China Books

This book was written one year before the French Revolution, in 1788, in Beijing, China by a riches-to -rags nobleman called Cao Xue Quin. It is viewed by many as the greatest classical Chinese romantic novel ever written.

I read the original Chinese version of this book when I was in high school, many years ago. At that time, my impression was that it was a Chinese Romeo and Juliet type tragic love story, in which the main characters Bao-yu and his cousin Dai-yu (Black Jade) suffered the fate of unfulfilled love, and no ever after. There was more to it than that, but I could not figure out what.

Recently, I re-read the book (the current trans- lated version). This time it sounded like the Adven- tures of Tom Jones, in which the teen-aged playboy Bao-yu was dallying in the ranks of the female members of his household (his cousins and maids), longing after many but only truly loving Dai-yu.

It was also a bit similar to Upstairs Downstairs -- a big noble clan with all its ladies, young misses and maids, and their lives of adventures and tears. But something was still missing. There was a theme, a message, which draws me and others to this great work of literature.

I finally figured it out: Almost all the WOMEN in this book were described as elegant, sophisticated, intelligent, graceful, excellent decision makers, and above all, beautiful. Most MEN, however, were described as fools, red-necks, unfaithful, heart-breakers, nogooders, users of prostitutes and abusers of power!

What I am looking at is a book (or one-MAN crusade) of Early Feminism. It is all the more remarkable because in feudal China, women did not have equal status. "marrying for love" seldom existed. It was more like "married by parental arrangement". Poor girls were sold as maids into rich households, or worse, they were sold as second wives or concubines.

The confirmation of my theory came from the author Cao himself. In his introductory book review, he said, "Thus begins this book ... I have hidden the real events and substituted them with fiction ... There were real persons in the inner-chambers, and their stories must be told ..." (Modern translation: I have real women in my household).

This message would make this a truly revolutionary work, not only in feudal China, but even to-day.

Should have first read the book review by the author.

I really enjoyed this book, a part of my self-directed curriculum to understand China (all of which, by the way, has been incredible). Not only are the characterizations excellent and the period wonderfully evoked (at least to my knowledge), but there's all sorts of great maid sex and other bawdy hilarious stuff. The only question I have now is why does it seem like Volumes 2-4 are not available... although vol. 5 is? Maybe I'm overlooking something obvious, as persons with Chinese maid sex on the brain are wont to do.

I read the other reviews on this page, and I thought I should add something: this novel is unbelievably beautifully written, and the English translation is absolutely superb.

You cannot find any better example of novel-writing skill in any language.

I've read all parts of The Story of the Stone. It starts and ends in a mystical fashion; coming full circle in a traditional ying/yang way. Wonderful five volume story about two wealthy families closely connected to the throne. Although there's not much known about the true author, I suspect that it was written by a maid. There is incredible detail from the perspective of the servents working for their sometimes nutty employers. The family actually built a garden at one point in honor of a visit from a daughter who had been chosen to be a royal concubine. If you want to immerse yourself in the ups and downs, daily life, (warts and all) of 1750's Chinese culture don't miss The Story of the Stone et al.

The book gives us a complete picture of the feudal societ of China.It exposes the rot of the late Qing Dynasty of China.What makes people moved most is the tragic love story between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu.Its exquisite style of writing and variegated description do great credit to its success.Some forfather has said that it was an encyclopaedia of the feudal society of China,and I do agree with it.I think that the most valuable point of this book,is that it denounces the cruel percecution which has been done to women by the feudalism--the feudal system,and it embodies the author's thoughts that women should be respecte and be equal to men.In that society,these are rare and valuable.

A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reverence source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible. Highly Recommend.

Overall, the book is of high quality. All the pictures were well taken. The pieces included were exceptional good pieces from different Chinese Dynasties. It is a book for those who have profound interest in Chinese works of art.

Readers should pay special attention to the Ruyao saucer which arouses lots of discussions among professional dealers and serious collectors. It is a very controversial piece which needs to be more thoroughly studied and examined; and compared to the existing samples in different museums and private collections around the world. Without seeing and examining the piece in person, one cannot say for sure if it is a well-sought-after Ru ware or just a later copy.

Almost eighty objects covering 5,000 years of art history are featured in this roundup of Chinese ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Not only are the objects discussed in depth and presented in full color, but a timeline, sidebars of facts, kiln maps and other detailed information makes for a treasure-trove of insight and knowledge.

