Aquarius Books

When we look into the skies, are the stars simply scattered randomly across the heavens or were they placed in their positions by the Divine hand of God? Capt demonstrates how the 12 constellations of the zodiac, along with the minor constellations, actually give witness to the immutable plan of God and ultimately declare His glory in a picture language that all people can understand. Inspiring!

I have not read this book. But I clicked on the link for information about the author, and was taken to his publisher's website. It was filled with Mr. Capt's books, and many others on (pro) Identity movement, British Israelism, the superiority of the white race, disbelief in a literal hell, etc. I am caucasion, and I strongly disagree with these cult beliefs, so I would not consider reading books by Mr. Capt other than to see what a twisted version of a topic from the Bible said. Evangelicals--beware! Make sure you know what you are getting!

This book was very enlightening! Raymond Capt wrote his books so many years ago, but he was so far ahead of his time. The past few decades on this planet have been so mind closing. Our belief systems have limited our abilities to search for the truth. We just take what we've been taught at face value and believe it to be the truth and the gospel and we go with it, limiting our beliefs to just that and being totally unaccepting of any other possible way. Capt gives us other ways!

Read all of Capt's books and you will find so many new paths and truths. Don't make judgemnets on his writings until you have read them (as one reviewer has)!!!!

I read Glory of the Stars, eager at first, then begrudgingly. What seemed like an amazing task to undertake took a turn for the unfeasible.
First, I believe that the story of the Bible, of Christ, is written in the stars. And this is evident in the author, but his execution in proving this was poor. The author does not cite his work as it progresses, nor does he order the eras in which the historical data was taken (eg, the Sumerians existed prior to the Phoenicians, or Egyptians, etc) so the history is then changed to fit his personal theory regarding one particular constellation. It's hard to believe that a man so qualified and educated could overlook this basic principal. Not only does that procedure help an argument, it does not leave the readers in confusion over your "facts."

Now, as for the content itself, many of the constellations were quite easy to interpret, his Biblical and historical basis' were simply written. His analysis of the constellation Libra, for example, was very to the point regarding the ancient history of the scales and its meaning in the Bible. However, most of the other comparatives resorted to chunks of Biblical theme and doctrine taken out of context from the Bible, or flat out misinterpreted. Take Delphinus, for example. After briefly explaining the importance of the dolphin in ancient times, he then weakly compares it to Christ's resurrection. I can see it, but it's a stretch, as are many of his comparative.

Overall, I'd say it's a decent read if you are looking to begin a study of the zodiac in reference to the revelation of Christ. It'll at least get you thinking, and perhaps provide a jumping point for reading clearer, more specific works on the subject.

I had the wonderful opportunity to read "Glory of The Stars" written by E. Raymond Capt. His direct right to the point approach eliminates unnessary reading and His biblical insight paints a vivid picture of Divine Creation while illustrating a wonderful purpose for humanity. "Glory of the Stars" illustrates that the heavens searve as a sign and a Celesrtial witness to God's ultimate controll of all things. His detailed descriptions of constellations mirror biblical teaching and show that indeed, the Gospel message is written in the heavens for all to see. I will never look into the heavens the same way again!

Your motivations for buying this book, will dictate the content of your review when you'll be at it. If you are searching for a deeply emotional or spiritual satisfaction / i.e. literature experience, this book may not be top-of-the line choice.

However - if your wish be to just 'pass out' on a week-end and substitute your 'never-ending TV story' with a nice alternative - this book may be just do the job.

I look at this book as a fantasy. I realize that cloning and DNA have opened up a new world to us. We will be using genetic engineering to avoid many genetic tragedies. I am sure we will try to make the best humans possible, but thankfully not in my lifetime. I believe that there are scientific limits to this and producing wings on humans is one of them. Patterson takes a subject and turns it into a real thriller. By Ruth Thompson by "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez |Above The River"

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersTravelersThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

This book arrived in a very timely fashion, and it's in great shape. I was very impressed.

Purchased this book after reading the Maximum Ride series....even though it is a slightly different story, it felt like a prequel, I am currently reading "The Lake House", which takes off from "When the wind blows"....I am enjoying the whole group of books, hope Patterson continues with the story line...

