Clouds Books

I just picked up this book for my son and found it to be a great story. It is entertaining for child and adult on it's surface with lovely pictures and a classic feeling to the layout. What I was most impressed with, however, was the subtle way it taught the lessons of working together, unselfishness, and recognizing the value of true friendship. I'm buying a copy for all my nieces and nephews.

This is a great read for anyone interested in early Texas history, art and artists. You are truly transported to a much simpler time in Texas. The artist, Frank Reaugh, was a true Texas treasure. His work is inspiring and his story and Lucretia's are riveting.

This book is quite a joy to read and have, if one is interested in understanding (a bit) how an important architect like Wolf D. Prix constructs - or de/re-constructs - his thoughts and points of view... The graphics and lettering of the book are kind of loose and low profile...which is an asset. I really appreciate the fact that W.D.Prix compares architecture to [rock]music [even though I am not a huge fan of Rolling Stones]...I think that this volume is pleasant to read, it offers one a basic background to Coop Himmelb[l]au's historical and conceptual profile... It is not exactly a manifesto of their work,...it is closer to an article-archive, concerning the architects' thoughts and mental images, procecess and a bit of Vienese, architectural "radicalism".I believe that dividing the book into chapters like "Programmatic Texts", "Selected Project Texts","Lectures", "Interviews", "On Friends And Foes" and "...And Other Texts" alows the reader to have a panoramic view of the uncanny beauty of CoopHimmelb[l]au's work, in terms of texts [ Derrida would have loved that, I guess!]...I believe that this book could be an ideal primer, especially for architectural students and professional architects who are mature enough to understand Prix's mentality and point of view, without translating it automatically into the architecture he produced/-es..."Thinking Across Borders" is what it is all about! Finally, I believe that the book has a more of a "Gimme Shelter" [ even though shelter and astronaut-spacesuits used to be of the same value for W.D.Prix back in the 70's!] and "Start Me Up" effect on me, rather than a "Get Off Of My Cloud" one! Love it! ;-)

Ann Nagda's World Above The Clouds: A Story Of A Himalayan Ecosystem is superbly illustrated by the artistry of Paul Kratter and specifically written for young readers grades 1 to 4. The latest in Soundprint's outstanding "Wild Habitat" series, World Above The Clouds is as entertaining as it is informative in describing the wildlife of the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayan mountains in northern India. A snow leopard has recently left her mother to hunt and fend for herself in this stark and beautiful landscape. She must contend with a red fox, a bearded vulture, and nearby villagers for her meals. Then there are the threatening wolves! This memorable storybook text accurately reflects the environment and ecosystem of the animals that live in the majestic Himalayas -- quite literally above the clouds!

A beautifully illustrated book on character traits and family values. It's learning to be the best you can be. The book teaches that differences make one special and everyone has the magic inside to make their dreams come true. Perfect choice for quality tme reading with your child. Highly recommended for all elementary grade levels. There is also a CD rom for purchase which includes the story and songs that are truly inspiring to both children and aduts. A must for every family's library shelf!

One of my favorite things about John Irving is his character development. His accomplishments in delving deep into the souls of his creations and slowly letting them emerge onto the pages keeps the reader captivated through the novel. The plots are bizarre, yet real, and the characters become fixtures in the reader's mind long after the book is finished. Superb work!

I must admit that the book just was not good enough to hold my interest. I am an avid reader who is interesed in many sorts of books, and while the book deals with issues that may be hard for some readers (abortion and adoption), the amount of charecters and Irving's constant backflashes and side stories really did me in. I wished it could have been better, but for people who really like a challenge, you should definately dive right in.

Maybe it's the fact that it was my first book by John Irving, but I truly loved The World According to Garp, and I have not been able to find that feeling in any of the books that followed in my list. I liked A Widow for One Year (guess what, my second...), I didn't care much for The Fourth Hand, which I found lame. I liked this one, which I have not really read, but listened to in the truly splendid reading by G Gardner. But I never cared too much for Homer Wells, another main character of Irving's to whom things just seem to happen. I don't know how else to put it, but I could not help imagining Homer in this book as a never-smiling character that lets his life decide for him. Indeed, I am not sure I recall instances where Homes laughs or even just smiles.

