Colorado Books

Gerry Roach has written one of the best guide books I have ever had the pleasure of owning. If you have the basic experience needed for climbing 14'ers this book is extreemly usefull. Complete and well written from approaches to technicial route descriptions. $ 12 bucks. Huh ? Oh the one negitive is you would not want to through this book in your ruck sack it weighs about 5 lbs.

This is the definitive volume on all Colorado 14ers. It includes detailed information from locations of trailheads to routes and photos that will allow even a novice to safely climb in Colorado.

I bought this book for my husband and he loves it. He has been to Colorado 3 times and always reads it before he goes and takes it with him on the trip.

This should be the backbone of anyone's guidebooks for climbing 14ers. It is extremely well organized and has tons of useful data. You will not be dissapointed. Get the book and get out there!

I have climbed two of the Fourteeners listed in this book and I wish I had this book before doing so. The book is simply, in my opinion, the best, most complete guide to climbing these mountains that I could possibly imagine. I'm doing four more this month and I've used this book to do all the planning, including which TOPOs to buy and which trailheads to use and which routes up the mountains to take. He provides excellent maps in the book itself and great descriptions of each ascent. He also carefully describes the different levels of difficulty a climber/hiker will encounter and applies those definitions systematically throughout his book. It's a first rate guide and worth every penny paid.

This is an amazing book by an amazing man. It's valuable for Jews and people who want to know about Jews as well. Additionally there is a good section in the book about Jews and Christians and why we ought to get along. It's the kind of book that makes you feel good after you read it.

I was born to catholic parents, later in my teens became a methodist, about two years now I've been doing a lot of reading about judaism.
During the course of reading this book I learned a lot. Specially the last chapter where he expresses his opinion about both faith.
When I was a catholic I was guided into believing that the jews where not really the good guys. What they did was unforgiving. (read any book about the expulsion of the jews from Spain in 1492 and after, that should give you a very good idea.) Until recently (1962-65) the vatican published the "Nostra Aetate" asking the jewish community for forgiveness for past "mistakes" and for the christian (catholic) community to make peace and be more tolerant with jews.
As a methodist ( and other branches for that matter )that part of history "doesn't" apply. Why? Well protestants started around the 16th c. and much later. That doesn't mean that they are saints either, they have their blemishes too. But what is more troublesome about them (evangelicals) is the insistence of converting you over. No matter what the conversation may be, sooner or later the pitch comes. I know, I've done it.
The only way to get along is like Kushner proposes in his book, is a mutual respect for each others faith. (period) His opinion about the events of the crucifiction (refering to the jews participation) might not coincide with many, after all he is jewish, and indirectly he is expressing two thousand years of pain and suffering, unfortunately some of it is still with us today. So think about it, what would your opinion be if you where in his place.
I highly recommend this book to all non-jews and jews alike.

The beauty and heart within this book is amazing. I don't see how anyone could read it and not walk away affected if not completely changed. The author has a way of writing that makes you feel alive. I encourage anyone, regardless of faith, to read this book. I, for one, am giving several away for Christmas presents.

I love love love this book. I am Jewish, but this book really helped explain a lot of things to me that I never knew before or never thought of before. Harold Kushner is so articulate (a quality which I envy!), and he knows how to explain things or present them in a simple to understand way. I recommend this easy to read book to everyone who ever asked me about Judaism, and certainly anyone who is interested in conversion (I meet quite a few people in my line of work who approach me about that). If you want to know more (hence, the ALMOST), visit your local synagogue or look for some websites on the internet (I like aish.com, and I am NOT an orthodox Jew).

I am in the infant stages of my conversion to Judaism, and this book really cemented my conviction that this is the right decision for me. I felt that Rabbi Kushner clearly explained what Judaism is all about to him and, in many instances, to me as well. The chapter dealing with the dietary laws I found particularly helpful and enlightening, as this is one of the most intimidating factors for me in converting to Judaism and living as an observant Jew. Rabbi Kushner's explanations helped me understand the dietary laws in a different way, as allowing the sacred to enter into mealtimes -- which takes the focus off food -- and I immediately began "keeping kosher" to an extent.

