New Books

The book Cry of the Wolf was an awesome book. It has dragons, wolves and griffins, some of my favorite mythical creatures. My favorite character is Adriane. Adriane is about 14; she has two friends' that are total opposites. My favorite part is when she battles the manticore.
Cry of the Wolf is about a girl named Adriane who lets her bonded animal Stormbringer (bonded animal is an animal that balances their magic) go into the magical world Aldenmore with wolves. Adriane gets worried and goes after her. While she looks for her she makes friends with a boy named Zach and gets a dragon for a bonded animal.
The dark sorceress captures her. While she's in the dungeon she finds another mistwolf. With the help of the other animals in the dungeon she gets out. When she gets out she has to battle the manticore . After that Stormbringer comes back with the rest of the pack. So Adriane finds her bonded animal and goes back to earth.

Finally Adrianne is on action. In the book there is alot of action and suspence though one part is kinda sad. Adrianne and her boned animal Storm hav a close bond when these other mistwolves come and Storm decides to join with the pack leaving Adrianne torn. The warrior then goes on a journey to find Storm. She then is on Aldenmore and meets with this one boy named Zach(human) and this strange rock. Soon they become friends and Adrianne soon learns about his past. Adrianne later figures out that the rock is not really what it seems. So far this is my faverite book in the series and I think everyone will love it.

This book is prehaps my favorite out of all of the books. Adriane is willful and strong. When she is pulled into Aldenmore, even if she feels like she can't go on, she keeps her head high and moves forward. The mistwolves are a major part of the entire series and in this book, they are shown in a new light, slightly harsh and sometimes cruel, but always for the safety and wellfare of the pack. I would recomend this book to anyone who is willing to sit down and read a fantasy story about loyalty, friendship and the never ending bond that is love.

I really like how this one is mostly about Adriane and her friendship with Stormbringer. I also love how she meets alot of other magical creatures-=some friends, and some foes. Her experieance on Aldenmor really helped her come out of her shell.

Adrianne and Storm share a bond unlike any other. Storm thinks that she is the last mistwolf living since she has no membory of the pack and Adrianne thinks that she has some blood of a mistwolf but not sure yet... until the mistwolf pack arrive and Storm sadly joins. Adrianne cannot since shes not a mistwolf and the leader of the pack believes that humans always bring destruction. When they leave that does not stop Adrianne from finding Storm. With the help of her friends the d flies make a portal though Adrianne gets sucked in to the world of Aldenmore. The action begins as the warrior fights monsters and meets this rock and this boy named Zach. Eventually Adrianne finds Storm and the pack accepts as Adrianne their wolf sister so shes part of the pack!

Comprehensive information, stunning photos, and very interesting and helpful, although a bit too focused on diseases.
I recommend it to any goldfish fan, rookie or expert, specially for ranchu fans, because it has an extensive section about them (not very interesting for me, though).
Nicely done.

An experienced goldfish breeder in my aquarium society recommended this as the best goldfish book. I had five others and would agree with him, however, it is not for the inexperienced goldfish keeper, in my opinion.
The authors chose to put all the things that could go wrong at the front of the book, enough to scare anyone away. They discuss diseases, medicines, surgery, etc. If you have very expensive goldfish and/or are breeding, you want to read this book.

Good book, I was expecting a more simple book. Comprehensive information. I prefer a simple book, easy to use, basic but helpful information on medications that help on different kind of diseases. Don't need to know on how to perform surgery on a fish and look under a microscope. This is helpful if you are a professional. Great pictures.

This is one of many books about goldfish that I have purchased during the past six months. It is by far the most outstanding. The details provided regarding healthcare, in particular, are very useful. Other books that I have recently read give glossed-over or simplified descriptions of health conditions, and brief (if any) suggestions about treatment. This book has proved to be quite satisfying in that the descriptions are thorough, and suggested treatments are detailed and specific. If you are considering keeping (or already keep) fancy goldfish, this is the only book that I would recommend, other than perhaps a basic aquarium keeper's guide. The photographs and drawings are original, unlike those found in other books (again and again and again). The author is a veterinarian, and he provides explicit instructions for microscopic slide preparation and viewing if you are so inclined. I purchased a microscope and have used it a couple of times to try to diagnose an ailment as discussed in the book. This, however, is not a necessity. Can't say it enough...this is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

Not much to add to the title. The book is written by experts and has more information than any other book I've read on Goldfish. The author also has a website with even more information. The illustrations are beautiful. If you intend to raise or just have pet Goldfish, this is the only book you will need.

The Fisher Price books worked well for my toddler grandson. He wants to 'read' all the time and these busy books keep him amused. Each page has several flaps to open, and under each flap is an item relating to the topic presented. Great for learning shapes, colors, words, etc. Fisher Price always does a good job. I bought one new one and two used ones and the used ones were in pretty good shape. I was satisfied.

We love exploring the pages of this "lift-the-flap" board book. It's one of our favorite bedtime books for our 7-month-old. Simple, colorful themes - great ideas for using the book when baby gets older (counting, colors, shapes). Right now, each page keeps him engaged...we've only opened a few flaps and he finds them interesting. The concepts are so simple and creative that I'm practicing sign language with the pictures. I'm online now to order similar books.

Both of my kids love this book, it is very colorful and there are lots of neat things hiding behind all the flaps!

