humor throughout and it is illustrated very well, though I'm not an uberfan of Lynch's caricatures.

I remember this book from middle school. I told people the story, and everyone thought I made it up! I'm glad to see that it's in print, and not just a figment of my imagination. If you love fairy tales, you'll like this book. A little strange, but worth the read.

From one irritated, uninvited guest comes the gift of baldness. From one poorly worded wish comes out of control hair. Add one prince determined to find the solution. Mix in Melisande's need to rescue her island home. How does it turn out? It adds up to an enchanting tale that delights both young and old. I've used the book in elementary classes as well as college classes--both were mesmerized.

From the very title of Dr. Mark Hillman's book, "My Therapist Is Making Me Nuts," we get the sense that maybe, just maybe, this book is going to be different from the thousands of others that clutter the self-help shelves of the local book store. After all, if Hillman could be irreverent enough to take a well-deserved poke at his own profession with the notion that therapists might actually be CAUSING problems, perhaps the pandering, know-it-all tone that generally typifies the field might be avoided.

Such faith is more than justified, as becomes clear from the opening lines of the introduction in which the train of thought that led to the book's writing is revealed. Eschewing the force-fed paradigms that characterize most of the books written by his fellow therapist-authors, Hillman takes an Everyman approach to the emotional and mental stumbling blocks and landmines over which most of us trip every day, year in and year out.

Taking the reader through a voyage of self-discovery, Hillman pulls back the curtain on such notions as operating fantasies, operating assumptions, and the deadly operating presumptions. Citing as examples such characters as Bixby and the Unfortunate Jones, Hillman uses humor to make his point and allows us to see ourselves in those examples. Page by page the reader learns about the motivating power of currencies of approval and gratification, of the difference between the person and the self, the role of culture in what we feel and believe, and the way we all sometimes go half-cocked chasing after things that are really not good for us.

As Hillman himself says in the book's opening pages, this volume isn't going solve every problem, make us rich, successful or beautiful. For that he suggests Martha Stewart. But for the rest of us who just want some tips on how to get through life, there could not be a more accessible, user-friendly tool.

Humor, self-awareness, insightful, understanding relationships -with yourself and your world.....Dr. Hillman has managed to provide an excellant written book that captures your attention from begining to end. There are two ways to approach this book -buy it and read it now or buy it and keep it by your bedside. Either way it will help you when "Life Happens". This is a great book for any age - if you are open to better understanding your-self this is a must read. But remember - buy 2 - you will want to keep one for yourself and one to give to someone special in your life!

My Therapist is Making Me Nuts by Mark Hillman is, in my judgment a "must read" book that will encourage introspection at the turn of every page. The book painlessly dissects and exposes the factors, suppositions, assumptions and ideations that individualize each of us, and the readers are encouraged to participate in the game of "who, what and how" we are.

Psychological anatomy is complex and the drama it produces is the theater of mankind, yet somehow, with wit, humor, and text that engages the reader directly, Hillman clarifies the intimate parts of personality, yours, mine and of course, his. His allusions demonstrate a robust familiarity with the vernacular of our times, from which he culls relevant examples to illustrate the pitfalls and sand traps that may obstruct and delay our progress. They may also help us peel away the veneers that disguise us from ourselves.

Hillman writes in a glib, conversational story-telling manner, replete with anecdotes that clarify obscure concepts of this difficult subject. Any words or phrases that interrupt your train of thought are further defined in the reader-friendly glossary.

Hillman describes "hope". "expectations". "presumptions" ,
"assumptions" as well as numerous other processes that either implement or retard our progress as human beings, and bundles them into the context of contemporary social and societal life. Even the short paragraph about rites of passage of different civilization invites comparison with college hazing, a seemingly foolish activity which may have roots buried deep in the recesses of our genetic past.

The proposition put forward that thought always precedes action may be true, but it is probably also true that many thoughts are generated by instincts over which we have little control. But if indeed Hillman is correct, that thoughts inevitably precede action, book is a mirror to show how the thoughts generated by instinct can be modified and often dealt with.

Read this book to learn more about yourself. Rarely does education come in such a palatable form.

Written like a true mensch, Dr. Mark Hillman breaks down the puzzles that keep us stuck in unproductive relationship patterns in safe and often funny slices-of-life that resonate, reassure and teach. I read the first hundred pages in a half hour -- it's that good! A must-read for those considering therapy or for those who have lived and learned through therapy -- Dr. Mark validates and nutures us all!

