Companies Books

Terribly interesting. I got it especially for Gen.P.Orridge's essays. It's also got a great Crowley section and a nice piece on John Dee. This is both a great collection for seasoned occultists and magick enthusiasts and an excellent launch pad for those delving for the first time. Enjoy!

Because I consider it my duty to buy any book with the words "Magick" or "Occult" in the title, I picked this one up against my better judgement. On the whole, my initial fears were that this would be cartoonish, poorly written and obtuse. Even the name, cribbed from one of Aleister Crowley's works, worried me. That being said, I am very lucky that I purchased this book anyway.

Richard Metzger, the compiler and editor of this collection, has done the occult world a great service by bringing together this series of articles and publishing them in one soft cover. Containing the works of authors such as William S. Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, Timothy Leary, Donald Tyson and Robert Anton Wilson, this collection isn't any sort of theoretical discussion of magic. What you'll find here instead is a series of examples from fairly famous people who have actually practiced magic.

Many people who've been practicing or living magically for some time will still have a lot to learn from this book, just as I did. The examples are eye-opening in some cases, and at the very least thought-provoking in others. I often found myself saying "Wow... I've never thought of doing it THAT way."

My only real objection is the heavy emphasis on the use of illegal and illicit drugs. I understand that the use of these substances has been linked very closely with the occult, especially in the United States, but the way this book seems to promote the use of these substances upsets me. Still, there are enough examples of magic without drugs to satisfy my tastes.

All in all the book is very well put together, with a lot of detail, good editing and nice illustrations and pictures. I whole-heartedly recommend it to students of magic from intermediate to advanced. Beginner's might want to get a little more grounding before experimenting with some of these ideas, though. Good luck!

If the occultophobes of the world had any sense, they would leave the Harry Potter series alone and forget all about it. THIS is the book they should be trying to burn.

Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult is a collection of essays and articles by leading voices in the occult world. A total of 40 written pieces take up roughly 350 pages here. A small sampling of these includes Phil Hine on magickal initiation, Donald Tyson on the Enochian Apocalypse, and Boyd Rice on the connections between the Biblical Leviathan and the mythic Dagon.

An entire section is devoted to the infamous Aleister Crowley, his life's work, and those who took his ideas and ran with them. Fiction writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) delivers his philosophy on modern magickal practice as a lifestyle. Erik Davis discusses the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and its significance to the practicing occultist. Tau Allen Greenfield debunks the popular history of Wicca, and P.R. Koening exposes the fraudulent "Caliphate" Ordo Templi Orientis.

This book reprints an interview with late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey by author/musician Michael Moynihan (Lords of Chaos, Blood Axis) and Dr. Stephen Flowers's essay "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness." Only Robert Mason's article on the "Ahriman Consciousness" seems strangely out of place; it reads more like a vaugely Christianized version of David Icke's conspiracy theories than the work of a practicing magician.

Be advised this is not a "spellbook" as such; a few articles give practical advice for starting points and point the way to futher study, but the book as a whole is an exhibit, not a seminar. But it's a very well-assembled and stimulating exhibit; read it to learn, evaluate, and be inspired.

Young readers or newcomers to this area of interest may be surprised to learn here there is much more to the world of magick than astrology, Wicca, and themed-deck Tarot cards. This book is a joy in that it not only acknowleges the existence of a darker, more volitile side to the occult, but gives it legitimate coverage beyond a cursory two-sentance summary in dismissive, generalized terms. This is not commericalized, superficial reading. No Three-Fold Law. No love spells, vampire poetry or tips for naming your "familiar" (cat). This is a challenging and colorful showcase that gives a small sampling of the forbidden knowledge shamans of the Lost Age knew firsthand and embroyonic quantum science is only beginning to point to. Get your copy now... before the book burners do.

"Richard Metzger opened the drug fetus's industrial BDSM play into the abolition world and transplanted the era respiration-byte sending program of the acidhuman body encoder to the digital chimpanzee's cerebral cortex." - Kenji Siratori, author of Blood Electric

This book, unlike Metzger's MISERABLE TV series is a joy to have. If you are a person open to the idea of alternate realities then you will find some of the best speakers from that fringe world here. You should not think of this as a typical "disinfo" offering such as "You Are Being Lied Too". This material would more easily be imagined as a series of essays along the lines of subject matter Robert Anton Wilson might discuss. Much of it deals in one way or another with magick and alternate mind states.