This book is the first of the Maximum Ride books even though it's a different bunch of kids in it. I totally enjoyed it and wish I had read it in order. I didn't find out about it till later on. I wish he would write a sequel to this one and go on with this line also. A definite keeper!

I assumed that because this was an Oprah Book Club selection the book would be good. Not! It was a painfully slow read and I kept waiting for the good part. It never came. I agree with the other reviewers who said there was no discernable plot. Not recommended.

I agree with the other reviews, this books has no plot. I like a book that takes you somewhere. This one never does. There was no theme. I'm very surprised this made it on the Oprah's Book Club list.

I agree that this was a slow read, but if you keep reading you will enjoy it. It was ok, not the best book I've ever read, but far from the worse.

Review by Raina N. Thomas

"Little Clara Bynum has fallen into the river." Within the hour the
African American community of Georgetown had heard the tragic news and
ran down to the murky banks of the Potomac River. The men searched
while the women gave refuge to the fallen five-year-olds mother and
big sister Jonnie Mae.

Jonnie Mae was an excellent swimmer. She immediately took to the
water in the creeks of North Carolina with her Grandfather. She had a
moxie for water ever since. But, she could not get Clara out of the
river.

Set in the mid summer of 1925, Jonnie Mae Bynum and her family
struggle with the death of baby Clara. The family, Willie and Alice
Bynum and Aunt Ina, learn to cope with the loss and show the community
that no matter what life does go on. All the while Jonnie Mae, a
young girl, learns about many coming of age lessons. One of those
lessons she learned about was segregation. Had she and all the black
children been able to swim in the white's only pool, they would not
have had to go to the Three Sisters to swim that day and little Clara
(or Rat) would still be alive.

Breena Clarke brings to life old stories she heard as a child in
"River Cross My Heart". After the death of her own fourteen year old
son in 1989 she wanted her first novel to explain the grief she felt
without drawing full attention to herself. Chosen as one of the
selections in Oprah's Book Club in 2004, this story still has a review
on the popular website. Which I believe it is safe to say it must be
a favorite of Ms. Winfrey's.

When I opened the first page and began reading, I knew this book was
to become a favorite of mine. I was captivated by the rich African
American history that she created in fictional form. The plot
surrounding a family loosing a child placed me in their shoes being a
mother myself (Jonnie Mae and little Clara are the same ages as my own
two daughters). Jonnie Mae, the main character, reminded me of my own
adversities I had at the age of twelve. How, no matter what
circumstances one has to face, it's okay to follow your dreams and
achieve the moxie that's burning deep within your soul. I would
recommend this book to anyone of any age with a passion for a great
reading experience.

"River, Cross My Heart" by Breena Clarke is a heart warming and sweet read. But it is also a tale of courage and strength in the face of adversity. It's a story that says, believe in yourself, even if you feel that no one else does.

Johnnie Mae,is a pre-teen on the brink of womanhood in the 1920's. The neighborhood of Georgetown, just outside of Washington, D.C. seems to be a place where blacks could go and be accepted by their white neighbors. In realty, although outwardly, the white population sees themselves as progressive and 'tolerant', they will not even allow the black population to swim in the neighborhood swimming pool.It is as though they really tolerate the black people so they will have good workers!

To Johnnie Mae, it is incomprehensible, and what's more she can't help but to be drawn to the beautiful pool, even picturing herself being the best swimmer they ever saw there.She's a born swimmer ,and loves the water. She and her friends, are forced to do their cooling off and swimming in the murky river nearby. It is there, during a fun-filled day of diving and splashing around, that her little sister Clara, while under the charge of Johnnie Mae, is lost to the flow of the river.

It is the next year in the life of Johnnie Mae,her family, and the neighborhood characters we follow, from grief to recovery. The trials they must face, and the guilt Johnnie feels deep down. In her we see the strength that a young Rosa Parks may have possessed, as she defies the rules,her parents,and discrimination, and fulfills her dreams of swimming in the 'white pool'. In the trouble that follows, we get a glimpse of where her inner strength has come from. And, personally I thought it ended just right.