I didn't feel that this book slammed Christianity, but I'm not a Christian so my perspective is decidedly one-sided. I did feel that this is a book about Judaism, not about Christianity. There are places where Rabbi Kushner compares and contrasts the two religions, but I didn't get the sense that he was saying, "Our way is better than your way." I DID get the sense that he is a man who feels deeply connected to God, and sees his religion as the source of that connection. While it's likely that a (relatively) small number Christians would read this book, it seems to be intended for Jews -- a book for Jews about Judaism, written by a Jew. The references to Christianity did not seem to be an instruction guide on Christianity so much as a way for Jews to understand their own religion within the context of modern American society, which is predominantly Christian.

If you are interested in learning more about Judaism -- what do Jews believe? what is the Jewish religion all about? -- then I think this is a very good introduction. Rabbi Kushner's explanations are easy to read and understand and at the same time very enlightening. Don't let this be the extent of your studies into Judaism, but it is a fine place to start.

This non-fiction book is about the expedition of John Wesley Powell and their pioneering and death-defying exploration of the Grand Canyon in 1869. Powell, a college professor who had lost an arm at Shiloh, was well-prepared to map the canyons of the Colorado and do a scientific andgeological survey. Unfortunately, he was no leader, and the expedition suffered terribly for it. He rounded up a crew of mountain men and ne'er-do-wells, as well as a few neurotic former Civil War veterans and set off in rowboats that couldn't have been more ill-suited to running the violent rapids of the Colorado. Powell and his men saw amazing sites, but they almost perished multiple times. Finally there was a mutiny in which several men ended up leaving the party and trying to hike out of the canyon(they were never seen again); the others ran the rapids and somehow lived to tell the tale.

While I liked learning more about Powell's expedition, Dolnick has little sense of pacing, and uses annoying modern metaphors every time he gets the chance. The result is a plodding read on what should have been a can't-miss story. Down the Great Unknown has its merits, but the definitive book on Powell and the Grand Canyon has yet to be written.

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"

I've "rafted" the upper Colorado.

Of course that was in a motorized raft, led by experienced pilots, with a map and they did all the cooking and if something really bad happened the ranger service could chopper in and get me (Hey, I *did* hike out from Phantom Ranch)

I can't conceive of doing it in an ungainly rowboat, without a steering oar, having little provisions, without a map or even knowledge of the river (what happens if you hit a 100 ft fall and nowhere to portage?), and where a broken ankle would have meant an almost certain death -- and with one arm.

Truthfully, its amazing this exposition survived.

Dolnick weaves in Powell's embellished account with the other expedition journals to craft a balanced account of the expedition, along with correlating the trip with known features of the canyon. Dolnick describes the tensions within the team -- categorizes their moves, good and bad and tracks their trailblazing passage.

Excellent read.

I enjoyed this book very much. So much that I have loaned it to family and friends to enjoy.

This is a pretty decent book for the newcomer who has never read anything about Powell. I found it less entertaining than my fellow reviewers though, as it follows the tedium of the daily journals a little too closely. I also found the narrative to be interspersed with too many digressions. These range from opinions of the Green/Colorado river by modern rafting experts to accounts of other early rafting expeditions, and a lengthy 2-chapter segment on the American Civil war and Battle of Shiloh. This latter exercise contributes nothing to the book, by the way! The reader is also left in the dark about the Native American peoples, Mormon settlers, and miners who inhabited this area at the same point in time ... Really, it is as if the expedition were done in a vacuum. Even worse was the lack of information on 9 of the 10 men who took part in the expedition. While there is more than enough about John Wesley Powell, readers get only sketchy details about the lives of the other 9 men. Even the simplest details like where these men were born is left out, nor are we given much about the kinds of lives they lived (careers, families, etc.) prior to the expedition (and precious little afterwards as well). Although 6 of these 9 men were, like Powell, fellow Union veterans of the Civil War, but we get nothing about their wartime experiences! We also have no clue what motivated them to join this expedition. This oversight would not doubt have suited the egotistical Powell, but is a serious oversight for a modern historian.