Being someone who is more comfortable reading a short magazine article while at the barbershop, this book looked like a daunting task to read. I was suprised at not being able to set Dr.Hillmans book down. I began to think this author had somehow written about me or some of my own life stumbles.
This book is about us all and the stumbles we all may make in life. I only could wish that this book had come to print years ago. Dr.Hillmans down to earth approach is simple to understand and his wit and humor helps to keep us focused on the basic principles he gives us in the book. It's written in a manner that is easy to read and understand. This book is a healthy source of guidlines of self-awareness to operate day to day in the real world. Thank You Dr. Hillman for putting together such a great resource for personal growth and understanding for everyday life.

Excellent information on the history of gemstones, understanding color and cuts. Exquisite examples, beautifully photographed. A must for anyone interested in gemstones or the history of jewelry.

This is a beautiful book with lots of interesting information on the gem collection.

This review is for the paperback version of the book, which I loved. It has a lovely balance of terrific photos & explanations of the various sources of the featured gems. It serves as a nice beginning reference when you have heard the terms sapphire & red sapphire (huh? I thought red gems were rubys or spinels) and would like to know more about which gems are related to others.

And did I say the photos are just wonderful? Enjoy!

If you have visited the National Collection and want a souvenir to remind you of the stunning array of unique World Class Gems then this is the book for you. Both the format of the book and the superlative quality of the photography make this book the next best thing to being in the exhibition hall. There is a fairly light weight coverage of the gemmology in the text, but it mostly focusses on the history and ownership of these fabulous gems. The National Collection is unique, no where else in the world is there such a concentration of fabulous jewels with such an interesting history, with the possible exception of the British Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. This book is a fitting celebration of such a marvellous collection.

"The National Gem Collection," by Jeffrey E. Post, features photographs by Chip Clark. The book is a beautiful celebration of the title collection, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The informative text discusses the history of the collection, facts about types of different gemstones, and specific pieces in the collection.

The full-color photography is really stunning, and brings a rich assortment of gems to glorious life. Some of the historic pieces pictured are the blue Hope Diamond, the diamond Napoleon Necklace, the Hooker Emerald, and more. Also shown are a colorful collection of "fancy" diamonds, a rare red diamond, the 858-carat uncut Gachala Emerald, the delightful "pink tutu" (a band of dainty rose quartz crystals on a large smoky quartz crystal), a dazzling group of fire opals, a lapis lazuli carving from Afghanistan, and more.

I appreciate how the book celebrates gemstones at various stages: uncut, cut, and set in artfully crafted pieces of jewelry. Many different types of gemstones--aquamarine, garnet, spinel, chrysoberyl, turquoise, etc.--are covered. Features such as a scanning electron microscope photo of the inner structure of an opal give the reader a deeper understanding of the science behind gems. From start to finish, this book is a marvelous feast for both the eyes and the brain.

The information in this book is practical,concise and easy to understand. The book is a can't miss guide, including structured exercises,for anybody that believes personal improvement is the key to mastering change and leading a meaningful life. A welcome addition to any self help library.

I greatly enjoyed the easy-read factor. The writing is clear, straight forward and enjoyable, especially the "gemful" stories along the way. The Near-Life Experience concept is fresh, focused and gives emphasis to the sacred -- the extraordinary in the ordinary.

I appreciated the challenges of gaining insight from self assessment and from feedback from others. The simple, basic and loving approach of acceptance, affirmation and care for every person and circumstance is refreshing and energizing. Near-Life Experiences is insightful and inspirational. Thanks Tom!

"Near-Life Experiences" is a profound statement that caused me to re-think my priorities on a daily basis. Goals and achievements are important, but if you lack balance, there is no victory. Tom McQueen puts this message in an easy read filled with wisdom gained in his own "near-life" experiences. Anyone seeking balance and fulfillment in their spiritual, family or career life will benefit from reading this book and applying the simple recommendations for truly valuing the "near-life" experiences we have each day.

This is a small book in size but a giant in scope. Tom McQueen offers the simplest suggestions on how to get the most out of your personal, professional and spiritual life. He provides examples of how to find new meaning in everyday experiences. He makes you think about everybody you care about and then suggests how to get the most out of these relationships.

There are books that claim to be real helpful and then there are books that really help! Tom McQueen's book is one of those books that really help!

I can't remember in sixty years when I have read something that has had such a meaningful impact on my life.