We got this for my daughter for Christmas when she was 18 months old. She loved lift-the-flap books, and this (and the other Fisher-Price lift-the-flaps) are the most durable lift-the-flap book(s) I have ever seen: it's a great quality. The pictures are fun, too, and although there's no narrative story, each two-page spread nicely features something farm-related, with lots of colorful and fun pictures: morning in the barn counting animals, chores around the farmyard identifying colors, selling produce at the farmstand identifying shapes, and nighttime on the farm with animal sounds. My toddler really loves participating in identifying everything, and lifting the flaps; we've also taken it on car trips, because it's something that's interactive enough to hold her attention for a long time. If you have a little lift-the-flap lover, this is the book to get them.

As far as lift-the-flap type books go this is a fantastic one. There are a lot of flaps to lift and they all coincide with the theme of the particular page - counting, colors, opposites, etc. When you open the flap and place it back against the page it doesn't cover-up what is behind it, but matches it instead so that the picture is seemless - my favorite part about this line of lift-the-flap books. (Most are just white paper on the backside of the flap and cover up part of the picture when opened.)

My daughter started looking at this book when she was 15 months old and still loves it at age 3. You can read it with your child and answer the questions - How many? What color? - but it is also fascinating for them to look at by themselves. If your child likes to look at books this one will occupy them for a while!

My daughter has pulled a few flaps too far and ripped them (as can happen when you have a book-loving child). I've used clear packaging tape to fix them and they end up stronger than before. If you're careful fixing them you can hardly tell it's torn.

Overall, a great book for toddlers. I would recommend the zoo version also.

Finally a no nonsense book on just how much discipline is needed to live a life based on spiritual principles that enable one to break through the self created obstacles of the human mind and link up to the source of love.
Dr. Shahmardaan has offered a brilliant book for the benefit of humanity.

Exceed your self-imposed limitations with intention and the intuitive insight of, 'The Journey of Life Eternal." An excellent guide. Wise and powerful words from Dr. Bahram Shahmardaan; a masterful teacher who lives the journey. Pay mindful attention to the 7 Spiritual Principles. Highly recommended!

Many Scriptures have described the realization of one's true identity as the first step to communicating with the All Pervasive Divine Being that is within us all. Unfortunately, most Scriptures do not clearly explain how to get in touch with our Real Self. A lot is left to devotion if not blind faith.

This book identifies the Principles we need to live by and explains how we can live with them and thus get in touch with our real Self which is Divine. The Journey of Life Eteranl is a masterpiece of Spiritual literature.

All true seekers need to read this book and practice Principles so that they may at least begin and hopefully complete their individual Journey of Life Eternal. Kudos to Dr. Shahmardaan.

This book serves the needs of arm chair philosophers but much more importantly, it provides real answers to deep spiritual questions for those amongst us who are true seekers. The book gives the tools with which each one of us can realize the goal of life which is open to all.

Dr. Shahmardaan's explanations are very clear and the content very uplifting. The material will both support and miff those who claim that there is only one Master chosen by the Divine to lead mankind back to the Source from which we all became.
Anyone who has an open mind will truly appreciate this book and it may help to open the minds of those who because of their own insecurities and false sense of superiority have shut the world out of their lives.
To help the readers, unlike many authors, by providing his contact information in the book Dr. Shahmardaan shows real concern for his audience.
This is truly a wonderful gift to manking. A gift if received by many will surely help mankind inch its way towards peace and harmony.

The most powerful idea and the most challenging concept was on page 124, where Dr. Shahmardaan presents the road ahead as choosing either: a.) Giving ourselves up to the challenge -(surrendering) or b.) Discarding the book, as our only options.
In a very real sense, I understood then, that: we either choose to take 'THE' road or we postpone it.
In reviewing the points that I jotted down (and found their way into my spiral notebook), I realized that the words and phrases that resonated with me, were for the most part, not things that I necessarily wanted to hear, but things that, (I have now learned ) I needed to hear.
So,in the process of devouring Dr. Bahram R. Shahmardaan's principles and concepts, I would get stuck on words like "surrender" and jot it down and then say Why? (I even looked it up inthe dictionary) The more I kept reading, the more I understood that 'surrendering' has nothing to do with submitting at all. In fact it is its opposite. I now understand that, 'Surrender is voluntary and is a result of humility born of love'.
There were other principles that reaffirmed my own beliefs, and understanding of certain concepts; these were the principles that I have grown into along my journey, and hold dear at this time in my life. Of course no sooner did I feel that I was on a 'pretty good' road, he jolted me out of my complacency by challenging me on yet another 'area' along my road, my "journey of life"
I especially like the way the book ASKS a lot of questions not tells a lot of answers directly, as if to challenge us:
"Are you a Source or an Anti-Source?"
"Do we act out of fear or out of love?"
The reason this appeals to me is that I think the author is aware that people don't like to be told what to do but rather be brought about by 'nudging'
Dr. Shahmardaan has given some very powerful conepts and priciples that can propel us to take on the challenges of our journey with open eyes; concepts that arm us with a different way of looking at ourselves and the world. I like to describe this as "looking through different lenses". Following these principles would produce more peaceful and productive unions within our society:
"Be watchful, not reactive" (If we would follow this advice, it would stave off a lot of family squabbles, violence in families, and in society)
"When the disciple is ready to meet the MASTER, then the MASTER will create the conditions..." (Having this faith, would teach us patience)
This reader appreciates that Dr. B.R. Shahmardaan has taken insights and put them into practical do-able daily 'way of life' for anyone to avail themselves of.

