Clouds Books

When I read this story, I couldn't stop. It captured not only my attention but my heart as well. I was so touched by the enduring love story between Hope and Paul. It is also filled with history and compelling stories, which make the weave only tighter. This was one story that will grab you and hold you.

This book is well written and very ambitious in its scope. It is fascinating to get a "people's eye" view of the rise of Sun Yat Sen. Additionally it empathically covers the social response to mixed marriages by two very different cultures. This is a women orienated book about a very tumultous time and ties the events together skillfully in the Western U.S. and the emerging China of 100 years ago.

Aimme E. Liu has written a wonderful fictional accounting of a true story. I have been a friend of the Luis family for over forty five years. Aimee's cousin John was my boyhood friend. And we still keep up. The family story has always fasinaated me. (John is Herb Luis' son, Teddy in the book.)Although Aimee says it is about 70% true, I know through conversations with John's mother that basically ALL of the major persons, dates, places, and events are true. The 30% is mostly side sories and details for dramatic effect.

I also want to point out that in a prior review of "Cloud Mountain" by "Elizabeth" she states that the only place in 1908 where the name Jennifer existed was Cornwall. Well, the fact is Hope's real name WAS Jenny Trescott. In fact, I found that Aimee used family names for fictional charactors in several instances. But never the real name for the real person.

Although I have to say that I read this book because I had already heard the story and had a personal interest in it. But even if I hadn't I still would not have been able to put it down. Aimee Liu's use of words to describe are incredibly original (I don't know how she came up with some of them) and they really do "paint" a picture in your mind as you read.
She is a real literary artist.

This is not only a love story. In fact, I would just as much descibe it as a story of courage, of two people who dared to cross the bariers that a bigoted society had placed between them. It is also the story of a man committed to saving his counrty by bringing it democracy even if it could have cost him his life. It is a story of a woman who stood by him, travelled halfway around the world to an unstable society trying to grow up into democracy, but turned out to be a house of cards.

Read this book and take a trip back to a past and place few Americans are aware of. Enjoy the exciting people and places, but also learn a history of a different place, time, and people.

In the last few years I have read many books that deal with China's history and this book was by far one of my favorites. It is a beautiful book that I felt compelled to share with others and purchased more than one copy so I could lend it out and make sure to have a copy for my collection. This book will not dissapoint, especially if you are as intrigued with China and it's history as I am! When I got to the last 20 pages or so I turned them very slowly in hopes of making it last longer! :) I urge you to buy this book and one for your friends! It is a very moving picture of what a person can live through and still see the beauty in life around them!

When I received this book I was really eager to read it. The whole storyline appealed to me and I was convinced, based on the first few chapters, that I would enjoy it. I'm not sure when I changed my mind. Maybe it was after reading countless details about historical and political China when I just wanted to know more about the main characters. Sometimes I felt as if the author couldn't decide if she wanted to write a history book or a love story. While her descriptions of the surrounding enviroments within the book were very colorful and evocative, the presentation of historical events taking place was a bit on the boring side. I found myself fighting the urge to just skip over those parts. Also, the ending (which I won't give away) sort of left me feeling cheated. I suppose I could've overlooked all of those things except for one thing. The fact is, the main character just isn't very interesting or likeable. To me, that's a deal-breaker.

Everybody wants success but many often fail to grow a capacity to handle it. Right choices, introspection,
consistency, and determination contribute to the proper mind-set to steward good success. Being open
to the critics and remaining flexible to new ways to achieve equip from the inside out. The authors are able,
sensitive and committed to nurture the reader. It's a must to read and re-read the contents How People Grow: What the Bible Reveals About Personal Growth for fresh perspective, self-exam, and unlimited growth.