The book is, also, endless. I liked the first part better, but the second part, which tells the story of Homer as an adult, felt overlong. Irving writes really really well, but there are too many well written but uneventful pages here.

I found the "message" of the book about abortion well delivered, but I doubt it will change anybody's mind on the matter. It will most likely shock some and sound perfectly reasonable to others.

Overall, I am happy I purchased this audio book (again a VERY good reading), but (unlike for Garp) it's unlikely that I will reach for it again. I was sort of happy when I got to the end and could move to another listening.

I generally read the book after I have seen the film. I do this so I am not disappointed in the film/screenplay. Generally the book proves to be much more entertaining than the movie. The movie was fantastic, the book a delight to read.

This book is a wonderful read; engaging and well written. What is remarkable about it is that the writer is able to depict men so well; how they think, how they behave. All the motivations and emotions are covered with each male character which was especially appealing to me because I actually believe that after reading this book not only had I felt a sense of accomplishment in reading such a wonderful story, but I had a sense that I understood men better, too. Highly recommended.

I read "Cloud Atlas" before I read "Ghostwritten" and "Number9Dream," and although I hold "Ghostwritten" to be one of the best pieces of contemporary fiction I have ever had the pleasure to read, "Cloud Atlas" does not rank too much below it. The structure, although jarring at first, almost immediately became part of the overall appeal and I found myself trusting Mitchell to bring about a stunning conclusion. Mitchell's prose, in my opinion, is much like Don DeLillo's in that it is beautiful in its simplicity and crafted without being overtly so. With "Cloud Atlas" much like "Ghostwritten," Mitchell has breathed more life into the world of fiction. It is a book to be read if you are a reader in search of artful characters, a magnificent plot, a daring structure, or any combination of the above.

It's rare these days to come across an new, original masterpiece. It's a tough book to write a review of because there are so many incredible surprises and I don't want to create any spoilers - but the writing, the brilliance is so extraordinary - my advice is just read the book before reading this review further, but if you feel you need to know more, here you go:

This book is about "its structure", which consists of 6 stories, 5 of which are divided in half and placed around the 6th. The book is mostly about power, slavery, hatred and violence, and yet is full of humor and truly enjoyable to read. Each of the 6 stories is written in a different style - one is a diary, another is a series of letters, another is a pulp fiction novel, one is an autobiography (of which a character in a later story views the movie version of), one is an interview, one is an "oral history". Each of the stories is also a document featured in a later stories - for example, in the second story, the first story is discovered in the library. Also, the stories are critiqued in each other - in the second story, the problems and inconsistencies of the first story are pointed out. There are other themes and links, from birthmarks to names to ships. It never seems artificial or contrived however. The stories span centuries and cultures, although many of them center on or relate to the Big Island in Hawaii.

Some of the reading is difficult - the middle story is written in the author's own created futuristic dialect (shoes are called "nikes" for instance), which sometimes takes a while. The initial story is difficult to follow at times, and the book requires a fair amount of concentration. Much of the book is surprisingly exciting and interesting. I've never read anything quite like it.

David Mitchell's _Cloud Atlas_ is a sprawling work, with six separate narratives, five of which are interrupted only to appear in their successors. That is, the first half of the first story becomes a part of the first half of the second story, and so on, till they revolve around the sixth story before we hear the second halves of each of the stories in turn. The effect of this was that the second half of my read felt like it kept ending and each set of characters got wrapped up, one set at a time. For all the aspiration and pretension of this central structural device, its parts generally come across as very accessible. Some will appeal more than others (I grew tired of the post-apocolyptic pidgin dialect of the sixth story pretty quickly), but which ones strike the deepest chords will vary from reader to reader. If there is a larger theme, I would say it is each character's awakening to the casualness with which humans enslave one another (literally and figuratively) and the forms that their struggles to overcome this take.