The dream of the electrical vehicle was first inspired by the success of the sunraycer, a vehicle capable of 41 mph and able to traverse the US on five gallons of gas. EV technology faced two signicant barriers: the DC to AC inverter and the 100,000 mile battery life. AC motors were lighter and but the electricity had to be chopped or inverted. Alan Cocconi had built a inverter for his SunRaycer and also designed and built regenerative braking. At Aerovironment, Brooks used the Sunraycer power design and built an EV with a more power inverter and AC motors and battery pack. Cocconi built two inverters which each powered a 50 kilowatt motor.

The GM impact prototype solved both of these problems. Alec Brooks was assigned to study Paul MacCready in the offices of AeroVironment and his efficient motors. MacCready had built an Electric Vehicle prototype for GM - with its streaming lines; the initial idea was too make the rear wheel base shorter than the front creating a tapering effect. The car was to be built from aluminum rather than steel. The Impact had a fiber glass body.

It was Baker's job to bring the EV car to market. Baker reluctantly took the task, a task he dreaded because of early failure with the electrovette.

Lead Acid batteries were a problem, but they were cheap and they worked. Lead acid batteries needed water replenishment; engineers tried to devise methods and these batteries could not be 100% discharged and recharged for a 1,000 cycles. Heat and cold affect the electrical output of the battery. The batteries weighted about 900 pounds. Nickle Metal Hydrid was proven but not used immediately; Baker didn't want any delays; Baker needed to get the EV quality to production status: heater, air conditioner, radio, and suspension system.

The impact could accelerate from 0-60 seconds in 7.9 seconds reaching a speed of 75 mph; it could travel 124 miles at 55 mph and in city reach 300 mile range.

This is a great book. The author follows the tangled story of how GM developed the first production electric car... but he went to press just a year or two before GM sent it to the crusher. See the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? for the sad end to this story.

For contrast, google for the on-line copy of "The Prius That Shook the World". While Schnayerson was following GM he was totally unaware of the development of the Toyota Prius. Like Shnayerson's book, the Prius book takes the development of a new car from a clean sheet of paper to production. From reading both, Toyota seems to have much longer term plans and much less in-fighting. GM changed it's mind with every new CEO.

By coincidence, neither book has a single photo in it (aside from the cover) and lots of personalities. But from 2007 looking back the Prius story has a much happier ending.

Shnayerson tells the story up to when the GM Impact was introduced. The film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" got me interested in electric cars. The GM Impact (EV1) was the most successful modern electric car, but it disappeared into the crushers shortly after its introduction.

His story is that of a dedicated crew inside GM working against budget cuts and management changes to make the car. It is a good read.

A shortcoming is that there are so many major characters-- A new one on each page in some chapters. One is Ken Baker, who runs through the whole narrative, as do Roger Smith (yes, that Roger) and Robert Stempel, one a former GM Chairman.

Another major character doesn't appear until chapter 20: Stan Ovshinsky. The 12 pages describe his career and the Ovonic 12-volt NiMH battery, and the test on the track at Mesa, Arizona, where his batteries powered the test Impact EV 201 miles on a single charge.

All of these 100+ GM execs and engineers were heart-and-soul dedicated to making the EV succeed. One cannot read this book and feel that GM was against the electric car. Shnayerson is an outsider, and was in no way a mouthpiece for GM or an industry apologist. When he tells of GM execs moving their families to Lansing or to Troy so they can work more on the Impact, you get a strong feeling that GM wanted this car to happen. GM sunk a few billion dollars in it.

I could have done with fewer pages of office drama and a new character on every other page, all of whom "exuded midwestern charm," and less about whether so-and-so was "on the fast track to a senior vice-presidency."

