Bell Books

When I first got this book, I was a bit intimidated by its size. But I found that I couldn't put it down and the reading went quickly. The story was simple, kind of quiet and emotionally moving. Though it didn't beat you over the head w/the reason why Dawson became ill, it was there and is a message that should speak to all young people.

This book reminds you to change your life now, because we never know what is in the future. Andrea's love for her son, and her son's love for her is inspiring! I could not put this book down. God is truly at work in Andrea's life.

"This is a book you cannot put down! This is a conversion story born out of love, patience, suffering and a whole lot of prayer. This is a story about a mother and son who said yes to God with all their hearts. A mother who like Saint Monica would not give up on her son. She stood by him through it all and offered all her love and prayers to God for her beloved son, Dawson. It is a journey of two souls that learned to trust and love God with all their hearts even beyond our earthly bonds. I compare this story to a rose with many thorns and then one bright and beautiful day it opens up and pours forth its grace and beauty."

This is a great book to help children get interested in history. I usually find history boring, but it was fun to read about characters my own age and how their lives were! Culca is young girl who goes on many adventures around the world! I would recommend his book to anyone who likes to read about exciting adventures!

The Diving Bell is an interesting and exciting book written by Todd Strasser. It takes place in a mexican village in the 1500's. It is about a brave and determined young girl named Culca, and her brother Tulone - a courageous young diver. He dives down and gets oysters to get pearls to sell for his family.
It all begins when the Spaniards come and kidnapp all the young men in the village and take them to a ship wreck to dive for treasure. Culca is determined to save her brother and his friends, and she would risk her life to do it. Will she accomplish it? Will she save her people? Read the diving Bell and you will find out!
I've read this book so many times that the cover is falling off. It is adventurous and daring. So if you are a person who likes suspensful stories, read The Diving Bell!

HI, to all the people that have not read this book it is the time to do it!I read a chapter, and then put it down, then I had to pick it back up and read it! I think that Todd should make another book about the main character, Culca. He should make it about her life and about things that happen to her as she goes on with her life. I would go out and get it the day it came out. People may think it is a kids book but,I think anyone could read it if they wanted to read it.I am 10 yr. I love big 300 page books like that for adults. But this book is for anyone to read. I think Culca was so brave for what she did and how far she went to get her brother.I love all the Todd Strasser books! I love the book Help I'm Trapped In My Camp Counselors Body. It is in way two diff. worlds from the book The Diving Bell. I also can't get over how she said she would dive instead of her brother. How when she was climbing up the rope it's like I felt her pain too!So I would get the book the day it came out if he made another one ! Well hope I encouraged you to read this book!

I found "Don't..." to be a wonderful text for just about everyone. Although it is somewhat condescending, it is thought-provoking, and reminds everyone that there are some things that just should not be done. "Don't..." is delightfully humorous, and a short, quick reference for those who have little time. The book's conciseness does not take away from it's wit and honest commentary on life and the proper way to handle many situations.

This little book is a historical treasure in social etiquette for all ages. It could also be an effective text book in public schools today. While some of the advice is dated (I doubt men will ever tip their hats to women again), the lesson of men showing respect to women as a habit is still a virtue to be cultivated. Written by a man, the book ends with a special chapter on things women, in particular, should not do. All is written in a clever, and often humorous tone.

Someone should compose a national exam based on the book for all high-schoolers to pass. Example question: Where in public is it permissable to smoke? A) Anywhere outdoors. B) Only in designated smoking sections in restaurants, malls, etc. C) No place where it is likely to be offensive to others.

Correct answer is C (p. 52).

If nothing else, this pocket-sized charmer makes a superb gift for anyone.

I take "Don't" with me everywhere I go. It is both insightful and humorous. Everyone can benefit from a few more manners.

My grandchildren LOVED this concept. Even the "suspicious" about Santa 8 year old enjoyed the hiding and the reading! Great gift from Grandmas!