This book was informative but not a real "page turner". The author went off on tangents often that took away from the story at hand. It was not a bad book, but it was not full of the adventure that you would have expected the trip to have been.

This was a wonderful book. The writing style of the author was unfamiliar to me, as this was the first book of her's I have read. I really enjoyed the time period, World War II, and especially that it was written about what was going on back here in the U.S. I think there are a lot of books written about this war, but they are almost always about the battle, not how life went on while war was being waged. I am very interested in Japanese culture and this described quite a bit about the internment camps and the people who endured them. I also especially liked the main character, and her family.

Loved it. Based on history it gave an interesting perspective in contrast to Snow on Cedars which also is a great book.

Rennie is a 13 year old girl growing up in the early 1940's in Colorado. A time of life and place that should be idyllic if not for the war that burst upon the nation. The main impact of the war is that a Japanese Internment camp is created not far from town and close to Rennie's farm where her father, mother, and older brother grow beets for sugar.

The war does impact everyone in another way also. The town's boys and young men are drafted or volunteer to serve and some of them are captured or die as a result of that. Once the camp is in place, and the Japanese move in, the townspeople split amongst those who are bigotted and hate-filled and those who are willing to tolerate and even support the Americans of Japanese descent that are in their midst. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when one of Rennie's schoolmates is savagely murdered and raped even though she is crippled by Polio. This almost tears up the town as the bigotted side assumes that a Japanese did it, while the others are willing to let the Sheriff find out what happened.

The story's focus is on growing up and the challenges that being a dirt-poor sugar beet farm family have to overcome. There is a lot of trouble in the town of Ellis, Colorado and not all of it is due to the japanese. The only other close friend of Rennie's is forced to miss part of her school year to supposedly help out in her father's hardware store when he takes ill and cannot take care of things.

Idyllic, the town is not. Between morphine addicts, murderers, rapists, and wife beaters, the townsfolk are painted in a mostly negative light. Couple that with the bigotry against the Mexicans and the Japanese and you wonder how the U.S. became as accepting and liberal of a country as it is. To counter the negativism we see the struggles of the Strouds and the other few decent human beings in the town who present the best of American attitudes and values.

The various crimes committed in the book are ultimately resolved in a way that is supposed to be satisfying and the murderer of the young girl is found and captured - and, of course, is NOT of Japanese descent - but overall I was left with a bad taste in my mouth when finished this book as it was overall very dark and showed more of the negative side of life. There was very little character development and the main subjects in the book were more cartoons than real people.

I really enjoyed this book. It brought up a lot of very heavy issues without getting to emotional. It was a page turner that had a very happy ending.

I finished this book only because it is the pick for my next book club meeting. If not for that, I would have allowed myself to put it down after the first excruciating chapter. The novel is populated by caricatures instead of characters. There is the wise-beyond-her-years teenager; the sickly, hard-working mother; the overall-clad father who always says and does the right thing; and a host of other mostly bad boys and mostly good girls.

The dialogue often rings false, and the descriptions of scenes and people sometime seem trite. I found this to be true especially in passages involving women who were part of a quilting circle.

I gave the novel one star because the subject matter itself, a Japanese internment camp during World War II, is interesting.

This book is an amazing capture of what has happened to our world. You are able to see what scenes were like 150 years ago and compare what they are like today. The photographers are so exact that people have been placed in the scene at the exact site. If you wonder if global warming in real than take a look at this picture. You can see the glaciers and rocks change between the pictures. It is amazing and wonderfully done. I bought 3 for Christmas gifts and now want to buy one for my own family.

John Fielder is one of America's greatest living photographers, and he brings his love of the Colorado wilderness to this book. His re-shoots of Jacksons 19th century photographs are both beautiful and thought-provoking.... the photographs make it worthwhile.