"Near-Life Experiences: Discovering New Powers for Personal Growth" should be a featured book on Oprah and every other book list in America.

With what our country has been through lately in Washington, capitalizing on our "near-life experiences" would be a blessing for us all.

Mark Rogers writes a heady mix of sword/sorcery, .... and political machinations unlike anything I've found in decades of reading. In Hollywood high-concept parlance, you could say Karl Edward Wagner's Kane meets Machiavelli in the Kama Sutra, mixed with odd religious overtones. I have several of Mark's paintings hanging in my house and they ooze the same tension of .... freedom and impending violence that his writing puts into more specific terms. Other reviews on this page will give more of a plot line; I just want to recommend for the stout of heart, that this is a series worth reading. I only give it four stars because you do need to read the first two books to fully enjoy the ride. Nicely demented!!

To have gotten to this book you hopefully will have read "Blood & Pearls", and "Jagutai & Lilitu" before hand. This book continues where they left off and is the exciting end of the Zancharthus series.

Mark E. Rogers has a style of his own. It blends Dark Fantasy, Horror, and Erotica all into a single hot firebrand of a style. His writing is not for the faint of heart or those easily offended. When he describes love. He does it well. However, when he describes EVIL, INSANITY, LUST, and many other potentially dark emotions he does them exceedingly well. Why? Simply, because he holds nothing back in writing and it is obvious when you read his books that he has a vivid imagination when it comes to describing these things. Some scenes are so vivid it will leave you wondering if he was sitting over in the corner of a room watching the lustful scenes unfold and jotting down notes on a sheet of paper. Seriously, he is VERY good at describing these things.

This book culminates with the scene that starts Zorachus. Zorachus is Zancharthus son and Mark actually wrote Zorachus first. Zorachus is one of my all time favorite books. So, of course I simply had to read the rest.

If you liked the first two books in this series then this book will captivate you just as much and will leave you wondering where you just were when you get done with the book.

So, treat yourself to a good book.

One note these books are intended for a mature audience. I would consider them an NC-17 rating if I were in charge of rating. So, with that in mind. Get ready for a great book!!

Veteran story-teller Mark E. Rogers hits the bullseye again in this Khymerian novel. The book includes black magic, political intrigue, spiders the size of the Titanic (hungry too!), and finally redemption! How could you not like this book? If you've read his other Khymerian novels then you owe it to yourself to find this one with all dispatch and curl up for a good read. One caveat, as a dad, don't leave the book lying in a place the youngsters can pick it up!

It made me cry. And there's a giant spider big enough to capture entire ships. (Sorry, I just finished reading it and am too emotionally wrung-out to go into much detail.^_^)

This is the way a fantasy novel should be. This book pulls no punches and delivers a healthy dose of magic, violence, sex, and even a little humor as well. This is the third book of the Zancharthus series. It is also in my opinion the best of the series. Events from the previous books all play a role in developing the story. They also help to develop the characters and it is very enjoyable to follow their progression over the three books.

This book is intended for graduate students of English who might need to acquire a reading knowledge of Old English for their studies, but who are not necessarily knowledgeable in Indo-European linguistics or familiar with archaic, highly inflected languages.

The author begins with a simplified but fairly comprehensive grammar of Old English which runs about 40 pages, and covers pronunciation; an explanation of gender, number, and case(s); the forms of the definite and relative articles; strong and weak verbs; adjectives; nouns; additional sections dealing with more advanced declensions/conjugations of nouns and verbs; and i-umlaut.

I read the grammar several times initially, and returned to re-read several times as I progressed through the readings, to review some of the concepts. As an earlier reviewer noted, you don't want to rush through the introductory grammar in your haste to get to the Old English texts; only confusion and frustration will ensue.

I should note in respect to pronunciation that Prof. Diamond uses distinctive symbols to denote palatalized C and G, which allows the beginner to avoid having to check the rules constantly to determine if a given C or G needs to be palatized in its environment within a word. This allows the student to pronounce Old English with confidence from the beginning, and I found that I quickly internalized the use of palatalized C and G using this method.

The readings are interesting and challenging. They are printed with Old English on the left- and Modern English on the right-hand page, allowing the student to plunge right into reading Old English without memorizing long vocabulary lists, with minimal flipping back to the glossary. The readings are graded, increasing in complexity of grammar and vocabulary as one progresses, and also incorporate fewer word-for-word translations as the student is guided into Old English poetry; this makes the student work harder on translations as he/she advances through the readings, and prevents excessive reliance on the Modern English.

