O Books

A good poem may take the reader to a different time, or may bring a character from a different time to the present. Azriel's best poems do both. Starting with the creation "Do you wish to know how light, can find a voice and sing", many of the Genesis stories are included. By giving a modern voice to "Ancient" names, we can begin to understand how they feel, or give new perspectives to events in our own time. For example in 'Question for Eve", "In the camps / In the predawn Polish cold? / You cloth yourself in the luxury of fig leaves ...." A poet picks what stores to include, and here there is even a poem about Zebulum (Jacob and Leahs 6th son). Voice is given to many of the important women, "My Dinah" gives voices to the family after the rape of Dinah. It us surprising to me that some of Genesis richer stores like the Binding of Isaac or Jacob's wrestling in the night are not further explored.

Yakov Azriel's lyrical re-creation of Biblical stories, woven with rich imagistic detail, pulls the reader into the Biblical landscape, magnetizing him to the Biblical scene. Familiar Biblical characters spring to life on Azriel's colorful canvases replete with olive trees and Mediterranean sun.
Threads from a Coat of Many Colors is a must (re-)read for every lover of true poetry, the Bible and mysticism.

The title to Yaakov Azriel's new book of poetry refers to Joseph's coat in Genesis. Indeed these "Threads" spell out much more than the one metaphor. The threads of Yakov Azriel invoke a wide range of religious and cultural Jewish sources and genres. His subjects are not only Biblical, but vividly so, exponentially so, as Azriel enriches his words with Jewish imagery. All of Torah can be found in almost every poem. And that means all of life

The first book of the Bible, Genesis is one which has inspired worlds of literature and commentary. In `Threads from a Coat of Many Colors' Yakov Azriel writes poems of commentary on `Genesis.' These poems seem to make use of all the contemporary learning Azriel has, instilling the text with new meaning.
Here are the closing two stanzas from the poem,' Photosynthesis' a commentary on Genesis 1. 11 on the creation of the vegetative world.

"When I look into myself,
Water's no problem,
And plenty of hot air and dirt,
But where is the cholorophyll
That can capture
The Light
That infiltrates, invades, pervades and surrounds me?

To photosynthesize
The chlorophyll of Torah
Will grant you a gardener's green thumb
So that whatever you touch
Grows sacred green"
Was this my imagination?
Or did the leavens on the bushes whisper their secret to me?

Azriel knows the Biblical text well, and has a rich imagination. And it is a relief to read a poet who does not scream out the pleasures of Nihilism, or confine himself to some minor empty corner of his own psyche. Azriel's poetry gives pleasure in that it provides a certain knowledge, a certain information about the worlds he is talking about. His concerns and questions are real ones. And he does not provide dogmatic solutions, but rather writes out of a religious faith, which is both real and yet questioning of itself.
He often imagines himself into the heart of the Biblical character and extends the story in new ways.
And one senses throughout the book that there a world of religious values informing it, an intelligence that believes in goodness and truth and beauty.
In some ways the poems though more complex and ambitious remind me of the poetry of the late Jerusalem poet Abe Weiss, whose special goodness and faith in Israel gave his poetry a simple strength.

Yakov Azriel is an award winning poet who lives in Israel. This first full length book is a shining example of why his tenderly crafted work wins awards. As he leads readers step by step through the book of Genesis, God's words and covenants come to life in human form. And yet, it isn't necessary
that we be Jewish, Christian, or religious to appreciate Azriel's poetry. His blending of modern day humanity with the ancient historical icons of Genesis is that skillful.

Scriptures from Genesis introduce each poem, starting with the Creation and ending with Joseph's Coat of Many Colors. Each poem, regardless of topic, melds the modern with the historical in insightful ways. Consider, for example, this excerpt from "Questions for Eve":
Why did you talk to the serpent?
Don't you know that even then he was planning the gas chambers,
Blueprinting the crematoria?
How can a mother be so naieve?
Snakes devour
Dust, like the cinder
Of children belched from the chimneys.
Lucky you -- only one son will be murdered.