Earth Transformed: Chinese Ceramics In The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston by Wu Tung (Matsutaro Shoriki Curator of Asian Art and Head of the Department of the Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa) is a gorgeous, coffee-table art book filled cover to cover with more than two hundred beautiful color photographs of seventy-nine smooth, elegant, picturesque and varied examples of the art of Chinese Ceramics throughout a 5000 year history. From decorative pottery to Buddhist sculptures, each ceramic is displayed with a detailed aside informing the reader about its origin and contextual meaning. A wondrous and beautiful book of three dimensional works of art, Earth Transformed is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library ceramic art and art history reference collections.

A very nice text for a scholar of Chinese ceramics, and or cultured individual. Covers examples from Neolithic to Qing Dynasty. All of the photos are extremely well rendered, and scaled when appropriate to show close up details of the more important technical aspects of style. Many of the pieces are shown from various angles so as not to obscure hidden structure and detail. Every item represented is provided with dimensions which makes this book a valuable reference source. The author's very disciplined selection of pieces represent as broad a perspective of relevant styles as possible for a book of it's size, and single museum souce. Highly Recommend.

This book is actually the third installation of Daisaku Ikeda's History of Buddhism book. The first two books: Living Buddha and The First Millenium deal with beginning of Buddhism and the first millenium of Buddhism since the death of the Buddha. The Flower of Chinese Buddhism is a really helpful book to understand the reason why there are many branches of Buddhism in the world today because basically almost everything can be attributed to its spread to China. I really recommend this book as a fundamental tool if you are seeking for the truth. Nam Myo Ho Rengge Kyo.

This book is one of three which attempt to outline the general history of Buddhism for the average reader. This history is of course very complicated and I think mr. Ikeda has done an excellent job of sorting out the relevent and presenting it for our illumination. The insights into the difficulties surmounted by those seeking to spread Buddhism are particularly valuable and I would recomend this book to annyone regardless of their level of education or religious affiliation.

"The Flower of Chinese Buddhism" is well organized and clearly written, and presents a wonderful overview of the transmission of Buddhism into China. The author, Daisaku Ikeda, is knowledgable and very enthusiastic about the subject, and his respect and admiration for the early pioneers of Chinese Buddhism are contagious.

The reader should be aware, however, that, as the president of Soka Gakkai International (affiliated with the Nichiren Sect in Japan) the author has intentionally limited the scope of this book to those facets of Chinese Buddhist history that have particular relevance to the later development of the Nichiren Sect. To his credit, he is quite forthright about this, and openly states it in various contexts throughout the book. Thus, while this book is very informative in the topics that it does cover, the focus is mainly on the development of the T'ien-t'ai School and the study and practice of the Lotus Sutra --- and there is no mention at all of the Pure Land School, and only passing reference to other schools such as Ch'an (Zen), Hua-yen, Esoteric Buddhism, and so on, which were also important in the history of Chinese Buddhism. (This limited scope is the only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5.)

This fact, however, should by no means limit interest in this book to T'ien-t'ai scholars or followers of the Japanese Nichiren Sect. It simply means that it should be read in conjunction with a broader survey of Chinese Buddhism. "The Flower of Chinese Buddhism" has some real strengths, in particular its descriptions of the period when the Buddhist scriptures were being translated into Chinese by masters such as Kumarajiva, the travels to Central Asia and India of Chinese pilgrims such as Fa-shien and Hsuang-tsang, and the early attempts to classify and understand the vast (and sometimes contradictory) treasury of Buddhist scriptures that came flowing into China across the Silk Road over several centuries. Another strength is the discussion of the factors behind the persecutions of Buddhism that occurred several times in the course of Chinese history.

Despite its slightly narrow focus, the material that has been selected for in-depth coverage in this book is so well-written and informative that I'd strongly recommend it to anyone interested in one of the great spiritual and cultural encounters in world history: the remarkable story of the transmission of Buddhism from India to China.

This book, "The Flower of Chinese Buddhism," the story of the introduction of Buddhism to China, is a fascinating account of the meeting of two great civilizations of Asia: India, the land of the Buddha's birth, and China, where Buddhism was transformed into a world religion, and from where the Buddha's teachings eventually spread to Japan.

