Mythology and Folklore Books

There are not very many fairy tales geared towards the real woman and the real woman's needs and life journey. Most fairy tales with female characters are based around the real man's inner woman - the anima. Von Franz accurately points out some of the fairy tales which point the way to healing for women, and delves into the meaning of their symbols. Even those who only have a rudimentary idea of Jungian concepts would learn a lot from The Feminine in Fairy Tales. I have read the book several times, learning more and more from each reading. I highly recommend it.

This book is a rich source of understanding for anyone interested in working to understand the deeper meanings of fairy tales in the cultures of the world.

There are not very many fairy tales geared towards the real woman and the real woman's needs and life journey. Most fairy tales with female characters are based around the real man's inner woman - the anima. Von Franz accurately points out some of the fairy tales which point the way to healing for women, and delves into the meaning of their symbols. Even those who only have a rudimentary idea of Jungian concepts would learn a lot from The Feminine in Fairy Tales. I have read the book several times, learning more and more from each reading. I highly recommend it.

"The Final Goodbye" is a book that will make yourethink, your treatment of people you love dearly, After reading thewords of the ten year old character in the book, I am going to be more understanding of my children and love ones. It is a good read, I read it twice and thinking about reading it again for the third time.

"The Final Goodbye is an excellent book to read, it is an inspiring and uplighting book that tells the story of one woman struggle to gain control of her young life. You're missing a treat by not purchasing this book.Jim

The Final Goodbye is worth the money spent for its purchase, I read the entire book before putting it down. The author, is very skilled in her craft, she makes her characters come alive, strongly recommend this book as a noteworthy read.

Diane Wolkstein is a consumate storyteller. I only wish I could hear her read/tell these stories aloud. In this book, she brings to life lovers who have been gone for millennia! The Song of Songs has never sounded so alive and passionate. You search with Isis and pine with Iseult. Read these stories, then do yourself the favor of reading them out loud (to yourself or to anyone who'll listen)

First and Only Loves .... read this and you will want to stay single rather than be with nothing less than your true life mate love! WOW ... powerful archetypes for the kind of connection we all deserve in our primary relationship.

"Let me not be cured of love, but let my passion grow! Make my love a hundred times greater than it is today! And let me love for love's sake!"

"The First Love Stories" are beautiful, humorous and mysterious stories that go all the way back to 2500 B.C. Each story presents a different aspect of love.

The Stories include:

Isis and Osiris (Egyptian)
Inanna and Dumzi (Sumerian)
Shiva and Sati (Hindu)
The Song of Songs (Hebrew)
Psyche and Eros (Greco-Roman)
Layla and Majnun (Arabic-Persian)
Tristan and Iseult (Celtic-European)

In "Isis and Osiris" we find love that is stronger than the forces of nature and the sunboat of a million years. In "Shiva and Sati" we find out how to tame the mind and the eternal dance of the universe. "The Songs of Songs" is a Hebrew celebration of the sensuous where lovers want to run to one another and run away. In "Layla and Majnum" we find the path of the soul and loving for love's sake. The struggle for loyalty is expressed in the story of "Tristan and Iseult."

Diane read these stories to adults by candlelight. How amazing it would be to have someone read you these stories in a theatre by candlelight!

Each story will affect you differently. During some of the writing, Diane herself underwent a transformation. As she worked on "Layla and Majnn" she was going through a period of her own personal grief and sadness and somehow working on the story helped to ease her own pain. She was nourished, inspired and comforted by these mysterious stories.

A Glossary is included to explain words like "Ankh" or "ka." The Folklore notes at the end of the book are helpful for understanding the stories. For example, Diane explains how there is not extant Egyptian text called "Isis and Osiris." She composed the story by choosing selections from Egyptian and Greek texts. Her story of "Inanna and Dumuzi" is based on Sumerian love song, poems and stories. "Psyche and Eros" is a retelling of the story based on Philip Shutz's literal translation from the Latin of Apuleius' fairy tale. She uses the word "eros" instead of "amor" because it has a more evocative quality.

I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mythology or love stories.

~The Rebecca Review

Lynn Andrews tells a great story with a liberal sprinkling of Native American wisdom to give it heft and meaning. PLEASE don't make the mistake, as I did, of reading this before reading the first book in the series, Medicine Woman. The latter really sets the stage for all that follows, and the chronology is important in the first two efforts, in my opinion.

Whether or not you read these books as fiction or non-fiction, is not paramount to their strengths. Lynn Andrews is similar to the wonderful Carlos Casteneda, but more accessible, I would venture to say. These works succeed on several levels, and have rightly remained very popular.
Read and enjoy!

In Flight of the Seventh Moon, Lynn Andrews compellingly chronicles her continuing apprenticeship to the Native American shaman Agnes Whistling Elk and her spiritual quest for the ancient wisdom of woman. This companion volume to the highly praised Medicine Woman details the circumstances that urged Lynn Andrews once again to leave her home in southern California and return to Manitoba, where she had first been introduced to Native American lore and the tribal shaman ways.