A fun and easy read for me. Helped me see nonduality in a new way and answered some questions I had. Highly recommended.

The hole drilled right through the middle of this book displayed on the shelf at a book store caught my eye, and I was introduced to the wonderful world of Chuck Hillig.

Page after page, the hole is the centerpiece through which 'nothing' and 'all things' can be seen. In his usual playful style sprinkled with his delightful sense of humor, Hillig guides the readers on a journey through the hole and into the whole.

I have since read "Enlightenment for Beginners," "The Way It Is", as well as "Seeds for the Soul," all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed. You will definitely want to read his books more than once, and they will continue to enlighten you for years to come.

He talks mostly about the Void, what is beatifully descriped in the mystical literature (where I reccomend reading more about it).

Is it Truly Necessary or Important to our every day life (what is the most important right now) to emphasize the Void like this, wich is part of the dualistic nature of the Existence. Everything and Nothing, Light and Darkness, Feminine and Masculine and so on.

I want to read those good spiritual books, wich has a positive impact on my life. Not books what will distract you too much, makes you unbalanced and has more negative than positive impact on your life and personality.

I have to say, that Chuck's books have been one of the worst spiritual books I have bumbed into. That's my personal opinion. I don't like he's pushing writing style.

I truly feel like I made a mistake when I ordered this, Enlightment for Beginners and Seeds for the Soul last Christmas. Becouse of the positive comments, these seemed good books. For me they had mostly only negative impact and I don't want to reccomend any of them to anyone. Enlightment for the beginners was the best, Seeds for the Soul worst and this goes into the middle, out of these 3 books.

Stay with well writed books, wich has positive impact on your life, like for example Stanislav Grof's and Christopher Bache's books or Echart Tolle's "The Power of Now" type books, that's my message.

Listen yourself carefully, before you decide to buy any book, don't just rush and buy them becouse they seem like great books. I learned my lesson and I will for now on consider more carefully what books I will buy and what leave behind.

There are many far more better spiritual books than these out there, truly well writed books, I reccomend using your money on them. Chuck's books aren't anything necessary to buy.

Love and Laugh to everybody's life.

Chuck has done "it" again in this easy to read, motivational account of recognizing our natural state...the space of silent awareness within ( the hole) which opens outward to embrace the universe...the whole!
Mark McCloskey
Pure Silence

Are you are looking for enlightenment, peace, realization, total freedom, absolute truth?

or

Do you just think you are looking for enlightenment, peace, realization, total freedom, absolute truth?

or

Do you think that maybe you should be a little more interested in, and committed to, looking for enlightenment, peace, realization, total freedom, absolute truth

or

Are you on fire with the spirit, hotly pursued by the hounds of heaven, and desperate to do whatever it takes even at the risk of your entire life to find enlightenment, peace, realization, total freedom, absolute truth?


Well ... take a breath ... and another ...

Now buy chuck's book.

Get comfortable.
Forget your remembered past.
Forget your imagined future.
Forget all your self concepts,

and

... ENJOY !!!!!


Once again the universe tries to eff the ineffable to itself,
this time in a fun, playful yet clear and accurate book.

Apart from echoing the perrenial philosophy, Chuck also shows the genesis of all religious wars (inner and outer).

From good heart through skilled technique Chuck playfully invites you to realize that there is nothing else you need.

You are perfection ... here ... now ... all ways !

P.S.
If for any reason you can not buy the book ... please at least take the (w)hole.

There is so much wisdom and love and crammed into this tiny book that it's simply incredible. When I read this book just about every night (and yes it is definitely worth a second, third and fourth read) it kind of feels like it is your Higher Self or an Angel talking to you and guiding you in the most insightful and loving way possible.

The book itself is not written like a novel, but a series of mini essays (each one about a page) and that better express the quote presented on the left page. The quotes themselves are wonderfully positive affirmations that can be used in and of themselves but it is the writing that is truly captivating.

I love that this book does not present itself as presumptuous and arrogant in saying it has all the answers. Instead, the author uses a guidance system to guide the reader to their own personal truth and this is nothing short of empowering.

I don't think that this may be the book for those who are loyal to a particular religion, as many things may be considered blasphemous by that person. I do however, highly recommend it to anyone on any level of their spiritual path who is more accepting of the art of channeling and/or has a liking for New Age thinking.

The Messiah Seed, as read by the author Story Waters, is the most amazingly beautiful thing I have ever heard. I have been a student of A Course In Miracles for 24 years, and these CDs are the cherry that tops the beautiful sundae of ACIM. Story's voice is beautiful, and his presentation is magnificent. Listening to these CDs actually stuns me and lifts me to a greater realization of my own power. Story's truth reverberates inside my heart and echoes my own truth. It deserves far more than 5 stars.