Picking up where his earlier volume, The Living Buddha, leaves off, Dr. Ikeda spins a lively narrative of the great Buddhist missionaries and translators, the first Chinese Buddhist leaders, the domestication of Buddhism and the development of distinctly Chinese schools of Buddhism - with special emphasis on the T'ien-t'ai school, which was later so influential in Japan - and the eventual decline of the religion after harsh persecution in the tenth century.

Dr. Ikeda describes the career and achievements of Kumarajiva, famed for his excellent renditions of the sutras, among them the Lotus Sutra, and the philosophical treatises that form the core of East Asian Buddhist literature.

The careers and major works of the great Chinese T'ien-t'ai masters Hui-ssu, Chih-i, and Chan-jan are outlined, making this a useful introduction to the T'ien-t'ai school of Buddhism that became so influential in Japan, where its ultimate fruition came about in the teachings of Nichiren.

"The Flower of Chinese Buddhism" is an illuminating and well-told account of one of the most interesting chapters of world religious history. Burton Watson, scholar and translator of Chinese literature, including Buddhist masterpieces like "The Lotus Sutra," has translated this lucid and valuable contribution to the history of Buddhism.

This book, "The Flower of Chinese Buddhism," documents a crucial part of the history of Buddhism, as it makes its way across China. It is thanks to China that the great Indian-born philosophy we now know as Buddhism became a true world religion - eventually spreading to Korea and Japan and then to the West.

"The Flower of Chinese Buddhism" basically picks up where Daisaku Ikeda's earlier volume on the history of Buddhism, "The Living Buddha," leaves off. Mr. Ikeda tells us of the great Buddhist translators and teachers of China, of the development of new schools of Buddhism, such as the T'ien-t'ai school, and the eventual decay of Chinese Buddhism after persecution in the tenth century.

As a student of Buddhism, I am indebted to Mr. Ikeda for his clear descriptions of Kumarajiva's revolutionary achievements, such as his excellent version of the sutras, including the Lotus Sutra, and various philosophical treatises that form the core of Eastern Buddhist literature.

Other great Chinese masters such as Hui-ssu and Chih-i are reviewed, making this an extremely concise and useful introduction to the T'ien-t'ai school of Buddhism that later became very powerful in Japan - the birthplace of Nichiren Daishonin and the modern harbinger of his teachings, Soka Gakkai International.

"The Flower of Chinese Buddhism" is a well-written documentation of one of the most important chapters of world religious history and particularly of Buddhist history.

The great Burton Watson, world-renowned translator/scholar of Chinese literature, including the Buddhist masterpiece "The Lotus Sutra," translated this outstanding documentary of the history of Buddhism in China.

This is a really sweet book. It is a compilation of mostly lectures and notes from Kalu Rinpoche's teachings. Many times during the first read-through, I honestly felt as though this master was in the room, speaking the words on the page directly to me - evidence of the truthfulness in his words. The format of the book is such that each chapter builds upon the last, going from some very fundamental teachings (examining our situation) through the refuge vow, and all the way up to the esoteric mahamudra teachings. There is also a chapter on the challenges of dharma practice. Appended is an actual visualization practice, ("sadhana" in sanskrit) of the tantric deity of compassion, along with instructions. Among my own books, this is one I keep on the "reference" shelf.

The book is well organized by the designer and leads the reader gently along the path to a fuller awareness of their potenial for true liberation. The glossery is replete to a point this book becomes a valuable reference, one that will be handy on the shelf for years for anyone who is interested in Tibetan Buddhism, vajrayana and getting enlightened. Kalu Rinpoche IS (was) on of the most respected teachers on the topics the book covers and he was one of the first persons from Tibet who took seriously the interest of Westerners in this topic field and who saw in them the potential for development equal to or better than that of the Tibetans themselves. Generous in his willingness to share his knowledge, he stands above all other teachers in his compassion for all sentient beings. The photographer, Sherab Ebin, adds greatly to the wonders to be found in this volume and was the great Kalu's first Western translator. One of the beauties of this work is that it is well typeset and generously illustrated, making it user friendly.

In this no holds barred book on how to overcome the faults of the past and anticipate with confidence full liberation in the future, the greatest joy is the care taken in the design, so comforting exactly when you've just been put to the Rinpoche's test and realized you're not top in the class. Guess that is what compassion in action is all about. Highly recommended for all who seek solutions in today's life that will last beyond this impermanent lifetime.

