Companies Books

The Door of Everything is written as if GOD were speaking to you. It offers a fascinating perspective on what one's life force is and the true meaning of light. Ruby Nelson, the author, refers to cosmic particles permeating everything -- life force energy as it were--not unlike recent writings from the scientific community on quantum physics. Yet the copyright on this book is 1963. If you can look beyond the Christian orientation of this tiny but powerful missive, there are real nuggets of truth here about the integration of consciousness, spirit and the material world.

Got this after reading reviews on amazon. Panned out great. Nice approach to awakening, well expressed. One could reach the experience of the One if one applied the way of life explained clearly here. Very early channeling, which is fascinating to me. About the same time as the Impersonal Life, my favorite book. I also recommend " God I am", " Christ in you", and the course in Miracles ( if you've got the time). Not to forget the Tao te Ching. Blessings on your way.

Ruby Nelson's book discusses man's ultimate purpose: which is the transmutation and ascension of the physical body as Jesus did. She describes this process from the Christain perspective. Unfolding for us what it means to undergo the second birth and the true purpose of the Holy Spirit. She discribes this beautiful body of LIght that we will live in and gives us guidelines in how to attain this perfection. This was the true message of Jesus, he came to show us the way of perfection that someday each one of us must follow...

Simple, to the point and powerful. The focus of the book is on spiritualizing the body through the practice of ascension attitudes of love, praise and gratitude. It also describes beautifully how and why these principles work. These three attitudes can begin to transform your life as soon as you begin applying them. They can change every area of your life - they have changed mine far beyond my expectations.

This little book can be read in one afternoon and/or for the rest of your life. I read it many times and will re-read it many more times. It is a treasure beyond words.
I think it is best to let the book speak for itself this way the reader of this short review can get a good idea of its message:
"I am the Light of Life within you and I have continued to shine through all the darkness of your manifold experiences, but your darkness has comprehended me not.
"The truth is that I am always with you, no matter where you are, for in me you live and move and have your being.
"I hide in your mind, your heart, your soul, I hide in the consciousness within you.
"My presence as your inner consciousness is just as infinite as my unending presence in the cosmos all around you."
"You are just as surely a Son of God as Jesus is, the soul in each of you is a living part of me.
"Cast away old patterns of thought, old habits of doubt, and keep the image of yourself as the Living Christ.
"If you develop the habit of hungering and thirsting after the Light of Christ within you, filling your temple with quitness harmonious to its flow, you will experience the momentous Second Birth, the birth of the Spirit.
"This second birth will happen when you are throughly and utterly ready for my will to be done in you."

I lost 20 lbs after reading Arnots books. He offers safe and effective advice for folks who want to live longer and healthier lives.

Dr. Bob's "Guide to Turning Back the Clock" is 100 percent accurate and a good motivational tool for both men and women. I had no idea that enriched flour ... is so bad for your body. He has some very good ideas on how to eat and "fuel" your body. I especially liked the sections on roller blading and cross country skiing. This is the "one" diet/fitness book to have at your side. Cousin Arnold is right: "Be the best you've ever been. Now is the time and this is the book!"

Very informative book. It contains a lot of useful information. I became bored with many parts of the book especially when Dr. Arnot went into long discussions on topics like which sports equipment to purchase. Overall the book contained very practical information. I found the diet information extremely useful, but a little hard to actually implement. For a short time after reading the book, I actually did follow Dr. Arnot's eating advice and felt better than I have in a long time.

Sensible and practical. No quick fixes, but collects a bunch of good tips into one place.

great book, very informative, talks about not only diet, but also the importance of exercise and mixing it up. Not just cardio but muscle building/strengthening as well. No BS in his book, everything makes sense. Oh yeah, Arnie recommends it.

It is amazing to see the scope of the body of work he produced during this time period, LIFE was pissed at him Magnum fed up! All the world didn't understand his need to see! This book shows the work in full! wonderful buy.

I purchased Dream Street after reading about the Pittsburgh Project and what it ment to Eugene Smith. I think it's an important book for anyone interested in Photography, Photojournalism or Eugene Smith. The size and quality of the prints is quite allright for the price paid. And the photos are the best part. Great book!

This book was bought for Christmas for my husband who just loves photography. He has had this on his must have list for some time so he was delighted with it.

This book does a great job in documenting not only W. Eugene Smith's four years of extensive research and photographing Pittsburgh, PA but it also reveals a torment man's struggle in trying to capture something that we will never understand since his 6000 photographs of Pittsburgh set a standard for not only documenting a city but he also raise the bar in the artistic expression of black & white photography. The prints of Smith's work in this book are very good and edited quite nicely, included are some of the photograper's letters to his friend and relatives revealing the thoughts of a troubled genius in words that show he could have been a great writer, too.

