Journals Books

This was a fun book to read that showed some nice original ideas, something not often seen anymore. I believe that it is a pleasant read for children as well as adults! I look forward to following the continued adventures of Katie in the future!

"A WRINKLE IN TIME", "THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE", "HARRY POTTER", "DREAMSCRAPS, A MA?IC JOURNAL" are books that offer pieces of fantasy and imaginative insights into quantum mechanics, some would say, "quantum physics" in an easily digestable form for young readers. This book is charmingly written and full of eccentric characters.

Don't miss it. I could not put it down. It's an easy read, that I enjoyed very much. I look forward to many sequels and expect that "DREAMSCRAPS: A MA?IC JOURNAL" will entertain teen-agers and adults for years to come.

by Carolyn Cather

This should be a great read for readers who enjoyed Harry Potter and other imaginative works. This story follows a typical young girl, Katie, who reluctantly embarks on a journey and discovers the true gifts that lie within--gifts that make her more than typical. Her special "gifts" also bring added responsibility with which she must learn to deal, adding greater depth to the story. It builds to a clever climax that certainly will leave you yearning for more story, which hopefully will follow. This story also has cinematic elements that would lend itself to film adaptation.

This is a clever story that is geered to the young adult reader. The reader's first introduction begins a series of questions about who wrote the book ???? a computer? Then carries you quickly into the lives of serveral chacterters, but especially Katie T and her needs to be loved, accepted and understood. As the story continues we see how Katie deals with conflicts in both worlds. A therapist or counselor might use this book as bibliotherapy....helping the reader to open up and/or make connections to the characters in the story. On some level don't we all write our own journey.

The book doesn't really end as we await yet another file to appear on the computer screen.

As with many teenagers, our heroine Katie starts off as a somewhat lost soul. Timid, nearly friendless and feeling unloved, she retreats into books, imagining herself as part of the stories. After a seemingly chance encounter with a strange old man leaves her with a glimpse into an alternate magical world, she is soon embracing her destiny as a leader in a classic struggle of good vs. evil. The rapid fire pace of DreamScraps drew me in before I was aware of it; its cyclonic ending leaving me on the edge of my seat and with a lot of unanswered questions to ponder. I impatiently await the next installment of this "journal," but I can already imagine that there is so much to this fantastical world that the next book will only scratch the surface. Fans of the Golden Compass or a Wrinkle in Time will love this book.

Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation

This is an ambitious and serious work, accessible in style, and packed with information in over four hundred pages. It has three main themes, clearly defined in the introduction.
The first is the love between Adrienne Monnier and Sylvia. The details of this, so we are told, 'were and are still little known' in 1983 when this book was first published. The second is her admiration for, and championship of, James Joyce. The third is her bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, which was a key feature of the literary scene in Paris between the two World Wars.
By far the most detail is provided on her professional relationship with Joyce. Her efforts to get Ulysses published and smuggled into America, her financial and personal efforts to support the author, and the amount of time and energy she invested, are the key theme of the book.
Naturally Sylvia knew all the other familiar literary figures of the time. Hemingway and Pound are frequently mentioned, as is Gertrude Stein.
As intimated in the introduction there is less to be said about more personal relationships. In a way this seems rather a pity. The anecdotal style and recurring references to various incidents along the way give the writing a rather disjointed feel. Inevitably there is also a certain sense of déja vu particularly for anyone familiar with biographies of Hemingway for example.
The strength and the weakness of the book is the amount of text devoted to James Joyce. Joyce attracts great, but not universal, enthusiasm. The man himself seems to have had more arrogance than charm. Depending on the side of this divide which the reader favours this book will firmly hold the attention or will, in places, rather pall.

This is one of the best books that I've ever read about the 'lost generation' of Americans literary refugees in Paris. The writing is excellent, the research exhaustive and thorough with unparalleled access to Ms. Beach's 'surpressed' portions of her autobiography "Shakespeare and Company". It is readily apparent from this book that without Ms. Beach and her unflinching support, there would have been no "Ulysses" (and maybe no James Joyce). But there was so many other authors she supported and nurtured as well, as the quote from Ernest Hemingway cited above illustrates as well. This book is almost a 'must read' for those persons interested in American literature of the mid 20th century.

