Companies Books

Its a great book to read. Easy to digest and helps me to think deeper in starting my own restaurant.The Restaurant Dream?

This book gives you a foundation if you are truly interested in the restaurant business. A good book to keep as a reference.

This book provides a good overview of the challenges the author faced in opening the restaurant. However, I was looking for something that was more instructional and specific...

I bought this book for a firend who is planning on opening his own restaurant. He told me he loved the book because it had more helpful suggestions and plans then other books he read.

This book does a great job of blending an easy to read writing style with providing essential advice for anyone thinking about or already involved in a restaurant endeavor. From picking the right location and negotiating terms in a lease to branding the restaurant, menu creation and much more - this author clearly has experienced the ups and downs of getting off the ground...the experiences shared in this book will definitely help you think through start-up requirements, avoid common pitfalls and point you in the right direction for your own venture.

This book will really help you know and understand the different types of worship that people experience. Like the "love languages" many have learned about, I would say this explains the various "worship languages".

This book is valuable in both self discovery and in communicating with other Christians. When speaking with others they give clues to their dominate pathways thus, an insight of where they are 'coming from'.

If you are trying to find a way to connect better with God, then this little guide may point you in the right direction.

Having already read Thomas' "Sacred Marriage," I had extremely high expectations for this book, and I would say that they were largely met. Gary Thomas manages to write in a style that is both intellectual and personal, challenging the reader to ponder at a deeper level than many Christian books while never allowing his style to seem distant or arrogant. It's a tricky balance, but Thomas manages to strike that balance.

"Sacred Pathways" sets out to establish the reality that Christians do not naturally connect to God in identical ways and that this is not only acceptable but part of God's plan. It's the type of message that many of us need to hear, as we play the dangerous game of comparing our spirituality to other esteemed believers and realizing that we don't measure up to them. Thomas instructs us to consider that we are not meant to try to mirror anyone else's walk with God. Rather, we need to identify how we have been created and head down that "sacred pathway" with all diligence to "cultivate and grow" our relationship with God.

Thomas managed to tell very personal stories from his own life about every one of the nine sacred pathways, while managing to explain which ones came more or less naturally for him. This articulates the crucial point that though we may be bent toward one pathway more so than another, none of us have the right to ignore any of these sacred pathways as somehow irrelevant in our lives.

One particularly commendable component of Thomas' writing is his respect for the history of the church, and he constantly refers to our spiritual predecessors to gather their thoughts from the past centuries on so many different topics. What a refreshing approach to contemporary Christian writing! How much richer would the spiritual vitality of the church be if we were able to better learn from the past two thousand years of collective wisdom and experience?

I look forward to reading more of Gary Thomas' books. I would recommend "Sacred Pathways" to any Christian interested in learning more about the diverse ways that God has created us to seek after Him.

Thomas provides a keen analysis of the various pathways we use to relate to God. He also provides insights that all believers need if they are to be tolerant of other peoples pathways. This is a much needed resource for those experiencing a disconnect due to changing worship styles. Traditionalists can better understand those desiring a contemporary experience and "Contemporaries" would be well-served to seek understanding of the validity of the traditionalist's preferences.

I have never been so impressed with a cookbook before. I use it 95% of the time that I cook. I keep reaching for it because it's so easy. I was vegetarian for a long time, but very picky about what I ate. I wouldn't eat cooked veggies, no grains except for rice and I just don't know how I didn't get sick. But with the Saucy Vegetarian I'm eating so many grains that I am lucky if I see rice once a week. I eat all my vegetables cooked as well as raw. I have a bigger variety of salads and pasta. The recommendations for foods to go with the sauces are incredible. I love how she consistently uses the same ingredients over and over so I don't feel like I'm wasting money for ingredients that will only be good for one recipe. I always hated tofu, but now I love it with the sauces as well as making sauces out it. If you are picky or you have picky kids, you have to get this. I have never been this healthy. It is also very conveniet since the sauces are no-cook. You just go to the fridge and see what you have and then you find a sauce for it. I love it! I cook much more than I did before as well. I have been trying to go vegan for a long time, but haven't been able to give up all dairy products. My biggest problem was cheese. Now I hardly remember the last time that I ate pasta with cheese. I'm not quite there yet but I have given up yoghurt, milk, eggs, and cheese. The reason I'm not quite there is my addiction to fettuccine alfredo and ice cream. But I eat these rarely so now I'm eating dairy maybe three times a month as opposed to nearly every day. This is important to me because I'm allergic. Anyway, you have to buy this. I have other cookbooks, but I have made very few recipes from them. But this one I have made more than half the recipes already and I have only been using it for a few months. I can't recommend it enough.