My copy of the book, even though it is only six months old, is now about the most worn book in my library. I loved Story's voice on the Love Is Awake CD so I thought it would be great to be able to listen to The Messiah Seed in the car. What I got instead was a whole new level to the book. Its not that the audio version is better than the book but even though the words are the same there is something different. I'm sure a lot of it is to do with the way Story conveys it with his voice. Or perhaps rather than sitting and reading you can just lay back and fall into it. Whatever the case this is a great way to experience it. Each seed has a pause between it with the sound of waves allowing you to absorb what you have just heard before you are given more. If you haven't read the book its a must-read for anyone into free-thinking spirituality as opposed to religion. If you have the book then this is a great way to experience even more that is beyond the words. One of the book reviews I read talks of the writing being full of YES energy, well add Story's voice to that and you've got YES energy overload! Where ever you are this will lift you up through the ceiling.

I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of channeling, and I approached this book with a little bit of bias. Taking each of the Messiah Seed entries into consideration apart from that factor, however, I was really quite impressed. It's almost as if the most uplifting parts of various religions were brought together in a synthesis of wondrous thought. This is a book that you can read straight through, or open at random for a quick bite of food for thought. This book can help you to open up your own tremendous potential in a constructive way. Although brief, it contains a lifetime's worth of wisdom.

This is truly an amazing book! It's written in such a way that it can actually touch your soul - and I haven't come across many books that have the ability to do that...

"The Messiah Seed" is broken down into 70 different chapters, or "seeds", each about 1 page in length (so it's quite easy to read a little at a time if you're too busy to read an entire book in one sitting).

Each of these chapters brings forth powerful spiritual wisdom re: just how powerful each & every one of us is, and how to best use this power to live the life we truly want to live. In other words, each chapter plants a seed in your soul - where it will grow when you are ready.

These "seeds" are definitely worth reflecting/pondering on, and because of this, I think "The Messiah Seed" is a book to be read & re-read many times over.

I would highly recommend this book to those who are just starting on their spiritual journey, as well as those who've been on this journey for some time. Although, I must say that it may be easier to grasp its' insights if you have some sort of spiritual foundation already laid. However, regardless of your background, these insights can profoundly impact your life IF they are approached with an open mind.

What a beautiful and poignant, bittersweet romance.

I fell in love with Olivia and Jai. The history, description and writing drew me right into the author's world.

I first read Olivia and Jai years ago and I've read probably thousands of books since, but I have never forgotten this book or the dynamic main characters, Olivia and Jai. There are also a number of very well developed and interesting secondary characters. Rebecca Ryman is a master of characterization and rarely have I read a book where the characters and the setting come alive to this degree. There are so many layers to the characters and to the plot that each revelation throughout its perfectly paced plot is like a gift of literary brilliance. This book encompasses the themes of love, hate and the sacrifices and devastation of revenge. It will make you laugh and cry, and it will break your heart. In the end, it will restore your faith in true love overcoming all obstacles, all the while educating you about a fascinating time and place in history. My 19 year old daughter recently came home from college for the summer so I checked this book out of the library for her. She at first showed little interest in spending her summer reading, but ended up locking herself in her room and ignoring her family and friends until she finished this book - in 3 days! Young and old will enjoy this book and I can not recommend it enough. I would actually give Olivia and Jai 10 stars! (I'm less enthusiastic about the sequel.)

This story is set in India some 20 or so years before the Sepoy rebellion. Olivia is an American who is in India for an extended visit with her Aunt, who is married to a British tea merchant. One day while trying to escape a boring ball she goes outside for some air and privacy. Ending up down by the river, she crosses paths with Jai Raventhorne, a dark, brooding, and mysterious Eurasian. For reasons unknown to them they are drawn to each other with an intensity that is both exhilarating and frightening. Despite Jai's repeated warnings that he is no good and will ultimately end up hurting Olivia her runaway emotions have a mind of thier own. Jai, knowing he will eventually hurt her, is unable to resist his own attraction to Olivia as well.

Eventually Jai's disturbing warning proves true...in the form of an unimaginable betrayal that shatters not only Olivia but her entire family. For some reason Jai is set on destroying Olivia's family. After the betrayal Olivia's love turns to an intense all consuming hatred. Her life spirals downward and she puts all her efforts into destroying Jai...and discovering the reasons and motives behind his intense hatred for her family.

As Olivia and Jai's hatred for each other increases they do all they can to hurt and destroy each other. However, the vigor and passion that they throw into hurting each other matches the one they once loved each other with. And as we all know...the opposite of love is indifference, not hate!

This story started out much like a typical well written Historical Romance, after the first 100 pages though it quickly turned into anything but. This is an emotional rollercoaster ride and I found myself cheering for Olivia and hating Jai with an intensity that I'm sure would make the author proud. It was absolutely impossible for me to tear myself away from this book at times. The plot is complex and the elements of mystery, romance, and revenge are absolutely genious. The last 20 pages had me in tears!

This is a great book, one of those rare books that envelopes you and you live, sleep, eat, and breathe it while you are reading it. When you finish you will wish there was still more to read. I find myself thinking about this book weeks after I've finished it. Lucky for me there is a sequal!

5/5 stars

This epic tale of love and revenge, set in India in 1848, chronicles the story of American Olivia O'Rourke's obsession with half-Indian Jai Raventhorpe and (as she believes) his betrayal, and her eventual revenge. All of this takes place against a backdrop Raventhorpe's shady background, interwoven with a multitude of family secrets.