I would have preferred line drawings of new assemblies, for example, regenerative brakes-- a first by GM. I wanted more technical details! Cut a couple dozen pages of drama and give us line drawings! For example, in one of the few technical discussions; Setting a standard for EV chargers, page 223, after 3 years and $10 million, GM accepted Hughes's inductive 220 volt charger. Ford stayed with the basic prong-and-socket conductive charger. I wanted a line drawing of each, a photo of each, a short description of each.

Shnayerson gives an objective account of politics, noting the reelection of California Governor Pete Wilson in 1994, and Republicans unseating Democrat governors, and Republicans making huge gains in Congress in Nov 1994-- as a factor in reducing the auto industry's motivation to push the EV. That political revolution is missing in explaining the death of the EV in California in "Who Killed the Electric Car?" where the government villians are made out to be Bush, Cheney, and Rice. Shnayerson suggests that a Republican sweep in 1994 may have been the bigger factor, with a repudiation of 25 years of environmental legislation.

We humans may be incapable of analyzing economic factors, but we always emphasize political factors. This mental shortcoming has to do with the Availability Bias, from cognitive psychology: We overestimate factors easy to imagine or remember (like political figures we don't like) and ignore factors difficult to imagine or remember (like anything to do with economics). So when GM cuts funding in 1992 for the Impact, everyone, like director Chris Paine of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" screams out that there is a giant conspiracy by bad guys in Oil, but few recognize that when a company has a loss of a billion dollars, they need to cut back somewhere.

Shnayerson spends only a few pages on Japanese electric cars: All four major Japanese carmakers had cars to show at the Anaheim California December 1994-- EV Symposium 12. Mazda had an EV Miata. In France, residents were paying for the privilege of test driving 50 Peugeot-Citroen ZX and 105 model prototypes. If Big Oil, Autos, and the U.S. Gov killed the GM EV, who killed the French and Japanese EVs? Which brings up the Big Red Cars in Southern California.

Did Standard Oil and GM and B. F. Goodrich destroy Henry Huntington's Pacific Electric, the world's best electric car system, with its more than 1000 miles of standard gauge track? Or rather than a giant conspiracy, is the fault in the hands of my mother and father and thousands like them who destroyed the Pacific Electric-- they purchased a shiny new 1949 Nash, instead of spending that money on tickets to ride the Red Cars. We blame the "greedy" oil companies, but we don't think about tens of thousands of Southern Californians ready to buy that status symbol, their own auto, after years of rationing during and after World War II.

This is a fascinating inside story about the development of electric cars in the early '90s.

GM unveiled a prototype electric car in 1990 and conveyed the message to California (and other states) that they could develop such a vehicle for consumer use. California shortly thereafter adopted standards requiring the top 7 car manufacturers to sell emission free vehicles totalling 2% of sales in 1998, increasing to 5% in 2001, then 10% in 2003.

GM proceeded to lose enormous sums of money in the early 1990s. But they still worked to develop the electric car for two reasons. One was to be able to meet the California standards. The other was hoping they would be ahead of the curve and make money on the new technology.

But many technical issues needed to be resolved to bring the car to market, the biggest being batteries. Developing batteries capable of providing adequate storage capacity for a reasonable amount of driving was (and remains) a monumental problem.

At the same time GM was developing a marketable electric car, they (along with Ford, Chrysler, and Big Oil) lobbied hard to eliminate the emission free mandates, claiming the technology and consumer demand wasn't there. What did GM want to happen? It seems that they didn't really know, in part because they were bleeding money.

California blinked in the 4th quarter of 1995 and eliminated the mandate. Then, in January 1996 GM unveiled the EV1, a 2 seat electric sports car.

For a follow-up on the "success" of the EV1 and other EVs, I recommend the movie "Who killed the Electric Car?". Disturbing.

The book "The Car That Could" tells the story of GM's EV1 much better than the film "Who Killed the Electric Car?". The book tells the story of the EV1's birth. That is of course a more hopeful story than the EV1's death, which the film covers. And that fact alone makes a big difference in the impact of the story that is told.

But there is another difference. "The Car That Could" tells the inside story of how the EV1 came to be. People within GM make a huge effort to give birth to the car. This was no sham attempt to live up to the California Air Resources Board mandate to put electric cars on the road. GM clearly had its technical and marketing people do their best work. And they did build a great little car, a car that could.