This one has been around for some time now and it is not the worse for wear. For those interested in our literature and literary Paris during the 1920s and 1930s, then this is one of those "must reads" (I truely hate that term, but know of no better to describe the improtance of this work at this time). The author's research is absolutely miticulous and fills in many gaps in the story of this remarkable woman. Do be warned though. Many of the names of people mentioned here are rather obscure (at this day and time) for those not immersed in the literary world. This can make the work a bit difficult to follow at times. That being said, this is a wonderful work to read to cause many of these names to become less obscure than they are now...one more of the many reasons to read this work! The book covers some of the intimate details of Beach's relationship with friends and lovers that she so well side steps in her own account of this time. Recommend this one highly. Actually, you probably should purchase this one as it is one that is a good book for reference and one you will probably want to reread.

This is quite a spectacular book, a privileged look into the most famous English language bookstore in Paris, Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare & Company. Not only is it delightful to read the history of how Sylvia's modest dream became such a huge success, but it is also fascinating to read about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce when they were young. The language is rich and fulfilling, the photos insightful, and in the end, I really felt as if I had been part of it all, sitting in Sylvia's bookstore, hearing the rustle of pages as the day passed away.

This is one of those books where you care about the characters. Their past and future becomes important and that the characters are real people make this book all the more fasinating. A book one does want to end. But end it does with style.

This is a fun little book, perfect for our current risk averse climate. You will learn about every odd every day object that could potentially do you harm. The entries recap studies that show potential side effects of such things as bowling, high chairs and optimism. The only thing I would like to see is a bit more information on each item. A typical entry lists the name of an object, and a danger but it doesn't explain much about why this is or how to prevent it.

In this fun little book, author and professor Dr. David French clues you in on what is bad for you, and the bad news is that it is everything! You know that too much of a good thing can be bad, well in this book Dr. French goes through all sorts of things that *can* be bad for you, including normal eyesight(!), licorice and even sleep. Yeah, this is a fun book, filled with lots of interesting points that you will want to toss at the ones you love - and keep them up at night worrying!

I loved this book, and highly recommend it!

What I liked about this book is that it's not only very funny, it also contains huge amounts of information about things that may actually be bad for you. The author himself is somewhat agnostic about how much of this stuff you should believe, but I found myself reassessing the things I eat, as well as becoming more alert about issues I hadn't given much thought to, like the reliability of medical care and prescription drugs. There's something for everyone: for example, any woman who is pregnant (or thinking of becoming so), should pay attention to what the book says about things from aspirin and soft cheeses to seafood and swimming pools. A small treasure.

A confirmed optimist, I surprised myself by liking this book a lot. It is a fascinating, being both very humorous and informative at the same time, and hard to put down. The writer presents evidence which suggests that not alone is everything bad for you, but that you are "damned if you do, and damned if you don't". It will make you laugh, which is good for you, but then again, maybe laughing isn't good for you! There is also an excellent list of websites to help track down solid information on a wide range of health issues. So I reckon whether you are an optimist or maybe a pessimist, looking for a laugh or trying to get some solid information on particular issues, or looking for a Christmas stocking present, check it out.

I can honestly say this book can provide hours of entertainment. Who knew that staples caused so many office accidents? Oh and did you know that holy water is actually bad for you?

Of course, there are the staple things that everyone knows is harmful to your health- drugs, smoking, drinking. But even with those the author adds at least something you didn't know, plus his little quips make all that drug education pounded into your head in middle school actually funny.

The book is in dictionary format- best idea ever. Get this book, then have all your friends shout out something and you look it up. I'm sure it could make an interesting drinking game too, I haven't tried though.

If you're a parent and would like to annoy the hell out of your child, if you're a hypochondriac and you need something to blame, or maybe if you're just bored, this is a great book. But if you are paranoid, I wouldn't recommend it. This will definetly not make you feel good.