On the other hand, the text is a different story. Reading a text-only version of this book, one might conclude that the title is a misprint, and that the book should really be called "Colorado 1970 - 2000." Fielder roamed across Colorado capturing the changes in places like Kremmling, Denver, and Ouray, but the text never tells us anything about these places, or why they changed, or why we should care. Instead we get chapters about oil shale and the Forest Service.

Ahem. If I wanted to read about the relationship between Forest Service bureaucrats and small Western towns, I would have bought a book called "The Relationship Between the Forest Service and Small Western Towns." My book is called "Colorado 1870 - 2000." That is what I want to read about.

It's true that oil shale schemes, government agencies, and others have played a role in shaping Colorado in the past 30 years. But before that there were events like the Silver Crash of 1893, the City Beautiful movement, the Depression, World War II, and Urban Renewal. You won't read about those in this book.

The pictures are beautiful, and the text is well-written (if misplaced and unwanted). Just don't expect to learn much about the places you are looking at- except that they are very pretty.

I noticed the review that said this book was worthy of "permanent display on your coffee table." Well, I don't think that will be possible with my book, as the binding fell apart after 6 months. The book has gotten a fair amount of use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've since seen a similar problem with a couple of the display copies at bookstores (which is why they've been demoted to display copies). So I don't think this is an isolated problem. It seems like the book is so big that they didn't make a strong enough binding for it. So just a warning for this thinking of buying this book. The good news is that, on the advice of one of the reviews, I bought Colorado: Yesterday & Today to replace my copy of Colorado: 1870-2000. I agree that it is the better book and now it will be on permanent display on my coffe-table.

There appears to be some confusion as all of the reviews of the original "Colorado 1870-2000" big book are credited to this, the paperback "Colorado 1870-2000 Revisited: The History Behind the Images". This book is a companion book to the original. It takes each photo set from the big book and goes into detail about the location, changes, and how Fielder acquired each photo. These are the things that, being left out of the original, made several people give the big book negative reviews. While it would have been nice (and certainly less expensive) to have everything in one volume, we now have the information for which those disappointed with the big book were looking. While the big book is a piece of coffee table art, the Revisited book fits neatly on your bookshelf, ready to be taken down to answer those questions posed by your friends perusing the big book. I take a bit of offense at having to have paid for two different books, but they belong together and I feel were money well spent; the big book for the beautiful photos and the revisited book for its entertaining and educational material.

This book is excellent in look, feel, and quality. It is intriguing to see how much landscape has changed in 130 years. Many times for the better and many times for the worse. In every case it is very interesting to see two pictures side by side and compare 1870 with 2000. The photographer was very meticulous to capture every shot as closely as possible to the original perspective and frame, which really enhances the "then and now" feel of the book.

wonderful read was given to me with the calling of your true self,both these books have helped me understand, how the spirit world works, the words wrote in these books are psychic mediums who know there stuff and are true,both have give me hope that we dont die we go to another level,
cant stop reading these over so it sinks in.

wonderful story told with style. Couldn't put it down. I want to read everything written by this charming woman.

I hoped this would be a great book that I could share with nonbelievers and have them learn about this phnenomenen. Sadly this book probably ranks as the poorest non-fiction I have ever tried to read. The authoress talks so much about herself that the book became unendurable. It is poorly written and boring. I could not even finish it and that is rare for me! My thought would be to save your money, as I wish I had done with mine!Diary of a Psychic

I just finished reading this book while on a very relaxing vacation in the mountains, and so I think my view is quite clear of negative associations. First, I think that many of Ms. Choquette's memories of her readings and experiences from 30+ years ago are quite "colorful." We'd all like to remember our lives as being so, however, I think that her writing style is quite contrived. And, when she said she had been a student of Jesus Christ himself, I became extremely turned off. Wow, what a totem. . . Her description of herself at her maturity (when she felt she had become a "woman" in the sense of being comfortable with herself) is that she physically resembled Audrey Hepburn. Hmmm. I think we do boast too much. I am happy that she is so successful in her chosen field, but a true psychic would never be so haughty about her abilities. It's just an observation. This is the second of her books I have purchased. I am not sure if I will do so in the future.