There is a full glossary in the back, which includes all divergent verb and noun forms for the student's convenience. For example, it lists "seoles", the genitive singular of "seolh"; and "slog", the preterite singular of "slean". For a beginner, these situations might otherwise be nightmarish, trying to feverishly determine the infinitive of the verb or nominative singular of the noun, sufficient to look it up and find its meaning.

This book fulfilled my fondest hopes, allowing me to gain a reading knowledge and proper pronunciation of Old English in a relatively short period of time, and I highly recommend it.

This is the first Old English grammar I studied, nearly 25 years ago, and it remains perhaps the best one-volume introduction to Old English around. Concise, simple, and accessible, this text has both a reader and a grammar in one cover, containing selections from the major Old English poems and prose works.

The prose works include 'The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan', selections from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and the preface by Alfred the Great to the medieval work on Pastoral Care by Pope Gregory. There are relatively few Old English prose works that have survived into the present day; there are even fewer authentically Old English pieces, as many Old English prose works are in fact translations of Latin pieces, and for some reason adapted their grammar to the Latin original rather than the Old English natural pattern.

The poetry exhibits the paired-verse pattern (although the translations accompanying them do not strive to keep the metrical pattern). The poetry include majors works such as Caedmon's Hymn, The Battle of Brunanburg, The Battle of Maldon, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, maxims, riddles, and other poems. There is no Beowulf contained here, nor any other heroic poems (such as Deor), as Diamond states that these are the most likely follow-up readings after one gains a grounding in Old English, and the poems contained here are often overlooked by students save for the most dedicated of scholars.

The texts here are normalised to Early West Saxon dialect, with a grammar very simplified; concepts are introduced that are directly useful for the texts contained herein. The glossary is similarly normalised, and cross-referenced for various verb forms and other vocabulary links such as prefixes and alternatives. In a remarkable insight on how students use texts, Diamond states that, for the purposes of this introductory text, notes have been eliminated, as students rarely refer to them anyway. The section on metrics introduces the five principle types of verses, as well as some minor variations.

Diamond includes a brief bibliography with dictionaries, grammars, commentaries and more; this is now somewhat out of date, but also shows the slow pace at which some aspects of Old English scholarship proceed, with references going back to volumes published in the late 1800s.

A very useful and fun text from which to learn!

I bought both Prof. Diamond's Old English Grammar and Prof. Baker's Introduction to Old English after checking them out from my local library. They are both excellent works, but I prefer Prof. Diamond's book for a couple of reasons.

First, although trivial, I have learned other inflected languages such as Greek and Latin and they always present noun declensions for the various cases in the following order: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, etc. Prof. Diamond presents noun declensions in the same way while Prof. Baker's book presents them in the order nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, etc. It throws me off just enough to be irritating when I am trying to memorize the case endings.

Second, as mentioned in other reviews, Prof. Diamond presents translations with each text. This makes it possible to learn a few words and them jump straight into the texts without having to guess whether or not you understood the various pieces.

Prof. Baker's book has its merits such as its companion website and its more detailed discussion of grammar, but I would recommend starting to learn Old English with Prof. Diamond's book.

One more point - if you are considering buying both keep in mind that many of the literary samples in both overlap so if you buy Prof. Baker's book you should buy it because you want a better understanding of grammar not because you want more samples of Old English.

I was lucky enough to take Old English, Old Norse and Beowulf in old English from Dr. Diamond at the University of Nevada, Reno. What a wonderful teacher... His book was a wonderful introduction to Old English.

A must for all Asatru Folk who need to learn Old English. The smart idea the writer has is to skip the Latin transations and to only use poems written in Old English, this way you learn the words as well as the grammer. Wyatt Kaldenberg

This is an excellent book. I first read it 10 or more years ago. My copy is now marked over, underlined, written in and I keep returning to it like an old friend. It is next to my bed and next to my bible, my favorite book. He is an outstanding writer. The book is for believers and nonbelievers. His section on the cross of Christ is one that inspires me each time I read it "The cross of Christ....becomes an appeal to renounce a life steeped in selfishness....It means a brave life, undertaken by innumberable people, without fear even in the face of fatal risks, through struggle, suffering, death, in firm trust and hope in the goal of true freedom, love, humanity, eternal life. The offense, the sheer scandal, was turned into an amazing experience of salvation, the way of the cross into a possible way of life"
Read it. You will enjoy it.