I'm a Pittsburgh native, though I was born after the pictures were made. Still, I found Dream Street to be an interesting perspective on my hometown. Smith's special gift is looking beyond the typical "beauty shots"- the Pittsburgh skyline, the parks, etc., and capturing images that create a strong feeling of the local neighborhoods and their residents. While the topology of Pittsburgh creates strong local neighborhoods, it's the mix of residents that really gives it character. Local restaurants, the alleys and streets of some of the less glamourous sections of the city, and the sense of history and grandeur of Mellon Bank downtown. This book is a great opportunity to step into the past and feel the grit of a true industrial city. Smith's personal genius - and his demons- heavily influnce the project. We're fortunate to be able to benefit from his views after the fact. Special credit has to go to the editors for wading through the 17,000 images Smith shot to get down to the highlights for this book.

Addiction is an insidious disease which begins with the first pill, the first drink, the first whatever. It builds and it builds, taking over a person who soon becomes a slave to the addiction. Living for the addiction created within until death or intervention breaks the cycle. And even for those addicted that because of their training should know better, they are often just as powerless to stop their own addiction as the drug addict living beneath the bridge. They just use a better class of drugs.

For Dr. Rocky VanSlyke, resident of All Saints Hospital in Philadelphia, waking up after a seizure caused by drug use should have done the trick. But it didn't and his slide continues further into the nightmarish world of prescription drug addiction. His methods of choice being Demerol and Percocet. As he begins to lose control over both his personal life and his professional life, the reader is repeatedly taken back in time to his early childhood, teen years, and college life in a search for answers. There were numerous warning signs in every stage of his life, but like his seizure, he didn't see them coming or what they were.

As the pages pass, the reader is exposed to the joy of escape through addiction in the beginning, which soon morphs into a nightmare as the addition goes out of control. That time when addiction rules every second of every day and becomes subservient to everything else. The slow slide into madness continues throughout the work leaving the reader to wonder if this Rocky will get off the canvass one more time.

As a novel, this is an incredibly disturbing read, which will resonate in those with addiction problems. According to the cover, it is "Based on Actual Events" while in the intro the author asks " . . . to be judged, not as an autobiographer, but as a writer of fiction." One wonders where the line is because the work reads all too real from start to finish. For those who have never understood the power of addition over every fiber of a person, this dark and disturbing book is a must read. Afterwards, it might just be a little clearer for you.

Book Facts:

Duck Blood Soup: The Shocking Story of a Real Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
By Joseph Molea, MD
Mystery and Suspense Press (iUniverse)
www.iuniverse.com
2002
Large Trade Paperback
218 Pages
$16.95 US
$27.95 Canada
ISBN # 0-595-21843-1

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005

upon reading this Book i was feeling the many shifts&twists it took. some books hit you early&then venture off after a while but not this Book page after page it becomes a Jaw Dropping expeirence.a Must read&Very intense.

DUCK BLOOD SOUP by Joseph Molea MD
8/18/04

DUCK BLOOD SOUP by Joseph Molea, MD, took me by surprise. I was expecting a story filled with violence and gore, due to the title. And since I'm not familiar with the Polish culture, I was not aware of what Duck Blood soup was in the first place. This book is the story of a young medical resident who gets himself hooked on prescription drugs. Rocky Van Slyke is a young man who is on his way to becoming a doctor, but takes a detour courtesy of a shady lawyer, Vincent Buddy, who uses Rocky to get prescriptions filled for his own use.

Rocky doesn't see Vince as anything more than a potential friend and the hospital's resident lawyer. Vince uses Rocky by enticing him with the drugs, and demonstrating that these drugs are an easy way of getting high. Being a doctor, it is easy for Rocky to get these drugs by writing up a prescription under false pretenses. Vince knows that once Rocky is hooked, he'll do anything to help Vince obtain the drugs.

The story opens with Rocky finding himself in a hospital and being told he just had a seizure. They hint to him that it is possibly the exposure to drugs. Thus our story begins. Rocky is the narrator of DUCK BLOOD SOUP. He goes back and forth in time, alternating the past with the present. He tells the story of his childhood: His father who was always away in the Army; his lonely mother who resorts to finding comfort in the arms of other men; and his life after his mother dies, in which he takes care of his dying crippled father. The story always returns to the present, with Rocky dealing with Vince and his drug habit, his fellow residents at the hospital, and his girlfriend Karla.