One thing I would say about the shifting styles and the grand structure at its heart is that for all that craft and design, the whole ends up feeling like a grabbag. I don't mean to suggest that's a bad thing. When you read some things, from detective novels to Dante's Inferno, you're left with a sense that every event, even every word is there for some express structural purpose and that none of this will make sense without the greater whole. Cloud Atlas doesn't quite feel that way. These characters and their various narratives are bumping into each other in the grand scheme of things, rather than embodying some greater logic. To its credit, each of these stories gets a character of its own and each one's relation to the others is a particular, distinct thing. It reminded me of the feeling I get traveling, a bit out of place and wandering into other people's lives as I overhear their stories, recognize a little something and float on to the next.

I finished this remarkable novel at the start of a long plane flight.

Then I turned from the last page of CLOUD ATLAS back to its first.

I don't usually re-read novels, but this book is that jaw-droppingly good. It certainly qualifies as the best book I've read since Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union. As this Amazon page contains analysis and plot synopsis aplenty on it, I'll simply add that this is the rare novel that should have won both literature's Man Booker prize and science fiction's Hugo award.

Wowsers.

Cloud Atlas is composed of six stories intricately weaved together. Each story is told in a different style and time, and each is interrupted at a suspenseful moment and then concluded later in the book. This is a masterful execution of a unique device, coupled with vivid storytelling. Highly unique.

So far, with the exception of a Children's Bible and the Bible itself, this is the only theological book I've ever read. I had the idea that rather than read various books ABOUT the Bible, why not just read the accepted Baptist canon over and over? I fancied my method as somewhat lazy and sneaky and thought I had mastered it enough to continue it indefinitely until my Bible study class said we were going to read "The Jesus I Never Knew."

In my mind I thought, "Darn, isn't reading the Bible ENOUGH? Look how big it is! How much more do you need? Just read a chapter of this one book a day, meditate on it, and you're all set." Maybe this is true. I'm not sure. But certainly additional reading doesn't hurt as long as it doesn't stray too far away from the Bible's message. I feel that Yancey's book stays close to the Bible, and it provides some useful insight that unimaginiative persons like myself probably won't consider by sticking to the Bible alone.

I must say that I'm impressed with Yancey's zeal. I'm wondering how many hours he spent thinking about Christianity to come up with his ideas. Also his honesty is impressive. He admits he has his occassional doubts about his religion, and sometimes struggles with lust. I believe most all Christians are battling similar devilish ideas in some form or other but are far too ashamed to admit it. It makes us look weak, which we are. Takes a big man to put faults like that in print.

I think what Yancey really showed me was that Jesus didn't really care who ran the government. He didn't try to turn the disciples into political figures who would make laws to mandate values of cleanliness. He knew that no matter WHO was controlling the government, he could get people to believe. I think the main point here is Christians aren't the morals police for the entire world. They can tell believers how to behave like Christians of course, but they pretty much have to leave non-believers alone. Non-believers don't have to act like Christians if they don't want to. However, if we get to vote on laws we want to have for everyone in our country, I'd like to vote against anti-Christian stuff, thank you very much. Of course, I might end up breaking the very laws I vote for, but oh well.

I think another point Yancey made was that even though Jesus probably had long hair, a lot of Christian schools only allow the clean-cut look. I don't think there's anything in the Bible saying long hair is sinful, but lots of folks no doubt are convinced that long hair is a sure sign of a secular lifestyle. I like my hair short of course.