Hans Kung writes as one thoroughly committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, unlike some Christian writers, Kung writes with an intellectual depth and honesty that is refreshing. Kung does not shy away from bringing the Christian message into a living dialogue with modern scholarship, the other world religions, and the real challenges facing the human race today. I take issue with his sometimes-unconditional acceptance of higher Biblical criticism. However, as a Christian, I contend that Kung provides a true, relevant, and comprehensive analysis of the Christian faith for our time. A must-read for any serious theologian!

In my 42-year career as a scientist I scarcely had time for religious education, meditation and inspiration. In my so-far 12 years of retirement I have been led to broadening my knowledge and appreciation of religion -- man's attempt to find spiritual meaning in the universe, a universe whose physical side man has so successfully investigated and revealed through science

The figure of Jesus has always been of utmost interest to me, particularly his human side -- and now of late, his spiritual significance. Jesus is without a doubt the most influential person who ever lived in Western society, witness the countless buildings and institutions that exist today in his wake. And yet it is extremely difficult to separate the mythical from the factual aspects of his life and death. This is where this book and a previous one I reviewed, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" by mathematical physicist John Davidson, have come to my sorely-needed rescue.

Kung's book is a thorough, brilliant, and ultimately convincing attempt to get at the heart of the motivation and end result of Jesus' short life on earth. I was led to Kung by a sermon I heard a number of years ago at a Unitarian Church in Ft. Collins, CO in which an excerpt from Kung's book described the difference between the end of Jesus' life and the deaths of other religious leaders. That sermon was powerful to me then, and still speaks to me today. It pointed out with Kung that whereas others died in old age, surrounded by their disciples and wives after satisfactorily accomplishing their mission, Jesus' early death was stark, brutal, and utterly cheerless. He was tortured, deserted by his followers -- seemingly even deserted by the personal God of whom he so ardently and sincerely spoke. Is this seeming abandonment at a young age by man and God the ultimate source of his meaning to mankind?

A respected Catholic theologian, Kung is unremittingly honest in his attempt to get at the truth of the times. In contrast to Schweitzer's somewhat impersonal theological style in "A Quest for the Historical Jesus", Kung's style results in a much more human narrative, drawing you convincingly into the times and mind of Jesus. The book is almost equally divided into two parts, half before and half after the death of Jesus. I must admit that I have read only the first half; the revelation of the meaning of Jesus' life is yet to be given by Kung. But even at this point I cannot resist encouraging others to pick up this amazingly insightful and thoughtful volume -- to peruse it, to underline and to savor it.

Man has learned to fathom many of the secrets of the universe, but they are limited to its non-spiritual aspects. This knowledge can lead either to exaltation and benefit from man's influence on earth, or to our death and destruction. The ultimate outcome of our reign on earth will be determined by spiritual aspects of our search for knowledge that so far, and maybe even in the long run, are inaccessible to science. They are immensely important to understand; this search is urgent for all to participate in. Kung's book, as well as Davidson's, provide significant steps to broadening our grasp of knowledge in this direction.

A friend lent me a copy, and I was so fascinated that when I had to return it I immediately bought my own copy. It is a very useful book for anyone with a serious interest in the purpose of life. 50 years ago, Hans Küng was a zealous young thologian, who, with others such as Joseph Ratzinger, or greater fame now, opened the eyes, at least temporarily, of many of the bishops at Vatican II Ecumenical Council to the vast store of truth to be found OUTSIDE the Catholic church.
His reputation as a formost theologian kept many of us away from his works, thinking they would be as difficult to follow as so many papal encyclicals.
Not so! Lucidity is his watchword, although he certainly gets prolix at times. The first time through, when he had outlined his proposed method of reasoning, I would skip through to the guts of his argument. Second time through, I'm taking it all in, as far as I can.

At 602 pages of text, ON BEING A CHRISTIAN is the definition of a tome. The style is no walk in the park: even taking into account that it's a translation from German, some of the passages are quite dense. The bottom line is, though, that it's worth the effort.