I use this cookbook and get raves for the recipes I cook. I've never used a recipe that wasn't absolutely delicious. The recipes in this book are also adaptable to your own recipes. Maine Chicken Pie is a wonderful recipe that I adapted by adding potatoes and frozen vegies. Now instead of one pie I get two, one to eat and one to share. If you haven't tried this one, now is the best time. I ordered the hardback through Amazon.com as an out of print book. Happy Cooking!

I purchased this edition in 1972 and used it until the pages stuck together and the binding disintegrated. This is the ultimate in comfort food cookery.

I will be purchasing two more for my kids.

I have only one word to define this book...EXCELLENT... no matter your level in cooking you always find easy to follow recipes and easy to find ingredients. Also I would call it the NO FAIL cookbook.

About 15 years ago, I moved into an old house and one of the things left there, was this old cookbook on a kitchen shelf. The book was falling apart, but newly married I figured I'd try some recipes. They were simple directions to follow, and the meals were delicious. It has many recipes that I couldn't find in any other cookbook since. I am now buying the book again (so that it's in one piece) and I am so happy to find it still in print. It is the best cookbook ever!

My parents and I would drive across the midwest to visit relatives in S.Dakota. We'd try to pick out farms that would be candidates for the Farm Journal Publication. It would have to be a well kept and nice looking farm, no ordinary farm would do. Same with this cookbook. Great recipes, even cooking for crowds! It is my personal favorite and I own over 80 cookbooks and even compiled a 200+ page cookbook for our Kopke Family Reunion in 1996. WORTH EVERY DIME!

I have my mothers' old copy of this book she gave me about 25 years ago. Now she misses it so I bought her the updated copy on Amazon last year. There is not another canning/freezing book that holds a candle to this. Easy and fun to read, with the simplest and most concise instructions-you can't beat it. Tons of great recipes- I treasure this one.

For 25 or more years I have been using this book, but last fall, while moving from Texas to NM the moving van was stolen with all our belongings stolen with it. 43 years of marriage gone. Now it's time to start my canning again and I needed my favorite book. No matter how many books I have purchased none compare with this one. Days of searching the net and now I can again enjoy my days in the kitchen.

I first found this book in a library over 25 years ago. I was amazed when the book store said they could order it. Since then it has become stained and the back is broken, but I always return to it. It's a definitive reference book for me. As many times as I have bought canning books since then, they always fall short of this book. The only thing I adjust is the amount of sugar in some of the recipes. If you can find it, buy it. And if you are tempted to lend it, I suggest you lend photocopied pages instead. I had quite a tussle getting it back from my best friend.

I have used this book over 20 years for canning and freezing recipes. I especially enjoy that the book includes many vegetables and fruits that are not usually found in the newer books on the same subject. During the peak season, this book literally becomes my "bible".

I have been using this book for 27 years and mine is just falling apart from all the use. I have 93-dozen jars and at the end of the season all of them are full and with the instructions in this book, my failure rate has been extremely low.

This workbook has proven very useful for teenagers going through the grieving process. My clients have been able to process a great deal with the help of this item. I would highly recommend it.

I work in an Alternative HS and have found that my students who most would think the book looks "corney" have requested copies of the book after looking through it. I like the fact that it addresses issues of anger that the adolescent may have (or may not even realize they have) towards the deceased. I work with high-risk youth and the family dynamics are always so complex. I also like the fact that it addresses changes that the adolescent will have to make and doesn't "sugar coat" things. But, it pays respect to the deceased in a tasteful way, and it is way for the adolescent to write memories/stories he/she might forget.

My only complaint is that the book is pink. My guys who have been the ones who really have gotten a lot of use from this book (especially dealing with the death of a parent) are turned off at first from even looking at it.

I am a teacher of teenagers and have given this book to at least five students who have suffered a loss. They ALL have reported that it was tremendously helpful and, when they shared it with their families, a bonding experience.