Unfortunately, I'm not that creative. I have loved most of the sauces I've tried, but I would like to have seen more complete recipes as far as how to serve the sauce. While the author makes recommendations, there are no measurements or instructions on how to prepare the main dish that the sauce will accompany.

However, I have to say that I especially like the tofu sauces. I sneak them to my non-veg, anti-tofu roommates all the time and they have no idea until after they've eaten and commented on how good the sauce is!

I'm a vegan with a gluten intolerance who hates to cook. Rather than starve to death, I bought The Saucy Vegetarian! This book allows me to create really great-tasting meals without slaving over the stove. The sauces require no cooking, so they are ready in less than five minutes. I prepare a grain, like quinoa or brown rice, a protein like beans or tofu, and one of the sauces in the book, mix them together, and voila! I have a yummy, healthy, meal! Many of the sauces in the book make good salad dressings, too. In the margins of the book are suggestions of what each sauce might taste good with. I use the suggestions as a springboard to try all kinds of combinations. If you own a wire whisk and a bowl, this book is for you!

My partner has started asking me _not_ to use this cookbook because I have been making so many recipes we are getting bogged down in leftovers!

In contrast to most cookbooks, the recipes are just as quick to follow as they look; the focus is kept tightly on simple uncooked sauces and you will learn how to make all of them. Preparation time is pretty minimal for most recipes so it really is possible to whip up something to put over quinoa, potatoes, spaghetti squash, crusty bread, etc. etc. in ten minutes or so. And it tastes good. If the thought of a cold sauce turns you off, just microwave it for a couple of minutes and you will never know the difference.

The author does a good job of both explaining the principles you need to improvise sauces without following a recipe, and supplying plenty of good recipes to try while you are getting there.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick and straightforward guide to adding flavorful sauces, dressings, spreads, and dips to their food, vegetarian or not. You probably will need to buy some foods you would not likely have in the kitchen otherwise (unusual nut butters, specialty vinegars, etc.) but most of these keep well and are good values.

A word on blending - a food processor is not likely to be enough. At first I was hesitant to make anything for fear of the cleanup involved in a full-size blender full of sticky goop. Then I realized that a hand blender with a tall, narrow blender cup works excellently: nothing splatters if the cup matches the blender properly, there is no issue over cleaning food out from around the blades (just lift the hand blender out, _unplug_, and lick it off!), and it is easy to store leftovers by just capping the blender cup and tossing in the refrigerator. My Osterizer blender just broke recently but I will look for a new, sturdier one.

I have used this cookbook for years, and have found it delightful. Many other veggie cookbooks offer run-of-the-mill fare - we've all seen chili, tabbouli, hummus, and macaroni-and-cheese more times than we can count. In contrast, this cookbook offers something new and delicious on nearly every page. The recipes are creative and unique, and very easy to make. Generally, I can turn out a meal in the time it takes to boil a pot of rice. The author has good taste - her flavour combinations are reliably tasty, for carnivore and vegetarian alike.

"The Sea and the Poison" is a low-key but very powerful novel set in Japan in World War II. In fewer than 200 pages of lean prose, the book explores the moral dynamics of group of doctors and nurses who perform lethal experiments on POWs at the behest of the Japanese Army. One doctor is corrupted by ambition; another lives only for social approval; one nurse is worn down by a hard life and a bad marriage; almost everyone is numbed by the mass death caused by air raids and diminished by the tendency of medical practitioners to see patients as things rather than people. The upshot: a group of morally lobotomized persons conforms to a perverted work environment at the cost of their humanity and professional duties. It's a disturbing story. The setting is believable, the psychology acute, and the message topical: in fact, it's hard to read "The Sea and the Poison" and not think of CIA agents and private contractors torturing prisoners at Bagram, Guantanamo, and secret sites in Europe. Most of all, the book makes you think. Can there be higher praise for a work of art? Highly recommended.

Teachers: "The Sea and the Poison" would be a perfect book for older high school students looking for "serious" yet accessible world literature.

Without once making specific or explicit reference to Catholicism, Shusaku Endo's membership in the Mystical Body of Christ is as clear as mountain water. With superb craftsmanship and artistry, Endo depicts the nightmarish results of living one's life without seeking and obtaining that membership, without obedience to the commandments of the Lord and the teachings of His Church.

No, it's not a question of being holier than thou -- after all, we're all sinners. Rather, it's a question of knowing the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, and not pretending that there is no difference, or that the inverse might be true, or that there is no truth at all.

According to Endo, the character Suguro can go no further. But we can. If we don't shake off this diabolical disorientation, we can sink deeper and deeper into the sea of poison; wander further and further through the sinister halls of our own Fukuoka University Medical School.