When this book first appeared in the 1970s, I hesitated to read it. Aside from the intimidating length of the work, I had the thought--if Kung is on the margins of Catholic theology, then what impact could his work have? Suffice it to say that I was neither a theologian nor a very astute young Catholic. However that may be, I was surprised to find that, except, perhaps, for matters pertaining to Church governance, Kung is hardly a leftist firebrand or a Bishop John Shelby Spong-like skeptic; Kung, essentially, is a fairly orthodox theologian, it seems to me. As a committed Catholic Christian, he's devoted, though, to scraping away the barnacles that have adhered to the mother ship of Roman Catholicism over the past two millennia.

Kung does not shy away from the difficult issues: in the course of ON BEING A CHRISTIAN, he tackles thorny issues like Karl Rahner's "Anonymous Christian" concept, the Resurrection, the Trinity, liberation theology, and a Christian's response to war, among many, many problems. I was often in awe of Kung's deft handling of these issues, but other times felt somewhat lost in the theological discourse. For instance, Kung accepts the "reality" of the Resurrection, but rejects the theological and historical necessity of the Empty Tomb. He claims that the disciples could not just have had some sort of self-realized epiphany after the death of Jesus; for the Christian movement to have taken off as it did, it must have been because the disciples of Jesus had a real experience of Jesus' resurrection. But since Kung also rejects the notion that a Christian must accept the violation of the physical laws of the universe, is he trying to have it both ways, or is it that his argument is simply beyond me? For Kung, what is *real* about the Resurrection?

Kung's root answer to what Christianity is about is given early on in the book: "Christianity exists only where the memory of Jesus Christ is activated in theory and practice" (p. 126). For Kung, Jesus is "in person the living, archetypal embodiment of his cause" (p. 545). One who accepts this Jesus in his or her life receives the call to be radically human. What ultimately counts in life is not accomplishments (not that accomplishments are bad), but trust (faith) in the Christ Jesus. In fact, Kung demonstrates from the opening section on "The Challenge of Modern Humanisms" throughout the course of this book, that the Christian as true humanist is the principle that underlies his concept of Christianity.

For a long time many people have encouraged me to read ON BEING A CHRISTIAN. I am heartily glad that I have finally followed their advice. I know that I will be returning to this book in the years ahead to revisit Kung's keen insights into what being a Christian truly means. In these days, when Christianity has been degraded and sold out as a tool of politicians, this is a book whose message should be read all the more to call us to metanoia, a change of heart.

I laughed. I learned. I loved Open Net.

Plimpton summarizes (page 254) his experience with the Bruins to Junior Achievers in Edmonton, "I described some of my brief forays into sports as a participatory journalist, and what it was like, and how I envied the athletes their skills and the fellowship, but how I had always left their camps with a faint twinge of relief that I was returning to my own world..."

Plimpton is the vanguardist for creative-nonfiction/participatory journalism, and Open Net is the standard by which other hockey books should be measured. I envy not his weak ankles, for they're as instable as his writing is strong, but rather his wit and way of balancing humor and enlightenment.

I didn't grow up in New England, but I suspect those that have will still enjoy the way Plimpton brings back to life the boldness and brashness, the grit and the glory, of the Big Bad Bruins.

From Plimpton's interaction with the likes of "Grapes" and "Taz" and with goalies "Seaweed," and "Cheesy" to our hero's own moment in the crease, you'll want to stand up and cheer!

If you enjoy Ice Hockey, especially from a historical perspective, this is the book to read. Fans of Don Cherry will love this book.

THIS IS ONE OF PLIMPTON'S BEST. I REALLY ENJOYED HIS STORY PLAYING GOAL FOR THE BRUINS. HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH VARIOUS PLAYERS AND COACHES ARE EXCELLENT. HIS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE EVENTS MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE ON THE ICE WITH HIM. PLIMPTON DOESN'T WASTE TOO MUCH TIME DESCRIBING HIS SURROUNDINGS LIKE HE DOES IN OTHER BOOKS. HE GOES STRAIGHT TO THE POINT. SOME HIGHLIGHTS ARE DESCRIBING HOW HE PUTS HIS UNIFORM ON IN A DETAILED ORDER, OLD STORIES ABOUT EDDIE SHORE, AND HIS ACTUAL TIME ON THE ICE PLAYING GOAL DURING A COUPLE OF EXHIBITION GAMES MAKE THIS A GREAT READ.

As a big hockey fan, and a goaltender, this was just required reading. Yet, it turned out to be more. This well written, quick read was a gas to enjoy and quote. I will be glad to read others by George Plimpton, and I'm already on the hunt for PAPER LION.
I guess thats my ringing endorcement. If I'm looking to read a book on football, the author must be wonderful. Quick, funny, well written, and vastly enjoyable, you wont regret buying this book, no matter what the price.