This is a very lovely book with lots of useful information on Vajrayana and Mahamudra. Its style matches its title. The author is famous as a great Tibetan Buddhist master and the book supports this view. He is gentle in his writing and gets one's attention by whispering. I've heard of this technique before--when people are actually together in person. It can really work, oddly enough. I like this book better than his other works that I've read: "The Dharma" and "Luminous Mind." It's well worth your time and effort to read. I took a few quotes from it as well (possibly from an earlier edition):
"In seeing that all appearance (not only one's mind and emotions) is luminous, unimpeded suchness, one recognizes that all internal appearance, which is also arising from the mind, is only mental projection." p. 14

"Dynamic, empty, and unobstructed luminosity...empty, clear, and unimpeded nature of the mind itself... p. 22

"It is possible that one can practice while still actively involved in the world. Such a combination of spiritual practice and worldly activity allows the aspirant to use his or her faculties in a very skillful way." p.164

I think the cover of this book represents the book accurately: at first, you see a stern, wizened Kalu Rinpoche staring at you; the book, too, seems like a dry, dogmatic text expounding on things you may have read before. But the picture also captures Kalu Rinpoche's immeasurable awareness, the clarity of gaze and of his mind. And so the book, too, has such an immense scope, with such lucid explanations and discussions, that you will continually return to this book and find your previous understanding of the text was limited. This isn't a book for beginners, because it is not "fluffy" in any way. But it is an inspiring read, and fascinating, which sets it apart from so many other books on Tibetan Buddhism.

If there's one book that I could recommend to the general reader on the history of modern China (i.e. from circa 1800-1985), it would be this book.

To be honest, my first impression of this book is not a very good one in the sense that I did not feel like dancing in joy. This is because the book appears to me to be too simple, lacks good facts and not very scholarly. How could Fairbank write such a book? My expectations were very high or to be precise, I have expected the wrong things. This book is not intended to be scholarly, not intended to bog you down with boring details but is intended to be entertaining and at the same time have enough facts to highlight certain important events.

I bought this book only on a second visit to the bookshop and perhaps due to a change of mood, I find the book entertaining and at the same time enlightening in that it proposes different views on events that have not been considered before. For example, the discussion on the port of Hankow was quite enlightening. This is refreshing and after understanding the intentions of the book, my perception and expectations changed and I was able to see it in a new way. Since then, this has been one of my favourite books on modern Chinese history and will become a benchmark for me to measure good historical storytelling.

Compared to Jonathan Spence's "In Search of Modern China" this book appears to me be more entertaining and in a way, more intelligent. Highly recommended.

No decent individual who wants to talk about China, or wants to understand Chinese history in the last 150 years, can skip anything written by Fairbank. If there's anybody who can claim to be 'the' authority on China, Fairbank would be the one. And this work is his crowning glory, culmunating in a tour de force after research in this field for more than half a century. This work sees China's history from the late Qing period till the Post-Mao era as one huge struggle -- for modernity, for survival, for progress. If you are not convinced that China is agreat nation, read this and you'll change your mind, thanks to the late Fairbank.

Professor Fairbank is one of the most insightful individuals who have written on China. His attention to detail -- particularly the historical process of cause and effect -- helps the reader gain a good overall picture of China as a vibrant, living organism -- an active player in the global scene. Seeing that China is becoming more and more important, it is becoming not only fashionable but important for an intellectual in the West to know something about China. This book is a good starting point.

I wouldn't read this book as an introduction to Chinese history of this period. Fairbank's China: A New History, or several other general histories, are better for that. This book is Fairbank's argument that the development of Chinese history was far less heavily influenced by the West than most historians and Westerners believe. He convincingly puts the major interactions between China and the West in Chinese contexts, noting the similarities between Taipei Rebellion and the White Lotus Rebellion, for instance, although the latter event occurred when Western influence was much less. It's unfortunate that this topic is so politicized. Whether China was heavily or lightly influenced by the West should have no bearing on the inherent moral worth of the Chinese people, although many people on both sides of the debate don't see it that way. Nevertheless, Fairbank's topic is interesting in itself. Ultimately, I didn't find him fully convincing (not that I'm an expert), but I'm glad I read his book.