It's quite clear that Ms Ryman is familiar with India. However, what she appears less familiar with are the language, mores and customs of the 19th Century. So the freedoms permitted Olivia and her cousin were a little overdone; and neither the thought of a woman being accepted in business in Colonial India, nor of the heir to a title being dirtying his hands in "trade", rang true. And the language used by the characters is far too twentieth century for credibility. That said, whilst for the first third of the book, I was somewhat irritated by these inconsistencies, I did become swept up by the story and just enjoyed it. Ms. Ryman certainly does know how to spin an absorbing tale. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, and the escalating "war of attrition" played out between Jai and Olivia was very cleverly developed. Additionally, Ryman's skill in drawing out her characters ensures that no matter how terribly Jai behaves, the reader is still able to retain some sympathy for him.

So is it a great book? I didn't think so, but it's a gripping read, and provided you can get past the issues of language and incursions of 20th century freedoms, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I eventually did.

The story begins in Calcutta in 1848 as Olivia O'Rourke arrives from California to spend time with her mother's sister, Lady Bridget Templewood. Used to the freer life she shared with her father, Olivia chafes under the rigid morals of British Society, but then she accidentally meets a man reviled by her family, Jai Ravenstone. Jai is a Eurasian with a mysterious past who against all odds built up a successful shipping empire.

Despite her family's hatred of Jai and his attempts at destroying her uncle's competing shipping business, Olivia cannot overcome her overwhelming attraction to Jai and sees him at every opportunity, even though Jai himself warns her of the dangers of involvement with him. Just when it seems Olivia and Jai may be able to surmount the problems of his past and find love, Jai's obsession with destroying the Templeton's takes him on a path that utterly destroys Olivia's love for him and sends her on a path of building her own business ventures to enact her revenge against Jai.

This was a wonderful tale of love and revenge that will have you reading well into the wee hours of the morning, by page 250 or so I literally didn't come up for air until I finished it. There are many twists and turns and quite shocking surprises that will have you guessing and turning the pages until the very end. It's not quite up to the standards of The Far Pavilions, but for those seeking a well spun yarn set in 19C India during the British Raj this is one worth checking out. Five Stars.

First, Jonathan Eig is a tremendous writer! He does have a tendency to detour along tangential lines, but that adds to the richness and backdrop of the drama that was experienced by Jackie Robinson. Eig transforms history into humanity with cameo appearances by icons such as Babe Ruth, Malcolm X, and Sidney Poitier. I felt the sense of pride that African Americans of mid 20th century America must have felt. It bolstered the idea of "Only in America". This was a civil rights story before Till, Brown v. Board.., Parks, and King. I hurt with Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, and a litany of other Negro Leagues stars born "out of season". I smelled the hot dogs of Ebbets Field. I met and loved Branch Rickey. I watched Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Stanky, and Dixie Walker and many others mature. I adored Jackie Robinson for his talent and demeanor. All courtesy of Jonathan Eig, who BROUGHT IT!

A complex, nuanced portrait of Jackie Robinson, told with stunning detail and insight into the first black man to play major league baseball in the 20th century. As an historical account, this book goes beyond myth and revisionist morality to create what feels like a genuine account of a complicated man in a complicated place. As a baseball book, it is wonderfully expansive on an important era with lots of legendary players. As a literary work, it is a top-notch narrative told in an elegant, rhythmic cadence. It also gets high marks for journalistic technique and style. If all writers of sport possessed Jon's rare combination of gifts, the genre would be a lot richer.

This is the second book that I have read from author Jonathan Eig. The first, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, was such a great retelling of the life of the Iron Horse, that my expectations when picking up Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season were quite high.

Opening Day is the story of Jackie Robinson's first year in the majors, and the challenges he faced when he became the first black American to play Major League Baseball. Any true fan of baseball knows the story of Jackie Robinson, his importance to the game and the lasting impact he has had on the United States. But, Eig manages to provide a fresh look at this historical year, focusing not only on the challenges and bigotry that haunted Robinson, but also on the lives that he touched in 1947 and for years to come.

One of the more intriguing stories from the book was that of Jackie's teammate Dixie Walker. When Robinson's Dodger teammates were informed that he was coming up from the Montreal Royals to play with the team, Walker wrote the team's general manager, Branch Rickey, asking for a trade. There were also rumors that he led an effort by the Dodger players to get Jackie off the team. Dixie always denied the accusation, but nonetheless, he was basically a self-proclaimed bigot - worried about what his family and friends in Alabama would do if he played alongside a black man.

Like authors before him, Eig could have easily cast Dixie as the villain of the story. But instead, he details how playing with Jackie helped Walker evolve into a better man. Within time, Walker started to respect Jackie for his toughness and determination. He started giving Jackie pointers on how to improve his game, and later in 1947, he stood up for him (along with all of Jackie's other teammates) when opposing teams would hurl racial epithets at Jackie. Robinson made Walker start to question his views on minorities and Walker came to realize what he learned about blacks while he was growing up was wrong. After that, Walker played with, coached and managed black players throughout the rest of his career, and later said Jackie was "as outstanding an athlete as I ever saw."

This is just one example of the impact that Jackie had on the lives of others. Stories are sprinkled throughout the book about the significant impression he left on his teammates, other players in the league, broadcasters, league executives - and most importantly, the next generation of black Americans who would continue the struggle for equality in America.