I liked this book much more than what is generally considered Endo's masterpiece, "Silence", so poorly translated by the Christophobic William Johnston. Michael Gallagher, translator of "The Sea and Poison", also pays some homage to oh-so trendy Christophobia. His is not as egregious as Johnston's, however, and he's a much more careful translator.

SEA AND POISON by Shusaku Endo

Reading Shusaku Endo's Sea and Poison was such a delightful experience I was reluctant to close the book. Granted, it is sad to read about cruel and heartless experiments on living human beings but that is not what the book is about. From the vantage point of Japanese/Christian culture Endo courageously shines his compassionate light into the dark crevices of our souls and makes us confront our own demons nesting there. In doing so he helps us become better persons. Robert Wright in his often quoted The Moral Animal points out that "Human beings are a species splendid in their array of moral equipment, tragic in their propensity to misuse it, and pathetic in their constitutional ignorance of the misuse." Endo does us a service by diminishing our "constitutional ignorance of the misuse" [of our moral equipment]"

Endo traces the inner development of his characters with such a deep understanding of the human condition that I was astounded and moved to tears and joy. He placed two aspiring medical doctors, Toda and Sugura in a University hospital in southern Japan now seemingly under the control of the military establishment. The end of the Japanese/American war was quickly approaching. Daily bombing of the nearby city flattened the city and killed thousands of civilians and gave rise to implacable hatred directed towards two enemy airmen the military captured and brought to the hospital for experiments to determine how much could be surgically removed from a person before the person died. Toda and Sugura are assigned to assist the chief medical doctor who controls the future of the two aspiring doctors. Endo explores how Toda and Sugura deal with the conflicting demands of society, the medical establishment the nation and their conscious. Endo gently opens a window into their souls and allows us to witness the mighty clash between the demands of self preservation and the importuning of their conscious.

Endo writes so evocatively, with such elegance and grace and without a trace of judgment or preaching it was like reading a book length haiku. I recommend that the readers read Bushido the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe, (it's in the public domain and several sources allow a free download). Reading Inazo gave me a deeper and broader understanding of Endo's perspective and I intend to return to reading his books.

This short, dark, psychologically gripping novel is an indictment of militarism and its corrupting effect on the individual and society. The old, the young, the innocent, the pure of heart, caregivers, families, traditions, institutions - all will be degraded if not destroyed by it. It is, for me, Endo's most important and accessible work; it is also that rare thing, a Japanese artist's unsparing summation of the worthlessness and hideousness of The Fifteen Year War.

Edmund Burke would have agreed with Endo's novel "The Sea and Poison". Although a short novel, it is one that delves into some very deep issues about morality and the ethics of passively accepting evil in one's presence.

Contrary to another review, "The Sea and Poison" is not based on the activities of Unit 731 in Manchuria at all. The novel is based on the vivisection of 8 B29 crewmen at Fukuoka Imperial University. These experiments involved removal of lung tissue, puncturing hearts and other experiments, while the airmen were alive. None survived the experiments.

Returning to the novel, Endo focuses on a medical intern, Suguro, and his friend Toda. Both characters represent very different responses to the proposal to vivisect the airmen. Toda feels no guilt or remorse, and has no issue with taking part. It is not even matter of justifying it to hinmself: he just has little response in his conscience. Suguro, on the other hand, is flooded with doubt, ethical problems, and his own conscience. Shown to be a basically kind man, the novel reinforces Burke's suggestion that all evil needs is for good men to do nothing.

A burning look into the morality of the passive, "The Sea and Poison" will challenge and provoke. Despite its brevity, it packs a punch, and will leave you thinking for long after you have turned the last page. As usual, Endo has written a fantastic novel with real weight.

I have read two of her books now and neither of them were at all disapointing. She revels her whole self in this book and I find it amazing that she was able to get through all of what happen to her. It was intresting to see how her work with the young boy brought up her old baggage and she was able to make it through that. Very good book and hard to put down.

Annie's realization that "healing is always two-sided" seems to capture the heart and soul of the therapeutic relationship. Her artfully written narrative shows how "what has been wounded in a relationship must be, after all, healed in a relationship."

Her healing therapeutic relationships--both as a therapist and as a client--help Annie begin to move beyond the damage of her past traumatic relationships. Annie convincingly demonstrates the therapist's own sense of vulnerability has the potential to bring either tragic harm or human healing to the client. She beautifully summarizes this realization with her advice to therapists: "If it is possible to remain open to our fears and make reparations for our mistakes, our vulnerability can be used in the service of healing."