I got this book for the specific purpose of studying China's secular civil wars -- the White Lotus Rebellion (1796-1805), the Taiping Rebellion (1851-64), and the civil war that began with Mao's Long March (1934), culminating in the Great Leap Forward (1959).

Each of these civil wars resulted in massive bloodshed, including executions and famine, and was settled with compromises that lasted only a few decades, leading to the next civil war. This is important today, because the compromises forced on Mao after his disastrous and bloody Great Leap Forward are unraveling today, as peasants are losing their farms and their livelihoods and flooding into the cities. When a future economic downturn occurs, these peasants will be unemployed, with no infrastructure to support them, providing fertile ground for a new rebellion, possibly led by followers of the Falun Gong. This could happen any time in the next 10-15 years.

Fairbank's informal style presents the details of these and other historical events in an enjoyable manner and from a Chinese and China-centric point of view, rather than from the typical America-centric point of view used by other writers. The result is both enjoyable and authentic, and gives us the historical background to understand the revolutionary changes going on in China today.

Recieved the order promptly and in the condition promised. Excellent companion to The Encyclepedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by the same author.

This volume took Robert Beer more than 10 years to complete, and one understands why. As far as I know it is the only book on the subject with such superbly crafted illustrations, each meticulously drawn in pencil-thin, lucid detail. There are a huge number of these drawings, and the well-structured text is informative, thorough and scholarly, without being dry. It is an eminent work of very high quality and a joy to read for any Buddhist practitioner, art lover, or just for curiosity. It is surely a classic reference volume. Modesty must have compelled the author and editors to give it the diminutive title 'a handbook' - it is indeed much more. Read it an enjoy.

The Handbook Of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols by Robert Beer (who has studied and practice Tibetan thanga painting for more than thirty years) is a straightforward reference guide to the meaningful symbolism of sacred Tibetan art. Black-and-white illustrations depict all the major Buddhist symbols and motifs, while the text offers depth and interpretation behind the meaning and usage of each. The Handbook Of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols is enthusiastically recommended for inclusion into Buddhist Studies and especially informative for connoisseurs of Tibetan art.

the book was very well put together and has alot of useful info on buddhist art.

Tibetan Buddhist symbolism is extremely complex,yet in this volume artist/Buddhist Robert Beer makes it accessible and understandable. Beer divides the symbolism into identifiable categories such as "Eight Auspicious Symbols","Five Attributes of Sensory Enjoyment","Cosmological Symbols","Main Ritual and Tantric Implements" and "Wrathful Attributes and Offerings." It's a user-friendly handbook.

Beer sheds light on more obscure symbolism-such as the khatvanga (tantric staff),the magical weapons of Shri Devi (the Great Goddess),and the gzi stone. He explains it within the framework of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.

To his credit,Beer doesn't gloss over the more gruesome aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. He explains why wrathful deities are depicted wearing garlands made of skulls and severed heads,or holding intestines in their hands. For some, the wrathful deities are seen as a way of sublimating violent tendencies,while others see them as worshipping ugliness. Beer leaves it to the reader to judge.

"A Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols" is a perfect guidebook to Tibetan Buddhism. It's written for the layman,the newbie,and is engrossing reading.

It's Halloween in Chiqetaw, Washington and the dead are starting to walk; while Emerald and her boyfriend Joe are clearing out the lot next door to her, they unleash a 50 year old ghost, her cat, and the mystery surrounding her death. At this time Samantha, Emerald's cat disappears into thin air, and will-o'-the-whisps (fae spirit globes) show up and want Emerald to find something. What she finds is the skeleton of a woman buried in the yew tree and begins to unravel who it was.

The body is that of a maid that worked for the family that lived there 50 years ago, the Finch's. Her name is Brigit and she's come from Ireland to start a new live in America. According to her journal, she became pregnant and was afraid of her employer's finding out, mainly because the father of the child was their son. Shortly there after she vanished and is never heard from again. Her cat died at the same time and now both are haunting Emerald trying to get her to help them find each other and bring what happened to light. Brigit's cat, Mab looks almost identical to Emerald's cat Sam and the two cats have switched places, if Emerald can't help in time, the switch will be permanent and Sam will be stuck in the land of the dead forever.