It's a wonderfully charming story, with exceptionally interesting and colorful characters. A good look at what life must have been like, for people who were not too far descended from slavery, and a taste of the beliefs and superstitions of the era. A good one time read, a feel good story, and one I would highly recommend especially to teenage girls, who may be inspired by Johnnie Mae's tenacity.

Enjoy the read....Laurie

Having read and reread all of my old Judith McNaught and Teresa Medeiros books to death, I decided to step out and try and find a new author to like. Alas, Fern Michaels seems to be cut from the same cloth as every other formula writer out there.

Here is what I did not like about the book: a. the characters were oddly one dimensional. You never really get to know why they feel like they do. b. The dialog was choppy and the conversations often did not even make sense. Plus, Michaels has the habit of saying her characters names over and over. ("How are you, Jane?" asked Trixie. "Trixie, I'm doing great. Thanks for asking, Trixie." responded Jane. ARRRRG!) Pet peeve. c. Even for a romance, it was SO unrealistic (at one point, Jane has a patient go stay with her godparents because of her fragile state. Apparently, she also completely divulges the patients traumatic past. Doctor-patient confidentiality, what??)

Here is what I did like about the book: It had dogs in it.

In conclusion, save your money. Just reread your old favorites.

I actually ended up liking this book more than I thought I would. I really enjoyed the dog interaction. I must say, though, the book definitely fell short in at least one area...Jane finally found the guys resonsible for the crime, which the majority of the book leads up to, but then their punishment wasn't discussed in detail. Overall,I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it.

This was my first Fern Michaels book. I was looking for a new author. But I HATED this book.

First, the author's writting style is clunky, for lack of a better word. I can't explain it, but the conversations all seem somewhat rushed and disjointed. I'm not sure which is the main story, the heroines search for the rapists or her romance. Then there are the subplots, the dogs and the ghosts.

Second, the heroine, Jane... you want to like her but as the book progresses you like her less and less and less. Her godparents bemoan the "hard knocks" she has had through life and ask themselves when she is going to get a break. WHAT???? In the first place, Jane never got raped during the attack she wallows over for years, just called a few names. The latter apparently enough to keep an intelligent, wealthy and successful woman from going to the police. Jane has a better life than most of us could even imagine. She has a PhD, a thriving and lucrative business and is a minor celebrity in her area. She has godparents who are more supportive to her than most biological parents. Plus they are major writing celebrities and have oodles of money to burn on trivialities, all of which they have bequethed to Jane. Jane also apparently has money to burn, as she is able to purchase and fully furnish a house for a ghost; not to mention throw away a career many people would spend their lives building. On top of that, she has a wonderful and supportive boyfriend who is understanding even though she is a major jerk to him on several occasions and acts like a wacko most of the rest of the time. Despite all the wonderful things in her life, she wallows constantly in self-pity, bitterness and hatred.

Third, the characters are hardly believable. Jane is a doctor and lacks a basic understanding of why medical professionals have to maintain a professional distance and not get personally involved with all their patients problems. She acts so immature at times I wonder how she ever managed to get through medical school or deal with psychatric patients. Her godmother's "tough love" is way out of bounds. At one point the godmother chews the boyfriend a new one simply because he doesn't want to let Jane wallow is self-pity, something the godmother attacks Jane for later on. On top of that, the godmother's obcession with the retired police dog goes beyond believability. The actions of the animals are unbelievable too. They are way to understanding of human speech and all that stuff. It is ridiculous.

Finally, the ghost and rapists story lines were ridiculous. Jane invites 7 attackers to her home and nothing happens whatsoever. So anticlimatic, then the author just stops giving any care to the story and doesn't even wrap it up. It was so unsatisfying. Instead, the story drags on with Jane's idiocy and you begin to wonder if she in fact should be a psychiatric patient. The ghost stories were ridiculous too and told me that this writer could not be taken seriously. I wonder where her editors and publishers were. With some help, this could have been a decent novel. Too bad.

Plain "Jane" is a psychiatrist and so is her would-be-boyfriend Mike. When a troubled patient shows up at her clinic requesting treatment, it dredges up a long-dead trauma from Jane's own past. Can Jane overcome the trauma of her past experience to find happiness with Mike?