As we know now, though, GM's EV1 did not live very long. The passion of those who put their money down to lease the cars could not make up for the fact that they were few in number. When the California Air Resources Board's mandate went away, that spelled doom for the EV1.

No new EV1s were made. Those that had been made were crushed. A sad end for the car that could.

But though the film "Who Killed the Electric Car" implies that GM killed the EV1, the reasons for its death were more complex than that. And the real story of its death has not, I think, been told. Certainly not as well, and with so much insight, as the story of its birth.

But the story of the electric car has not ended. And there may be some hope for a happy ending. Recently GM's CEO Rick Wagoner has said that he regrets the decision to kill the EV1. And GM promises to come out soon with a new series hybrid electric car. That may put GM back into competition with Toyota and Honda, and their parallel hybrid cars. If so, maybe we will see another, more successful version of a GM car that could.

Michael Shnayerson did a great job researching and writing about the birth of the EV1. Many of the insights written into the book will help those thinking about electric cars today.

So in my mind, "The Car That Could" should be required reading for anyone who wants to participate in the electric vehicle industry. Copies are hard to find now. But if you are interested in electric cars, find a copy and read it. "The Car That Could" makes the must-read list; "Who Killed the Electric Car?" does not.

In the first chapter of "The Complete Personal Finance Handbook," author Teri B. Clark observes that "financial planning works for those who make thousands of dollars a year and those who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year." From there she lays out in easy-to-understand detail just why the subject is necessary reading for everyone.

With exhaustive information on everything from money-saving tips (buy in bulk, don't use credit cards) to how to purchase a house and invest in the bond market, this handbook explains all the basics of dollars and cents. Using simple descriptions and occasional blurbs from financial experts around the U.S., it goes on to more daunting topics like IRA withdrawals, disability insurance and the difference between good and bad debt.

One of the highlights: a series of useful appendices that demonstrate, for example, model personal budgets and methods for financial calculations like figuring compound interest.

People tend to take two basic approaches to managing their finances--they either avoid it until something bad happens or they do what they can to understand how money works and how they can make their money work the best for their situation. The Complete Personal Finance Handbook not only makes a strong argument for the latter approach, it presents a straightforward, easy-to-understand approach for doing so.

The author starts at square one with budgets--what they are, why they're important, and how to create them--and moves on to the various elements of money management from there. Terms and concepts are clearly defined along the way.

There's nothing really new about the information presented in this book, but if you need help with the basics--how to establish a budget, how to determine the best places to put your money, how to protect your investments, how to start planning for retirement--this is a solid guide that will get you up to speed quickly.

The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future

By Robin C. Springer
January 15, 2008


Have you ever wanted someone to wade through the mountains of financial information that's available "out there" and just tell you what to do to handle your money well? If that describes you, then this Personal Finance Handbook might be exactly what you are looking for. This is a comprehensive guide to handling every major aspect of your personal finances. Beginning with a discussion of budgeting and its benefits, it then clearly instructs the reader, step by step, on exactly how to create and live within a budget.
From there, a lesson on banks and banking procedures introduce the reader to the "larger picture" and how their own finances are affected by banks. It is a very enlightening chapter, and one that anyone who deals with banks ought to read and understand.
The strongest message contained within the book is the importance of creating and growing savings. This topic is very well covered, from the first "Why Save?" question to how compounding interest can work for you, to very practical chapters on specific practices and opportunities, depending on one's circumstances.
Also well-covered are topics such as insurance, financial advisors, the wise use of credit, debt correction and avoidance, real estate and its role as an investment tool, stock market investing methods, and even taxes and their impact on your wealth. There is a very helpful appendix at the end of the book with worksheets, tables and graphs to help with specific tasks, all designed to help you along the road to financial well-being.
I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone whose knowledge of the world of money might not be complete. The author is very clear, concise, and sensible about his instructions to the reader. It is truly a hands-on, tell-me-what-to-do guidebook to building one's wealth.
Five Stars
-30-

This book is touted as a step-by-step guide to take control of your financial future and it is everything and more than that. Each chapter can be read independently of others so if readers only want information on retirement plans, that chapter stands on its own as a useful source of in-depth information. Other topics covered include: how to break bad spending habits, banking options, accumulating "good" debt versus "bad," how to choose credit cards, investment options and strategies and daily ways to save that can add up over the course of a year. This chapter is particularly interesting as it shows real life examples of going cold turkey on those daily lattes or cigarettes and how those savings can be invested instead.