My mom gave this book to our family for our first Christmas with our son....I am a huge fan of the holidays and this book captured all of the excitement and imagination that makes Christmas so much fun. Although my 9 month old doesn't appreciate the book yet, my nieces and nephews (ages 5-12) loved it. This book is great for kids of all ages, my husband and myself included! We have named our elf and can't wait until next Christmas when he will magically appear and report in to Santa!

This book is so creative for children. I have 3 children ages 5 and under. They love this book. My 5 year old was actually questioning Santa's existence until she woke up and found the elf in a different spot each morning and now she's believing 100%! They get to name their elf and that adds an extra element that they can own! Very creative and just a cute story for the everyday household of children. Even the older ones would enjoy making this story real to younger siblings! A must have a Christmas time!

Awesome book that's great for medical students for a great overview of the different surgical specialities. Also includes chapters on anesthesiology. I used it many times throughout my clerkships just to brush up on the procedures and indications for specific surgeries for the different medical problems seen in pediatrics and internal medicine.

Although Essentials of General Surgery is excellent of it's own merit. It is just that "GENERAL". It has limited info about specifics related to procedures. However this book, "Essentials of Surgical Specialties" is much more detail oriented.

This is a great book for third year clerkships and board prep. Covers a perfect amount of detail with simple (not layman) terms. Great corresponding imaging pictures and explanations (Xray, CT, MRI etc). This book assumes a basic knowledge of USMLE step 1 material with pertinant reviews of clinically relavent basic science things. Covers Peds surg, anesthesia, Plastics, optho, ENT, CT, ortho, neuro and urology.

This book is a must see! The artist really have an eye for detail. I love it!

Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell are the best fantasy artists in the planet! This collection of their works depicting fantasy women is by far one of the best fantasy art collections you will find in the bookshops! The art is wonderfully reproduced in the printed form with text that explain their aims, experience and motivations regarding each of the paintings. I highly recommend this book and all of the other Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell books!

100 great paintings without buying 100 books. Simply a great book. I am a big fan of fantasy books and I am very familiar with many of the works from this artistic pair. They have done books, magazines, calendars, posters, and even movie posters and I believe even a music cd cover. Their artwork is fantastic and this book displays the best of their best. But there are a couple of things that make this book stand out from the average compilation of art work.
It isn't just about gorgeous women with swords. It is a tribute to the mercurial spirit of the female form. You can see this spirit in its full spectrum throughout the book. It is sensitive, passionate, battle-enraged, fiery, determined, innocent,or just plain sensual. Each work has a defined theme.
Another thing I really like about this book is the comments and notes by Julie and Boris. They tell you a little bit about the works, explaining the symbology of each work, or what they were trying to achieve. It is a great bonus to be able to take a peek into the mind of the artist and it helps you see the paintings in a new way.
And then there are the models; many of whom are real women like the scorchingly gorgeous Julie Strain or the brainy/beautiful queen of the B Horror Movie Brinke Stevens.
If you are a fan of fantasy art or a fan of fantasy novels this is a great book for your coffee table but this is not your fathers coffee table book! Of all the range of expression the models portray in this book modesty is not one of them!

Fireflies by Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read. I am not an expert on Asian literature; so, I cannot give very much background on the poems presented her. What I can say is that every poem in here is a beautiful and is a perfect thought no matter where it came from or who is reading it. This collection by the Nobel Prize winner is made up of fireflies. They are each only three to six lines long and present a single thought. The poems flow together very cohesively. Tagore covers many different subjects. He speaks of innocense, nature, power, bigotry, freedom, death, and love. In short, Tagore writes about life. My favorite was the last:

"Before the end of my journey/may I reach within myself/the one which is the all,/leaving the outer shell/to float away with the drifting multitude/upon the current of chance and change."

I also liked:

"Love is an endless mystery,/for it has nothing else to explain it."