I loved this book, knowing the story of how it was written is what made me get it. Apparently two of Ms. Galenorn's cats got out one day, and while one came back in a day, the other was missing for the better part of a week. During this time, she needed to send in the next outline for another book, but couldn't concentrate. After around four days of searching and calling for her cat, one of her neighbors brought by a carrier and asked if it was her cat inside. It was and while the cat was very scared and a bit thin, she was very happy to have the kitty back. After making sure the kitty was okay, she began to put together the outline for this book.

This is the third book in the Chintz 'n China series and the characters are full of heart. From the ghosts (both human and feline) to the main character, Emerald, to her teenage daughter. Joe (Emerald's younger EMT boyfriend) has purchased the empty lot next door and Emerald takes a vacation to help him clear it out. When they uncover the foundation to a former mansion and some some ghosts and faries, they start investigating the history of the property. They have to solve a fifty year old mystery to clear the lot of the psychic briars and then remove the corporeal ones. This may be the best one of the series so far, and I can't wait to read the fourth.

Emerald O Brien, the owner of the Chintz `n China Tea Room in Chiqetaw, Washington is a woman at peace with herself. She is well liked by the residents, who accept the fact that she has the Sight, has two beautiful children and is madly in love with Joe, a man ten years younger than her. To convince her he wants to be with her till death, he buys the lot adjoining Em's so it will be one large property.

While they are clearing the outdoor area, they uncover a room hidden below layers of dirt. Unknowingly, they opened a portal that allows Willow the Wisps, fae creatures who bring death with them, to enter the realm. They find in a yew tree the body of a girl, Brigit who used to live in that room and her cat that traveled into the spirit world with Brigit's. Em's and Brigit's cat changed places and Em's feline is a ghost in the spirit realm while Brigit's is only visible in the mortal world as a spirit. They must perform an exorcism to cleanse the land that Joe bought and find out why Brigit has not moved on to the next plane (with her cat) if Em and her family are to have any peace. They also want their cat returned to them so Em uses her grandmother's spells in the hopes that this will happen.

A HARVEST OF BONES is a highly original paranormal mystery with a touch of romance, the perfect book to snuggle under the covers with on a cold winter's night. The heroine and her friends take on ghosts, spirits, dragons and creatures from the otherworld as an everyday natural event because Em is a magnet for psychic phenomena. Yasmine Galenorn is a great mystery writer who uses paranormal elements to add a little of the exotic to her storytelling.

Harriet Klausner

Dare I say that the fourth book in the Chintz 'n China Mystery is the best one to date? Yes, I do!

Not only does the writing flow more easily this time around, but so does the mystery. It reminds me a bit of the second book, Legend of the Jade Dragon, in that both of them are completely immersed in the mystery and that all the really "bad" things that happen are somehow tied to the mystery itself. Not to mention that one of my favorite characters, White Deer, is back in this one!

The storyline: Em finds a secret room in the lot next door. Her cat is missing right about the time that a woman ghost and her ghost cat start appearing. (Those are basically the bare bones of the story, no pun intended.)

The Good: Most of the story is actually concerned with what happened in the lot next door. Once again, the author is good at making her characters seem real to the reader, which is always a plus.

While my "bad" section below will be much longer, I want to point out that overall, this novel is very strong in both plot and characterization. I was very much into to the story and it kept me reading!

The Bad: I can't really think of anything in particular. Dividing the novel into more chapters might have made it read faster, but that wasn't really a problem with this one since it had a storyline that kept the reader interested.

The only other "bad" thing (not really bad, but annoying lets say) is that Em comes from a long line of witches (or folk magic practitioners). While a bit cliche that her Nanna's a witch who passed her this 500-year-old dagger and a journal of German/English spells, I swallowed it. But now we learn that Emerald (and, of course, her grandmother) were both born on Halloween. How cliche can we get?

Also, is Joe like the most perfect man in the world? Good looking, young, understanding, loving, caring, and so on and on. I know the author is probably trying to make her character Em happy, but come on, no one's *that* perfect!

Also (this is not really a spoiler, since it didn't happen) I think a better ending would have been Em and her kids doing a little something to honor those that have passed on (with, of course, Brigit's picture included). This was talked about earlier in the book but it never really happened.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel very much. I know it doesn't seem like it from what I just said, but I just wanted to point out little annoyances that, well, annoyed me!

The fifth book is titled 'One Hex of a Wedding' and is due out August 2006.