Yancey makes a lot of good points showing how the church strays from its original intention in many ways. The thing he DOESN'T mention that he probably should have mentioned is that many, many non-christians are working for altruistic causes like feeding the homeless and doing cancer-fighting fundraisers and stuff. This REALLY makes Christians look outdated. How can Christians argue that people who are visiting the sick, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and what-not, just like Jesus did, are not going to heaven? I think we need to be careful with our words, especially when we don't do stuff like that. When I see all these volunteers doing stuff I don't do, I feel like that tax-collector who prayed, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

As long as I honestly believe I'm a sinner who needs God's mercy, I have faith that his wonderful plan of grace will deliver it. This is what I believed before reading Yancey's work, and Yancey's work has reinforced my belief. Jesus died to forgive sins. Sure God loves it when people are good to others, but he also loves when people are humble, and you can't admit you're a sinner without a little humbleness. Yancey is quite humble himself throughout this book with his honesty, and seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Notice how little I mentioned Jesus in this review. Twice maybe. Although the book follows the life of Jesus very well, it contains a lot of other stuff that's well worth considering. It's not just a reprint of the gospels. I recommend it to get some new viewpoints, but I still think if you read the Bible without reading any other books about Christianity, you're no worse off.

Yancey is a fabulous writer. This book made me think long and hard at how do I view Jesus. Yancey does a good job of pointing out things in a way everyone can understand.

I READ THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW BOOK OVER 10 YEARS AGO, AND FOUND OUT THAT WHAT I HAD THOUGHT I KNEW ABOUT JESUS WAS NOT WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW TO SAVE MY SOUL. I HAD GONE TO CHURCH ON AND OFF MY WHOLE LIFE AND THOUGHT I WAS SAVED AND WOULD GO TO HEAVEN WHEN I DIE.
BUT DURING A FLOOD IN FEB 1997 MY FAMILY AND I WITH ANOTHER FAMILY STAYED IN MY RV IN THE MOUNTAINS TO KEEP DRY. I SAW THE BOOK THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW IN A YARD SALE FOR FREE AND PICKED IT UP TO READ WHILE WE WERE ALL WAITTING FOR THE FLOOD WATERS TO GO DOWN SO WE COULD MOVE BACK HOME. AFTER READING THE 1ST. PAGE I COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN UNTIL I READ THE WHOLE BOOK. MY THOUGHTS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND MADE ME THINK ABOUT MY FAMILY AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE HAD DIED IN THE FLOOD. I THEN TOOK A WEEK AND READ THE WHOLE BIBLE AND TALKED TO MY PASTOR AND OTHER PASTOR'S DURING THAT TIME.
I WANTED TO BE SAVED AND BECOME BORN AGAIN SO I COULD BE WITH JESUS. I HAD OPEN MY HEART UP AND ASK JESUS TO COME INTO MY LIFE AND DID STUDIES AT MY CHURCH WHILE WAITTING TO BE BORN AGAIN DURING A SPECIAL TIME WHEN MY CHURCH MEMBERS WERE SAVED TOGETHER THAT HAD FOUND CHRIST IN THERE HEARTS AND KNEW HE WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN WHERE WE WOULD BE WAITTING FOR THE SECOND COMMING OF CHRIST, SO WE COULD BE WITH GOD ON THE NEW EARTH WHEN IT WAS TIME.
SO I AM NOW BORN AGAIN AND AM ALWAYS WITH JESUS WHO IS PART OF ME.
AFTER ALL OF THIS HAD TAKEN PLACE I FOUND OUT THE I WAS ILL WITH PPH. NO TREATMENT AT THE TIME AND MOST PEOPLE DIED WITH-IN TWO TO FIVE YEARS WHO HAD PPH. IT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS NOW AND WITHOUT MY FAITH I WOULD HAVE DIED A LONG TIME AGO. MY DOCTOR HAS TOLD ME I HAVE NO MORE THAN SIX MONTHS LEFT TO LIVE AND COULD DIE AT ANY TIME NOW. BUT I SMILE AND STAY HAPPY BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN THE TIME COMES I WILL BE WITH SOME OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE ME.
MOST PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I AM ALWAYS HAPPY AND HAVE A SMILE AND TRY TO HELP OTHERS AS MUCH AS I CAN. THEY KNOW THE PAIN I AM IN AND THAT I AM IN BED 24/7, BUT I HAVE A PHONE AND A COMPUTER, SO I CAN TELL EVERY BODY I REACH TO READ THE BOOK " THE JESUS I NEVER KNEW". MOST HAVE COME BACK TO SEE ME AND TO THANK ME FOR SAVING THERE LIVES BY SHOWING THEM THE WAY.