Azriel uses various poetic forms, from formal rhyme to free verse to haunting metaphor as he shares the Song of Songs and the Generations of Jacob. One of the most chilling works in this book, and ultimately the most glorious, is "As the Stars, As the Sand", based on God's promise to ancient Israel in Genesis 22:17: "For I will surely bless you and surely multiply your seed, as the stars of the heavens and as the sand on the sea-shore."

Threads From a Coat of Many Colors is a wistful paean, a universal spirit prayer carried on hot desert winds. Azriel transports us to a time of miracles and promises, detailing a rich history we all share in one way or another.

I was very satisfied with Amazon. My book was packaged extremely well so that the pages wouldn't get messed up. I was surprised at how fast I received it too.

I purchased three books on tin toys and dollhouses, and this one was the best by far to help me evaluate some tin/metal doll houses I was buying.

The book sections are by the doll house maker, with excellent photographs that help identify them, and estimated years that they were sold.

In addition there are photographs of the furniture that you would typically find in these houses. This helps alot if you have just purchased an empty doll house, and you want to furnish it with vintage items of the correct size and type.

Simply an excellent reference book for tin doll house collectors or just old-timers wanting a bit of nostalgia :)

Mary Brett has written the Bibile of Tin Litho houses. Excellent pictures of the houses detail their interiors, exteriors and the furniture needed to make them cosy little homes. All major producers are covered, Marx, Cohn, Wolverine to mention just a few. Ms. Brett also includes a section on the more unusual items, such as the rare and unique Friendly Folks Motel. Better buy two copies, this book is destined to become dog-earred and worn before very long.

Great reference book for collector of 40's and 50's plastic doll house furniture. Copyright in 1997 makes pricing guide a tad out of date . . . nevertheless a good starting reference price range. Great photos. Interesting information on producing companies.

This is a wonderful reference quide for baby boomers who want to collect dollhouses and furniture! What great memories this book brought back. I found doll houses and furniture I once had and some of the models my cousins and friends had in the 1950's! This is a trip down memory lane and the price is great for this publication. Amazon delivers quickly, too!

I can't remember ever reading anything quite as compelling. I'm not going blind nor do I have any cognitive disabilities. However, if you are a practicing meditator as I am and are interested in the nature of consciousness itself, you will be quite intrigued with this highly descriptive account of both the visual and non-visual aspects of perception. If this book doesn't inspire you to start thinking outside the box, nothing will. That been said, the average reader will find this to be an unforgettable, beautifully written book well worth reading. Highly recommended.

In place of the word "unsentimental" often used to describe this book I'd use "Lynchian", as in David. Blindness is just the starting-off point: The book is really a luxuriant journey into the *other* four senses and the heightened reality one begins to feel -- for instance how the white noise of a sudden rain can throw your outdoor echolocation into turmoil and immobilize you at some random place. With all respect to anyone looking for a good book on the disability, this one is for the artists.

On the front cover Oliver Sacks is quoted: "Staggering. . . the most extraordinary, precise, deep, and beautiful account of blindness I have ever read." But this book is primarily a message of facing change and developing methods for coping. Of compensating, of reaching out, of accepting your plight and going forward. You sense the author's despair and frustration, but he manages to see his difficulties as challenges. He engages you in the struggles he faces and overcomes. After all, he has a wife and four children, he lectures and attends conferences. Perhaps the most fascinating chapter of all, for me, was how he faced giving a lecture when he could no longer read notes. He eventually learned how to write his speech in his mind so that he could simply read one page as the next ones were being formulated. I pictured it as something like the beginning of a Star Wars movie. John Hull has somelthing to teach us all.

This book was given to me as a gift a few years ago, and while I am neither going blind nor am actually blind, I found many of the ideas and experiences and thoughts and feelings expressed in this book to be very similar to my own. I have some particular cognitive difficulties (prosopagnosia, often called "face blindness") which give me a rather different outlook on life from most people, and I was amazed to see just how much in common my outlook on life was when compared with the author's life experiences. Well, maybe I wasn't that surprized, but it was still an eye-opening (no pun intended) experience for me to read this book in that context.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this book very very much. It reads more like a personal journal or diary than an actual book, and that gives the whole book a very personal experience when reading it.