At its best it reminded me strongly of I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, in that it shows the healing relationship between an excellent therapist and a disturbed female patient. This book had the added benefit of having the patient/author also be a therapist, and while being healed herself doing a marvelous job of participating in the healing of a young boy whose problems are remarkably similar to her own.

The book was beautifully written, very open and revealing, and gentle in its nature. I also was grateful to hear the author write of her experiences with a TERRIBLE therapist, who, for self-protection, violated therapeutic boundaries left and right and essentially drove the author mad.

A few criticisms:
1) I found annoying the authorýs rambling free associations when she was psychotic. Itýs like, she seemed to be trying to be literary and give the reader an idea of what was going through her mind, but I think she could have come up with a more coherent, descriptive and readable way of doing it than spouting out word-noise. It reminded me of the Keseyýs dull ramblings about the ýfogý and the ýmachineý in Cuckooýs Nest. I tended to skim/skip over these parts.

2) I canýt help but wonder what really motivates a person like Annie Rogers to bare her soul to an audience. Granted, she wrote a wonderful and interesting book that contributes to the writing on psychotherapy, but I still think itýs suspect, like to some degree she sold herself out. I find a real beauty and self-respect in anonymity, especially for a psychotherapist, so when someone voluntarily gives it up, I canýt help but question why. (Grandiosity? Career enhancement? Shaming her bad therapist? Getting her good therapist to love her more ý and to live up to his prophesy?ýor perhaps just ýlook, mommy, see how great I am!ý)

3) I also find it suspect that her ýgreatý final therapist pushed her so hardýyet so subtlyýto become a writer. What was in it for him to mold her as such?

Harvard child psychologist and severe child abuse survivor Annie Rogers suffered psychiatric hospitalizations once or twice a year from puberty until her late twenties -- when, after a six year insidiously inept and crazymaking "therapy," an attempt to stab and shoot that therapist and one last hospitalization for another word salad psychosis (and no more insurance), her exceptional and no doubt desperate sister and friends found the gifted and pro bono analyst Dr. Blumenfeld. If this exceptional memoir hasn't become a classic must read in psychology with many reviews by both patients and therapists by now, there are unfortunate reasons. One is that Annie's politically correct adolescence shows in her disdain for the "medical models and diagnoses" Dr. Blumenfeld himself could afford to abandon only because he knew them and the blind therapists who live by them so well -- and thus could authentically reach and stabilize the talented and brilliant, borderline and psychotic personality and doctoral intern Annie. "You have a kind of giftedness, Annie, that probably has always been inseparable from your suffering, and we don't know very much about that yet." What we need now is a wonderful book from the exceptional and sainted Dr. Blumenfeld and more from the healed and gifted writer Dr. Rogers on the two sided magic of play therapy with children. You must meet Annie's beloved "oppositional" 5 year old patient Ben and ponder the 7 foot angel "Theosporus" who protected and accompanied Annie from age 6 to Dr. Blumenfeld's office at 27. A Shining Affliction raises more questions than it answers -- it might have been twice as long, and it's hard to tell if important details were deliberately or unconsciously left out. As it is, it's a daring memoir by a once psychotic Harvard child psychologist that should be a controversial must read classic in both child and adult psychotherapy.

I began this book because I am a student of Annie's. I could not put it down, feeling like I myself was becoming somehow involved with her relationship with Ben (the 5 year old boy with brown hair and bangs). I felt like I was getting inside both Annie and Ben while watching the beautiful way in which they interacted. I could not be in the room with this book without wanting to read on into the relationship that evolves. The personal aspect of the patient-therapist relationship becomes the center focus as does Annie's life outside of these interactions with Ben. The reflection, time, energy, and exposure that is demonstrated by the author in this book was by far the best I have ever seen. This has become my favorite book, one that I will never live without, and also one that will remind me of what I want to do with my life and how to do it.

It is a parayer book for Liturgy of the Hours - Morning and Evening Prayer
The two I recently ordered were in excellent condition and arrived in record time. Morning Prayer is done publically at our Church on Wednesdays. We are building up our supply so that everyone who attends may have their own book.

I had been using the larger red Christian Prayer book for years. It was getting worn and needed replaced. I decided to go for this smaller version and I am so happy I did. It fits so much easier into my brief case to take to work or to travel with. I usually only recite the morning and evening prayers so it is perfect for me and allows me to participate in the liturgy no matter where I go.

While not very sure about my ability to understand or find the time to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, this book has proven a great way to start.

It took me 45 minutes to pray the first time, following the ordinary and flipping like crazy. Some online LOTH sites helped. EWTN in particular has Morning and Evening prayer (audio) on the left hand sidebar of their homepage. I don't think they use SCP (they might be using Christian Prayer) but the texts were so similar it didn't much matter for learning purposes.