While at first the reader may not see where the story is headed, it becomes clear that Rocky's past has a lot to do with his present. Molea does a good job at creating this person, Rocky, and describing what makes him tick. It also becomes apparent what Vince the shady lawyer is doing to Rocky, and a few secrets come out at the end of the story about this lawyer, which will tie it all together. Vince's relationship with Rocky, at least to this reviewer, first appears to be innocent, but as the book progresses, it becomes obvious that their relationship is more akin to a parasite.

I am recommending DUCK BLOOD SOUP. It's well written all around, and I hope that Molea continues to write, as he shows he's got what it takes to write a good book. Excellent!

It's an old recipe. Cut a duck's neck and bleed it into the soup pot. The new version requires medical knowledge from a drug-addled doctor who cannot escape his ghosts or himself.

Dr. Rocky Van Slyke is head surgical resident at a Philadelphia inner city hospital where the dregs of society, medicine and the law meet and mingle. Son of a whoring mother and a military father, Rocky spins his story like a Quentin Tarantino film in short vignettes that careen dizzily at times from past to present and back again.

Long hours, grueling studies, an opportunistic hospital lawyer, and the demons of the present and the past drive Rocky from the arms of pharmaceuticals via Vince, the hospital lawyer, and his own prescription pad into a self-created hell.

Duck Blood Soup by Dr. Joseph Molea is Naked Lunch with a medical sensibility, clean pharmaceutical grade drugs, and a descent into oblivion without the psychedelic dreams. Dr. Molea writes from personal experience and tells a sordid tale that never raises its head from the sewers. Dark, sometimes endlessly whining, and blatantly unforgiving, Duck Blood Soup sheds a glaring operating room light on the lengths a broken soul will go to convince himself that he can climb from the depths of the pit of emotional hell and back into decency with a needle in his arm.

Duck Blood Soup is the rarest of novels, one that grabs you by the lapels on page one, shakes you back and forth in an increasingly frenzied manner as you frantically turn one page after another, and leaves you changed by the whole gripping experience. This is more than just a remarkably good read, however - it is a shocking warning about the dangers of addiction. Dr. Molea has devoted his life to helping medical doctors and other professionals deal with and overcome the deadly trap of addiction. Drug addiction among physicians is a subject I have never given a thought to, but it is easy to see how the insane pressures of such a job, particularly in its earliest stages, can lead to such a problem. Simply saying that drug addiction, especially among doctors, is a terrible, tragic thing makes the point but doesn't cause the true meaning of the words to resonate. What Molea does in Duck Blood Soup is lock the reader in a literary bear hug, take him on a harrowing descent into the maelstrom of addiction, and deliver a visceral lesson that is impossible to forget.

The novel draws from the author's personal experience as well as the experiences of others he has worked with, yet it is unequivocally a work of fiction. It tells the story of young Dr. Rocky VanSlyke, a resident surgeon with a terrible childhood behind him and a rosy future ahead of him - or so it would appear. It isn't an easy life by any means. Rocky has to deal with the incredibly long hours of a resident doctor, the pressure of holding people's lives in his hands every single day, and the stress that comes from dealing with other doctors, nurses, and younger med students; then there's his somewhat dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend Karla. Still, he might have made it through this period of his life okay, despite a natural proclivity toward addictive behavior - had he not met Vince. Vince Buddy holds some kind of vague legal consulting job with the hospital, and he and Rocky soon become pals. Vince has a problem, and he soon makes it Rocky's problem. It starts with a few Percocets here and there, something to take the edge off and keep him alert; before long, Rocky is injecting Demerol into his veins and becoming completely addicted, both physically and emotionally. Vince shows Rocky how easy it is to get the stuff; all it takes is a prescription from young Dr. VanSlyke himself, a judicious choice of pharmacies, and the syringes and paraphernalia Rocky has at his fingertips every day.

Things go downhill fast for Rocky, and you are right there with him for the deadly ride. Molea understands the mindset of the addict, and this is the source of this novel's incredible power. We see Rocky get deeper and deeper into trouble, watch his self-pledges to give it all up fall away into more and more drug use, shake our head as he continues to rationalize his drug use in the most irrational of manners, even when the cops are ready to pounce on him for his illicit activities and - most disturbingly of all - the very lives of his patients are threatened by his growing incapacity to perform his job. Even the life-threatening trauma of a Grand Mal seizure does nothing to help Rocky see the light. Vince is one slick fellow, engineering many an escape for himself and his friendly drug supplier, but the criminal trail of fake prescriptions and drug abuse these two leave behind them is glaringly obvious to all those who look their way with a critical eye.