While at first I enjoyed Plain Jane, I quickly grew bored with some of the 'over the top' elements in this novel. Dogs are heavily featured in this book. Don't get me wrong- I love dogs, but do I really need to know where Olive is staying every chapter? And whats the deal about the vegetarian dog? The author states Olive is "vegetarian" but then goes on to discuss the dog eating pig ears. Last I heard Pig Ears were meat. What gives?

And then there are the ghosts. Jane's house is haunted by a ghost named Billy. Jane and Billy have conversations together while she sleeps. The weird thing is, this is a fairly minor subplot. Its like the author wanted to include a ghost but didn't want to risk offending people, so she kept the ghost in the background. This made the plot really weak. I won't even go there about the crazy godmother with the police car, siren, and surplus pot baggies.

Overall, this would've been a decent novel if Michaels' had ditched the weak romance, and focused on either the dog plot or the ghost plot. In the end, I found Plain Jane to be weak and ineffectual, 2 Stars.

Fern Michaels is such a superb writer. The characters are very well written, which draws the reader in, and you can't help but become immediately emotionally involved with them and the story.

Jane Lewis grew up to be a strong independent woman who is still haunted by an unsolved death in her past. To be free of the past, she must resolve it. Jane and Mike are perfectly matched old friends that fall in love. Secondary characters Trixie and Fred are well developed and compliment the story well.

As a native of New Orleans, I was interested in the story of the sniper that paralyzed the city in early 1973.

Although "The Aquarius Conspiracy" is categorized as "fiction", I've often wondered if Dr. Schindler was dropping a hint that the publicized version (from news reports, etc.) of what happened on that day wasn't what really happened!

This book was awful. I made one mistake by picking it up and I made an even bigger mistake by reading the whole thing. I don't suggest this book to anyone.

A must read for anyone interested in the origins of human beings on planet Earth. The author is a hypnotherapist. The 'story' written here is taken from past-life regressions, so this isn't really fiction. The first half might be hard going for people who don't read metaphysics or ancient history of religion. But for anyone interested in Civilization One, for readers of Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, Rand Flem-Ath, Ian Wilson, and Colin Wilson, this 'novel' will not disappoint. The story spans thousands of years and explains so many mysteries in human history.

I wish I could get a refund. The title and topic intrigued me but I was quite disappointed, this is not a good read. More a poorly written documentary than a story. I am an avid reader and will read most anything, but I finaly gave up about half way through and did not waste the time to finish. I would not buy another book by this author and would not recommend anyone waste their money on this book... you asked my opinion.

it's a book about their zodic signs and they just talk about where they come from and what they should do.

I am a big fan of Astrology and Astroanalysis - Virgo was one of the first Astrology books I had purchased. When I first read through this book, it certainly made me feel good. My star sign (Virgo) seem to be good in everything and of course, like any amature astrobuff, I completely believed in it.

Two years later, a lil more experienced, a lil more cynical, I went to buy Astroanalysis - Aquarius. My lover is an Aquarian. I read from page to page of the analysis made by this series and I was intrigued that my lover seems to be as perfect as I am. I started to re-read the Astroanalysis - virgo again and realised that a lot of 'feel good' points they had pointed out are merely what it's meant to do... make the readers feel good about themselves. I believe that no one can be perfect and certainly no one can be 'so good'.

Truth is, this series can be a feel good 'nice to have'.. it doesn't help much with real astrological studies. But it's certainly value for money because it packs a lot of information for the amount of money it demands and it does give you a general and generic point of view regarding Astrology.

This would possibly be a good coffee table book.

This is the first book I read by Belva Plain and I really liked it. It's about three college graduates to keep in touch although who have very different life styles. It's a bit slow reading, but interesting to see how their lives develop. The ending caught me by surprise and made me want to read more of her books. I would recommend this book, but my husband didn't like it at all. Guess it's one you either love or hate.