Opening Day, definitely lived up to my expectations and surpassed them, and I highly recommend it for any fan of baseball and/or American history - and to anyone who is interested in understanding the important role Jackie Robinson played in the evolution of the United States.

Jonathan Eig is developing an expertise at rehabilitating hackneyed young-adult biography heroes. First with Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and now with "Opening Day", Eig takes a baseball player whose legend has become tarnished by excessive praise, and retells the story from its original context, restoring a sense of wonder.

The story of Jackie Robinson has with time become a story about the heroism of Jackie's white teammates. History now tells us that they bravely accepted and embraced him, over society's disapproval at the ending of baseball's color line. At least, that's how Eig first approaches and then rewrites the tale. In "Opening Day", the spotlight rightly shifts back to onto Jackie himself, as well as to his wife Rachel, the rock at the center of his life. We hear from Jackie himself via contemporary interviews and from his assigned beat-writer from the black press.

The discussion of Jackie's acceptance among his teammates is limited to how they did not in fact accept Jackie as one of them: Eig fails to uncover any evidence that the rest of the Dodgers tried to socialize with or befriend Jackie in any meaningful way once they stepped off the field.

Branch Rickey, who gets rightful credit as the man who integrated baseball, is also shown as the shrewd businessman he is, in both the good and bad sense. Rickey was the executive who refused to trade one of Jackie's most vocal teammate critics, realizing that his pennant hopes resided in that man's bat. He further refused to give Jackie a significant raise for 1948 even though Jackie's presence generated value in publicity and gate that far exceeded his meager rookie paycheck.

Most compellingly, Eig retells the story of the 1947 season month by month, primarily through contemporaneous newspaper accounts. We see the variable way Jackie was treated by the press, and whose agenda affected which stories. A national publication tried to anoint Spider Jorgensen, a strictly league-average third baseman, as the league's top rookie, in a veiled slap at Jackie's aggressive Negro League style of play. We also learn things not commonly told: we know, for example, that Larry Doby was the second black baseball player in 1947, but Eig goes further and tells us who came third and fourth (a cynical move by the St. Louis Browns), and which white owners opposed integration in the disingenuous name of preserving the Negro Leagues.

"Opening Day" could stand to go farther and tell a bigger story. Jackie's post-1947 career and personal life is shunted into a brief epilogue that hints at a possible second book of equal depth. Of course, the space within "Opening Day" is well used: the three chapters devoted to the 1947 World Series are well researched and lively told. Even in a book about Jackie Robinson, the other unlikely heroes and goats of that series (Bill Bevens, Cookie Lavagetto, Al Gionfriddo) still deserve their space.

Eig's extensive research and thoughtful treatment of Jackie Robinson does not vary or question the general truth of his legend: Robinson played the game well under tremendous pressure with little or no support and demonstrated in the process the skill and courage that entitled blacks to equal opportunity. But Eig does add some new perspectives that make the legend far more interesting.

First is the general unpleasantness of Robinson. He's like Pete Rose in his burning desire to win at all costs and would rub some people the wrong way regardless of his color.

Second and perhaps most important is Eig's ability to introduce more subtlety into the story. Eig destroys the legend of Pee Wee Reese publicly encouraging Robinson on the field in the face of racial abuse. That did not happen, at least not in 1947. Robinson is utterly alone in 1947 and has to prove himself to his teammates. Branca is the only guy to make a point of shaking his hand when he first appears, which adds to Branca's own legend as a man of character, but even Branca essentially ignores him for much of the season. Some of this is racial, of course. But some of it is the culture of baseball: a rookie must prove himself.

Robinson's ability to peform in these circumstances, under the most tremendous pressure possible, adds to his legend and makes his 1947 season perhaps the most admirable of all seasons. Eig is also good at introducing subtlety into the legends surrounding Robinson's oppressors. There is some rumbling on the team, but that quickly dissipates. Most interesting is the role of star player Dixie Walker. Walker felt compelled by his southern roots, and by his desire not to have his business punished in the south, to make a point of objecting and asking for a trade. But thereafter, he drops the protest. The problem for Robinson was not simply the obvious bigotry, but his freeze-out by the rest of his team until he could prove himself under the most trying of circumstances. Walker may have given Robinson a few batting tips and may have dropped his trade demands, but neither he nor anyone else took Robinson under his wing. Even in baseball's demanding culture of ritualized abuse of rookies, a rookie will eventually be taken under someone's wing. Robinson did not have that benefit.

The protests of other teams has also been exaggerated. It appears that there were some murmuring on the Cardinals to try to boycott Dodger games, but that fizzled before it started. The Phillies were grossly racist in their bench jockeying, but backed off early in the season. The Yankees in the 1947 World Series had a few nasty bench jockeys.

What emerges from all this is the pain of the gross racism aggravated by the agonizing loneliness of Robinson as he has to endure everything and prove himself. Eig convincingly shows that by the end of 1947, Robinson succeeded in proving himself and was the MVP of this team. Only then was he accepted by Pee Wee Reese, the team's captain.

All of which demonstrates Branch Rickey's wisdom in choosing Robinson as the man to break the color barrier. Robinson had mental toughness and competitive fire. The rap on black athletes was that they were not mentally tough, and Robinson was exactly the right guy to disprove that myth. Choosing a more passive personality would not have made the point, and choosing a less disciplined soul who would have got into physical fights in 1947 would not have worked either. But it is interesting to learn how Robinson sometimes crossed the line (such as spiking Rizzuto in the 1947 Series) and how close Robinson came to losing it.

