Papers Books

Bradham's novel portrays the ethical conflicts a social worker faces in dealing with neglected children. The novel is suspenseful and troubling in a good way. She makes you think hard about whether or not Eugenia Putman is in any way ethical. There is a Swiftian sensibility to her writing, which makes the horror of the story all the more real. Overall, the elements of fiction writing, and the use of irony are especially strong. This is not a book that is easy to put down. I taught it with great success in a literature survey class last year. The students were moved, and were able to write scholarly papers on the novel, as well.

This novel is just as JoAllen herself said; "It's a quick read, and a long think."

The press may specialize in books about the South, but the book itself deserves the attention of readers everywhere. Those who read for significant, thought-rpvoking subject matter will find it. Those who read for artistic method will rejoice.

SOME PERSONAL PAPERS is the story of Eugenia Putman, an urban social worker, who must deal with some of the saddest stories of child abuse and neglect. Although she tries her best to remain objective, eventually her sense of duty turns her to taking matters into her own hands. With just a few days left before her conviction, she retells what she felt she had to do and why. The story is full of irony as Bradham creates a character who challenges our sense that right and wrong is always clear cut. The plot is suspenseful and the setting is key to the artistry in Bradham's prose. I taught the novel with great success over the last two years, and I highly recommend it.

Some Personal Papers, which recently garnered author, JoAllen Bradham, the Georgia Fiction Writer of the Year Award, is a must read. This exquisitely told story is about Eugenia Putman, "Miss Genie," a dedicated social worker who is forced to make choices regarding the children in her personal care that few of us could ever make. This is a case of when "doing what's best" is, without a doubt, a case of "doing what's worst," but for all of the right reasons. Although it has often been said that actions speak louder than words, Miss Genie's actions cannot even be considered without first reading her story in her own words, words that scream at you about the often painful experience that is life for many people, and particularly for children. This is a story you will not soon forget.

This book is very important in my life. I first read it in 1970 when I was on a furious hunt for 'Truth', the meaning of life, etc. At that time I owned several books by Sri Aurobindo, including the "Life Divine". But they were all heavy, erudite tomes. Then I read Satprem's poetic, inspiring treatment of Aurobindo's life. I cannot describe here the ecstatic opening of consciousness that reading this book gave. It was as though every word was on fire. And the same with Aurobindo's book on "The Mother".
Sri Aurobindo (and the Mother), are Co-Avatars of the Supramental. But that's another story.

The author is a student of Aurobindo's and 'The Mother'. Aurobindo's experience and description have an uncommon breadth and depth to them. Where most disciplines stop (Nirvana) Aurobindo is just getting started. This book is well written in readable english. Satprem does a fine job of presenting some history of Sri Aurobindo as well as the core teachings of this rare individual.

Sri Aurobindo was, in the opinion of many yogis, the greatest saint who was generally available to the public in modern times. (The caveat is because there are great souls who prefer to remain hidden.) Though his wisdom was vast and his discoveries in deep meditation greatly advanced our understanding of humanity's capabilities, his writings are so huge and dense, that comparitively few have understood the majesty of the man's philosophy. That is why Sat Prem's book is so valuable. You will never find a more succinct or readable tome on Aurobindo. It is the perfect introduction to the work of this great master, who deserves to be much better known in the West.

Sri Aurobindo was, in the opinion of many yogis, the greatest saint who was generally available to the public in modern times. (The caveat is because there are great souls who prefer to remain hidden.) Though his wisdom was vast and his discoveries in deep meditation greatly advanced our understanding of humanity's capabilities, his writings are so huge and dense, that comparitively few have understood the majesty of the man's philosophy. That is why Sat Prem's book is so valuable. You will never find a more succinct or readable tome on Aurobindo. It is the perfect introduction to the work of this great master, who deserves to be much better known in the West.

The writings of Aurobindo are enormous. As much as one might wish to bathe in the wisdom of this extraordinary man, the task is too much for most of due to the massive tomes we would confront. However, Satprem has magnificently synthesised the life work of Aurobindo. Not only has he accomplished this task well, but the subtelty, the depth of vision that Satprem manages to convey, says to me that he is himself someone who has great insight, has great life experience and spiritual maturity.