Few books flow as well as this one does. It enlightens the reader through the entire book and will express into words some feelings that all people have (as good poetry should do). Anyone who loved The Prophet by Gibran would love this book as well. It is somewhat forgotten among readers of today (I'm 18, and I guarantee that no other person in my high school has read this), but it should definately not be.

This book speaks directly to the soul. Its poems are concise yet beautifully eloquent. When I read them, I am re-awakened to an inner knowing of beauty and love and creative spirit. I am also reminded of the timelessness and constancy of truth. "Fireflies" is a book to return to again and again.

A friend gave me a copy of this book when I was entering the India X Peace Corps training project in 1964. "To be read in times of stress, but also happiness," it says inside the flyleaf. That just says it all. You don't need to think you enjoy poetry to treasure this book. Tagore captures moment after moment of the human experience, pierces each with an insight of his own and shares it with the reader. In a sense it bears a similarity to those little books of daily prayers or 'thoughts for the day' people used to hand you when they came to the door uninvited to explain to you what you should believe to mold yourself to a nearer model of what they, themselves believed. But it's a lot more than that. Tagore isn't pushy. He soaks in to your conciousness the way water enters a sponge, and he stays there.

I think a copy of this book ought to be by the bedside in every home in America to be read during those times when the weight of our submersion in this reality seems too heavy to bear, or when the joys lift us too high.

I object to the previous review of this book. I do not believe that the book glorifies anything about war. One needs to take the time to research the names presented in the book and then the book will make more sense. Hemingway had no idea the Internet would ever be invented. He named "names" that no one would have really had access to in his time. We do now. And I am no one to second guess Hemingway.
Would anyone say that Robert Jordan was having a good time? I think not. Let us also remember that one cannot write, with such vivid detail, that which Hemingway wrote about in FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS without actually having been there himself. He knew then and if we would only know now. Hemingway is not for everyone...besides OLD MAN AND THE SEA.

For whom The Bell Tolls

For whom The Bell Tolls is probably my favorite novel by Hemingway. It is a story told during the Spanish Civil War of an American, Robert Jordan, who fights as a guerilla who knows how to blow up things, especially trains. It helps if you speak a little Spanish
Hemingway uses it scattered through out the story.


Gunner September, 2007

It's difficult to point at one work of a writer like Ernest Hemingway and claim it to be the best, but that is the claim that I would make for "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

This is a story that captures both the true spirit and the doubtful minds of war. It portrays both courage and cowardice, in the beautifully descriptive words that Hemingway was known for. His main character Robert Jordan is an American college instructor who leaves his job to take part in the Spanish Revolution, with a strong conviction in his heart and truly believing that he can make a difference. The story encompasses a time frame of slightly less than three days, during which he plots to blow a strategic bridge at precisely the right time. In those three days he falls in love with a young Spanish girl in the encampment where he is awaiting that moment and is involved in a character conflict with one of the guerrilla fighters by the name of Pablo.

This is a well paced story and never boring, with action suspense and romance, all coming together in a setting where you can feel the cold and smell the forest in the way that only Hemingway can describe it. A splendid and beautifully told story that I would recommend to anyone of any age or gender. For that reason I would place "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at the top of the heap among all of his works.

In my opinion this great story is the pinnacle of Hemingway's talent. A must read for anyone interested in great literature.

In order to understand the deep sea of Lewis' thinking and opinions, it is necessary to explore the many streams and rivers of thought, experience and philosophy that contributed to that great ocean of erudition. Lewis was a scholar who read an incredible amount of material in the course of his life. Throughout his writings one finds continuous references to ideas and observations that he picked up from the great writers of the ancient and medieval world, as well as his own great contemporaries. Lewis debts to these writers inevitably leads one to seek out and explore them as well.
In my own case, I discovered two of my favorite writer/thinkers, G. K. Chesterton and George MacDonald, through my reading of C. S. Lewis. The book under review gives one an expanded opportunity to discover and enjoy the reading heritage that was so important to Lewis and to the development of his theology and philosophy. Even more, it allows children of a desicated age to experience and drink in some of the great thinkers and writers of our Western heritage. Writers who, alas, are no longer shared with students as a part of what we used to call a higher education.
Therefore, if you love C. S. Lewis, Western Civilization, or just reading, get this book, read it, think it and treasure it. It will be one of the best investments that you have ever made.