In this book, in print, Sonia Choquette claims that in a past life it was Jesus Christ himself that taught her to psychic. WOW ... that is quite the claim. In a more recent book (Ask Your Guides) Sonia claims to have also been an Essene (an ancient Jewish order during the time of Christ) ... so I wonder if she left the Essenes to be a early Christian or if she was an Essence shortly after Moses had died after wondering 40 years in the desert in search of the promised land of milk and honey. This made sense to me until she said on a [...] conference call and I believe on Hay House radio "Trust Your Vibes" that another psychic told her she was a rock star on Saturn in another life or in a co-existing parallel universe reality. This was when I got a tad confused. By the way, the broadcast of this claim was recorded and is available for those who need physical evidence.

This diary provides a portal into a life of a one who was nurtured in their gift. The spiritual gift of prophecy and healing are real and according to the Holy Bible are granted by the Holy Spirit and meant to raise the Church. Such references from Scripture are in the New Testament. Sonia is sharing a way of life that can help people be in the flow of spirit. She is also doing a service in being a guide to those who are unable to fully trust their inner wisdom. In this respect, Diary of a Psychic is a very helpful and assuring book for those who do see and must learn to trust.

However, Choquette makes more than one reference to her being Catholic. Given that she studied religion at the University of Denver (she dropped out to become a flight attendant) and Metaphysics at the unaccredited American Institute of Holistic Theology in Alabama, it is with a certain discernment that I do have to mention with respect to her spiritual ideology. The Catholic Church, at least the Roman side of the hierarchy, discourages consultation with seers and instead tells us to seek true ministers of God. My argument is ... Choquette's spiritual worldview is unclear to me but I do know that divination systems such as decks, clairvoyance, and other means of precognition are clearly and nearly forbidden by the Catholic church (not that they are always right) but you can't claim Catholic and Christian then worship idols at the same time. Black and white thinking I may be guilty of but my intention is to simply suggest to readers to practice discernment with Sonia's words. She is world-renowwend and famous ... but so too is fellow Hay House authors Sylvia Browne and Doreen Virtue.

One more point: In all things ... seek your own wise counsel. Read Diary of a Psychic if you need to know that you are not alone because you see. But remember, the spirit world is real, and one must always take care to consider the counsellor you listen you. Whether it is Sonia, your Parish priest, or a famous doctor. Never just blindly believe anything without discernment.

Final Thoughts on Sonia as a spiritual teacher which applies to all spirit-based teachers, and since Sonia seems to protray herself as a Christian/Catholic-Orthodox I'll use from her religious tradition:

(Sirach 37:7-9 on caution in taking advice)

All counselors praise the counsel they give
But some give counsel in their own interest
Be wary of a counselor
and learn first what is his interest
for he will take thought for himself

So ..... Sirach 37:12-15 offers this additional guidance

Instead, associate with a religious man, who you are sure keeps the commandments; Who is like-minded with yourself and will feel for you if you fall.
Then, too, heed your own heart's counsel; for what have you that you can depend on more?
A man's conscience can tell him his situation better than seven watchmen in a lofty tower.
Most important of all, pray to God to set your feet in the path of truth.

Honor McCall knew when her aunt died that life, already hard, was about to get a whole lot worse. She didn't trust her aunt's husband, Lucas Scythe, a drunkard who had raised his hand to her more than once. And who had begun looking at her with too much interest. On the same day they buried Aunt Harriet, he announced Honor would have to marry him, now. That was all the impetus she needed to run away fast and never look back, except to make sure Lucas wasn't lurking in the shadows. But getting away wasn't so simple, either. She had no money, so she had to borrow some from the church offering plate-she knew that made her the lowest kind of thief, but what choice did she have? She'd pay it back. Somehow, someday, she'd make it right.