It's been a while since I've read this book and I didn't finish it. However, I remember two things very clearly from this book (and from other of their books). One, they make good sense. Secondly their material is the testimony of what has actually WORKED.
Too many people stuck in "traditional" Christianity will call this book unbiblical. However my experience has been that although these people can quote much scripture, like the Pharisees didn't they too don't understand the heart behind the truth.
Like in Celebrate Recovery (a great Christian program for people who need any kind of healing) these authors don't just have theories. They have experience with people who have experienced REAL healing.
Many Christians who were destroying themselves and others in addictions and other destructive patterns have turned to this kind material after trying "traditional" Christianity.
Although the church still does much good, I believe a very large portion and perhaps even most of church "leadership" and consequently their followers have become just like the Pharisees were: dry, stagnate, judgmental, condemning and useless. That is not how Jesus' ministry or the apostle's ministries were.
This book is not perfect, but I would HIGHLY recommend this book and even other of their books such as "Boundaries" and "Changes That Heal."

I give this book 5 stars. This book took me by surprise. I purchase it to help someone else, but I end up helping myself. I enjoyed it and have recommended it to others.

It has been an excellent study for me. It raises questions I had not thought about and attitudes I didn't realize I could be harboring. It was an excellent study guide for me.

How People Grow is an easily accessible, Biblically-centered, psychologically-deep, and thorough overview of the growth process. I have read through this book twice and refer to it sporadically to refresh my memory on various parts of the growth process and, in my work with college students, urge them to read the book. I have found that living out and sharing its insights has helped me in every area of life, from becoming a more effective evangelist to developing stronger work habits. My main challenge in reading it is owning up to how misguided my understanding of the growth process has been, how I have subsequently misled others, repenting of these mistakes, and seeking to think and live differently in the future. It is a book that speaks to deep issues in a grace-filled but challenging way.

This is a must read for anyone interested in Vietnam, and/or the era of the Vietnam War. The book follows the author's life- but in doing so offers an excelent portrait of Vietnamese History. The author is a strong and amazing woman, who continues today to advocate for Vietnamese Victims of human trafficking and sexual/labor exploitation within the highest circles of the US government.

Many books and numerous studies have been written about the war in Vietnam, by protagonists,government officials, journalists, scholars and others. But none can compare with the unique perspective and deep humanity of Jackie Bong-Wright. Hers is the moving story of a courageous woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother who lived through the prelude, the war and its aftermath. As the young wife of the most prominent representative of the democratic opposition to the last South Vienamese government - assassinated by the Viet Cong - she came to know all the principal figures involved in this tragic war.
Her insightful reflections on the Vietnamese people, their history and culture are extremely helpful for those of us in the West to better understand and appreciate the Vietnamese people. Despite the numerous obstacles she had to face in her last-minute flight from Saigon with her three small children, Jackie Bong-Wright never lost her detrmination to survive, to overcome, to prevail. Aided in no small measure by her deep faith.
This book is a tribute to the human spirit, to human solidarity, to courage in the face of despair. It is also beautifully written and leaves one with a sentiment of hope, hope in a world torn by the tragedy of violence, terrorism and war. Hope that the world is also made up of persons such as Jackie Bong-Wright who writes: "Life swirls around us - love, hate, joy, suffering, unity, division, failure, success. Each person has to go through them all." And that is precisely Jackie Bong- Wright's unique and compassionate story.
Frank and Alma Tonini, Rapallo (Italy)

This book helped me understand the history of Viet Nam and what led to the American intervention. This book was also historical, as well as personal and I enjoyed learning about the author's family and how they coped during their many trials. She and her people have all been through very difficult times. I now have more respect and understanding for the South Vietnamese people and those who relocated to the United States. A big "Thank you" to the author for contributing to my greater understanding.

I enjoyed this book a great deal as it has helped me to piece together bits and pieces of information from the television news and the newspapers that I saw and read during the war. Being only a teenager at the time the war occurred, this same information looks different now that I am an adult. Also, though I read the paper and watched the news, after reading Autumn Cloud, I realize I did not have the South Vietnames perspetive about the war.

My ex-husband served in Viet Nam from 1969-1970 when we were newly married - I was 18 years old and this book has helped me understand several things he told me when he came back from the war. I would recommend this book to all wives of Viet Nam veteran's.