As a recently saved sinner, or, as Joyce Meyer refers to us, "baby Christians", one of the difficulties I have encountered was coming up with a sense of the real-life-as-it-was-then aspects of the Gospel. Jesus was more of an idea, a paper-doll-like figure, than a real emotion beset human. Philip Yancey got my frequently misty eyes to see a truly devine, but fully human man that I can understand and willingly follow, or, at least, attempt to follow. I will read more Yancey....soon!

Philip Yancey is a good if wordy author, and one can't help but admire a dude for making a decent living by churning out book after book on a subject that obviously means a great deal to him. Unfortunately, Mr. Yancey has only spewed out another in a "great flood" of such embarrassing works that have cluttered the world during the past several hundred years. Jesus was slumming when he came to Planet Earth, and he happily taught that the next world would be oh-so-much better than what was to be found here. With that I concur. Too bad his wanna-be followers don't follow His teachings: give all of your belongings to the poor, turn the other cheek (literally!), pray alone, be utterly humble, etc. etc. etc. I followed this up by rereading Nietzsche's THE ANTICHRIST (a misnomer, to be sure, since Nietzsche actually admired Jesus but certainly not His confused followers), and soon felt much better! Recommend you do the same. All this said ... LONG LIVE FREEDOM OF RELIGION and MAY ALL THE GODS OF THE UNIVERSE BLESS OUR SILLY LITTLE PLANET!

I tried and tried to finish this book, but couldn't. The story and characters were so boring, I gave up.

I have read almost all of Luanne Rice's books, and this is the most heart-wrenching I've read. I loved the characters, although they are very similar to other characters in Rice's other novels. Rice includes the same conflicts with divorce, family ties, and dealing with death and dying as in some of her other novels. But it is a good story of love, friendship, communication, and family. Far better than CRAZY IN LOVE and STONE HEART. I enjoyed DANCE WITH ME, HOME FIRES, and DREAM COUNTRY about as much as this one.

It was a good concept, but the story was over-done. Too dramatic for my tastes...It was more or less satisfying, but not on par with writers like Pam Houston, Jo-Ann Mapson, and Sue Miller. The dialogue was too predictable-every character was a "mold" and expected to react a certin way. The dad who has a chip on his shoulder, the single mom with cancer, the teenagers...it was a nice summer read, and I will probably read others by the author. Those who like chick flicks/romance movies will be the ones who will like this book the best.

Sara Talbot is the main character who never thought she would be around for another birthday. After she came down with a cancerous brain tumor the previous year, her odds of survival were very slim.

After a prestigous neurosurgeon saved her life, she was in remission, and able to start her life anew opening her shop Cloud Nine. Life was good again, and on her birthday celebration, she meets Ted, who is divorced and has a daughter Susan. Susan and Sara hit it off right away when Susan visits her shop, and they become instant friends. Susan is one mixed up kid though. She lost a brother, Fred, in a drowning accident several years ago. Her mother Alice, never got over it, and so that is what caused her parents to split in the first place. Alice is remarried to this very wealthy man, Julian, of whom Susan can't stand of course. Susan is also a very insecure child, and during the book she changes her name several times from Secret to Snow, depending on the season. This all has to do with her brother.