Heard the taped version of TOUCHING THE ROCK by John
Hull, a moving memoir of a university lecturer who slowly
lost his vision over a period of several years . . . he recorded
his thoughts in a diary, and I must admit to being touched
about how both he and his family dealt with his
condition . . . even typing this brings teary thoughts to
mind . . . imagine having seen a child as a youngster,
then not being able to see her again as she grows up . . . or
never having seen another child from the time he was
born . . . it makes me want to hug my daughter, Risa . . . and
to appreciate all that I do have!

I had the opportunity to read this book. From the moment of the first word to the very last word, the book draws you in to read more. The graphic descriptions can take you to the other side of the world and stand next to the author on his travels. You know what it was like be black during the "Jim Crow" days on the trains in the south. Granted that my 25 years never saw the ugly side of America, his visual imagery is just so vivid that I seriously think they should dump "Scarlett Letter" and place this book on the reading lists of High School Students.

I initially bought this book expecting it to be similar to the other slew of WWII books out there ( The ME-109 dove at me out of the sun with guns blazing...). Instead I got an honest account of a man who wanted to fly for his country and be treated with the same respect as any other pilot. Dryden's memories and descriptions of his voyage through training to be a pilot as well as the segregated and de-segregated Air Force are interesting and honest. Dryden't narrative is not the heart-pounding, can't-put-the-book down type but rather the story of a man who, faced with tremendous adversity from his own society and country, persevered. There is no bitterness in Dryden's story, and I put the book down tremendously impressed by his belief in himself, in his religion and his friend. It's a good book

Every young African American boy should read this book. It is an inspiration.

Charles Dryden's book forces people to see the trials and tribulations encountered by black servicemen and women during WWII. I was shocked to read about the different encounters with 'Jim Crow' that Dryden and his peers waded through during their service years. A must for anybody curious about WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen or about the fight for civil rights in America.

I meet Col. Dryden when he gave a talk about his experiences and his book. I then read the book a felt a tremendous respect for the author and all the Tuskeegee Airmen. Col. Dryden tells his personal story in a way that made me feel as though I was there with him the whole time. The challanges of blacks in America in his story left a powerful impact on me, the courage the author displayed is an insperation. A-Train is very well written and reads easily. It is an powerful story that left me feeling inadequate and ashamed to be white. I had the oportunity to meet Col. Dryden again and sought him out just to shake his hand again, knowing him from his book, it was hard to hide my emotions.

Christian Woman
Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)
Kill All The White People
Summer Breeze
Set Me On Fire
We Hate Everyone
Bloody Kisses (A Death in the Family)
Too Late: Frozen
Blood & Fire
Can't Lose You
Suspended in Dusk

They have a lot of the great little intracacies of this album in there, including some keyboard/bass lines tabbed out for Guitar. This is probably the best Type O album Guitar wise. I would recomend this to any Type O fan, I've been referencing this book for years!

come one guys it's a freakin book on how to play their songs man

I don't really want to review this book but only to clarify that it is a book of guitar tabs for Type O Negative's album, Bloody Kisses. There is a short intro, but the rest of it is STRICTLY musical notation. It is not really "about" the band or what I would consider "fiction."

This is a fine tab book. If you're into the type o, grab this

You can read about the Potato Famine in history books and think you understand it but Marita Conlon-McKenna really makes you feel like you're there and you're experiencing it for yourself.
An excellent book for anyone with Irish ancestry or just an interest in Ireland. I'd highly recommend this one for kids in late elementary school on up. Even adults will get a lot out of this book as well as the rest of the books in the series.
In Ireland schools, this book is used in their curriculums.

I liked this story. It was about 3 kids who lived in the potato famine in Ireland. I was in Ireland at the time I read the book so I understand what a big part of Irish culture potatoes are. I especially liked the character Eily. Her feelings were so strong but she acted responsible enough so that her brother and sister wouldn't see how upset she really was. She was really brave. I liked the character Peggy too but they don't tell much about her. She reminds me of my little brother. I admire all of them for not letting all the awful things they saw discourage them and they made themselves keep going. I was disappointed that they had to leave. I was surprised when they pulled a stunt to not go to the workhouse. One of the kindest characters in the book was Mary-Kate. She offered to let the children into her house and feed and shelter them. Over all this was a very good book and I would recommend it to many people who enjoy historical fiction books.