My daughter gave me a copy of "Autumn Cloud" for Christmas 2002. What a wonderful present it was. I was much moved, crying and laughing, as I made my way through the story of Jackie Bong-Wright's life. We are justifiably horrified by 9/11, and yet many Vietnamese, including the author, braved similar clamities over their lifetimes with resiliance and determination. Despite the havoc and danger, a beautiful spirituality shines through the pages of this personal saga. I agree with the author's analysis of the great tragedy and the cautionary tale that marked and marred the lives of all in Viet Nam and most in the US.

Autumn Cloud is a valuable addition to the small but significant body of personal stories by Vietnamese refugees who have resettled in the United States. The author's early life was privileged with French schooling in Vietnam, a university education in France, and marriage to an intelligent and sensitive man with a bright future in both academia and politics. Her life was shattered when her husband was assassinated as he was about to be appointed prime minister. After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975 she and her three small children were forced to leave their homeland, and they resettled as refugees in the U.S. There she established herself as a community activist helping other refugees, eventually happily remarried, and with her husband represented the U.S. in diplomatic posts abroad.

This is a very readable book. Particularly memorable for me were the descriptions of the author's early life in Vietnam and how the war affected members of her family in different ways. She effectively portrays the trauma and depression of being a refugee and the difficulties in adjusting to life in a new culture, something that not all Americans fully understand. I recommend it highly.

Want a book that holds your interest? I recommend this entire series. I discovered Gunn on accident; really it was a blessing! I liked this entire series. Good wholesome values and interesting plots that intertwine with the other books.

I am sort of distressed at the situation I am writing about. Mrs. Gunn has one major problem in this book: NO BALANCE. The ending surpasses the rest by far. The sweet and timeless ending of true love makes the rest look like the remnants of the holidays. SAD. However, it still has a good plot and gracefully moves the series on to the 6th book.

Wow! Wonderful books. Robin Jones Gunn is amazing! I have read Glenbrooke Series 1,2,3,4, and now I'm on the 5th one, Clouds. I read theese and my mom reads Sisterchick Series which Robin Jones Gunn also writes. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, make more of the Glenbrooke Series. I love them, this one is my favorite.

Wonderful book, very readable, not overdone in anyway. Simply a good read for the romaticly driven person.

Maybe it's because i didn't have a high school sweetheart and i couldn't relate to the storyline but I really didn't enjoy this book as i have the other ones. It wasn't a bad read but the characters also didn't seem to have as strong a build-up as the other stories i have read by her. Especially Jonathan --- his character seemed kind of weak and didn't peak my interest. I know that all the other reviews are strong and I respect them but I have to be honest here on this particular one. But I love Robin's work and think she is an awesome writer. I can't wait for her to do a new book since the only one i haven't read yet is waterfalls...

I have read several Cloud books, and although sometimes he can be a little too secular for my tastes, I always walk away feeling a little wiser and more confident. Very easy to read-I found myself looking forward to getting back to it, and plan on reading it again soon. I am already putting some of the [very practical] advice to work. The material could be useful for everyone-from a high school student to a CEO- not just for the business class types. This is LIFE advice-not career advice.

From the cover, it appears that the book is marketed at the success oriented crowd. Dr. Cloud is identified as a psychologist and co-author of the best selling 'Boundaries'. We have to go to the back flap to detect the biblical orientation via a citation of his previously published 'God Will Make A Way'.
There are wonderful biblical quotes that illustrate points made along the way and the context freshens our perceptions of biblical wisdom.
The brief, but very helpful concluding chapter might be read first. Here, we get a little from the author on how he came to make a success of 'Success'. He very frankly offers 12 steps toward applying the 9 things, and the first is 'Do Not Go It Alone'. It seems Dr. Cloud came up in a community of like minded folk who could support each other's ambitions.
In the absence of such support, 'you are not going to go far'.
With chapter 12 in mind, you might very profitably read the book from front to back and keep it handy for future encouragement.

Anyone who is living in this world and wants more out of life should read this book. It is amazing at the simple things successful people do that seem so small and that you don't even notice that are really huge oaks in their lives and make them so successful over long periods of time and through their life. This book can help you in every area of your life and especially if you are finding life difficult, a living death, a hard road to walk... this book will give you great insight on how to live LIFE to it's fullest in practical way and get results that you didn't think were possible. I could go on and on about it, but I promise you, get it, read it, and you will never look back.