Duck Blood Soup is not an uplifting or comforting read. Reading about someone, much less a doctor, injecting himself with a narcotic in different parts of his body, adding Percocet, cough syrup, and other drug concoctions to the deadly mix, working with gravely ill and completely vulnerable patients during times of artificial highs and even more frightening withdrawal-borne lows, and proving himself unable to save himself from the brink of absolute ruin makes for a harrowing, sometimes shocking, always disturbing reading experience. Blood Duck Soup takes you right inside the mind of an addict, and it makes for a read you won't soon forget. I would say that this novel is addictive in and of itself, but that does not seem apropos given the subject matter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pray and enjoy!

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

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

Much study and writing and great empowerment!

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

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

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

Whether you are starting your own internet business or just in the midst of cleaning out your basement, you have probably asked yourself how much you could make if you sold your inventory on eBay. The online auction site has largely become a household name and given thousands of entrepreneurs a platform for starting an online business. Regardless of the size of your business, eBay's Secrets Revealed provides numerous tools and insights that will undoubtedly help you find success.

Blacharski provides detailed step by step instructions to guide you in the most important aspects of making your business succeed. Aimed at the new or existing entrepreneur who wants to add eBay to his or her web-based marketing arsenal, eBay's Secrets Revealed provides specific insight to most concerns that can emerge when using eBay, such as various costs and expectations of customers. The detailed descriptions are especially useful for the newly initiated making the process of getting started less intimidating. Although the book may seem like more information than you need if you just plan to sell a few items, it is still a valuable resource for helping to make sure you do not encounter any of the most common pitfalls.

Full of advise from those who have made their eBay business soar, eBay's Secrets Revealed covers all of the business owning fundamentals as well as special sections on specifically eBay related topics such as protecting yourself from fraud and web-based marketing strategies. In addition to useful eBay information, Blacharski provides an overview of other similar websites as well as their comparative strengths and weaknesses. With concise and well written explanations of all tools and services eBay offers to facilitate smooth management of your auctions and easy transactions, eBay Secrets Revealed is highly recommended to anyone starting an eBay business.

Dan W. Blacharski's EBAY'S SECRETS REVEALED is for any who would expand their eBay business by tapping into expert advice. From watching out for spyware and understanding search engine optimization to cross-selling techniques, this is designed to help eBay sellers expand upon basics.

These days, it seems that everyone's had an experience with buying or selling on eBay. In the book eBay's Secrets Revealed, Dan Blacharski gives the reader everything he or she needs to know the set up and run a successful eBay business. Competition is fierce in the eBay business, states Blacharski, and any edge can translate into bigger profits for a business. This book gives you the edge that other successful eBayers may not want you to know - the secrets of the trade.

Blacharski starts at the beginning by describing the origins of eBay, and gives a comprehensive look at all aspects of running the business, from finding products through business accounting. Blarcharski also describes the technology that will make your business a success, such as anti-spam software, auction tools, photography editing software, and working with search engines.

The step-by-step guide is so encouraging that it seems easy to get started selling. There can be many pitfalls to running a business where the customer and seller never meet, and the product isn't seen until after it is purchased. Blacharski reassuringly addresses common problems and helps the business owner avoid trouble through proper planning.

The book has a colorful, attractive layout. Sidebars offer interviews and tips from the pros, checklists, and warnings. A logically-arranged table of contents steps the reader through the process. The chapters are clear and free of jargon, and the reader can easily jump to the topic he or she needs the most. Cute graphics are sprinkled throughout the book, and crisp photos end each chapter.

A new eBay business owner, or someone considering the business, will need this book. All you need to learn to start selling is addressed within the pages, and at less than 300 pages, it is an easy read.

Ebay's Secrets Revealed
By Dan W. Blacharski
5 out of 5 stars


In the 21st century, almost every American with internet access has either searched Ebay or at least heard of Ebay. There are multiple books out that have a reoccurring theme, which is "make money, make money," but that is about all that is to them. This book not only is a guide to making profit, but it takes you through the in depth steps to get there. It even goes into all of the different branches of information that will answer any almost any question imaginable that has to do with Ebay.

I have found that this book contains an abundance of valuable information to both current and future Ebay sellers. Meta tags are a key tool that are commonly over looked by Ebay sellers, but in this book Dan Blacharski not only covers the topic, but gives examples and even basic tutorial information on the subject. This book truly is revealing the secrets of Ebay.

Reading all of the advice and informative stories from actual accounts is another benefit of this book that gives the reader a personal connection. I also like how the author even gives resources as to sites that are similar to Ebay. I think that any person that needs guidance about Ebay should most definitely read this book. You are enlightened on every subject such as the history of Ebay, how to promote, shipping and handling, and even the legalities.