George Plimpton once again dons a uniform and plays a game. This time he tackles hockey while training with the Boston Bruins.
Plimpton does a wonderful job of painting a realistic view of life as a goalie. He uses the voices of other players to help the story along, rather than as just filler from big names. He also tells his tale without a lot of false excitement. You can tell he totally loves the experience, yet at times, you can see the effort does drain him (naturally).
His comments about and conversations with the likes of 'Seaweed' Pettie, Garry Cheevers and Don Cheery really add a lot of depth to the book. In conversations I have had with some of these men, I clearly got the point that they enjoyed this as much as Plimpton did and as much as I did as a reader.
This is a great read for the unfulfilled athlete in all of us.

This review is for the audio book version of this novel that was read by Patrick Lawlor. I had listened to the first book in this series, At the Earth's Core (MP3 CD) (Pellucidar), with my 11-year old son and we liked it and decided to follow up with this book, which is the direct sequel. This had the same reader and he used the same characterizations as in the first book, which made for great continuity for me as a listener. I thought his voice was perfect as David Innes.

This book is vintage Edgar Rice Burroughs, with lots of action and adventure. The hero is always getting into difficult situations yet seems to get out of them under almost miraculous circumstances. There is also romance and many interesting characters and creatures. This is clearly not great literature, but is wonderful entertainment that can keep you on the edge of your seat.

As an engineer, sometimes I have a hard time with some of the physics of Pellucidar, but Burroughs does a good enough job to be consistent in his science. I recommend this book as an entertaining sequel to the first volume. A great listen for a road trip with the younger boys in your family.

This is the sequel to At The Earth's Core. Some of the reviews here say that it isn't quite as good as the first. I happen to think that it's a little bit better. Burroughs seems to avoid some of the continuity errors he made in the first book, and really it's quite a worthy addition to any adventure-reader's library.

Leonaur Ltd. is publishing the definitive Edgar Rice Burroughs 21st century editions. These usually contain 2 books of the different ERB major series in order - thus far John Carter, Pellucidar, and Carson of Venus. In the future, possibly Tarzan!
These books are handsome and my rating is mainly based on this - the ERB fan knows best about the rest of it.
This second volume of Pellucidar novels reflects a sharp drop in quality form the first. Nevertheless, for completists, this beautiful edition is a must. And second grade ERB is usually better than most of other fantasy/science fiction/romance writers' first grade.

This is the sequel to At the Earth's Core. That book ended with the hero, David Innes, back on the surface world and separated from his mate, Dian the Beautiful. In this book, he returns to Pellucidar to get her back. This is a formula in many Edgar Rice Burroughs books; the hero becomes separated from his lady love, and has a series of adventures until he is reunited with her. It may be a formula, but it's a successful one. Sure, the plots may be similar, but there are always different strange, exotic worlds to encounter. There was a reason ERB was the most popular pulp writer of his time. Fans of pulp fiction will enjoy this book.

At the end of "At the Earth's Core", David Innes, our everyman-now-Emperor, has returned to the outer world, with an ugly reptilian Mahar instead of his lovely Dian.

He vows to return, and here, in the second book of this particular series, he does exactly that.

Once again, Burroughs' simple vivid prose describes one thrilling adventure after another, in full cinematic glory. There are brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes, jungle hunts, mountaineering escapades and even a sea-faring battle. All this in under 200 pages (per my Canaveral Press copy). ERB doesn't waste a lot of words.

You just have to love the lot of characters on display here. The names alone generate all sorts of mental images: King Gr-Gr-Gr, Hooja the Sly One, Ghak the Hairy One, the Mahars, the Sagoths, the massive lidi, the hyaenadons Raja and Ranee...

Over the course of two books, you'll be hard pressed NOT to cheer for the indefatigable David Innes. He's an old-fashioned, capital-H hero; plucky, smart and brave, yet human. After all, this adventure is what happens to him while he searches for his beloved Dian.

There are two high compliments I'd like to offer:

One, is that upon finishing one book I cannot wait to read the next.

Two, is that in this modern age of film, only with computer imagery could they reproduce the fabulous vistas of Pellucidar, with the overhead "horizons" and that low-lying, rotating pendant moon.

The compliment is that it would never be as "fabulous" as those ERB created inside my head.