In the meantime, as Sara and Ted fall in love with one another,Ted, a pilot with his own privately owned planes, flies her over to the Island for Thanksgiving. Sara has a son Mike, who lives with his grandfather. He never got over the fact that Sara wasn't married to his father, and his resented her for it-and always had a cold feeling toward his mother. But this changes as time goes on in the book, and things happen; tragedy taking place. On this trip to the island, Susan, (Secret or Snow), sneaks on the plane with them though she wasn't supposed to. They reluctantly let her go, much to her mother's fury, but it turns out to be a good thing-in some ways. She and Mike start to fall in love with each other, and they both have things in common when it comes to death and their loved ones dying.

I highly recommend this book and found it very heart-rendering to say the least. When you reach the end, it is definitely time for the tissues.

Luanne Rice is a darn good storyteller.
I very much enjoyed Cloud Nine.
A wonderfully paced story. Plenty of time to get to know the characters.
Clound Nine is filled with warmth, laughter, heartache. Some suspense.
Romance.
Family dynamics. Mother/daughter. Stepfather. Ex's. Dad/daughter. Mother/son.
Family roots.
Places in the heart.
Fun in the snow.
Good stuff, painful stuff.
Well-done.
Have tissues at hand, if you have a heart, you will need them.

I'm always looking for new cookbooks. I have battled diabetes for years. This book has stabalized my blood sugar and brought my weight down by 23 pounds! Furthermore, I've enjoyed eating for the first time in many years. The recipes don't seem like "health food," to me. They're just plain delicious! Thank you Ms. Alexander!

I realize this is not a theological book but the first few chapters seem to expound a philosophy that is not related to eating healthy. Use the recipes but find theology elsewhere, I would suggest the Bible.

These recipes shy away from any added oil, and are quite delicious! Using products commonly found, this down'home style cookbook was a staple in my library before I became vegan. Now, amongst many other vegan cookbooks (The Soy of Cooking, Candle Cafe, Vegetarian Slow Cooker, etc) Kitchen in The Clouds is still a favorite!

Chapters 1-15 are comprised of 64 pages which address the following topics:

A Philosophy of acting in accordance with nature's principles, The Physical and emotional affects of foods, Healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, The change from an agrarian to an industrial society and lifestyle changes that followed, Plant-based diets and the benefits thereof, Immune and `detoxification' system, Contemporary factory-farmed animal products and their effects on health and wellness, Ecological implications of an animal-based diet, Importance of water, Fats and other nutritional requirements, and Answering skeptics' questions.

None of the chapters is clearly labeled, the table of contents is somewhat vague and it is impossible to tell which topic each chapter addresses without reading the first few paragraphs.

After the informational chapters above, there are approximately 200 recipes, quite a few of which rely on ingredients such as tofu and Ener-G egg replacer. Recipe types and approximate number of each are as follows:

Breakfast: 15 (tofu is substituted for eggs, but there is a great multi-grain pancake mix)
Breads/Muffins: 10
Spreads/Dips: 12 (mostly tofu or bean-based)
Soups/Stews: 33, and this is probably the best section of the book
Loaves (only 4 fortunately), casseroles and dinner pies: 20 total
Burritos, enchiladas, fajitas: 7
Skillet dinners: 17
Pasta dinners: 5
Stir Fry recipes: 15
Meat-analogs, sandwiches, kabobs: 8
Stuffed vegetables: 6
Potatoes, rice, stuffing: 29
Sauces: 14 (some can be found in other sections as well)
Vegetables: 22
Desserts: 20

The recipes section is followed by sections on cookware, cooking and shopping tips, and charts for preparing beans and grains.

The `Index' is actually an expanded table of contents and is not organized by either ingredient or alphabetically.

If you are entirely new to vegan issues and vegan cooking, this might be worth purchasing, but if you already have a few vegetarian or vegan cookbooks and are familiar with the popular books by Frances Moore Lappe and John Robbins, you may not want to add this title to your collection.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks - it has some philosophy in the beginning, words of wisdon to eat up, and delicious recipes. I've taken weeks at a time where all I cook from is this cookbook and it's terrific. Varied recipes, great combinations, nothing too tricky.