This book is magnificent, because once you finish reading it, you are truly educated on all of the possible in's and out's Ebay. I have stayed on the side of being a buyer on Ebay, and have never bothered with the selling aspect of Ebay, because I have always thought that the entirety of being a successful Ebay seller was too complicated. After reading this book I feel like I have gained not only a complete understanding of how to be a successful Ebay seller, but I have also gained the confidence to pursue being a seller, because I was finally able to comprehend how easy it can actually be.

eBay's Secrets Revealed
by Dan W. Blacharski

I laughed the first time a buyer sent me postage stamps for a payment. I returned the stamps and told them I accepted money orders or payment through pay pal. She did not laugh. She wrote a negative comment about the transaction and then filed a complaint against me. The litigation lasted for months and I was frustrated and confused. For several years I struggled with my site on eBay. I learned a few tricks on my own through trial and error.

Many powerful eBay sellers were reluctant to pass along any of their secrets. My site was floundering. I decided this enterprise was not for me. If only Dan W. Blacharski's book, `eBay's Secrets Revealed' was available to me way back then, my business would have been a success.

In the very first chapter Dan discusses name recognition. This is an extremely important concept in eBay auctions. Studies show that consumers feel comfortable with items and locations that are familiar.

Dan's information contains simple information regarding keywords that a first time seller may not even consider. The in depth chapter on accounting and taxes can literally save your business. Dan takes a step by step approach on how to succeed in your eBay business.

Make no mistakes eBay is a business and a livelihood for many individuals. Dan lets you know about security, customer service, fraud, payment methods and everything one needs to know to be a success in this burgeoning enterprise. Even the images you post reflects whether this item will be looked at and possible purchased.

Chapter 10 states the importance of positive feedback. This is not something you can shrug off. It can mean quitting your day job or failure. If terms like, second chance, reserve price, buy it now, absentee bid and insertion fee are foreign words to you, purchase this book.

This book can direct a novice, inform a buyer and lead an entrepreneur to success. The money invested in this book will ensure an easy and attainable transition in the art of selling on eBay. This information can also be applied to any other business project. After reading Dan's book, `eBay's Secrets Revealed' I feel confident to once again try my hand at selling and buying on eBay.

I give this book a rating of 5.

A light-hearted and wonderful historical romance!

Emily and the Dark Angel is one of Jo Beverley's earliest books, and is part of a series which began with Lord Wraybourne's Betrothal, and continued with The Stanforth Secret and The Stolen Bride. Not knowing that these books were linked, I read Emily... before Stanforth; I hope that by listing the order here other readers may be helped. (And I hope that some day I can find a copy of The Stolen Bride; I want to read Randal and Sophie's story!)

Emily is a spinster, in her late twenties, who has been looking after her invalid father for many years. Since her soldier brother was posted as missing, believed killed in combat, she has also been running the family estate. Her home is on the edge of Melton Mowbray, a very popular area with the hunting fraternity, situated as it is in the centre of several hunts. (This is the one thing I dislike about the book: I loathe foxhunting).

Piers Verderan, known as Ver to his friends, is there for the hunting, and because he's just inherited the estate next to Emily's. They meet first just as he's been ejected from his (ex-)mistress's establishment, colliding with Emily just as they're both showered in poudre des violettes. Ver offers to escort Emily to her destination, since the collision has damaged the heel of her boot.

She doesn't trust him; and why should she? He's called the Dark Angel for a reason; he is likened to Lucifer. Stories about his criminality and dastardliness abound. And yet he is kind, he comes to her rescue on several occasions, and he makes her feel good about herself for the first time in many years. He makes her feel desirable. He tells her that he loves her.

But can Emily believe a man who has a reputation for breaking hearts and never remaining faithful to a woman; a man who is reputed to have abandoned his own mother to a life of poverty? Can she be brave enough to listen to her heart above the warnings of her brain and members of her family?

Emily and Ver are hugely likeable characters, both with enough emotional depth to hold my interest. There are also some great secondary characters, including some I really want to read about: Lord Randal Ashby appears in this book, with his wife Sophie (and I want to read their story!), and Emily's brother Marcus looks as if he could benefit from a book of his own. Note to self: check if Beverley ever did write Marcus's story...

Highly recommended, if you can get hold of it!

wmr-uk

This book has been out of print for quite a while and seems to sell for quite a lot now. I was very glad to have a chance to read it, if it reaches theses prices must be good, right? Not quite.