I bought this book a couple years ago. Used the Temari ball as a pattern to make ornaments. Made a basket, some cranes and now I am working on the Peacock.

All I had to do was take one crane to church and boom I had orders. I've sold enough cranes to pay for the book a dozen times.

And if you want to know if the book is clear enough for kids. I showed it to a lady at church. Her 9 year old daughter borrowed the book, made a baby swan and took first place in a regional art contest.

One of my favorite things to do is to keep a bowl of prefolded peices handy. I play with them like Legos and when my friends come over their kids spend hours "buidling" with them.

My only regret is that the author has not released even more books.

I bought this book for my 14 year old son who has done origami for the past three years, he found the instructions very clear, and was delighted with both the variety of shapes that were given, and how easy it was to modify the shapes to create different designs.

I first saw a swan in a japanese restaurant and was interested in learning where they got it from. The owner of the restaurant said he had made it himself and reccomended this book to me to learn for myself.
This book has really good explanations and step by step instructions to start with. the diagrams are very useful and the initial pages teach us how to fold the paper and all that.
it does get difficult to make the more complicated objects like the swan which requires about 600 pieces...it is better to start of with something small...
also it is pretty time consuming,,and as they say in the beginning of the book it is really nice for someone to have espescially if he is recovering from an illness...
i wud absolutely reccomend this book...

I first saw completed 3D origami projects of the dancing crane and peacock done by an older Japanese gentleman, who had lots more origami years under his belt than I, and said, "WOW".

He handed me his 3D origami book to look at and within a few moments I realized that I could do any one of the projects shown too.

The instructions are very easy to follow. You might find it more difficult to find the exact paper you want.

You are folding the same size paper into triangles for projects then assembling them into rows to create your 3D project.

Be patient, some of the larger projects require hundreds of triangles. The good-luck hyotan (gourd) takes 762. Looks great when complete in gold or silver foil. I used gift wrap and cut it to the appropriate size because this required so many triangles.

In the end, you'll be very pleased with a completed project and your friends will be amazed.

This book is nothing like other origami books. My friends even offered to pay for one of the swans I made from this book. Of course, it's alot more work than ordinary origami foldings (like cranes, and other single paper folded origami) but it's worth the work. Once you finish making one of those swans, you'll be looking at it and go "wow...did I make that??" You'll draw alot of attention and be very popular!
Finished origami looks very sophisticated, yet it's very easy to make (just need little patience).
Buy this book, you won't regret and it's worth every penny.

great book and a must read! it really highlights how our justice system has become a big game of wins and losses at the expense of justice. unfortunate circumstances brought me to find this book and sadly i can say that even though the names and dates have changed our system has not heeded the warnings that were brought forth in this book. this book has offered some hope though and we thank randall adams for sharing his story with others.

Passing through a law and order phase in my reading life I came across Adams vs. Texas and have to say it was amazing. Adams vs. Texas is the story of a semi-drifter who, a victim of circumstances, was charged with the murder he didn't do of a man he didn't know and as a result comes up against the State of Texas as a murderer and faces death in the electric chair. His contact with investigators, lawyers, judges, wardens, other convicts, the press, a painfully deluded prosecutor, and the real criminal of the case are combined to make a powerfully compelling story, spanning over twelve years of trial, imprisonment, hardship and finally; triumph. In the midst of this ugly line of events Adams believes that God has him where he is for a purpose and in the end that is true, but it's sad one man had to make such a sacrifice and wonderful that he was able to.
The fact that the events in this book really happened to a man is incredible, but they are presented in such and honest, down-to-earth manner that makes it a real tribute to the man who both went through this experience and survived, both physically and mentally to tell his story. Wherever you are, Randall Dale Adams, I'm sorry they did that to you and you deserve all the happiness in the world. As for the rest of you--go read Adams vs. Texas and remember another, much larger, sacrifice made for you over 2,000 years ago and accept and cherish His gift to you: Life--forever

I can't count how many times I've watched "The Thin Blue Line" and how many times I've read this book. Like everything else I become interested in, I became OBSESSED with the Randall Adams case and wanted to know everything about it. Randall Dale Adams is - in my opinion - a living hero; I hope to meet him someday and shake his hand.