This is a MUST read for 2007. It is very good, and very practical and really makes you think. It's is beautifully written. Hands down, amazon is by far the cheapest.

Cloud does a good job on how to have a successful life. First, you must find what you would like to do as a career. Second, deal with problems by fixing it or eliminating it. Third, create a well thought out plan step by step all the way to reaching successs. Also think about options and see if they will hurt you or help you in the future. Fourth, be proactive, be a person of action. Fifth, be dilligent and industrious by doing something and make progress, no matter how small the progress is. Sixth, Be sure to fix what you hate in a positive way. Seventh, do not seek justice for yourself, seek rather to give mercy and forgive. Eighth, study and grow in humility. Ninth, realize that you cannot please everyone.

My son loved this item! When we encircled him with the "World Around Me," for the first time (at 7.5 months), he laughed and spun around. He loved it. He lit up like a Christmas tree! It is as if he is "inside the book" looking at all the different pictures and words. He gets to go to the part he likes best (the tree with the owl) and not just the pages of a book. I wish there were more of these types of "books."

It was probably one of the best purchases I have ever made for my son.

The only problem is that my son likes to get up close to the "pages" of the item and he wants to support himself on it. He really wants to interact with the pages. It really doesn't support an 18+ lb baby - not that it is supposed to. You really need to keep an eye on the infant while it is being used. It has collapsed on him on occasions (no injuries!) and it is ripping a little.

I've used this with my son since he was 5 months old and he loves it!

This book was wonderful for my son when he was a baby! I would stand the book up in a circle around him, lay him on his belly and he would scoot around looking at the book. He just loved it! I've given this book to all new mommies and their children love it. He even loved it as he was learnign to walk. We would lay it on the ground and he would "walk" to his favorite page. It is a must have for all

My child liked the book and its colors but it ripped the first day we had it!! He is only 1 and ripped it along the page fold, so nice book, poorly constructed

This is a fun toddler book with surround entertainment as it opens around the child!

My yoga teacher suggested Yin Yoga, and I'm glad she did. It gives us a written reference for many of the things we talk about and do in class. The author explains the chakras and yin and yang energies. He also gives photos and descriptions of many useful postures, along with some sample routines to try. It might be dangerous to try these postures without a teacher to make sure you're doing them right, but the book is a perfect supplement for my class.

I really love this Yin, I do wish that this book was bound as a spiral, as it would be easier to refer to the poses during the practice. It has helped my back and hamstring issues so much.
I highly recommend it!

Although I've been been physically active since childhood, I hadn't ever delved into yoga. Other than a few classes here and there, I was a total beginner. In fact, I still am. This book was recommended to me by a friend of mine who has been practicing yoga forever and I love it. I truly love it, it has been far more helpful to me than any class or DVD I've ever taken or done. It just feels good.

Paul Grilley's book is easy to undertand and is formatted in a visually helpful way. Cuts right to the chase. No fluff. Helpful to teachers and to yogis who want to learn more about Yin Yoga.

Nice little book -- loads of information in a concise, easy to read format. Sample practices are useful, but you will need to memorize and understand them before practicing. The format of the book -- softcover, bound -- does not lend itself to being a useful "practice manual." The book won't really lay flat so that you can't refer to it or view specific postures, descriptions, or sequences readily while practicing.

This is such an enjoyable book. It's not 'scientific'; rather it's 'aesthetic'. And that's not unreasonable because clouds are infinitely variable - one form merging into another, one species evolving into another ..... If you judge a type correctly at one moment, a minute or two later and your assessment may no longer be accurate. I loved the stories used to illustrate the information in the book. Perhaps I might have liked more stories about clouds from the point of view of the cloud - as pilots would experience when flying close to, or through them. There is one story of a pilot who fell through a cumulonimbus - what an experience! And then there is the expectation and the exciting realisation of the morning glory in the final chapter.

Enthusiastically recommended for the way it enhances life in the way it draws interest and attention to what we might otherwise just fail to see.