The concept is intriguing and so is the "Dark Angel" but the novel is just too short to do justice to the story. I was reaching the end of the novel, and I kept thinking I must have skipped some chapters, some scenes because we are told Vers fell in love with Emily, but quite frankly I still got no idea why. She is nice, and supposed to be witty and intelligent, but in their conversations it never seems like she is his match. So while this type of romance sounds fascinating, this novel falls short.

This book was really good it had alot of humor in it and i love a funny book, i mean the little names that emily picked out for people The daffodil dandy and the violet tart that was just funny, and Ver and Emily were fully developed characters which is rare in s short book such as this, i think this is one of her best books, it had a a little bit of everything.of course it dealt with real romance too not just physical attraction.

I have only read a few Jo Beverley's so far, but when I found this out of print and hard to find regency at the paperback section of the library, I could not resist.

As always for this author, this is a novel that is very well done. The tone is very serious, as is also usual for Ms. Beverley, and her book is well-written, and well plotted, with very real-like characters - in short, a top-notch Regency. But, make no mistake - this is a true Regency, so that if you dislike the Regency format, you may not find this novel much to you liking either.

Emily is on the way home from a business transaction of buying a flock of sheep (in proxy for her father, because he is paralyzed as a result of an ill-advised duel), when she meets up with her "dark angel" - - who is on the way home from his paramour's house. She actually gets to witness a volatile "good-bye" scene between x and his mistress - and gets caught in the melee against her will. He courteously walks her home against her protests - and against her better judgment. The more she finds out about this "dark angel" the more she realizes that this is a person she would be best off having nothing to do with - but there is a part of her that can't help thinking about him - and can't help wondering - is he as black as he's painted? The simple answer does seem to be yes.

Ms. Beverley has taken a rather common-place plot - the innocent and the rake (hence the title Emily and the Dark Angel), and in this book, she has given it a new face. There are not too many ways to reform a rake - one of the easiest and the path most traveled is that he wasn't much of a rake to begin with. But in this story, we are assured that our hero is very much a rake - possibly a villain, even. Yes, he's every bit as black as he's painted, and Emily is every bit as innocent as she seems - but is black black? Is what society perceives as black really black? Or perhaps black is really white... and in Ms. Beverley's capable hands, it does seem that way...

I happen to particularly love a story about someone who does the right thing, yet in an unconventional way, and in a way that is censored by society. I also like a book about someone who was hurt, and uses that as a springboard to develop a passion for justice, for right and wrong - another element of this story.

On the other hand, much of this story centers around hunting - this is set in Devonshire in the hunting season, and hunting is indeed very much part of the story. I have never come in contact with any aspect English hunting, I don't particularly have any interest in hunting, and if I were to see it up close I would probably have even less interest. I understand that the English do have a passion for hunting - but I am the reader, and I found that part of the story not interesting for me.

I also found Emily's innocence a little much - while this is very realistic for that time period, and this does make for some very funny scenes ("pudding" comes to mind), Emily does tend to come across a little of the fool - and I like my heroines to have at least an equal footing in a relationsip.

But of course, this is still a Jo Beverley, and everything you would expect from this author is in this novel. As usual, this is a complicated story, and there is a lot going on, each page is well filled. Her usual brilliance of plot is here, as well. And although I personally don't think that she is the most outstanding writer ever, many parts of this book are very well written. In short, this is an enjoyable novel, and is exactly what you might expect from Jo Beverley, in a Regency format.

I gave this book five stars because of the all the reasons mentioned by the previous reviewers. After reading Michno's accounts of the battles in my area, I am left with the impression that he's been out here walking the battlefields himself.

That shows the kind of dedication needed to make a reference book like this really valuable. If you don't already have a copy, you'd better get one. It's going to be a classic.

For anyone interested in the late 19th century, this will be an invaluable reference and a healthy counterbalance against some of the politically correct fantasies being churned out by Hollywood and the scattered remains of our once great educational system. I use mine all the time and learn something new every time I pick it up.

Excellent chronological record of the relevant actions of the frontier army from the offical govt/public record.

If you are interested in ALL the battles and skirmishes in the west, this book is for you. I was amazed to see how many fights took place in my part of the country. The author has done extensive research, but I could do without the occasional editorializing when defending the U.S. Cavalry.

Many books call themselves an encyclopedia of this or that but turn out to be simply random collections of information on their topic. However, Gregory Michno's Encyclopedia of Indian Wars: Western Battles and Skirmishes, 1850-1890 really is a miniature encyclopedia of the Indian Wars fought between the U.S. Army and various Native American tribes or groups during the period when Euro-Americans came to dominate the western United States.