So now I've been praying it for a year and a half somewhat regularly, and it's become the backbone of my scripture/prayer life at home. There is no substitute for having scripture in your heart, and although limited, this little book proves its worth as the psalms and canticles are gradually memorized. Then you have them with you wherever you go. I've never been able to memorize scripture in any other format. Now I could rattle off the whole of Psalm 51 and several passages of the New Testament, as well as other frequently occurring texts.

The only problem now is that I chafe a bit when it comes to seasons like Lent and Advent where you only have seven days of readings and you have to repeat them every week (SCP includes Night Prayer, which gives only 7 days of readings, but I have since learned that that is all there are anyway). Plus I would love to read more extensive quotes from saints or the Fathers. And I hear the hymns in the full-size LOTH are more classical and beautiful, although without music.

No typos that I have found. Print/formatting is easy to read. No art, just little graphics. No sheet music. Could use an additional ribbon marker (there is only one).

If I had a genie in a bottle, and I could have one wish granted as regards this little gem, it would be a more traditional translation that elevates the language. I mean, it's hard to raise your spirit to God when you come across one of these dogs:

Psalm 72

O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king's son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgment.

There are a few passages with these awful redundancies, or particularly uncreative or clunky phrasing. I've grown so used to it now that I don't mind it much, but I long for a more beautiful, flowing translation.

Still, an unbeatable deal, and a great way to get into the Divine Office.

Shorter Christian Prayer is a slim, pocket size version of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours for Roman Catholics. It is perfect for travel, or if you want the simplest form of getting into one or more of the "hours" of prayer. It has the 4-week Morning and Evening Prayers & Psalms (150), and the standard one week cycle of Night Prayer. It does not have the Liturgy of the Hours for the middle of night and wee hours of day, or the variations for all the liturgical seasons and feast days.

The full Liturgy of the Hours is a thick four volume set which we have and it is rather complicated to jump back and forth as the Psalms and Canticles are scattered and cross-referenced. That one also has numerous wrtings by many great saints, Doctors of the Church, etc. along with the Hours.

The Shorter Christian Prayer has just the essentials of the Morning, Evening and Night Prayers. Let me briefly explain the Divine Office for those not yet familiar with it.

The Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, is the official prayer of the Catholic Church. It is the "official" way to incorporate prayer throughout your day, every day. It was originally intended for clergy and religious, but has over time become popular with laity. The original Divine Office consisted of prayers and readings to be performed about every four hours around the 24-hour clock. Second Vatican Council simplified it somewhat and I believe eliminated the midnight prayer, or made it optional (I am not an expert, just getting started myself).

The idea is to "pray without ceasing" as Scripture instructs us. Do you feel a gap in your spiritual life between Sunday Masses? Do you feel that you lose awareness of God in the hustle and bustle of daily life? Are you struggling with bad habits or sufferings and seem to keep losing as much spiritual ground as you gain week by week? Then you need a strong habit of daily prayer to keep your dialog with God lively every day and to continuously seek His protection from evil and guidance in the righteous way. A firm foundation of structured daily prayer will also make it easier to remember to incorporate many small spontaneous prayers each day. Instead of your faith being a weekly devotion at Mass, it also becomes a daily on-going conversation with Jesus.

My wife and I started by doing the daily morning readings and prayers of the Magnificat [...] which is an even more condensed form of daily Morning and Evening Prayer with the daily Mass liturgy. Then we tried the Divine Office but it was too much. So now we use the Magnificat for morning prayer and reading and Sunday and occassional daily Mass. And we use the Shorter Christian Prayer for Night Prayer and occassional Evening Prayer.

Each "hour" of the Divine Office takes about 10-20 minutes. It consists of prayers, brief readings from the old and new testment, a canticle, and two or more Psalms. If you perform the complete Divine Office for the full 4-week cycle you will read all 150 Psalms and cover a lot of other Scripture readings. The canticle is a prayer about Jesus that was said by someone in the Bible, such as Mary's response to the Annunciation, Zechariah's proclamation and prohecy at the birth of his son, John the Baptist, the acclaimation of Simeon in the Temple, etc.

The Psalms especially give the prayers depth as they deal with real human sufferings, betrayal, persecution, repentence, prophecy of the Christ, thanksgiving, and glorification of God.

You won't get the commentaries and mediation from the great writers of the church in Shorter Christian Prayer as you would with the 4-volume set. You won't get the less common hours of prayer, or all the seaonal variations. But you will get a very accessible, easy to carry along volume of daily prayers and readings for the Morning, Evening and Night prayers. If you build a good habit of daily prayer with this small volume then you have a sound spiritual foundation for daily protection, and peace of heart with Jesus.