Gavin Pretor-Pinner deserves praise for taking something so obvious as clouds, and writing a whole book. We tend to take the fluffy white (or bleak grey ......) objects for granted, and many know a little about what they are composed of, and where they come from. Mr P-P is obviously something of an expert in his field, and a real enthusiast, and has caused my thoughts to be "amongst the clouds", and in that the book has achieved some success. However, can I still name the 10 cloud types, and identify them? That is a different matter.

After a general introduction, there are chapters on each of the 10 (main) cloud types. In previous eras, clouds were seen to portend the weather. In the days of the 24-hour availability of detailed meteorological forecasts, that is now hard to believe. Knowledge of cloud formations is becoming something that we do not need to know. There are detailed explanations of weather fronts, (cold front, warm front and what used to be known as occluded fronts). However, there are no weather maps as a pictorial guide, with isobars. That would have been helpful.

Generally, I liked the book more as I progressed, but the subject matter is not `a story'. Gavin writes better when the detail is linked to little anecdotes, and he has a wry sense of humour, more to make the reader weakly smile that laugh. There are informative matters of detail, so that any reader will come away with items they never knew. The style brings life to the sometimes dry subject matter of condensed water vapour, which at times left me reeling with formation details and Latin names of the sub-species of clouds.

I found that some detail of the basic cloud types merged into each other, much as a blanket of Cirrostratus. But then again, I am not a paid-up member of the Cloud Appreciation Society - yes there really is such a society, and this book resulted from that organisation, with the author as its founder. Of more interest to me was the detail about halos, and other visual effects that can be seen. Before opening this book, I had never heard of a `sundog', and am now eager to see one.

Is the weather the same now as it has always been? Mr P-P talks about climate change from a different angle, bringing this in to ways in which we have changed our clouds. This has been done both consciously (Russian attempts to ensure that the weather is fine for May day parades), and unconsciously. In the latter category come the new types of clouds that are seen high in the sky on some otherwise cloud-free days - the contrails ("condensation trails") from jet aircraft. It is interesting to note the effect that 9/11 had climate on the USA, with no aircraft flying and causing contrails for 48 hours. This resulted in an increased average difference of day-time and night-time temperatures of 1.1 degrees centigrade in tem mediate aftermath.

The last chapter details a particular cloud formation, not one of the 10 cloud types, but a spectacular, localised cloud, known as "The Morning Glory". Impressive as this is, I found it has too much coverage, and there were many more illustrations than of more widely-occurring phenomena. Awe-inspiring - yes. Worth that amount of coverage - no.

One thing is certain, I walk more with my head in the clouds, looking at the water vapour above, below and around me with a little more knowledge and detail.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK[...]

Great content, both scientific and soulful. Very accessible to every level of reader. I only wish the photos were in color.

Since reading this book my friends and family have renamed me clerd (cloud nerd). I love this book. It is written to be informative and amusing. That's the best way to learn. I remember the lectures I had where the professors made me laugh, but remember less when they stared at their shoes and mumbled.

The book describes a cloud genera per chapter, starting with the nomenclature and progressing through the science and is interspersed with all sorts of tales and anecdotes of history and art. It also goes into weird cloud phenomena such as sprites, blue jets, sun dogs and rainbows. There are beautiful pictures of clouds, science figures and art reproductions.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is even only vaguely interested in learning about what is going on above them. Gavin will draw you in and make a clerd out of you too.

Knowing the name of something is not the same as really knowing it, and this book goes much further than merely identifying the ten major types of clouds, with descriptions and pictures. And the numerous species and sub-varieties within each species. And variants and adjuncts. Accessory clouds and supplementary features. Man-made and man-altered clouds.

Pretor-Pinney explains how and why and where each cloud forms, gives a little history lesson, some poetry, and some literary or painting references for almost every type, as well as a number of typically-British humourous stories. In fact the author's umbrella-dry humour takes what is a potentially twee subject matter and makes it quite charming, really.

Except for the boring Stratus nebulosus, the plain old rain cloud about which Pretor-Pinney is hard-pressed to find any poetry, or art, or positive things to say. The best he can muster is, "it's never known to make you feel elated." Classic!