I ordered this journal for my two teen-aged daughters,both of whom were suffering greatly with the loss of my mother, their grandmother. The book is a wonderful aid in helping them express all the things they were afraid to vocalize. It allows them to write down their thoughts and feelings on such subjects as what they were doing when they found out the person had died, unresolved issues with the person who died and how they would like them to be resolved now, where they believe their loved one is now, and how the future will be without the person they love. It allows the teen to see that they are not alone in their grief, that others have the same thoughts as they do. I highly reccommend this book to ANYONE who is experiencing loss in their life. It leads you gently through the entire grieving process-I can't say enough about how it helped us through a very difficult time in our lives.

This is a wonderful Journal for kids. On my first read through I felt it was geared a little more toward 9 to 13 year olds, rather than older teens. However, the content is excellent and the ideas and exercises will really help grieving teens work through the difficult grief process.

I recommend this book to anyone who is married! It changed the way I love my husband, and the way he loves me. Our marriage was on the brink of DIVORCE until we both decided to take this approach. We are a better couple because of this book. A must read!

Absolutely earth shaking

So logical and so much heart in this book, I can see nnow the error of my divorces in the past. IT gives hope for the future

My #1 Pick of the year

RM

I thought this book was excellent. It was very enlightening to me about my own relationship with my partner as well as with my parents and my children. I think this book would be helpful to anyone and everyone. Thank you Gary Chapman for putting the information in such easy to read and understand language.

My wife tried to get me to read this book soon after we got married. Being a guy, I didn't want to read some girly book about love though! O what a mistake! Nine years later, I had a change of heart and discovered that I had missed out on so much in the last nine years because I didn't understand the language my wife was speaking. If you want to be able to show your spouse that you love them and/or you are confused about why they don't seem to show you love, then read this book. It will open up a whole new world of understanding for you!

My wife and I read the book together about 3 years ago. We saw vividly why we were unable to communicate with each other effectively. As hard as we tried, we just weren't speaking the same language. We discovered how to communicate love to each other in a way that we both could comprehend. It wasn't that difficult, it just took a little practice. We have read literally dozens of books, saw instructional videos, and received hours and hours of marriage counseling. Most of these resources made us aware that we had a problem (well, duh) but none made much of a lasting difference in our lives. This book, The Five Love Languages, did. The change in our marriage has made such an impact in our church that we have been asked to share these principles to other married couples. I can't describe the level of satisfaction we get when "the lights go on" for someone else who comes to the same understanding that we have. Our marriage isn't perfect and never will be (this little bit of information should take some of the pressure off anyone reading this). But, now we remember why we got married and how it feels to rekindle that "In Love" experience.

Don't be fooled by this book's simple appearance. It's filled with wonderful humor, sweet drawings, and fun. I love it, and so does my thirteen-year-old son. In a time when most books and movies rely on cruelty and violence, stories like this celebrate the treasure of imagination and offer a glimmer of hope. We need more Flip!

"Flip's Fantastic Journal" is a great gift for your kindergartner who may be learning to journal. Flip is not thrilled that his teacher requests he write in his journal, but, despite his initial sour attitude, he becomes a super writer in spite of himself! This book may just be the encouragement your little one needs.

Meet Flip. Mrs. Flea Collar, Flips teacher, recommends that he writes in his journal everyday. But Flip remembers his teacher saying he can write fiction or non-fiction. So Flip and his sisters markers are going wild. Flips make believe day is full of fun and excitement. This will make writing one of your hobbies. The exciting part is I have the book myself and I got the book signed by the author.

This book is great for kids that are introduced to journaling in school. what a wonderfully creative story! Children realize they can have fun with the written word. My daughter struggled with written assignments from school. This book gave her a great message that writing is fun and that every day events can turn exciting. I recommend this for any 1st grader.

Many reluctant writers realize that they really do have things to write in their journals after they read Flip's Fantastic Journal and Flip discovers that he can use his imagination to create stories.

Flip is a very likeable character with a big problem...his teacher wants him to write in his journal EVERYDAY and he doesn't know what to write. The book's format of going from black and white when Flip could not write to a color format when his ideas begin to flow nicely illustrates how the light comes on once you get ideas.