The bulk of the book (345 out of 438 numbered 5x9" pages) consists of brief descriptions of 840 major and minor battles and "firefights" that occurred in twenty Midwestern and Western states/territories and adjoining parts of Mexico. The descriptions are arranged chronologically within each year, 1850-1890. Drawing largely on Army after-action reports, Mr. Michno's narratives are heavy on facts for each event: when, where, who, casualty counts and immediate results. By providing the names of many Army officers and NCOs as well as significant members of their Native American opposition it is possible to get a feel for some of the participants' careers over a number of years.

One of the most useful features is a 32-page introductory section of state/territory maps showing the locations, tied to accompanying lists and page references, for every action described in the book. This allows readers to locate all the events in a particular locale regardless of when they took place.

A conclusion and appendix section has several interesting statistical tables summarizing the intensity of the actions in terms of numbers of actions each year, the number of combatants involved and casualties incurred. Twenty-two pages of reference notes, a 16-page bibliography and a 27-page index increase this book's value as a reference for further research or reading. In my opinion the most interesting of the scattered black and white photos of those showing the battle sites in recent years, but the photos are not a strong part of the book. There are no maps showing more detail than the simple state reference maps.

Some reviewers lament the author's supposed apologetic view of the Army's involvement, but I didn't read the book that way. The dominant perspective is that of the U.S. Army and other non-Indians because it is mostly from their records, the only ones available in many instances, that the descriptions are taken. The bulk of the narratives are summaries of facts included in the reports (the weakest link, as in any such war, being the casualty count inflicted on the adversary). If anything, the facts often portray the Army poorly in that its often impossible to glean from the description any rationale for the Army initiating a particular action - and sometimes getting beaten - and there are numerous occasions mentioning non-combatants (primarily women and children) being injured, killed or taken prisoner (i.e., hostage).

I don't think the author's perspective on the infamous Wounded Knee Creek action on December 29, 1890 is apologetic of the Army, just politically incorrect. That's because Michno points out not only that the Lakota suffered 128 killed and 33 wounded (a lerge number of whom were non-combatants), but that the Lakota, in turn, were not passively massacred but inflicted 60 casualties (25 KIA, 35 WIA) on their 7th Cavalry adversaries. That was the largest number of casualties suffered by the 7th Cavalry apart from the Little Bighorn battle. Who knew?

My main complaint is that the day-by-day format sometimes makes it hard (despite references to prior or subsequent related events) to trace a particular multi-day or even multi-week or month campaign. For instance, the 1877 Nez Perce War is hard to follow because unrelated events elsewhere are intertwined in the same months. If the author revises this book I'd like to see a reference section with maps and a listing that groups significant campaigns together in some fashion.

Highly recommended as background reading and a reference to keep for anyone interested in the Indian Wars, American history or military history. Makes an excellent companion book when touring historic sites associated with the Indian Wars (I bought my copy on a visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield last spring).

If you live in the West this book is absolutely fasinating. The familiar small city names and familiar places, together with an excellent set of maps adds depth to your understanding of your surroundings. But be prepared for an unflinching look at some very brutal episodes though, this is not a sanitized Hollywood version of the West. This is the real deal from a real deal historian.

We learn to pray by repeating what we hear others say. Our first prayers may be nothing more than a simple memorized prayer before bedtime or mealtime that we learn as a child. I was raised in a tradition that looked down on "prayer books" and instead advocated using one's own words in prayer. Inevitably, however, one would end up using the words and phrases they heard others say when they prayed. A prayer book is essentially the same thing, except that the prayers have been carefully constructed and often refined and polished through years of use.

One advantage of Boa's wonderful prayer book is that it incorporates the words of scripture to form the backbone for one's daily prayer while, at the same time, provides a rotating list of instructions which encourage one to pray, using their own words, over a variety of topics.

The book has provided a helpful jump start for my often lifeless attempts at prayer. It helps me pray when that is a low item on my priority list for the day. It has also helped me develop consistency in prayer. I give these books often as gifts and in the beginning of 2008 each family in our congregation was encouraged to purchase a copy that we might all grow together in our devotion to prayer.

I love the format of the daily prayers in this book and the way that scripture is incorporated into the prayer as well as promptings for personal prayer time as well. This is a great way to have daily worship and prayer time, as well as reinforcing God's word into our memory.

This is a prayer book that turned my quiet time into something i began to look forward to. Dr Ken Boa shows how verses from the Word of God, when prayed in the structure of the Lord's Prayer can transform your relationship with Him. Buy the book for yourself or better still, gift it as a blessing to somebody else!