I didn't buy my copy of the SCP; rather, I found it in the military chapel in Kuwait when I was on my way from there to Afghanistan. I'm guessing that it was provided by the Knights of Columbus or some other group, or maybe an individual or parish. Whatever the case, I pray God's blessings on them! The SCP kick-started my prayer life over there. It went to the mess hall with me for breakfast and supper, and was the last thing I read before I turned out the light to sleep. The advantages of this book are that you can carry it with you (it fits neatly into the cargo pockets of DCUs and ACUs), and that it is more psychologically accessible. I'll probably break down and get the four volume set, but I have the feeling that the smaller version will be the more used.

My husband met the author on one of his desert motorcycle rides while resting at Cadiz Summit. Joe was there to interview relatives of the original merchants at Cadiz Summit. They struck up a conversation and e-mail addresses were exchanged when it was learned that Joe had written a book about the tough people that once lived in this part of the Mojave.

Upon receiving our copy, my husband raced through the book and promptly ordered one for our son. Our son is a BNSF conductor and runs through the desert. Many of the old railroaders that our son talked to and shared the book with knew some of these old residents of Amboy and Chubbuck and the like.

Now I find myself at the old Catholic church in Amboy, studying the gas station mural at Danby, bouncing along the sand roads from deserted town to deserted town, and trying to picture the people and their lives in this scenic but harsh territory.

We have and will continue to use this text as our guide as we explore the Mojave. It is well researched, visually effective, and a must take along if you have time to ride Old 66 and imagine how it used to be.

This book is PURE GOLD for desert lovers curious about California's Route 66 history and lore.

The unique book, "The Silence and The Sun," gives a wonderful historical account of personalities and places from a past era. Also included, is useful information for the desert explorer. I highly recommend the book to anyone, but particularly those interested in Route 66 and the Mojave Desert.

Great book and very informative. I lived in Amboy and other places in the area in the 1960s as a small child and have often wondered about the history and the stories of the characters of those places. I'm in Seattle now but have ventured back a couple of times to see how it has all changed. Then along comes Joe with this book and it's amazing what he was able to dig up. I can't even imagine how many hours he invested in gathering it all. I very much enjoyed reading The Silence and the Sun and I hope Joe continues his research as I would love to read about other places like Ludlow and Newberry and Baker.

There is something about California's vast desert lands that has a way of capturing the hearts and imagination of some people. For many the desert is nothing more than forsaken land seen going from point A to point B across freeways . Yet beneath the hot desert sand contains deep and rich history that has shaped and impacted California history.

Joe de Kehoe's "The Silence and the Sun" captures that forgotten history, detailing the life and times of the many small desert communities that once dotted the Easter Mojave Desert. The book gives an in depth inside look at how rural desert life was throughout the 20th century. These stories come to life as you begin to read the descriptive first-hand accounts from former desert residents and gaze at compelling photographs of the region. The countless number of first-hand interviews with local desert dwellers as well as many referenced primary sources provides clarity and great historical accuracy.

Before reading "The Silence and the Sun" I had little knowledge of these Eastern Mojave Desert communities. This was largely due to the fact that historical information on this region remains mostly inaccessible to the average person. However, all the thorough information that the author gathered into this book (much of which is rare) has made this once unknown region much more familiar to me -- in fact, I now feel a new found connection to the land. If you are interested in such desert railroad and mining towns as Chubbuck, Cadiz, Milligan, and some of the old Route 66 places such as Amboy, Bagdad, Danby, and Chambless, then you will find this book a beacon of light for a region that has largely remained in the dark.

"Silver Pennies" was my elementary school poetry book filled with whimsical and delightful imagery of fairies and natural surroundngs. Compiled in two sections, Part I for first through fourth graders and Part II for fifth and sixth graders, many of the poems can be memorized. Others are wonderful for bedtime reading by a grown-up. The poems have charm and sensitivity to the world of children's imagination and speaks of a simpler time when we stopped to hear the fairies.

When Silver Pennies by Blanche Jennings Thompson was first published by The MacMillan Company in 1926, this beautiful collection of poetry for children was bound in cloth imprinted with the silhouette of a small child reaching up to the heavens towards a cascade of silver stars. The current publisher who claims a 1976 copyright is aptly named Buccaneer Books, for they have pillaged much of the charm of this book. The library cover is the dullest imaginable! For the price of this reprint, surely they could have reproduced the cover which so captured my imagination and that of so many other children in years past. I would have given this book all the stars in the world, had they kept those stars on the cover!