As a teacher I found students nodding their heads in agreement as I read this story to them. Children really relate to Flip's frustrations. Flip's Fantastic Journal is a great book to use with all children, but especially with students who are reluctant writers.

Forgive me if I gush, but Jacques Vallee is my all time favorite "ufologist." His book REVELATIONS helped to see that there was a real mystery to the phenomenon and that there were those like himself who deplored the abuse of hypnosis in the service of "abduction research" and the fascination with "crashed saucer" tales and government conspiracies.

This book takes us to his beginnings. Starting in the late 1950s, just before the ascendancy of De Gaulle and the establishment of the Fifth Republic, when he is an astronomy student and aspiring Science Fiction writer and ends in the immediate aftermath of the publication of PASSPORT TO MAGONIA. Along the way we have a first hand account of the "ufo controversy in america" and elsewhere. Additionally, there are reflections on a convention-bound France, where Vallee has to struggle against senior astronomers serene indifference to computers. Reflection on the US: like de Tocqueville, young Vallee looks upon this country with a mixture of admiration and horror. Here and there, there are insights into the looming computer revolution that would explode in the 1970's and 1980's. Vallee is in France in 1968 and records his take on the student uprising of May and June.

And then of course, there are the accounts of love. Like the entry where Vallee writes that he and his lover have just torn the bed and now he lies in the full flush of "jouissance" thinking "why do i need a vow, when I can still taste in on my lips" (DAMN! Those french know how to live!)

Yes there's a lot to get out of this book than just UFO's. But that is the main topic. We see the defining moment for Vallee when he tracks an anomalous object only to have the senior astronomer summarily tear up the print out. We see Vallee's burgeoning fascination with the subject and his passion that science find an explanation, first corresponding with Aime Michel, then making contact with J.Allen Hynek, Project Blue Book's consultant and at the time still a "skeptic."

The insight into Hynek is probably the most important part of the book. We see the role that Vallee plays in encouraging Hynek to admit that there are unexplained cases. Vallee is there when Hynek gets new of the "Soccoro landing" and sees Hynek in the aftermath of the "marsh gas" fiasco. Vallee's admiration for Hynek is obviousk, but there are also other detail. Hynek's love of the limelight and his pride at having little fringe benefits from the air force like his own jeep and driver. We find out that Hynek was an Anthroposophist (a disciple of Rudolf Steiner) and we see him at his most gullible when he brings back "film proof" of psychic surgery (Vallee & Co. are less than impressed).

Besides Hynek, there is correspondence with John Keel in the full grip of paranoia while dealing with strange happenings in the Ohio River Valley, a brief in encounter with Al Bielek (he of future "montauk project" fame) trying to pass himself off as a government spook, an account of origin, trouble history, and anticlimatic ending of the Condon Committee. But most importantly is the "paradigm shift" that Vallee undergoes as a result of studying the phenomenon from a cautious advocate of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (EHT) to a proponent of thinking in terms of Extra-Dimensional Entities and paying close attention to Psycho-Social factors and parallels with folklore and mythology and the backlash he suffers (and continues to suffer) from the "believers" who make up the rank and file of the UFO subculture.

As an added bonus the paperback edition includes the text of the "Pentacle Memorandum" written at the time of the Robertson Committee.

In sum, a first hand history of the UFO phenomenon in the 1960's. When read in conjunction with Jim Moseley's SHOCKINGLY CLOSE TO THE TRUTH and Patrick Huyghe's SWAMP GAS TIMES one can get a very full picture of "UFO history" of the last 50 years.

This is my favorite journal since reading "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.

Jacques Vallee is a legend in Ufology (study of unidentified flying objects). More than that, he's a true scientist, which is a rarity in "the field". This book takes you through some pivotal moments in UFO history.

You'll learn a lot in this book, not just UFOs, but the meaning of science itself.

Certainly an essential book for anyone studying UFOs... or the possibility of alien life. (Are we alone in the universe?)

On a side note, this books is pricless for all the little tidbits and reflections on Allen Hynek, "The Galileo of Ufology".