An interesting story of 3 girls who went to College and graduated together. After graduation they remained in close contact with each other because they lived in the same area. Amanda married Norma's brother so that she could improve her social standing and rise above her poor, uneducated Southern roots. Cecile, the aristocrat, married well and remained in the same social circle as before. Norma, a smart but unattractive girl, finally married her soul mate after much waiting. The three remained friends until circumstances beyond their control caused them to react and defend themselves. A realistic love story with twists and turns of fate.

This is my first Belva Plain endeavor. I must say that I really did enjoy it! It was nice to find a story that is just a good story and not another murder mystery (although someone does die). The three main characters were enjoyable, however, I do agree that they were not as developed as they could have been. Yes, the ending was depressing, but I am sure these sorts of situations happen in life all of the time. I have already purchased another novel by Ms. Plain entitled "The Sight of the Stars" and I am looking forward to reading it in the near future as there are about 19 books ahead of it in my "to read" stack. I recommend this one without reservation, a good, fast, engaging read.
Guy De Rosa
Los Angeles, California

Belva Plain came highly recommended, and my book club chose "Looking Back" for the month's selection. Many of the ladies in the book club had read Belva Plain previously and had loved everything they read.

That said, I was sorely disappointed in "Looking Back." It read like a shallow romance....and that was evident from the very beginning. There's the pretty girl from bad roots, the elegant rich girl, and the rich girl with too-large calves. They're all friends in college and begin their adult lives near each other.

The story is so obvious. You know what's going to happen before it happens. You don't guess what's going to happen -- you KNOW what's going to happen. The book truly has zero depth.

The writing style isn't special. The characters are under-developed. My recommendation is to move on to another book before even wasting your time.

I happened to borrow the audio version of this from my library, and I should preface this by saying I had no prior interest in Belva Plain, as she does not fit into the typical categories I might seek out for an interesting read. That being said, this is an utterly dull story. There is nothing believable about the relationships that form in the book, and the lack of drama is astounding. NOTHING HAPPENS AT ALL till the very end of the book, and by then you are so bored your brain has no response left. I'm sure there must be something that other readers find appealing, as she seems to have a large following, but if this is any testament to the scope of her writing, I will pass on future editions of her work.

On top of the terrible story line, the reader of the audio book has terrible presentation, which makes the whole thing even more grueling. Given that I am in the car two hours a day commuting, this was almost more painful than having to drive in silence. Really, I can't imagine where they picked her up from either (although I suppose all the class A orators wouldn't touch this book, and probably couldn't have helped much anyway). It's almost funny to listen to her interpretation of any of the men in the story.

Coyle could have written an acctually interesting book if he had skipped about 250 pages. i read and read and read some more waiting for something resembling Action to occur. Only in the last 50 pages does anything even mildly interesting happen.

I couldn't finish it I was so annoyed by the silly plot and the editing. Seriously. Was the manuscript even proofed? I've never seen anything quite this awful.

For crying out loud use a spell checker and get an editor who speaks English as their primary language! A great yarn was ruined because the finished text reads like Coyle dictated the book to a typist in Bangalore. Referring to an elusive enemy as "illusive" is ridiculous. Then there's the gaping "maul" of a C-17. A maul is a type of sledgehammer; what gapes on a C-17 is a maw. "Caulk" for chalk, "absconded" for ensconced - the list goes on. I finally got a pen and started editing the book myself. At more than fifty corrections halfway through I stopped and threw the book away. What a disappointment from a previously stellar author.

This looks like a first draft written by a bored author who was getting paid by the word. Since I only made it halfway through this book, I may not be qualified to comment, but opening a page at random just now, here is the first sentence I saw:

For one thing any such discussion would have been between two men who were more than father and son since Scott Dixon was a very senior general who wielded enormous power within the Machiavellian world of back-alley Army politics and Nathan was a professional soldier who was expected to display the same sort of loyalty to his superiors that he expected from his own subordinates.

Most of the book is like this - a series of trite, adjective-infested sentences limping painfully toward a predictable conclusion.

Perhaps some re-editing has taken place because the mistakes that earlier reviews complained about were not obvious in the version I just completed. A definite improvement over "They were soldiers". One event that took place set me back pretty hard. I too have been following the Dixon hero since the beginning and I cannot fathom how an author is able to do that to his bread and butter protagonist after 2 decades of dedicated service.