In the aftermath of all that befell her, culminating in her dramatic recovery of the sacred marriage basket from the powerful sorcerer Red Dog, Lynn discovers that she needs further protection from the treacherous Red Dog. She recognizes also that her safety depends upon the strength and insights that can only come with deeper commitment to the medicine path. Thus, in Flight of the Seventh Moon, we journey with her back to Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs, under whose guidance she begins her initiation into the teaching of the shields -the ancient path of protection and power handed down from generation to generation of Native American women.

Through a series of visions and ceremonies, Agnes and Ruby led their apprentice to profound new understanding of her womanliness and selfhood. As part of the learning process, Lynn is introduced to Grandmother Walking Stick, "a crystal medicine woman...a warrioress and teacher." Who is the mentor of Agnes Whistling Elk. Central to Lynn's rites of passage is her construction of her own medicine shields. "Learning to make a shield is the process of fitting together the shattered pieces of oneself into a whole. This puzzle becomes a working mandala, a shield that we carry in our everyday life." As she builds her defense against Red Dog's powers, Lynn earns a place in the inner circle of the Sisterhood of the Shields, a secret society of shaman women who follow the most ancient traditions of woman.

In Flight of the Seventh Moon, Lynn Andres perceptively and grippingly describes the competing forces of white and black magic in which she becomes entwined; her growing awareness of her own innate power as a woman, which draws upon the substance of earth and sky; and how she translates her newfound understanding into the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of everyday life. Flight of the Seventh Moon reveals dazzling interior landscapes of mind and heart exploring long-hidden areas of Native American culture and mysticism and sharing with us a process of learning a path of knowledge that leads us toward "balance, wisdom, and a more complete view of truth" too long denied by patriarchal society.

While reading this book in a dark, wooden, cave-like basement apartment, I was mesmerized by this woman's journey into a personal spiritual realm. Discoveries, dangers, and strong ties to surprising teachers wove a fascinating tale. More than just a book - it contains a treasure-map to claim one's own strengths. As soon as I finished, I wanted to begin my "education," and did.

~Before giving this book to my daughter I took the time to read it myself. And I did it within no time. It held me from beginning to end without pause. This is how a book should be written. The scenes are set well so that one knows where the story is taking place and the characters become your friends in the first page itself. The story about three children trying to save a forest from deforestation, help a small c disappearances of fruits and animals from the forest is unique and completely original. Carl Gordon is a very creative writer with an eye on society and his story cleverly blends the ways of the real world with fantasy. When you read it you'll know what I'm talking about. This book is ideal for both children an adults. Highly recommended!

Books like these ought to be on everyones book shelf. 'The Forest Keepers' is a very good novel that cleverly blends story with social themes. The characters are real flesh and blood that exist in the real world, and not sterotypes. The plot is original with clever twists at every corner and you can't help but be curious as to the outcomes, most of which will surprise you. It's only after you've finished turning all the pages do you realise how well the author had you hooked.

I enjoyed "The Forest Keepers" very much. It has a very good plot with interesting characters and some wonderful twists. I think this is the kind of book that children would want to read and adults would want to read for themselves and to their children. I read it in no time at all and I think good books do that, just carry the reader along.

I was given Vila Spiderhawk's first book, Hidden Passages, and didn't expect to like it. But, much to my surprise I liked it a great deal, and bought this one because of that. I like this one as much as the first; even more perhaps, because there's a lot of beautiful writing about nature in it. The story is about Judy, a little girl who is on a magical woodland journey to womanhood. A beautiful story.

With words as magical as the realms she so skillfully describes, Vila Spiderhawk's charming voice shines through the pages of "Forest Song: Finding Home".
Spellbinding bits of wisdom are delightfully threaded through the fibers of a most enchanting story, in which harsh reality and blissful fantasy dance gracefully together.
The reader can't help identifying with at least one of the wonderful characters in the story, especially Judy, the young and courageous little girl whom, under the watchful eye of her teacher Matka Lasu, is gradually initiated into the mysteries of womanhood, birth and death; through Judy's eyes, one feels the connection with all expressions of life and glimpses at the greater concept of being part of a whole.
In the end, as Judy finds herself reflected into the very thing she feared in the beginning, she discovers that embracing one's fears is the road that will lead to one's true power.
"Forest Song: Finding Home" is a book I will not soon forget, and I certainly believe that it is a must-read for all who seek greater enlightenment, or even for those who just need a good story to brighten their day.

- Sandra Carrington-Smith, Author of "The Book of Obeah" and "Housekeeping For The Soul"
http://www.bookofobeah.com

A Tale about a little girl and magickal creatures that help her in her journey!!! Vila Has A splendid style of writing you will love! I recommend this book highly!!!

This is an amazing book! SpiderHawk really puts the reader into the action. I could see the trees, hear the birds, taste the food, smell the woods! I wept for Judy's mother and for Judy. And I laughed as well. The writing is beautiful! I can't recommend this book highly enough. Anyone would love this book!