This dazzling diary offers a glimpse into the mind of a scientist who seems to challenge every preconception and established piety... Replete with profoundly insightful, often devastating observations. Publishers Weekly, 6 July 1992

What picture of the author emerges? I find that the qualities that come through most clearly are Vallee's love of people, his intense curiosity, and his willingness to march to his own drum... Vallee's book will be a valuable resource in providing first-hand insight into the early development of the UFO controversy.

Jacques Vallee is a respected scientist and an entertaining writer who just happens to be interested in UFO's. His concepts of the 'why' are illuminating, as is his frustration at the handling of the issue by those on all sides.

If you are interested in whats "out there" read and learn. If you on the other hand scoff at all mentions of aliens and such, and consider man to be the center and grandest part of the universe, read this man's books with an open mind and you might begin to doubt some long held beliefs. Vallee is quick to dismiss frauds and charlatians, and focus on the real issues. Arresting stuff.

Sonny surprised me. I knew he was a great talker. but his writting surpasses his speech.I now know why there is pain in his eyes. Not all of which is from the physical problems.I am very proud of you and your book.Vi

"Having read Sonny Gratzer's General Issue Blues, I was stunned to know he could read my mind. When I read Gratzer's words, I felt as if I had written them. I certainly thought them. I am not a writer. I am, however, a Combat Veteran of Viet Nam and I can feel what Gratzer has written about Viet Nam and he is on target. He should write more about his experiences because he strikes a chord. Fire for effect, Sonny!"

Captain Sonny Gratzer, as a commander, was the stereotype of the leader whose men would follow him anywhere. They did too. He was fearless and a leader who sensed needs. He was highly decorated. Severly wounded, "General Issue Blues" recounts his long struggle recouperating and dealing with the myriad feelings and emotions about the war. His poem, "I Remember You" in the book, describes how today he remains the Patriot and leader he was over thirty years ago. To quote from this poem, "To men who gave and gave. Never questioning when I raved Except To wonder if I would stand by you? Yes! I stood with you and Gave at the boonie office too. See I cared then--and I still do."

For years upon years, my bedroom in the basement on King Street (which he custom built with his hands, sweat, and broken body), was directly underneath my dad's "Vietnam writing room" (which I secretly called his office or den). This private place was, and will always be, home to his greatest weaponry; Mr. George Michael Gratzer's mind, memories and an ancient electric IBM. I wondered, while trying to sleep, when the pounding on the keys would finally end. Now I pray that sound won't go away. Gratefully, it'll be impossible to finish reading this wonderfully written work of art. I believed I knew my dad; after carrying his first published book around with me for a few years, I know I do! You, as well, will also be one of the privedged few to better understand the reality of Vietnam "lived" by one of this country's most honorable of men. His poetry captures you and puts you into the shoes of a man movies are made of, books are written about, and characters are dreamed of. As a little boy I would cautiously ask my dad to tell me what Vietnam was like...what the truth was. Sometimes he reluctantly spelled it out for me, which is what he's done here. During my Marine Corps career, a day didn't pass that I didn't think of my dad. Would I ever be under the command of a man who could lead the way he can? Although I knew some incredible studs, they couldn't hold a candle to "Bandit 6!" He IS the best of the best of THE best of men.

Nobody's perfect, but this book is. I know - I grew up with it every day, and now I carry this little piece of history with me everywhere. Everyone has something, if not a lot, to gain from any of his books (he's working on more and has been for the last few decades). We should be so lucky when they publish. Can't wait. He's written some darned impressive country music lyric's also! Where's Shania when you need her? As the gallant old man would put it...with silent breath whispering and eye's sparkling eerily, "Keep 'yer eyes peeled...they could be anywhere." But you can find it right here at amazon.com. Congratulations, DAD! I salute you.

Sonny Gratzer's undeniably powerful poems are reminders that every person is shaped and haunted by something. From his vivid images of the Vietnam War and its after effects on his life, an almost unbearable lonliness emerges. Written from an inner territory of emotional and physical turbulence, his collection of love and war poems depicts a body and soul torn, stitched, torn and mended again while forever visible scars remain.