Silver Pennies has made terrific bedtime and quiet-time reading for our 3yo. The poems are short enough and entertaining enough to keep a little person's attention, and ours has already found some favorites.

After all the cutesy-wootsy, sanitized, dumbed-down kids' books I've read through, this is a delight.

Although the new cover looks more like a Book Of Shadows than a book of children's poems, the actual writing still has the charm of the original. Beautiful, optimistic, sentimental...a lovely trip back to what was good in my childhood.

A dear old friend gave this book (1952 ed) to me ten years ago. I was only 22 years old then and much to busy for poetry. She died a few years later. For ten years, I didn't pay it much mind. Then I had my first child and began to search among my books for poems that would be good to read at bedtime. To my delight, I rediscovered Silver Pennies. What a find! My husband and I read from it every night and our little 2 year old loves it. It's become almost a ritual at our house. I know my son doesn't understand all words, but the poems have a beauty all their own and he must appreciate it. I've read my favorites such as The Faithless Flowers, Rain in the Night, and Water Noises so many times that they're now committed to memory. I probably know at least a dozen of the poems by heart, which has been a real delight to my son when we are traveling or camping out and don't have books to read or light to read by. I just recite them to him in the dark -- he loves it and drifts off to sleep every time. My husband and I will always treasure this little book.

This book is simply heavenly! lol Seriously! It's absolutely amazing. The book is filled with vegan recipes, has faux meat recipes, "nice cream" recipes, even has a dog/cat food recipe that's vegan! Some of the recipes aren't very specific.. Like there was one for a Thai dish that didn't specify which vegetables to use, but I guess the author wanted to allow some flexibility & imagination. Overall, I love this book. I've purchased 2 of them from amazon. I gave one of them to my rabbi & he & his wife use it all the time. The recipes have helped with their blood pressure & diabetes & stuff. It's got a wonderful variety of recipes, with 1400+ to choose from. You've got Cajun foods, Asian foods, Southern style foods, desserts, faux meats, soups, salads, breads, various recipes for vegan 'eggs', and like I mentioned before, even a recipe for pet food! Even if you had to pay 70+ dollars for the book, I'd recommend buying it.

Just keep an eye out for it on Amazon. I bought my second copy from here for like 25.00. :)

I cannot say enough good things about this cookbook. I bought it ten years ago after deciding to prepare more vegetarian meals for my family. We loved almost every recipe I tried, especially Shepherd's Pie, Unbeef Gravy, Unchicken Pot Pie, Swiss Unsteak, Oat Burgers, and Indonesian-Style Tofu. When my grandson was born three years ago with allergies to eggs and dairy products, this cookbook became a life-saver. It is difficult to get enough protein in the diet of a small child without using milk and eggs, but not with this cookbook. With these recipes you can make the dishes all children love, like Cheez Pizza and Macaroni and Yeast Cheez Casserole. I adapted Abbot Burke's recipe for Anadama Bread into a high-protein bread my family loves. You can find the recipe for "Jack's Bread" at [...]. Finally, here is something I have wanted to say for ten years: "Thank you, Abbot Burke and the Holy Protection Orthodox Monastery, for providing us with healthful, tasty, satisfying, and earth-friendly recipes. We love you."

This book is the end all of it all. It has made my life incredibly richer and easier in terms of my vegan diet. The recipes are straightforward and the sections on gluten and dairy substitutes are unparalleled. The recipes themselves are very very good, though they are not as 'exotic' or 'haute-cuisine' as some out there will like. However, this book is THE book for the main stuff you need to do on a day by day basis. Even when using other books that I have in my cuisine library, I ALWAYS use this one.

The point being that this book is the key for preparing the basic stuff that you will use in all recipes (including recipes from other books). This book gives you the building blocks of everything else. Usually books present -say- a specific dressing cause they are recommending it for a salad that they are also giving to you. This book doesn't work like that. It is the pure building blocks. And so even when I am cooking Indian or Thai food, I come back to this book constantly.

...breads...glutens (3 methods of preparation and flavors include ham, sausage, chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, among others)...un-cheese...dressings, unmilk, kreem cheese, yogurt, sauces, etc. it is all here. There is even a very good parmesan chiz recipe. It has A LOT of recipes PLUS potential variations in many of them.

The section on beans and grains is very good as well.

This book is well-researched, the author is extremely knowledgeable AND experienced, and it shows a LOT. He offers alternatives constantly and sometimes even gives you two or three ways of preparing -say- a parmesan cheez.

This is the only book I take when traveling abroad or on vacation trips. I carry it with me on the NYC subway everyday and read from it. I've been doing this for almost a year now. Everything is here, everything is easy to do, and everything is superb.