Robinson emerges as a complex and truly great man in this narrative. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright was first published in 1941, and though it was written many years ago, is as delightful now as it was then. It's a story about a family who loves each other, works hard and strives to do the right thing. How refreshing!

Mona (13), Rush (12), Miranda (10 ½), who is known as Randy, and Oliver (6) live in New Your City in a brownstone that is rather shabby, but has many floors and fits their lifestyle perfectly. The Melendy children's mother died, but their father and Cuffy, the beloved housekeeper, provide the love, attention and care the children need.

Each of the children has dreams and desires for their futures. Their interests are varied and they each are independent and inquisitive about life and their surroundings.

But while the Melendy children find life generally interesting, Saturdays can sometimes be just plain boring. The children form a club they call the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club (I.S.A.A.C.). All of the children agree to pool their allowances and each child takes a Saturday with all the money to do something by themselves that they really want to do.

The Saturdays are exciting, not just because of the activities they choose, but because of the people they meet and the stories they hear. Well, Oliver does make one Saturday particularly memorable, but you'll have to read the book to learn about his adventure.

In the day of the novels that glamorize the worst society has to offer, The Saturdays is delightfully refreshing.

Armchair Interviews says: Read the series and enjoy!

This book is different in a good way. It is about 4 children who decide to put there allowences to a good use. Every Saturday the add up there allowence and one of the children gets to do any thing that they will always remember.
By,
Girl With A Plan

I had doubts for this book because it didn't sound very interesting but my Mom wanted me to read it so I did-I loved it. It's original and imaginative and above all easy to read for hours without getting bored. It's original and fun like the story of Mrs. Olifount being kidnapped by jypsies, or Isaac the dog saving the family from suffocating. It's a wonderful book I can't wait to read the sequils.

When I was nine years old I picked up a copy of Elizabeth Enright's "The Melendy Family" on sale for 25 cents at my school Christmas fair, donated by some eighth-grader who evidently felt she had "outgrown" it. I wonder, does anybody ever outgrow the Melendys? "The Melendy Family" was a three-in-one volume comprising "The Saturdays", "The Four Story Mistake", and "Then There were Five". Alas, "The Melendy Family" is no longer in print, but fifty years later, I still have my copy, read to shreds, patched and repatched with scotch tape, a book to be treasured forever and never thrown away. Fortunately, the books making up "The Melendy Family" have been reissued as individual volumes available to enchant yet another generation of young readers.

"The Saturdays", the first volume in the series, introduces us to the four Melendy children: Mona, age 13, Rush, age 12, Randy, who is ten-and-a-half, and Oliver, age 6. Each is given a distinct personality and Enright modeled them on children she had known in her own life, her own children or childhood friends. The result is four fictional characters so totally believable that for years after the books were published, Enright continued to get letters from readers wondering if the Melendys were "real".

The Melendy children's mother is deceased, but they are raised by a devoted, caring father and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, who stands in as nurse, cook, substitute mother, grandmother, and aunt, and generally rules the roost. The children are funny, refreshing and unspoiled. Mona has aspirations of being a famous actress and already at thirteen can recite "yards and yards of Shakespeare at the drop of a hat." Rush is the next to the oldest, a musical prodigy with a penchant for getting into and out of trouble. Randy at ten-and-a-half (the half is very important at that age) is an endearing mixture of grace and klutziness, a talented dancer and artist who keeps falling over her own feet when it comes to manual labor. And six-year-old Oliver is the baby of the family, placid and calm, very much his own person, as his story shows.

The story opens on a rainy Saturday which finds Randy and Rush monumentally bored with nothing to do. Randy wants to see a some French paintings. Rush wants to go to the opera. Mona wants to see a play. But in the early 1940s (the approximate time in which the story is set is revealed in the opening pages when Enright tells us that the long scars on the linoleum floor were made by Rush trying out a pair of ice skates on Christmas afternoon, 1939), fifty cents a week allowance was standard, and there wasn't a whole lot you could do with that. Randy has a brainstorm. Let's start a club, she says, and pool our allowances together each week so one of us can spend them on something we've always wanted to do. This idea is adopted enthusiastically by all the children (Oliver wants to contribute his ten cents, too), and thus the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club (ISAAC) is born.

Each following chapter describes an adventure that takes place on each child's Saturday. Randy goes to see an exhibition of French paintings, runs into an old family acquaintance, Mrs. Oliphant, and is treated to tea at the Plaza while she hears a delightful story of the time Mrs. Oliphant was kidnapped by gypsies during her childhood.

Rush goes to the opera, walks home in a snowstorm, and finds a lost puppy that becomes the family's devoted friend and companion from that day on.

Mona, tired of her long braids, goes to a beauty parlor and treats herself to a haircut and a manicure. The resulting uproar by her father and Cuffy seems a trifle overdone, but as Father later admits, it's hard for parents to realize that their children are growing up.

And Oliver, keeping his own counsel, sneaks out of the house when his Saturday comes and goes to the circus all by himself. An even greater adventure occurs when he is given a ride back home by a mounted policeman on a horse, after he gets lost leaving Madison Square Garden.