Jeth Peters didn't know why the wary Miss McCall got his interest, but after presiding at her aunt's funeral and then seeing that she was on the same stage that he would be taking home to Hearten, Colorado, he couldn't exactly deny the spark of interest in his heart. She wasn't right for him, nothing like his late wife, Selma. So far as he could tell, she wasn't even a Christian. But when circumstances kept throwing them together and he and his mother had to step in to care for her, his growing feelings became undeniable. The question was, would she open her heart to the Lord? And if she did, would that erase the bitterness he saw in her, that was somehow linked to her uncle?

In The Winter Pearl, Molly Noble Bull weaves a tale of fear, redemption, and love where it's least expected. As we follow Honor and Jeth and Lucas through their respective journeys, we see the many ways the Lord chooses to touch His children's hearts. There are quite a few unexpected twists waiting for them, but they weather them all and continue on their path to that jewel of salvation. It takes Honor a while to realize the difference between true grace and simple obedience, but Jeth continues to lead her through it. Lucas provides the real dynamics in his continual search for his runaway niece and battle with alcohol, and I have to admit he was, unexpectedly, one of my favorite characters.

The Winter Pearl is a charming historical that will help you pass a few winter nights with pleasure. I did find myself a little frustrated with Honor for never taking anyone into her confidence, but I also enjoyed watching her grow and battle her inner demons. If you're looking for a book that will deliver a sweet story with some surprises up its sleeve, The Winter Pearl is a good choice.

As the author of The Second Virgin Birth, a different kind of Christian book that states that God is good it is the worship of religion that is bad, I must say that Molly did a great job in demonstrating what the love God can do and how embracing it will change a person's life. Well done, good believable characters, nice story and ending.

Rain is pouring down, the grave of her dear aunt is being filled before her, and her drunken uncle is leering at her from nearby just waiting for the moment he can get his groping hands on her. Poor Honor! That's exactly the kind of pity Molly Noble Bull evokes in her writing, and it had me hooked from the start.
What choice does Honor have but to run? Her choices are few, but God intervenes in the form of Jeth.
Jeth, the minister, and God's emissary of grace--I liked him immediately. He's a gentleman of the kind you don't see very often these days--kind and sincere, and he takes his faith very seriously. In fact, there are several characters in this book that genuinely live their faith and not for legalistic purposes, but in order to reach others for Christ. It was an inspiration to me.
On the other hand, Lucas the drunken uncle, was a surprise character. He's the bad guy--the one you don't want to read any more about, because he disgusts you so much. I certainly never thought he would be one of the main characters. I half expected him to fall and break his neck, or get himself killed in a brawl right off the bat. But Bull had other plans for this scoundrel.
Without giving away the plot, all I can say is that I didn't feel the same for him at the end as I did at the beginning. The author did a superb job with Lucas. I was almost reluctant to like him. After all, he's a no-good and doesn't deserve compassion or forgiveness. (So glad God is more merciful than I!) Reluctant or not, I did end up liking Lucas and never really noticed when it happened. Well done, Molly!
The frigid Rocky Mountain winter setting is a direct contrast to this cozy romance. But it's more than that. It's a spiritual challenge to forgive and to reach out to the lost--even the most undeserving.

This book was written with a Christian audience in mind and shows that by not including a lot of theological explanations of "Christianese" terms. But the heroine's struggles with understanding and trust are fights we all face.
Most reviewers discuss the hero and heroine, but one of the supporting characters in this book was especially good. Molly Noble Bull did an exceptional job in the creation of the heroine's alcoholic uncle. Many Christian books portray alcoholic characters as simply evil or dim-witted people, but not so The Winter Pearl. Honor's uncle is a character who grapples with emotional pain and the desire to numb it. He also struggles with adultery and guilt. The character is not simplistic. The book challenges our cotton-candy church mindset of reaching out to people in sin without having a discouraging ending.
(A look at Molly Noble Bull's website will also show she isn't afraid or ashamed of the stark-clear gospel of Christ and sharing her testimony of what God has done in her life.)
As a reader who reads to "escape" from the stresses of daily life, I really enjoyed this book. It was an relaxing escape that ended with the happily-ever-after-for-everybody that we all wish we could see but seldom do in real life. Books like this one are the reasons I read Christian fiction.