The main idea is...Given than vegan food is better for you than animal-based food, it should also taste better. Here is how.

This book should be reprinted over and over, my second favorite book...Veganomicon...is on a distant, very distant second place. Sorry Chandra and Terry!!

This is a great book, and if it were on sale for a normal price, I would buy it. It does rely on wheat gluten in a LOT of recipes, and since half of my family cannot eat wheat, that means it won't be tops on my list. However, there are a lot of other great recipes, just not 30.00 or whatever dollars worth. Amazon needs to reprint it.

This is my favorite cookbook and I use it all the time. I've always had a problem with cookbooks because I never have the right ingredients on hand. But, this cookbook has multiple versions of basic recipes so you can always find a version that fits what you have on in your cupboard. The index is also very helpful because you can look up key ingredients and find all the recipes that use it. Plus, this book has a vegan version of just about any recipe you could ever want to make.

There is a rather large section in the book about how to prepare wheat gluten from scratch using serveral methods and with several different flavors. It comes out delicious!

The LRRPS did. Time and time again the long-range-reconnaissance-patrols went out to "see" and not be "seen", and sadly, some individuals wouldn't return home.

This is fantastic series of books covering the history and evolution of the LRRPS/LRPS/RANGERS during the Vietnam War.

Rey Martinez, Kenn Miller, and Gary Linderer interviewed a great number of the surviving members of the LRRPS/Rangers to bring their history alive. While some members were able to tap into their memories, others wouldn't touch the pain from long ago. The authors did a terrific job bringing the histories together for a strong narrative.

If anything, I found myself wanting to know more! What were they thinking? What were you feeling? I'm sure much ended up on the "editing room floor".

The "SIX SILENT MEN" books are a very honest account if the units actions. They're packed with adventure and daring. While reading their books, I was filled with tension and dread, other times I had to laugh aloud, and a few times I became misty-eyed. You feel for the teams as they "will" themselves to become invisible while on patrol.

Don't be mis-lead by a negative review. The reviewer misquoted the book. This I know since I pulled my copy off the shelf and checked the text. The reviewer claims the authors are liars --- NOT SO. A great number of books on the Vietnam War are written very honestly, and the publishers do "Fact Checking" before publishing these books. Read the review by Harold Nealy, who was a LRRP! His testimonial supports this fine series. If these books were embellished tales, then Vietnam Vets who served in the LRRPS/Rangers wouldn't hesitate to post a review here and let the truths be known. As you see this isn't the case.

I have never met a veteran who has panned these books. Never.

If you enjoyed this series, I would also recommend Jim Morris' WAR STORY, John Plasters' SOG, James Rowe's FIVE YEARS TO FREEDOM, Larry Chambers RECONDO, and Leigh Wade's TAN PHU.

I had the honor of meeting Kenn Miller, Jim Morris, and John Plaster (and other Vietnam Vets) two years ago. They freely answered my questions. I was going to `buy a round' when one of them said, "Put your money away kid." I was 33, and that gathering was enjoyed by all.

Read the books. You won't be disappointed! God Bless and Attack life!

This work is all that is to be expected from a sequel to the first "Six Silent Men". I was not let down, as I so often am, with some of the small unit contact books. This work was all that I expected. The action was close to non stop. The depictions of contact were thrilling and heart stopping. I was with and rooting for the teams all the way. This book, as was its precursor,is top notch. After having read circa 110 books about this subject, you may take my word for this book's being an interesting read.

I highly recommend any & all of Gary Linderer's books; all are packed with great recollections of our brave fighting men in Vietnam, and are fast reads. Once you start this book (Vol 3), you'll find it very hard to put down. Reading Vols 1 & 2 are not necessary, as each is a stand-alone account.

I have enjoyed all of Mr Linderer's publications, and can recommend this one as well without hesitation. You won't be disappointed!

Excellent piece of writing from a guy who served with the team. As a UK reader, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the 101st LRRPs/Rangers in Vietnam.

...This book is, as well as the others by Linderer an interesting recollection of his own experiences as well as experiences of others. Spend the bucks and you won't get disappointed. Try reading his other books to get a good sum of what he and his teammates experienced during Vietnam.
Don't let yourself be blamed by such [bologna]. I mean, the war is long gone, Linderers and Chambers books are a recollection of their feelings, thoughts and experiences. Truly and honestly written. The way I understood it, this book and the other books aren't a recollection of commo details or other things. These are facts of men fighting a war not REMFs ... spitting on a good job and being jealous about what they could do. So buy this book or the others by Linderer and you will understand a lot more.