Adams' memoir (1976-1989) reads like a fictional suspense novel... it's hard to believe, but it's true! The book includes a lot of things that viewers of Errol Morris's documentary haven't seen... we see how improperly biased Judge Metcalf was, as he drives from the courthouse parking lot in the same car as the prosecutors, laughing at Adams' family as he passes them! That's appalling.

I highly recommend both this book and the documentary film "The Thin Blue Line."

Other reviewers have expressed curiousity about Randall's life after prison. Here's what I know:
At first, he was hounded by the press; they followed him everywhere. He traveled the college circuit, getting paid for telling his story. He co-wrote this book, and went on a publicity tour to support it (which took him, briefly, back to Texas). Eventually things quieted down and Randall tried to lead a normal life; he got a factory job in his native Ohio and had a brief marriage. Then a friend encouraged him to speak out against the death penalty, and he began again to publicly oppose capital punishment. During another trip to Texas to support a moratorium on the death penalty, he met an activist named Jill. Three weeks later, he moved from Ohio to (gulp!) Texas to be with her. They're now married and speaking out against the death penalty together...

This book gave you the real story of how the legal system can work for or against you. Randall Adams gives you a true account about what we all dream could or hope never happens to us. Its a real eye opener and a book you will never forget about and it will stick with you. A must read if you want to really know. Read it!

This is an extremely interesting book, it's all the narrative background behind the documentary film "The Thin Blue Line." I hope Adams is doing okay now. I'm certainly glad the truth was brought out, and that he was properly cleared and freed.

One point I found most interesting was Adams' sideline exploration of the fact that someone who opposes the death penalty cannot be excluded (for that reason) from the jury in a capital murder case. It seems that juries are supposed to be representative of society, and a significant portion of society DOES oppose the death penalty -- thus it is appropriate for people who think that way to be allowed to serve on a death penalty jury.

This is one of my favorite books by John and I would highly recommend it to any intermediate to advanced folder. Like most of his books, it gives you some fairly simple models to start out on (grass, tree) and then move to some more intermediate ones (various African birds, snake, crocodile, etc.) Getting into the more difficult animals you have things like a hippo, gorilla, chimp, aardvark, etc. Next you will tackle models like the elephant, rhino, gazelle, plain giraffe and lion. Finally when you are ready to tackle the hardest models, you have his "multi-colored" animals which make full use of both side of traditional origami paper, the striped zebra and the spotted giraffe. You can see John's developing skill as one of the premier origami authors in this book. The diagrams are all wonderfully done and easy to follow for any experienced folder, and the models themselves are all quite detailed, even some of the easier ones are beautifully representative of the real animal. John clearly puts effort into making a number of these models capable of standing up and often having 3 dimensional aspects such as the lion and hippo in this book which have large bulky heads similar to the live counterpart. If you love animals and love origami, this is definitely not a book to miss!

This was my first "intermediate" origami book. I really enjoyed the fact that the models are spread out over several different levels of difficulty. You can start out with the simpler animals and gradually advance to the more complex, ending with the hardest model in the book, a striped Zebra. It took me 4-5 hours to complete the zebra, but I am so proud of it! For anyone who has experience folding, this is a great book!

For all you John Montroll fans out there, buy this book. For everyone else, buy this book also! It is one of the best books for animals, with a wide variety of difficulty levels. From simple 'grass' to complex striped zebras, this book has it all. I enjoyed making some of the more unique models, like the bee-eater and rhinoceros. Another nice thing about this book in particular is that the models are much different than what are in many other books. Because the theme is Africa, a lot of the animals in this book I have never seen made in another book. (Some however, have been made elsewhere, and quite honestly, better, such as the elephant and gorilla).
The Bottom Line:
If you like Montroll, animals, or semi-complex models, buy this book. If you are a beginner, there may be better choices, likewise, if you are an expert, there isn't a lot to whet your appetite. For everyone else, a great book for your collection.