The Winter Pearl

By: Molly Noble Bull

In 1888 a young woman alone in Colorado is always in peril. But Honor McCall has to get away. She escapes her abusive uncle to be injured in a stage coach robbery and rescued by a kind, widowed pastor.

She starts a new life healing from her injuries in the boarding house owned by Rev. Jethro Peters' mother. Once healed, she accepts a job at the house. Sure that her uncle will find her she must save enough money to escape again.

Love and mercy are two things she never trusted or expected. But she finds both in this gentle family that employs her. Their acceptance draws her to faith and opens her heart to love.

Will her past prevent the love she finds in Jethro Peters and the miracle of Christmas? . . .

Reading this book is like snuggling up in front of a roaring fire, drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter night. Molly Noble Bull has woven a tender love story out of a harsh wilderness. And, you will be drawn into the hearts of the characters.

Loved this book. I still recall its story of a woman coming to terms with herself and the world... A memorable read... We should all be so brave in our lives!

This book was believeable and very enjoyable. Barbara Samules makes her characters come to life.

I found this a thoroughly absorbing read - in fact, I stayed up reading until 3 am because I couldn't put it down. The writing is lyrical, poetic and sensual, yet grounded in reality and never over the top artsy. The three central female characters all had problems that resonated with my experience, and all the characters (including the men) seemed very real, well rounded individuals. These are *not* cardboard characters marching through plot complications. The book is at heart a love story about permanent attachments - to men, to children, to friends, as well as to one's "proper job" (as Dorothy Sayers put it). I highly recommend it. I would also add, don't read a lot of the earlier reviews -- they give away too many things, and some of the reviewers apparently read a whole nother book. Five stars plus.

This book bowled me over with the depth. Women and friendships with a bit of romance. What more can you ask for. I don't really get into goddesses etc but I did enjoy all the different aspects of the relationships. What you may think isn't really what it is. The writing had lots of descriptions and made me feel like I was there. I love growth in people and couldn't have asked for a better book!

With all the rave over Chick Lit lately, I couldn't help but think about it while listening to the audio of this book. Most of the Chick Lit out there is about a 20 year old girl trying to find herself. As someone a tad (or two or three) over 20, I just can't get into those books. Samuel's characters are not 20-something girls but women who have to deal with real life experiences that I couldn't help but find myself relating to, even though I'm not usually one for most contemporary fiction these days. This was a wonderful "listen" and I'm sure a great read if I had time to read fun literature these days. I've already ordered another of her audio books.

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
Buy this for Wallace Black Elk's picture on the cover--and for everything inside. Black Elk's state is written all over his face. The man's soul comes right through this book. My spiritual teacher, who was from India, told us to study masters who could impart the experience of God, not people who wrote about people who had experience. Black Elk fits the category of those who know.

This book has a great volume of imformation in to the heart of the Lakota. Read twice, you get more out of it.

Well, it took quite a bit of courage to write this book at a time when there was so very much opposition to sharing the knowledge of Creator with us Waisichus (white eyed folks). In the way that only Wallace could speak...here in these pages he comes back to life as the Genius he truly was. He loved to tell people; "I am only a dumb Indian"...and then he'd laugh that laugh "Hee hee hee hee", knowing that he really had one up on all of us. If you read behind the lines, you'll learn something, really learn about Creator and the way things work on this Canka Luta Waste and behind that Canunpa. Enjoy this book....as this is one elder who has passed on and can never be replaced.

This book is a masterpiece of wisdom. It is a pattern for a way a life that can serve every human being upon their journey on this earth.