This book brought the horrors of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland to life. 12 year old Eily and her younger brother, Michael, who is 9, and sister Peggy, who is 7, live in Ireland with their parents during the famine. Their father left to find work and never came back so their mother goes to look for him. But she never returns, either. So the three children set out to find their two great aunts who live in a village that's a long journey away. But can they survive the journey and find their great aunts?

Having just written a thesis on Irish Nationalists' administration of the Poor Law, I was very interested to read Conlon McKenna's book, which seemed quite honest in its depiction of the fragmentation of the local social fabric in the Irish countryside during the Famine. As a children's book, it combined the required optimism with some very perceptive social comment. It was a very entertaining read and I'd certainly recommend it for children, and adults too!

The story was about three children who were left behind during the famine when their parents left. The story follows them as they escape from going to the workhouse to go to their great aunts. The journey was long and hard . The author describes the scenes very true to the time. The reader's interest is held throughout the book. I found it very exciting and could not wait to get to the end of the story.

This book is a very good book especally for teenagers who like fantasy. however i recommed it to anyone over the age of 13 it has romance,adventure&horror rolled into one. the way it is written is wonderful it catches the reader and takes them away. i would recommend you read The magic and the healing first as that story ends where this story begins

If it's 3 a.m. and you are trying to figure out how to be a midwife to a centaur,then you've fallen under the spell of Nick O'Donohoe and his many and varied friends at the Crossroads.

This series of books(3 so far)is both factual and fanciful as B.J.Vaughn,the veternarian, must come to terms with bringing both the best and the worst that our world has to offer to the "other Folk of Crossroads". A very good read,indeed.

I first started reading Under the Healing Sign when I was on summer vacation at my god parents' house. They have piles of books at that house. I know that I am glad for that though, because if they did not, I would never had read any of the books in this series. In this book, BJ Vaughan is working as a full time vet in Crossroads, the place where all the worlds meet. She has become acustomed to seeing things she did not even know existed. She tries her best to save everyone and everything, but that is impossible for anyone except for maybe God, or A god. Many things happen including another attack from Morgan and her army of evil. By using strength, courage and wit alone, can this evil be stopped. The theme of the story is that if you use common sense, you can defeat almost any evil in a matter of time. Of course, once you do acomplish this, the evil is not really gone, but only pevented for a little longer. BJ, is in my opinion, the ideal model of a vet. She has to go throught the trauma of puting her werewolf puppy to sleep, right in the middle of a war. She still keeps her cool until there is room and time for her to break down and let out her emotions. Morgan, on the other hand, is cunning but not very emotional. She kills for fun, and does not care whether it is her friend or her enemy. Also, the fact that she can not die is comforting in her fight for all out evil. She is the perfect villain. The only thing that was slightly frustrating was when one of the main characters died. But if it had not happened, one of the most important parts would not have taken place. That many people died is a given, but the few importants that passed were heart renching deaths. I can not say more about that without giving away the story. All in all, I think that this is a first class book. It has just enough reality mixed with the fantasy to make it belevable, but it's not too believable, so you don't get bored. I recomend it to everyone, as long as you have some time to read. I could not put it down.

This review is short and to the point. This is one hell of a good read

This book is similar to the first in the series (The Magic and the Healing), mixing modern and fantastical elements (both mythological and Mr. O'Donohoe's original ideas) very well. There is some substance here, but mostly it is a fun read. A good page-turner, humor and drama are intermingled well. None of the characters become one-dimensional or (in the cardinal sin in any novel) dull. Recommended for any reader, but make sure to start with book one of the series.

I have been working on a project to make some changes to MySQL server
operation. Learned a lot through code review & trial and error! Recently
purchased this book and it is excellent! Wish we had it months ago.

The author knows what he's talking about. Provides a great overview of the
architecture, file and subsystem layout. Also provides great information on using the 'built in' debug capability of the server -- very useful!

I was expecting to be disappointed, I was not. The content was right
on the mark for those folks interested on working on server internals.

Sasha knows the mysql code well, and he has done a fantastic job of presenting it. This is an important book for anyone who would like an enhanced understanding of mysql, including DBAs who might need a detailed understanding of locking or replication to. And it's a must-have for anyone working on a storage engine.