-Ater

I just finished reading 'A Harvest of Bones' and thoroughly enjoyed it. My immediate reaction was to find out what other books the author has written around the characters. It's a good storyline - one that will keep you coming back to finish. You want to find out what happens next - How will Murray handle her new love? What's going on with the kids? Are Joe and Em going to get married? Is Joe going to become more involved in the paranormal? What about the rest of Em's friends? It's a cozy, fun read. Find out for yourself to see if you agree.

While informative and detailed in certain episodes of Tibetan history, one can't help feeling that the book was written with a predetermined thesis in mind, which therefore dictated which areas to bring into focus and which areas, no matter how important, to gloss over in a paragraph or two. In that respect, I would conclude that it is an incomplete book at best, and a dishonest one if the intention of the book was to be an unbiased scholarly endeavour. The book succeeds more in echoing much of China's narrative on why Tibet had to be 'liberated' then in portraying a true picture of a 2000 year old nation that was dealing with the forces of global shift and modernity, 150 years after countries like Japan had undergone them already, and with the added threat and complication of having to deal with two belligerent and expansionist forces on it's borders; British India to the south and the Chinese to the east who were concurrently starting to define itself as a modern nation and trying to draw physical borders for itself that had never existed in history.

Mr. Goldstein's book is informative, detailed, and well-researched. The author provides the reader with numerous maps and photos and presents the subject of Tibet and its de facto independence in an un-biased manner. His background in the culture was useful in explaining the customs and politics of Tibet. Tibet's external issues, mainly with China and Britain, are well balanced with the internal goings on of the government. Goldstein blends all this together to make sense of the status of the Land of Snows during this time period. However, for the most part, this is a political history, rather than a social history. That is, Goldstein does not give much time to issues outside the political realm of Tibet. Much time is spent on the central government and its so-called Three Seats (monasteries). He presents the evidence (government records, first-hand accounts,etc.) to show Tibet's status. To find a flaw in Mr. Goldstein's book would be to say that although it gave much detail and explanation, it needed more of that "human touch" with a sprinkle of emotion to give a feeling of the average Tibetan in the period 1913-1951. Those who would like to learn more about Tibet's government before the invasion of the Chinese Communists will definately appreciate this book. It is unsurpassed in its content. For general Tibet reading, I recommend "Tibet: the Road Ahead", by Dawa Norbu; "The Voice that Remembers", by Ama Adhe; and absolutely "Tears of Blood" by Mary Craig.

This book is a definitive history of Tibet covering a crucial period. Goldstein writes an extremely readable book. He covers a large time period using primary sources and interviews with the characters involved. He limits his analysis of the events and lets the readers examine the evidence. He gives evidence of the Tibetan government's faults as well as the abandonment of Tibet by the international community. This book is a must read for anyone trying to understand the current efforts of the Tibetan government in exile. `Orphans of the Cold War: America and the Tibetan Struggle for Survival' by John Kenneth Knaus is also an excellent book that covers the US government's involvement with Tibet and gives extra insight to the information given by Goldstein.

I ENJOYED VERY MUCH READING THIS BOOK,GOING DEEP IN THE PECULIAR TRADITION AND UNIQUE WAY OF STATE RULING SYSTEM.A COUNTRY LARGELY IGNORED BY RECENT GENERATIONS IS CAREFULLY DESCRIBED AS WELL AS THE EUROPEANS AND CHINESE AMBITIONS REGARDING THE CONTROL OF THIS STRATEGIC TOP OF THE WORLD AND PACIFIC COUNTRY

This is, by any standard, a great book. Its level of erudition, rigour and insight are unmatched by anything else on offer about modern Tibetan history. It is an herculean opus, both in scope and in depth. Moreover, the astonishing fact that is also highly readable recommends it even to the reader with a casual interest in Tibet. Its only arguable drawback is, paradoxically, that such a towering achievement is bound to virtually determine the reader's perspective on the topic. In order to get additional and possibly alternative insights, you will have to wade through books, however worthy, whose scholarship doesn't remotely match Goldstein's.

I enjoy reading a lot of travel writings. I travel a lot myself and find many travel books are no more interesting than my own life and travels, so I am pleased when I find a book that is about somewhere I haven't been or different cultures, with a funny twist to it.

This book had me laughing. I recommend it.