Being interested in the wonderful subject of Native American thought and "religion" (spirituality), and having enjoyed other books of this genre, I was a "shoo in" to purchase this book. The personal quality and warmth of Wallace Black Elk pervades each page. He writes in the same vein as "Black Elk Speaks" and "Fools Crow, Medicine Man" but with a more modern, present day approach and color. This book should awake understanding of both past and present conditions of life for Native Americans. It is written in a simple and sincere manner and I recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about Indian thought and spiritual practices.

Adrian Dater's account of the feud (and it was bloody!) between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche is chuck a block full of previously unknown, but hilarious, peculiar (Scotty Bowman is a unique dude to say the least), and riveting inside information and anecdotes. Dater, a hockey writer for the Denver Post, is no homer, and plays it fair, being equally snarky and funny about both teams. Dater covered every game of the 90's between these two rivals, and its all facinatingly covered in this book. Its a terrific read and manditory bookshelf inclusion for all true hockey fans.

There's a lot more to learn in this book than just the infamous brawl that took place on 3/26/97. Player backgrounds, behind the scenes issues, trades are looked into and evaluated. The entire history of the feud from Lemieux's hit on Kris Draper which started the whole mess to the finale of McCarty and Lemieux making their peace years later - in different uniforms. The book is not an elongated read. It moves fairly quickly and if your like me and are interested by facts that no one but you will probably ever care about then this one is for you. I do remember thinking during those days that I wish the Rangers vs. their rivals be it the Devils, Islanders or Flyers had that much heat and intensity. It was the last true NHL feud before Bettman and Company slowly began killing the game when teams were still allowed to police the ice, when referees knew how to call a game (and what not to call in a game). When most people across the country could see these games on ESPN(2)and when fans intelligence weren't constantly being insulted by what has now become the PC world of NHL hockey.

I'm a big Red Wings fan, and while this book looked interesting at first glance, I worried that it would be slanted in the Avs favor/perspective given that the author has followed and written about the Avs since they moved to Denver. Happily, this was not the case, as both sides were evenly covered.

The strength of the book is its coverage of the history of several of the major players on each side as well as a revealing look behind the scenes. I watched most of these hockey games, but I didn't know much of what was going on in the front offices and lockerooms.

My only complaint is that more of the on-ice action could have been added in, and I think that this would have fleshed out the entire book more completely. All in all, though, this is a fun read and is strongly recommended for all Wings and Avs fans.

I was suprised by how unbiased this book was. Seeing that it was written by an Avs beat writer I assumed it would be one sided painting the Red Wings as the "Evil Empire" or what have you. That was not the Case. Not only did it cover the major games and playoff series of the rivalry it also gave short Bios of the key people involved ie Bowman, MacCarty, Draper, Roy, and of course Lemeiux.

Adrian Dater takes on the Red Wings/Avalanche rivalry of 1996-2002 in this highly-readable book. While the subject matter is great, the presentation, bias, and overall content level drag this down to just mediocre.

I'm in agreement with the other reviewer who wondered how anyone could find this book to be unbiased. Dater slams the Detroit print & radio media for being "homers" and for being biased, but then prints quote-after-quote of homerism from Woody Paige, much of which is just patently offensive. By contrast, hardly anything is presented from Mitch Albom - widely acknowledged as the best sportswriter in the country. In addition, the photo section is clearly tilted to the Avalanche side of things, in both quantity of photos and in the captions for them.

This book weighs in at a light 237 pages and frankly just does not include enough hockey in it. The sections on Roy/Lemieux/Bowman are all well-written and contain good information but they interrupt the flow of the book and end up feeling like filler. In the end, every series is recapped in a few short pages and very little detail is given to regular season games other than the famous "Revenge Game" of 3/26/97 and the follow-up ones with Lemieux's return match McCarty and the Osgood/Roy fight.

This could have, and should have, been 100+ pages longer with a closer eye cast toward making it unbiased.

Still, this is a must-read for any fan of hockey.