Face to Face has become a mainstay for my time in the Word of God. The daily scriptures always apply to personal life - always timely. I like the size and covering of the book - I can take it with me anywhere - usually it goes with me daily to the gym. It is a great source of refreshment and getting my thoughts grounded back on the absolute Truth of God's Word. There's always a verse or two that I end up copying on an index card to keep before my eyes regularly.

In the introduction to this book the author writes, "The problem with prayer is heightened by the fact that people often succumb either to the extreme of all form and no freedom, or the opposite extreme of all freedom and no form". I was pretty much in the all freedom trap and felt my time spent praying was wasted a lot of times due to my inabilty to get my mind in order. This book has really helped me to improve my prayer life.

I really enjoyed the way the book is organized with gentle nudges at the end of each section to get you going in the right direction. My previous prayer efforts consisted of me basically free associating. Since purchasing this book I have found myself getting to my point or just finding what I want to say much faster and with much, much more clarity. I also learned work in a time to stop and listen for a change, too!

Another problem I had had with my prayer style was the pure inabilty to pray out loud. I'm not talking about in front of people or groups; I mean just praying out loud, alone, in my house. It was like my brain would freeze when I opened my mouth. Reading aloud the passages inluded in each section allowed me to let my mind get 'warmed up' and my prayer just flowed out after I finished reading a section.

This isn't a Book of Prayers that you just read out loud. Rather, this is a book that lets you pray God's word back to him and then nudges you in a general direction that you fully expand on yourself. I found this book series recommended on my church's website and am very glad that I found them. Just to be clear, the book isn't a Bible replacement or a list of prayers. Face to Face is organized based off the Lord's prayer and is merely a guide to developing more meaningful prayer. I highly recommend it.

Good advice on beauty tips and such in this book. Its pretty ordianry but still insightful and it will deff. come in handy in the near future.

I first saw this book and immediately thought it was just another beauty book that tells me information I already know. However, upon second glance I picked up the book and started to skim the pages. I was surprised to see that it actually has useful info inside.

The makeup section is a bit basic, don't expect to be wowed by how instantly beautiful you look by changing the way you apply mascara. It does, however, have extremely helpful tips if you are in a beauty disaster or just have something nagging you. Overall, It was worth the money and definitely opened my eyes to some new techniques!

I am only about ten pages into this little tome, but it is already packing in the valuable (and usable!) tips and bits. Not your typical "fashion editor's fluff". Highly recommend!

Es justo el libro que toda mujer necesita, tanto para aquellas que no saben de maquillaje y belleza, como las que estan algo informadas. Porque definitivamente el libro te muestra múltiples fórmulas no solo para belleza sino también para resolver problemas del diario vivir. Como por ejemplo para manejar el estrés, para el cuidado de los niños, para las mujeres adolescentes o aquellas embarazadas. El libro está sumamente completo, es una lectura ligera pero a la vez super interesante e informativa. Lo recomiendo sin duda alguna!!

Do you need a little help looking better? Do you have bags under your eyes? Is your back stressed? Do you fall asleep at your desk at work? Do your lips chap when you are outside? Go no further. "Fast Beauty: 1,000 Quick Fixes" will answer those questions as well as hundreds more to help you look your best quickly.

The book is arranged logically: Beauty RX, Hormonal Hangups, the Outside World, On the go, and Smart Products. If you are like me, you flip through a book like this, picking out the areas that most apply to you. Allow me to share information to reveal this book's big appeal.

On page 170 is a Japanese term that applies to a huge number of Americans: "Karoshi"--"death from overwork," aha! To alleviate, take a quick walk, do ten minutes of jumping jacks, anything quickly active to get the blood flowing.
On page 53 is a hint to ward off dry, flaky skin before a big date or just for yourself: use a body scrub to exfoliate. If none is available, use corn meal, oatmeal, or baking soda on a washcloth and scrub as usual. Apply moisturizer.

On page 27 are seven steps to revitalizing your makeup in two minutes if you go from work to a date.
On page 268 you will learn the beauty secret for skin that Italian women have used for centuries. Mix olive oil with blood orange or lemon juice to use as a one-step cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing agent.

I alway look for lavender in these books. On page 264 it is used in making bath salts, a product invented by the Romans for their spas and the means to soothe tired muscles.

I cannot end this review without looking at the cover. The kiwi is for decreasing eye puffiness, the spiral mascara brush is to remove mascara clumps, the opalescent lipstick is to make the bottom lip look larger.

To make the most of this book, read it in segments or find a problem of the moment, use the index to find a "fast beauty" fix and do it. After all, it is your beauty.

Addendum: This book is about beauty. That means men can use it, too, except maybe the pregnancy segment. Men, aren't you interested in your beauty?