This is my most favoured book in Origami. I have done all the models from the zebra, giraffe, elephant. All models are par excelance. Montroll is my best folder. I think folders who like folding animals should try Racoon from Inside our Origami book by Montroll.

This is a great book for experienced folders. This one along with North American Animals makes a great pair. One thing I find missing in most reviews is the contents is so here it is. There are 24 models in African Animals in Origami and they are Grass, Tree, Sacred Ibis, Crowned Crane, Flamingo, Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Snake, Chameleon, Bee-Eater, Hoopoe, Hornbill, Gorilla, Chimpanzee, African Elephant, Ostrich, Vulture, Aardvark, Rhinoceros, Gazelle, Lion, Zebra, Giraffe, and Spotted Giraffe. Happy Folding.

This is a must-have for anyone who loves bookbindinding and/or is a fan of Shereen LaPlantz' terrific work. There are some excellent structures and lots of great information. It's too bad that such a terrific book had to be marred by poor editing, but it is still very much worth owning. It is extremely relevant to this review to note that corrections to the book are available at http://www.laplantz.com. The book and website taken together deserve FIVE stars.

I bought this book to get a feel for the basic small bookmaking process. It is very straightforward, with directions that seem easy to follow, and many diagrams & photographs to help guide you to a finished product. It has some beginner, intermediate, and advanced projects, so essentially there is something for anybody who wants to learn about the craft of handmade books. I wouldn't recommend this for a young crafter -- it's definitely written for a person with at least a small knowledge of paper craft who is looking to expand, and the directions would be too difficult, I think, for anyone younger than high school age.

I just received this the other day and all I can say is WOW!!!
I also own Cover to Cover, but I like this one just as much or better. The samples are just to die for and are very inspiring, and this book has different types of stitches and other books .
If you own Cover to Cover, you need this one too!

Great for starting into book making. The majority of the projects in the book are more about folding paper to make structures but the structures in themselves make books like the accordion fold books, star books, tag books, tunnels, signatures within accordions, etc. For me this was perfect. The book starts with a glossary so you can get the vocabulary down and then starts in with techniques for sewing and scoring. The majority of projects use the accordion fold book as the basis but there are lots of varieties and terrific photos of completed projects to inspire. The instructions go step by step and also have 3-d line drawings showing you where to fold and such. The book builds from very simple booklets to more complex ones where you use the Coptic stitch to create more traditional books. I love the variety and it was just at my level to build confidence along the way as I learned the vocabulary and techniques

"The Art & Craft of Handmade Books: New Ideas and Innovative Technique" is such a great book on creating/making your own handmade books and journals. The book is full of amazing photographs to give ideas and inspiration, the instructions are comprehensive, and the added diagrams guide you through the process of page folding and binding stitches.

All in all, this book is fantastic!

For those who wish to take the hobby of scrapbooking to the level of fine art, this book will provide plenty of inspiration. Covering everything from numerous ways to create and bind a scrapbook from "scratch" to techniques for making your own decorative paper, it's all within the covers of the book.

Many different methods of bookbinding are presented in thorough detail moving from simple to more complex. Paper making and decorative paper techniques, such as batik and various print or collage techniques are presented as well.

Very innovative ideas for ways to display your special photos are shown as well. Samples of pages are unlike any I've seen elsewhere, and are always eye-catching. This book is not one for those who wish to speed scrap, but if you want to create a one-of-a-kind album, or a unique layout for special photos, look to "The Art of the Scrapbook" for ideas.

This book is a beautiful, artistic work on book making/binding. It's thorough, beginner-friendly, and has attractive projects. I only have one problem with it: the title. I would think that the title would more prominently announce something about bookmaking, and not use the word scrapbook (since these days, scrapbooking has grown in popularity, and is a completely different hobby).

That said, this book is an excellent introduction work to bookbinding. It has instructions on many different types of book bindings (from simple to more challenging), as well as much info on decorations for your book covers (marbling, quilling, and more). The book is written in an encouraging, informative tone, with the emphasis on craftsmanship and artistic expression. The text is accompanied by full-color pictures of handmade books by various artists around the country.

This book is an excellent introduction to bookbinding, and will certainly whet your appetite for all sorts of exciting artistic expression.