Another useful chapter is the one on debt and divorce. Considering the 50% divorce rate in this country, this is good information to have on hand when stress and emotions can overtake common financial sense.

Overall, this book is a reference guide on most every topic having to do with financial stability that college students, working professionals and retirees will find beneficial.

The Complete Personal Finance Handbook: Step-by-Step Instructions to Take Control of Your Financial Future is the kind of book that everyone needs when they are starting out on their own. We all know that high school and college graduates aren't going to listen to their parents, but this book is well organized and emphasizes the old fashioned virtues of frugality. The chapters on debt are a particular point of emphasis if you have a college student who has just discovered the allure of other people's money. It doesn't take very long for a twenty-something to run up a lifetime's worth of debt if he isn't careful, and while this book provides some good advice about credit repair and debt reduction, the best advice it gives is to avoid that kind of situation altogether. I was also particularly impressed with the concise information on mortgages. This is a subject that can get confusing pretty quickly and it's full of timely advice considering the mortgage crisis we are undergoing right now. A lot of people could have avoided a major financial headache if they had followed the advice in this handy little guide. If I had a child going off to college in the fall, this book would be going with him.

This is a cute book and has personality in it for journaling.

This perpetual calendar without days of the week written on it is a great idea and in true Susan Branch fashion!

Susan Branch's wonderful artwork and stories that are throughout this perpetual calendar/journal always brings a smile. She comes from a large family, and shares creative and thoughtful ideas for entertaining, celebrations, and holidays that I find to be an inspiration. The binding allows it to lay flat, the paper used takes ink nicely, and the dated spaces are generous. Even after making good use of this same book for so long, I've never grown tired of it, and look forward to starting a new one each year. With the purchase of this one for 2007, I now have a row on my bookshelf dating to 1997!

This is the greatest, most beautiful book, calendar! I am going to be giving one of these to everyone for gifts! This book can brighten your day every time you open it, with the beautiful drawings and sayings. You will not be disapointed.

I just discovered Susan Branch's stickers/books/stencils/stamps/etc. I ordered this book for next year, and want to get one for my sister. It's so cute, and there are lots of Susan's drawings and watercolored leaves, flowers, and hearts...I can't wait to start using it. Couldn't find this in the bookstores anymore, so I ordered it from Amazon and got it within 3 days.

The second most famous book by Immanuel Velikovsky, 'Earth in Upheaval', is much more interesting than 'Worlds in Collision'. One of the main reasons why is because Velikovsky does not focus too much on Biblical stories and ancient stories from ancient cultures. That's what killed 'Worlds'; although the ancient stories were a little interesting, they were boring for the most part. I also doubt if the history was accurate too. I doubt if all the events described all happened at the same time.
Here Velikovsky is a little more scientific, but his science if very flawed. I doubt most scientists would take him seriously. Recommended reading for those who are interested in alternative archeology.

This was not only an exciting read but it was bold courageous and I am sure blaspheme to the died in the wool adherent to evolution. In his book Immanuel Velikovsky deals with something that has always struck me strange, coal, how did it form, sometimes in layers fifty foot think. The lignite that I find around the area of my home in the Pacific Northwest is chalk full of fossil. Some so perfect I can clearly count the striations in the leaf formation. I have never been able to accept the explaination for coal and how it comes about. I believe Velikovsky has explained it perfectly to my satisfaction.
Many call his science flawed, yet today evolution is being disproved by the study of the stars and the youngness of the universe.
Why if evolution is taking place have we seen nothing in times of written history, only extinction.
I am a woodsman and experienced hunter, I know the woods are full of game and yet in my many years of hunting I have only found one skull of a young bear.
This I have never been able to understand, when there is so much condenced discovery of fossils in certain areas. What caused this? In this book Immanuel Velikovsky explains well beyond normal reasoning why.
In reveiws of this book many have said that the book is not science, I believe that the preponderance of evidence is always science and that theory is without merit when science proves it wrong. As I said earlier to the adherent of evolution this book is blaspheme, the reason is because evolution, is a religion, it is and has to be accepted by faith. The evolutionist is the adherent of the religion and is offended when his or her belief system is attacked...