Take your thoughts away from the commercialism of Christmas by traveling through time and re imagining how poor folks joyfully celebrated Christmas. We could learn many lessons from them.

Every Christmas, I read a book in the month of December about Christmas. This was my choice for 2006, and it really is a wonderful little book. The authors provide us with accounts from Appalachia's older folks who recall the Christmasses of their childhoods. It is almost like listening to them speak as we are told of a more innocent time in America, and the simplicity of their Christmas, which focused on the Lord. We learn about their gifts, which aren't much compared to today, their meals which sound delicious, games they played, church, and social gatherings. Recipes are included, as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to incorporate more peace and simplicity into their Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

This book along with the nine preceding this one, should be required reading for anyone interested in the day to day living of early days in the south.

Copernicus again had entered the canon of human literature on hir first try. Fracture has been put in a class of three with Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther. This is a book that grabs you, and you cannot put it down or breathe until you finish it.

This wonderful book displays the possibilities of one individual -- some real, some imagined. The author intentionally makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the reader to decipher which is which. This range/depth of possibilities, in some analogous form, is within all of us, if we dare to nurture it. This book will amaze and startle, comfort and disrupt, as good literature should. With the art of the up-and-coming painter Adrian Johnston featured on the cover, this book is a total winner. As with all of Copernicus again's writings, it is not for the timid. This book will bring you back to reading, and don't let it's postmodern style discourage you.

Copernicus again writes with a rich, poetic prose that is contemplative and, at times, whimsical. His narrators reflect upon the words and actions of the other characters without slowing the action. The dialogue is strong and believable.

Most of the selections here consist of little more than a single scene, examined in rich details that are sometimes disturbing, sometimes erotic. The author exposes the horrors of bigotry, contemplates the surprises of sexual awakening, and celebrates the beauty of love.

I knew most of the stories in the book and bought it for my GF b/c she isn't a NC native. She really enjoyed the book and now her mom is after it.

Nancy Roberts has long been a favourite of mine. This is one of the first books I can remember reading as a child and I was fascinated with the tales of ghosts and spirits roaming the countryside. Of course, growing up less than 10 miles from Maybinton and the "Hound of Goshen" site, I was incredibly intrigued with that story. Ms. Roberts always brings a wonderful viewpoint to her stories and unlike many "ghost" authors, she doesn't stop with the eerie tale, she takes you to the history of the tale. That aspect is what I think intrigued me most...combining history with ghosts. This book is sure to delight young and old alike and there is no better reading on a cool and blustery Fall day waiting in prickly anticipation of Halloween. Trust me, you'll love it!

There are ghost stories, and then there are Ghost Stories. Some ghost stories are fiction, while others are real. This book deals with those that are real. If you have even one iota of belief in the paranormal, you will be fascinated by this book. I own it along with two other of Nancy Roberts ghost books, namely, "This Haunted Land Where The Ghosts Still Roam" and "Ghosts Of The Old North State". Just to give you an example of the validity of Nancy's books, please allow me to share with you the story of the Brown Mountain Lights. These lights (which I have seen myself) can be viewed by anyone on just about any night, on Brown Mountain, which is nestled near the Pisgah National Park's main highway. The famous mountain is registered as a historical landmark in North Carolina, and at one of the look outs along the Pisgah highway there is a sign, placed there by the State of North Carolina, detailing the story behind the mysterious lights. So folks, these stories are REAL. These are not Nancy Roberts "made up" ghost stories, these are actual accounts of real ghosts. As for what the Brown Mountain Lights look like, let me say that they look like huge balls of fire. They suddenly appear on the mountain in different locales, and move slowly up the mountain, then simply disappear. They have been seen for centuries, and scientists cannot explain what they are. Years ago, Tommy Fayle (I hope I spelled his last name right) put out a song called "The Brown Mountain Lights". So this is no isolated story, this is a Legend. And this is just one of the many horrifying stories you can read about in Nancy Roberts books. The Hound Of Goshen is terrifying, and so are all the stories in her books. Ghost Of The Carolina's is a book you can read to your family or to yourself. It's a great one for Halloween, or anytime you want a good "spooky" story. Be WARNED, Nancy shares her stories in an expert manner. Heck, when it comes to terror, she could give Stephen King a run for the money. So if you're a person who gets terrified easily, you may not want to read this book. If you want to read true accounts of hauntings in the South, I challenge you to purchase this fascinating book.

Man, I love anything with crazy visions in the sky - particularly the first chapter of the Biblical book Ezekiel - but the vision in this book is a neat thing to read about too. I just don't get why the buffalo was referenced at the end. Must be a Native American custom to end all stories with some mentioning of a buffalo.

I'm sorry to say I still like non-sacred dogs more than sacred dogs, but I have a very good reason for doing so. Sacred dogs are much more expensive.

I loved this book when I was little, and I still love it now. It's great to see that it's still around. It's a wonderful story with even better illustrations for children and adults.

Children and adults will enjoy the colorful illustrations and tale of how the Native Americans acquired the horse. Lovely!