This book isn't just a book that shows some examples and gives you some templates and says "go do this"... This is a book that any true artist would love to have in their collection. It gives complete instructions on construction of paper arts and all facets of the craft. There are more projects in this book than I have found in any other book on the subject. The projects are explained with clarity and I learned how to do things I would have had to take a class to learn. The author is a real artist not just a craft person. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to take this craft to another level.

I own quite a few scrapbooking and bookmaking books, and this is the one that got me hooked. I absolutely love this book. The tools and materials needed lists were extremely helpful in getting me started. The author also shows some terrific and easy techniques that I haven't seen in other books. The gallery sections are incredible -- beautiful without being completely way out there. Lots of practical ideas for projects. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

As a long-time rubber stamper, I began making books earlier this year. This book has great instructions for all different book designs, as well as decorating techniques. I found the instructions easy to follow and well detailed. This is a much used resource in my craft book library.

There may not be a greater master of the English short story. Saki (H.H. Munro) writes from a period that is recent enough to be somewhat familiar, but remote enough to provide a bit of an exotic feel to the settings. These short short stories (typically 5 or 6 pages) are an uninterrupted series of gems. In a storytelling style full of grace, charm, and wit, Saki is unstinting in his criticism of the selfish, the self-centered, and the self-absorbed. About the only humans who are spared his sharp utensil are children, who frequently consort with Saki in piercing his victims. Delicious fun.

I read this entire collection over about two weeks. I would not recommend reading Saki's short stories this way. Before reaching the midpoint, one is so familiar with his style, approach, and aim that the element of surprise is somewhat dulled. These should be dipped into perhaps two or three at a time and then set aside for a month or two. Don't worry...they'll keep.

This is one of my favorite and most admired books, ever. An ideal collection of ideal short stories - witty, brief yet complete, and not a word wasted in creating tone and point. Funny and satisfying. Unsettling and creepy. Deliberate use of language and vocabulary that cuts and exposes. All of the above. Unforgettable: The charging stag. The baby playing with buttercups. Schartz-Metterklume.

Recommended without reservation, for a single sitting or a one-a-night from the bedside table.

Probably the only sane response, as a writer, to Edwardian England was to skewer it mercilessly. And nobody serves up a finer kebab than Saki. These stories are clever and hilariously funny. I think part of their appeal is that, although Munro can be merciless, one always senses an underlying affection for his targets. It's also pretty clear that Saki's sympathies are with those who lack clout in the established power structure of Edwardian society (children, for example), which makes me like him all the more.

A very funny book.

Saki's writing style is unique. His stories are mostly bleak and tragic. Some of his writing seems to have been influenced by his background and childhood experiences. However, they are amusing, interesting and tinged with humour.

Picador edition has wonderful, nicely written introduction that gives marvelous details of Saki's remarkable and short life, explaining well why his stories are usually so dark, and why he liked to take aim at stuffy old bats.

Nearly all of Saki's short stories are about some character exacting revenge upon cruel or shallow members of the British upper class. His writing sometimes feels labored and overwrought, with overlong sentences or ungainly descriptions. But his consistant style, sense of justice, and biting wit are the gems to be discovered within.

The earliest stories seemed to have a lack of balance between darkness and wit, but he did find his equilibrium and most of the later tales are deliciously satisfying.

Absolutely delightful reading if you liked Robert Altman's recent film Gosford Park, or if you are fed up with stuffy, mean upper class types.

This book is really interesting and i really enjoyed reading this novel,i think that whoever reads this wonderfull novel will find lots of things that maybe no one knows about.

Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes of ours is developing thoughts about Iraq with absent resources. We are so removed from what happens there, and what people have gone through that it is easy enough to say that war is not the answer and believe that the solution lies in allowing a people to overthrow their own dictator. This book obliterates the logistics behind that line of thinking.

It is a heartwrenching biography that provides a perspective that we commonly forget to include in all the dialogue generated about our war in Iraq. Clearly war is never a good answer, but allowing the injustice this man endured to exist is tragic.