As I reread "Earth In Upheaval" I am struck anew by Velikovsky's disciplined scholasticism and breadth of source material, by his compunction to always include other points of view (and flaws therein), and by his clear writing style.
It is understandable why Einstein had "Worlds In Collision" open on his desk when he died, why Clifton Fadiman, who was for many years editor-in-chief of the Reader's Digest, said that Velikovsky wrote about 50 times better than most of his critics, and why it was predicted that 99% of the books on geology, archeology and ancient history would have to be rewritten.
I suggest serious Philalethists (lovers of truth) read Velikovsky in his entirety. His day is approaching.
Just one question: How can we get some new editions published, maybe on the internet, so students can see for themselves for a change why Velikovsky may well be the (persecuted) Copernicus or Gallileo of the 20th century?
A final point: although I had read "Earth In Upheaval" 30 years ago, and I've glanced at it again several times since before my recent re-read, one particular factoid stikes me hard with it's import...Velikovsky refers to beaches and fossils hundreds of feet up off the coast of South America along with aerial views of settlements, untolled numbers of them, UP TO AND EVEN INTO THE PERENNIAL SNOW LINE!!! Now how can you explain that without a catastrophic theory?
Philip Neri Lyons
goodoldphil@yahoo.com

While the evidence for the general principle of evolution is overwhelming, when applied to a particular species, it can be weak. For example, when looking at the giraffe, one can ask how evolution could create an animal with such a large neck. Furthermore, the length of the neck would evolve gradually, so there should be creatures with necks of intermediate lengths.
Velikovsky argues that evolution often proceeds in dramatic steps as a consequence of a climactic catastrophe. He cites the discoveries of scraps of warm weather creatures in cold climates where it appears that they died suddenly. Large numbers of wooly mammoths were apparently quick-frozen, as some have been found frozen with grass still in their mouths. He also cites evidence that indicates that large areas of land have shifted their height relative to sea level over the last several thousand years. Remains of cities appear high in the Andes, in regions where the harshness of the climate seems to eliminate the possibility that the area could support a large number of people. He uses this to argue that the area has risen higher above sea level in the last few thousand years. He also cites instances where trees and other land debris appear in an undisturbed state under the ocean. It is as if the land level fell dramatically at some point in the past.
There is no question that there have been dramatic changes in the climate over the last few thousand years. Some of the recent work in the mathematical area of chaos points to the possibility of a feedback loop causing sudden changes in climate or even the output of the sun. The fact that there was an ice age a few thousand years ago is well documented. However, what caused it remains unknown. Only a few centuries ago, there was a little ice age, where the winters in Europe were particularly harsh, and a volcanic explosion caused the famous year without a summer, where snow fell nearly year round.
Therefore, while Velikovsky is correct when pointing out the evidence for dramatic changes in climate, there is reason to believe that the causes are simply components in the natural cycle of the world. Only a small variation in the energy output of the sun could cause a dramatic change in the climate of the world. A sudden explosion of a volcano could release a large amount of sunlight blocking dust, or the rapid movement of a continental plate could lead to a dramatic change in climate by blocking the flow of ocean currents.
I enjoyed reading the evidence concerning dramatic changes in the climate thousands of years ago. There is reason to believe that the last several thousand years have been rather peaceful in terms of the magnitude of natural disasters. Where I do not find the book interesting is when Velikovsky tries to explain the catastrophes. There is no reason to believe that they are the consequences of the proximity of other planets, as he so fervently suggests.

Though Velikovsky's theories are varied and somewhat happen-stance, his suggestions make one take notice or our planet's strange past. Like many other researcbers Velikovsky tries too hard to make "everything" fit his ideas when one or two would be satisfactory. By making everything "fit" together he tends to discredit even his most sound concepts. Still, an enlightening read.