I loved this book and have read it over and over. I laughed out loud on almost every page. One of the funniest stories was how the maids who initially worked there destoyed all of the vacumn cleaners by not changing the bags because they thought the dirt went through the cord into the wall!!! Talk about culture shock! I have given this book to numerous people who are not necessarily interested in traveling, Tibet or China and they have all loved it!

Much better than all those boring books on Tibet. This one made me laugh out loud! He doesn't really try to tell the sad story of Tibet, as it's about all the crazy antics that went on in this amazing hotel (a Holiday Inn - in Tibet??!!) but as you read it and laugh at the funny stuff, you can't help gain a better understanding of what life is like there. If you want to know more about Tibet or just want a good read that will make you laugh, get this one.

I enjoyed reading this book about a man that gets a job in Tibet at the Holiday Inn which is nothing like the holiday inns here. Had information about the country and some funny parts.

I picked this book up at a sale at my local book store. What a find! I've been to many of the places in the book and have to say that the author is spot on. I even had lunch at the hotel that he worked at during the time he was there.

Its a very funny read. If you've never been to Tibet, the book will still entertain you, and make you want to go! If you HAVE been to Tibet, then you'll enjoy it even more.

I have used this book from the beginning of my Chinese cooking adventure and it's the only one I own. I have looked through others and nothing comes close to it's thoroughness in techniques and recipes. Not much else to say, makes Chinese cooking a breeze and fun.

I can't believe this classic cookbook is no longer in print. I've replaced mine at least once and it is now literally disintegrating. I might buy an older hardcover instead of another mass market paperback in the hopes of preserving it.

This is one of the best cookbooks I have ever come across. I was an overweight "starving student" with no cooking skills when someone gave this to me, and I taught myself to cook *and* lost weight with it in hand. The recipes are utterly non-intimidating. It was written in the 1940's, when Chinese food in the US meant chop suey, so the ingredients and equipment are generally simple, accessible, and economical. The results are healthier and taste better than some of the glop dished out in many a Chinese restaurant.

The dishes tend to be presented as a theme and variations--a basic stir fry (Dr. Chao introduced this term into English) is followed by the same recipe with slightly different ingredients. There is no food porn whatsoever--no styled photos, no line drawings, no nothing. Just words. The words are pretty amusing, though.

I can't praise this book enough. I've loved it to death a couple of times, and hope to continue.

This is by far the best Chinese cook book, still. The recipes are extremely simple and delicious, real home cooking. You just add your knowledge of additional vegetables which have become available since 1963. Along with the recipes comes deep insight into "how to eat in Chinese", and you will understand a great deal more about Chinese meals and Chinese restaurant etiquette after absorbing what Mrs. Chao has to say. The author was the wife of Yuen Ren Chao, the legendary professor of linguistics and mathematics at Berkeley noted for such feats as translating Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" into Chinese, who contributes wry footnotes to the cookbook; the linguistic banter at the Chao dinner table must have been fabulous.

I had (and well used) this book for years and then lost it in during a series of moves I had to make a couple years ago. Can't wait to have it back on my shelf again.

I love Chinese food, and have read and sampled from dozens of Chinese cookbooks over the years, but this is still my favorite. How To Cook And Eat In Chinese is the real deal.

It is chock full of simple, no nonsense, homestyle Chinese cooking with the most basic of ingredients you can find anywhere. Almost all the recipes have variations noted, where different vegetables or ingredients can be substituted in the technique. Results have been invariably superb.

Forget the fancy, restaurant or holiday banquet style stuff other cookbooks seem addicted to. Simplify your Chinese cooking, and your life. Your pocketbook, taste buds and your stomach will thank you for it.

For anyone who wants to learn how to cook Chinese food, this is one of the classics. Written in the late 40's by a Chinese woman doctor, this is the home-style cooking of Anhui province (near Shanghai) adapted for the American home cook. Anhui food is considered "oily but generous in portions", and the protein-based nature of the recipes may seem a bit excessive for those who've gotten used to the spartan usages of contemporary America. Also Ms. Chao's puckishly imperfect English and frequent coinages sometimes get in the way -- I puzzled over the term "leaking ladle" until I found out it meant "slotted spoon", which is what I had been using. Still, she coined the term "stir-fry"...what more do you want?

I hope this book comes back into print...I've almost worn out my current copy!