C.S. Lewis is one of this centuries most influential writers/thinkers. This book does an excellent job of giving us deep insight into the writings which had a profound influence on Lewis' own spiritual pilgrimage. Even if you have only a remote interest in his writings or thought, get this book. If I could give higher than 5 stars I would. Great!!

As possibly the most popular and influential Christian intellectual of the 20th century, Lewis has generated great interest in his literary and spiritual influences. As one looks further and further into the subject, there is an impossible desire to read every book that Lewis loved. This book (the most fascinating "Lewis-related" book I've seen) collects short excerpts (most are a single page) from writers who influenced Lewis, thus giving the reader a taste of many fascinating writers and making it possible for one to focus in on a few avenues for further exploration in the future. Looking through the book, it's just hard to believe that no one ever thought of doing this before.

"An emerging global being is forming in our midst. This Gaian entity contains countless diverse species and life forms. Just as differentiated cells organize to form a complex body, myriad individual aspects of Gaia are coalescing into a new kind of planetary unity. This is happening electronically through the Internet but it is also happening at profound levels of biological and spiritual identity. A familiar yet uplifted Earth is emerging: luminous, self-aware, awake as many-in-one. This is a turned-on world: the GaiaStar.

"The GaiaStar Codex is both a vision of the reborn planet and a technology for co-creating it. The Codex's images, reproduced on sixty-four cards, are mesmerizing and renewing. Each card was created by taking a photograph of a natural element (a leaf or a feather, for example) and digitally arranging and layering its shape, colors, and components. As you spend time with each image, some patterns and elements are readily seen; others emerge over time; some transform into new shapes. The cards will lead you to embrace the living world in a new way, understanding that you are in kinship with every animal, plant, and rock in the Gaiasphere.

"There are countless ways to explore the GaiaStar cards--for guidance, meditation, healing, and empowerment--but the accompanying book suggests several paths for your journey. Introductory text explains the concept and creation of the Codex; each image is discussed individually, and specific configurations of cards are proposed to encourage exploration. Additionally, the full-color GaiaStar Map (click on the small picture above to see it. The actual size is 16 x 20") is provided as an organizational tool, arranging the Codex images in a five-phase alchemical journey.

"The GaiaStar Codex box contains:
* 64 full-color 3 3/4 X 4 3/4" cards: MegaSource Cards, Tribe Cards, Essence Cards and Power Cards.
* 104-page paperbound book, 4 3/4 X 7 5/8." Explanation of the five-part structure of the Codex, commentaries on the cards, suggestions for using the Codex for guidance and empowerment.
* The GaiaStar Map, 16 x 20": full-color guide to a five-phrase alchemical journey."--© Pomegranate

I first bought a copy of the Gaiastar Mandala book and after lending it to an artist friend who so loved it, I was reluctant to ask for it back. So I replaced it with the Codex cards and found the mandala like images were also wonderful in this smaller card format. I so loved the images that I took them with me to writer's conference and shared them with friends. I bought a second set and have decided to put them in my holiday cards this year as a small gift of beauty and healing from the earth, Bonnie Bell and David Todd the cards' creators, and me. Put one or two where you can see them daily; they do awesome things to your mood.

I have worked with many divination systems, but this one is truly special! The quality and content of the cards are exceptionally beautiful. I love the use of natural objects in the making of the card mandalas and images. The content and organization of the book clearly demonstrates the authors' knowledge and love of our sacred planet Earth. It is both thought provoking and beyond the thinking mind. If you like nature photography, mandalas, and meditation, you'll love this set.