Fun, nice dialog, nice characters. The story's conclusion just didn't carry much punch for me.

I found this book to be funny and fast paced. The characters were warm and witty. I absolutely loved Aunt Kate! There is one woman you don't want to mess with:) The whole atmosphere of the book held me spellbound. I finished the book in 1 day. If you have the time it's a worthy read.

I found this book to be funny and fast paced. The characters were warm and witty. I absolutely loved Aunt Kate! There is one woman you don't want to mess with:) The whole atmosphere of the book held me spellbound. I finished the book in 1 day. If you have the time it's a worthy read.

I've read this book several times. I love coming back to it after a couple of years and enjoying it all over again. The best thing about Elizabeth Peters/B Michaels is that she creates a cozy atmostphere, with every day occurences (such as eating lunch...sleeping...,) yet, there are not so every day occurences thrown in - ghosts, etc. It makes it feel like is business as usual to suspect that a ghost is inhabiting your house. I just love the atmostphere she creates! She doesn't write these types of books anymore, - not a dynasty - like Amelia (love those too, of course), but these single book stories, and I miss them!

Ellie has agreed to house sit for her Aunt Kate. Her pompous fiance drives her down to impress the rich old lady, who dislikes him immediately. After Kate's departure with the fiance to the airport. Ellie experiences all kinds of strange manifestations involving the six founding families of the area. A rare book telling of their boring scandals seems to be the trigger. A neighbor agrees to help her solve the mystery. It seems like a practical joke, until an old friend of Kate's gets seriously injured....

This was a very quick read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I picked it up and didn't stop reading until the last page. The characters are quirky and entertaining. The atmosphere appropriately creepy, and the story line engrossing. A very good read.

This book is a great tool for working with children on the Autism spectrum. Theory, assessment checklist and therapy activities are all included.

Do Watch Listen Say - is a book that I was required to purchase for a class. Although is was required reading, I found it to be very helpful in planning and implementing strategies for teaching a range of students, including late talkers and kids with communication delays in addition to those diagnosed with ASD. Highly recommended for both teachers and parents - easy to follow and read. Good hands-on suggestions.

I am a speech therapist and found this book to be a useful addition to my library, although I would suggest that anyone looking for information on autism check out multiple sources. There are simply too many viewpoints out there and too many different techniques for any one book to be 'the' book on treating autism. Also, this book was published in 2002 and at this point many of the suggestions will probably be nothing new to anyone familiar with the fundamentals of social skills training, using visual aides, and incorporating sensory techniques into therapy.

This book gives a good, balanced overview of how to effectively work with an autistic child. There were also a number of good suggestions and ideas for how to plan therapy sessions. I found some of the suggested activities to be a bit mis-matched in terms of ability level - some of the suggested 'games' for very basic skills, for example, seemed too complex for children working at such a beginning level. Overall, though, a good resource.

A practical book with some great advice for therapists and parents on having your autistic child OBSERVE AND LEARN FROM THEIR ENVIRONMENT! That is what we want right?

I like this book because it gave me practical advice to work with my son the very same day on suggestions that work.

For the holidays and birthdays give this book to your therapists/aides and teachers vs. another gift. It is a good, worthwhile read.

A very practical, hands-on approach to working with the autistic child.

So much informatin all in one book. It is an inspiration, text book and resourse all in one. I keep going back to read again and get inspired for a new projest. Hand Dying fabric is one big huge experiment and this book gives you lots of ideas and places to go. Excellent resourse. Have fun create!

This book is well illustrated and the instructions for dyeing are easy to follow. It contains just the right amount of information in a clear and concise manner. It's a good jumping off point if you are interested in dyeing fabrics.

This book is informative, easy to read. I especially like the colored pages.

Book was in excellent condition. Author's description of procedures was very clear and easy to read. Good resource to go back to again and again.