This book is more than a wonderful novel by a brave author; it like a history that involves the most important period of time in Iraq which we need to know more about it. I had spent most of my time reading this novel for some days and I couldn't stop myself reading more and more. I was following step by step, the moving of the hero of this story "AlY" from place to place in prisons and cities of Iraq. And I was concentrating on the human's emotions that the author could describe it bravely and what was going on in the strict prisons. I felt sorry for what happened to his wife and his two children and I cried for what was happening to the thousands of young Iraqi men and women in prisons. This novel is a scream of the maltreated people in Iraq. This novel is the most wonderful journey I have ever red. At the end, I would like to say thanks to the author.

I would like to thank the author about this amazing book.I really enjoyed reading it and i did find out lots of things that i didnt thouhgt about. its really one of the nicest book ive red.
john

I was really interested to read more about Iraq and Sadam's regime,So I found this interesting book about an Iraqi prisoner that had been taken for many years and had seen and heard lots of stories.you can tell that its a nice and exciting story from its very first page.The most romantic part was when he met his wife "Sahar" for a first time, and the time he spent with his friends.Its a real life story that happened to the author himself, thats why it made me more excited to read it in a short period of time. On February 6, I red an interview in "Chicago reader" ,in the front page, with the author of this book. He told some details about his life and his family. I just want to tell the author that I will be waiting for more....

I am a big fan of Edmund Keeley's translations of Demotic Greek and Katherevousa. Having an armchair scholar's knowledge of the language I can appreciate the labor that has gone in to the refinement of the translations in the decades since the first edition. This volume reads very well in English, and I have given many of these as gifts over the years to poetry fans who do not know a word of Greek, always resulting in a comment about how such a poet could be so little known. Cavafy probably would have preferred it that way!

There is nothing that can adequately describe the first time you read Cavafy. It is like a breath of fresh air or a cold shower on a hot day... completely envigorating and different to anything you've ever read before.

I've shared his poetry with friends and they are all blown away.

Cavafy's erotic poems show a sensitivity and directness that is quite unique.

His personal reflective pieces are extremely insightful. I would say that you will get a better understanding of Existential philosophy through this small book of poems than any tomes from the likes of Satre, Camus, Beckett.

His historical poems are best appreciated if you know Byzantine history and the notes in the book are a fantastic to set the context.

This book deserves to be in any personal or public library

Cavafy is a poet with a view that is both ancient and modern. It's a poet that has a language that is both exuberant and emotional without being too excessive.

I own a copy of the original collection of Cavafy's poems (in Greek) and I find that this translation has measured up to the task of translating the forceful and sensual poetry as closely as possible. And for anyone who cannot read Greek, this book will bring you as close as possible to the intense emotional response of reading the original. A must have for any poetry lover.

As with any poems translated from a language I have never learned, I am left wondering just how close Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard have come to the original style and substance of C.P. Cavafy, the great Alexandrian Greek poet of the early 20th century. (Keeley and Sherrard are scrupulous in their end notes, noting untranslatable words and the original rhyme schemes of poems translated into free verse.) Even in translation, these poems are exquisite, haunting both my dreams and my waking thoughts. Cavafy essentially had only a few subjects, but they were great ones--the lost glory of antiquity, the inevitable decline of the mighty, the death of love and beauty, the folly of human striving, the crucial importance of memory and history. In language of deceptive simplicity, he limned the ephemeral nature of beautiful things and the empty spaces their loss leaves in the soul. (Cavafy, openly gay at a time when homosexuality was truly the love that dare not speak its name, wrote only of lost, passing or unrequited love.) Most of these poems are very short, but they insinuate themselves inextricably into memory, such as "The Mirror in the Front Hall," depicting a handsome young man who stops to straighten his tie: "the old mirror was all joy now,/proud to have embraced/total beauty for a few moments." My own favorite in the book is one of the longer poems, "Orophernis," about a wastrel king of the 2nd Century B.C. who came to grief trying to be a real king for once. The final five lines of this poems are Cavafy in a nutshell; The figure on this four drachma coin, a trace of whose young charm can still be seen, a ray of his poetic beauty-- this sensuous commemoration of an Ionian boy, this is Orophernis, son of Ariarathis.