After Oliver's adventure the kids decide to spend their Saturdays as a group, but that doesn't stop them from having mishaps such as Randy falling overboard from a boat in Central Park, the family almost suffocating from coal gas when Rush forgets to shut the furnace door, and the storeroom catching fire. It all comes to an exciting conclusion when Mrs. Oliphant invites the children to spend the summer in her lighthouse in Long Island.

"The Saturdays" takes us back to a simpler time and to adventures that probably couldn't happen today (no parent in his right mind would allow a ten year old to go to a museum alone in the New York City nowadays), but kids are still kids, and the Melendys seem so real they could be anyone we knew when we were children, or wish we had known. The time frame may help children understand what a dollar could purchase back then (a wash, set and manicure, or admission to a museum with change to spare). The whole series is a gem for every child and every generation. I still marvel at the priceless find I picked up off a bookshelf at random fifty years ago for only twenty-five cents. It's paid me back a zillion-fold ever since.

Judy Lind

I wanted to respond to the reviews below that thought it was either implausible or dated for children aged 10-13 to wander around New York by themselves. I grew up in New York (in Manhattan, across the park from the Melendys) in the late 1980s. I turned 13, just Mona's age, in 1990. I started walking home from school alone in fourth grade (when I was nine, a year younger than Randy). Like Mr. Melendy and Cuffy, my parents' major worry was that I was careful crossing the street. (Reasonably enough, they feared that drivers would not be able to see a small child.) Many of my friends from elementary school walked or took the bus to school alone at the same age. By twelve (Rush's age), I was allowed to take the subway to visit friends from junior high school, and they took the subway to visit me. By fourteen our teachers assumed that we were competent to find the Metropolitan Museum of Art on our own for projects. None of these people were neglectful, and none of them were "horrified" at the idea of pre-adolescents wandering around the city alone. This was in the supposed "bad old days" when crime was theoretically much higher than it is now, and none of us ever suffered any accident. (Although a group of friends and I got lost coming back from the theater in eighth grade, and were pretty embarrassed that we looked like tourists.)

Anyone familiar with the geography of New York City knows that the Melendy children stay within a fairly small geographic area in THE SATURDAYS, and that the areas where most of their adventures take place are some of the richest and safest in the city. Most sensible New York parents would allow their children to wander there on Saturday afternoons with no more concern than the appropriate ones that Mr. Melendy shows. (Be careful of traffic, don't talk to strangers, and don't get lost.)

Ironically, this ties in with the review that says that Enright did not take enough "risks" with the book, by having her characters get kidnapped by gypsies or run away from home. The fact is, she wrote a fairly realistic description of the childhood of the middle and upper-middle classes of New York City....kids who come into CONTACT with a relatively diverse group of people who have had a variety of experiences, but who actually live in a fairly safe, and sheltered world.

As a New York City kid, I was thrilled to read a book that reflected MY real life experience, as opposed to yet another story about kids who lived in houses with back yards and rode a school bus, and generally had no relationship to my real life. I still love THE SATURDAYS for its loving description of a New York that has in some ways remained startingly the same, even though parts of it have disappeared (no more two way traffic on Fifth Avenue, and no double decker buses!). As other reviews have said, The Saturdays is a charming, well-written book for kids, that can also be enjoyed by adults. It's also one of the few accurate and positive stories about growing up in a great city. I would recommend it for all ages.

For someone who is interested in religion and who is taking his/her Kabbalah studies one step beyond the book is delightful. It includes around five different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah and it comments you the reading fragment by fragment, therefore providing you a full understanding of the whole text and also a detailed, useful, and interesting explanation of Kabbalah as a whole, even providing you with spiritual exercises or a way to practice what the text says

Most impressive representation. While the subject is deep and extremely thought provoking, the writer has made every attempt to explain the subject in explicit detail.

I especially appreciated the use of root words in Hebrew to further clarify definitions. As well as the explanation of pronunciation of Hebrew terms, as in where to place the tongue to make the correct sound.

I would like for there to have been more direct instructions for meditation.

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I am not Jewish, nor am I an expert on Kabbalistic text, but I know a precious gem when I find one. As others have said here, this is NOT for the beginning student of Kabbalah. I really enjoyed how Aryeh Kaplan included the Hebrew text, along with a translation, then followed by extensive interpretations of each line. It is an intense read--really enjoyed the section on the 231 gates (ironically, I nearly flunked geometry in high school).

If you are truly ready for more intense study of Kabbalah, then this translation of the Sefer Yetzirah may be exactly what you are looking for.

Rabbi Kaplan does a wonderful job (as he does in all of his works) of explaining the primary text says and of opening the way for further study (through his copious footnotes).

The diagrams are extremely helpful, as are the recommendations concerning the "practical" use of Sefer Yetzirah.

However, even for those grounded in Jewish studies (as a spiritual path, not as an academic field), this work is NOT recommended as a "first step" in the esoteric. Try Rabbi Kaplan's "Innerspace."

One copy is at my bedside. One copy is in my study scrawled with notes, quotes and notations! I found the second copy at a bookstore bargain table! I didn't even blink, it was bought by me. I knew a second copy would give me one to share. This book is what Kabbalah is. An amazing book. Simply, amazing.