If you want a primer on working with fiber-reactive dyes and textile pigments, this is it! This is not a project book. This book gives you the technical know-how to work confidently with fiber-reactive dyes and textile paints. It also demonstrates a number of methods for applying these coloring agents to fabric (natural fiber content). The techniques and processes are described in a clear, concise manner. Every technique is introduced with a short descriptive paragraph and separate equipment and supply lists. The technique is then broken down into numbered steps. Along with the instructions the author includes hint and tip boxes in the outer margins of the pages. . . . and there really is some valuable information in those boxes. Despite the many tip boxes, charts, photos and illustrations, the pages are uncluttered and visually easy to follow. In addition to the instructional text, you'll find many beautiful examples of how other artists applied these techniques to their work. This book is well worth the price.

If you want to know more about your subc.I heartily recommend these CDs

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Master Key System
Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World
The Science of Getting Rich
The Science of Mind
Think and Grow Rich: Original Version

I bought this book for a friend who is familiar with the author. She loves it and says it contains the secrets to a happy life.

A great book about prayer and how to pray. The book explains to you the dimensions of it without push you on (whatever) religion.

Although the Author's background is Christian, and the book uses Christian terminology, it is not necessarily a Christian book. It applys to Jews, Muslims, Buddhist and whatever creed they are - and even to non-religion people. The book encourage you to feel the Spirit of God and to understand that the world that God created, can be a better one, if you just start to pray with a pure heart and an honest one!

For a Christian, Jew, Muslim, etc. - this book can encourage their faith - whatever it is and deep it!

Don't look on the book as one to glorify your own creed, look on it as a way to meet God and miracles!

Pray and enjoy!

This is my third Ponder book, which I have read through Chapter 4. Incidentally, Catherine Ponder mentioned in her autobiography that the first four chapters are the most helpful. However, I will continue the book to the end.

What a learning curve, and what a powerful book this is. I believe it could teach us more about the soul than several other books on that subject. Her writing, to me, is more dynamic and compelling than any that I've read from a considerable list. I will re-read and take notes since I'm like Andy Rooney who learns best after "writing it down".

Much study and writing and great empowerment!

I love, love, love this book! Mrs. Ponder expertly draws you into her book page by page addressing many important questions one could have about prayer. She tells stories throughout the book about people in dire situations that have used affirmations/tells what affirmation the person used to help change things for the greater good.

She also discusses forgiveness and how bitterness can be a reason why your prayer was not answered. This was a big wake up call for me. I could be standing in my own way of success and happiness simply because I was not fully forgiving those people I felt hurt me. But even more then that, I needed to work on forgiving myself for the situations that I created in my life just as much I needed to forgive others. And yes there are many more bits of good knowledge to fill your life with good vibrations!

This book has definately transformed my prayer life and it will be a book that I will refer to time and time again.

This is a wonderful book! I am an art teacher and use it in my classroom to teach patterns. When I read it to my students (K-2) they laugh and giggle and just love it. It is also a great story to teach children that being different is aok and even something others may wish they were.

Elmer is a very cute book with a great message. It's a little long for Preschool but great for older student's. There are little puppets that can be purchased to do along with the story, which are great and get students more involved.

WE LOVE THIS BOOK & IT'S REQUESTED ALOT. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I love this book! I always loved how Elmer was so colorful and different and how he always made the other elephants happy and laughing. Its too bad that he tried to change himself just to be like everyone else because everyone liked him the way he was. Its good that it teaches kids that you should just stay the way you are and not try to change yourself just to be like everyone else.
I gave this book 5 stars.
Kathy Weirauch

If you've never encountered Elmer before, you have to get this book. David McKee has a wonderful sense of humor and these books are just hysterical. Elmer, with a patchwork coat, is the jester in a herd of elephants. But, he starts to feel like the only reason they laugh at his jokes is because of how he looks. So, off he goes to roll in some gray berries to cover up his coat and when he returns to the herd, they just think he's another elephant. Without him, they just stand there, are very serious, and have no fun at all. Somehow, Elmer thinks this is funny and just has to laugh so he says "Boo" and all the elephants jump about a mile. They start laughing and wish Elmer was there to hear the joke when it starts to rain and off comes Elmer's disguise. They all laugh at his wonderful jokes and are very happy he's there. It's just a great book, very colorful and very intriguing to read. My little one just loves Elmer, so much so that I'm going to have to go to B&N and get him a stuffed Elmer and Wilbur! These are great books and are destined to become a classic.