Sasha Pachev's UNDERSTANDING MYSQL INTERNALS: DISCOVERING AND IMPROVING A GREAT DATABASE provides clear insights into one of the most popular open source codes on the market. It comes from a former member of the MySQL development team, so offers the author's own insights into the program's creation and use, covering everything from communication protocols between client and server to the parser and optimizer that execute SQL commands, advantages and disadvantages of using threads, and more technical insights.

An excellent overview of the MySQL codebase, philosophy, and the design decisions that have made MySQL what it is today. Even though I have never touched the MySQL source before (it can be a daunting beast for the uninitiated), Sasha's explanations made me comfortable with the 'internals' and finally lifted the 'magic veil' off the engine. 'MySQL internals' has a perfect balance of high-level explanations, and low-level code samples to help you understand the inner workings of the database.

After reading this book you should be comfortable enough to tackle the source, and you'll also have deep understanding of the storage engines and how to configure them, how the query parser works, how the optimizer decides on the execution plan, and much more. This is a must read for any DBA, or a programmer who wants to see a great example of a high-performance, reliable UNIX server.

MySQL is assuming increased importance as an enterprise database and has become the de-facto standard with web hosting companies. A number of books have appeared in recent years, covering various aspects of MySQL. In Understanding MySQL Internals, Sasha Pachev, a MySQL-focused consultant and former member of the MySQL development team, takes us on a tour of how MySQL works and how it is built.

Starting with an overview of MySQL history and architecture, the book quickly moves us through working with the source code to build and run the product in a debugger. Drawing on his deep experience with the software, Mr. Pachev explains the coding conventions used to develop MySQL and why you should use them when modifying the software yourself.

The author delineates the different functional "modules" (a term he coined himself to better explain the database, technically speaking there are no defined modules in MySQL's architecture) of MySQL and how they interrelate. Herein lies the key to how this book teaches the reader the vast intricacy of such a complex piece of software. The author recognizes the subject is huge and the source code changing. What he does in the book is serve as our tour guide, driving us through the various areas and explaining as much relevant information as he reasonably can. He constantly illustrates key pieces of source code and data structures; but perhaps more importantly he makes reference to the actual source files utilized by each functional component of the system, while encouraging us to explore further on our own. His approach is very much "top down".

As he takes us on this tour, the author explains many of the design decisions behind the various MySQL components, often imparting the historical perspective behind them. I appreciate how, throughout the book, the author shares some of his "inside information" about MySQL's development. There is also a section where he examines the code stability of each module and speculates on what the future may hold for each module. The author's writing style is clear and easy to read. I found Understanding MySQL Internals interesting and fun, and surprisingly easy to read for a book covering such a sophisticated piece of software. The author also does a good job explaining the engineering trade-offs of different MySQL configurations. Speaking of configuration, the book shows you how to add your own configuration option to the mysqld daemon.

Chapter 7, the largest chapter in the book, is 41 pages long. It covers the MySQL storage engine interface. This chapter explains how to integrate your own custom storage engine into MySQL and contains the source code for two custom storage engine examples (one for MySQL 4.1, the other for version 5.1). You can download this source code from O'Reilly's web site. Despite this one long chapter, the book is surprising short, only 234 pages.

I believe this book has value outside of MySQL. It does a good job showing how MySQL is essentially a well designed piece of software: a high-performance, reliable Unix server. The book also touches on the multi-platform aspects of MySQL design. Those of you designing other types of server software may benefit from studying how MySQL is constructed.

This book isn't for everyone, but if you are serious about MySQL in particular or database software design in general then this title certainly deserves a look.

A colleague who likes to call himself "Captain Suction" and I were debating the exigencies of a client's flow leak detection problem, and needless to say, things got quite hot. At least they did until I slammed O'Hanlon's volume on his cubicle and yelled, "Look it up, sucker!" I didn't hear a peep from him for weeks.

Thankful we found more complete data on vacuum system.

John f. O'Hanlon is so thorough, and has so much to offer. Whether the reader is an engineer or an operator of a vacuum system there is plenty here for each. This is a reference book, so never lend it to anyone!

Since I work in a very big semi' fab as field service engineer I looking for a good description of any tool part's on several manufacturing machines. But i work in Germany and it isn't so easy to find much more and better information as for an student without experience. It is my second book about vakuum technologie, all new kinds of engineering and also standard technologie is well prepaired in this issue. Some description of Pump's could be better or more funktionplan's , but all in one book is maybe too much. I was very surprised of this universal Handbook for engineer's and technician, best offer for all who need information about PVD, CVD, Implant vakuum etc. A lot of basic's in introduction part, well to understand, intresting gas properties, cluster technologie and last but not least - a big appendix with all what you need , very fine. Thank's for this good book.

I borrowed this book from a colleague here at Applied Materials. After looking at it for a few minutes, I offered to buy it from him. Of course, he refused. So here I am at Amazon (physically at work) to purchase the book. It is extremely practical and I intend to keep it here at work as a reference for problems I encounter. By the way, my web address is http://www.netcom.com/~kvick/main.html. Please feel free to visit or email me

This is one of my favorite Halloween read-alouds. Tomie DePaola's illustrations are gorgeous and funny, full of vivid Halloween oranges, greens, purples, and blacks, and the story is an offbeat delight that will introduce your child to such delightful vocabulary as "ghoul," "varmint," and "rapscallion." Not at all frightening for even smallest kids, quite funny, and with prose that rolics right off your tongue -- The Vanishing Pumpkin is as much fun for the grown-up reader as it is for the young listener snuggled on his lap.

Cute tale of an old man and old woman, each hundreds of years old, looking for the person that stole their big pumkin. Just as they were going to pick it to make pie, it vanished. They go to see the ghoul, and show they have ways to make you talk. You see they are both witches with very old power. They go to see the rapscallion, and even the varmint. But no one knows who took their pumpkin. They finally meet up with a powerful wizard, even older than they are. Will they find their pumpkin in time to make pumpkin pie?

Some repetitive lines and rhyming make this a nice book for reading to the younger ones, and not scary at all. Good story to go to sleep with. Terrific art work and colors by the great Tommi de Paola. I reccommend.

I have three young boys and they always find this story fun to read or have read to them. We have had it for several years and this slightly offbeat tale never seems to get old. It is a good addition to your Halloween library, although I would go for some classics like "The Headless Horseman," "Tailypo," or other classic tales that are not so scary for young children.

If you like this you might also try "Four Scary Stories" from the duo of Tony Johnson and Tomie Depaola.

In Mr. Johnston's "The Vanishing Pumpkin" we are introduced to a 700-year old woman and an 800-year old man. This immediately sets the tone for the high level of playful silliness the reader will encounter in the pages within!

Our heroes have a problem: their pumpkin, destined to be a pumpkin pie, has gone missing suddenly, and on Halloween, no less! Right then, the search (and the fun!) begins. It's not in the coffeepot. It's not in the bed, it's not anywhere! "Snitched!" cries the old woman. "'Great snakes!' croaked the old man. 'Who would dare snitch a pumpkin from an 800-year old man?'"

Who indeed...!! They set off down the road to find the missing pumpkin and run into some wonderfully kooky Halloween characters, including a ghoul in stovepipe hat and button boots, a rapscallion picking mushrooms (he is in a heavy cloak with a hooded mask-- my Star Wars savvy students said he looks like a Jawa), a rat-like yellow varmint and finally a wizard in starred robes, spectacles and pointed shoes. All along the way the old man and the old woman play tricks on these funny folk to try to get them to surrender the pumpkin which, of course, they don't have.

The illustrations by Tomie dePaola are wonderfully funny in the way that only Mr. dePaola can make them. Though this is a Halloween story, the illustrations are bright and silly enough to make the story much more funny than frightening. The pace of the text flows quickly but is repetitive enough for young readers to stay hooked by the story.

All in all, it's a wonderful book, and you shouldn't wait for Halloween to go out and get a copy of this fun, fantastic tale!

This is my favorite book to share with young children for Halloween. It lends itself nicely to using various funny voices for the old woman and the old man. I have used this book with classes for the past four years, and it remains a favorite in my library all year through.