In the end, the author has accomplished much more than a Field Guide to Clouds, having really brought cloudspotting up to respectibility, and giving the reader the impression that he (or she) really does "know clouds" well beyond the mere recitation of their given names.

How easy it is for Satan to subtly twist the truths we know and mix them with cultural beliefs - especially if we grow lax in our walk with the Lord. This book will get you thinking and really examining what you believe and whether or not it is actually Biblical. Great for believers who have been in the family of God for awhile and perhaps find themselves a bit frustrated with so-called "Christian" behavior (in themselves or others).

This may also be a great book to recommend to people who claim to be Christians but don't act like it; perhaps they have bought into a false belief and are just confused or hurt and don't know how to find the truth. This book helps to clear the air yet also points the reader back to the Bible.

This is fantastic. I owed this to myself to read it. some of you seem holier than thou in your reviews because it is stuff you "already" knew....that's a shame because most people need to know that it is okay to not only be human, but to be Christian and be a true human, full of inadequacies and undesirable feelings of anger, resentment, etc. Do yourself a favor and read this information because it really can release you from what you "should" do or expect of yourself. Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven!

In a very easy read, each chapter reviews a different crazy Christian teaching such as "I just need to give it to the Lord...". It explains how each of our our crazy Christian thinking ways keep us stuck in our problems. The most awesome parts are the very clear explanations of how to address the issues in life that we try to apply these crazy ways to.

If you feel many suggested "Christian" ways to solve problems aren't working, this book is a must. Dr. Cloud is a very sincere Christian who is also incredibly wise in how God made people. His ways for addressing problems are simple, biblically based, and make sense. Best of all, they work!

I read through this book quickly. It is very well written and up lifting. I passed it on to others since I felt I was freed from some of the Craziness myself.

This is probably the best book for new Christians there is (besides the Bible). It an easy read and makes so much sense. Everybody need a copy of this book.

Patrick Tilley has crafted an epic story that is part Sci-Fi, part fantasy, part Western, and ALL brilliant!!

Set 1 000 years after a nuclear war all but destroyed the earth, it tells the story of the hi-tech Amtrak Federation (the survivors from underground missile bases), and their struggle to take back the 'blue sky world' from the technologically inferior Mutes, other survivors who have adapted to their radioactive environment.

In effect it's a futuristic version of cowboys versus indians, but it has so many other levels too - technology versus spirituality, conformity versus diversity, freedom versus rule of law, and many other similar issues.

It's a wonderful take on how racism affects everything, and how people can be indoctrinated into one form of belief - while the Mutes worship a god that controls their destiny, the Federation believes in the the power of the 'First Family', who are the rulers of Amtrak - it poses the question of who is greater, man or god, and both sides of the equation are well fleshed out and both display good AND bad points...and on top of that, it's a cracking, fast-paced, well plotted action story, that is one of the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy series I have ever read!!

Do yourself a favour - GET IT, you won't be sorry!!!

I read the first book; it was reasonable, but that's about all you can say. The second book is worse. I cannot believe that Tilley could spin this tripe out to fill six whole books.

Patrick Tilley has crafted an epic story that is part Sci-Fi, part fantasy, part Western, and ALL brilliant!!

Set 1 000 years after a nuclear war all but destroyed the earth, it tells the story of the hi-tech Amtrak Federation (the survivors from underground missile bases), and their struggle to take back the 'blue sky world' from the technologically inferior Mutes, other survivors who have adapted to their radioactive environment.

In effect it's a futuristic version of cowboys versus indians, but it has so many other levels too - technology versus spirituality, conformity versus diversity, freedom versus rule of law, and many other similar issues.

It's a wonderful take on how racism affects everything, and how people can be indoctrinated into one form of belief - while the Mutes worship a god that controls their destiny, the Federation believes in the the power of the 'First Family', who are the rulers of Amtrak - it poses the question of who is greater, man or god, and both sides of the equation are well fleshed out and both display good AND bad points...and on top of that, it's a cracking, fast-paced, well plotted action story, that is one of the best Sci-Fi/Fantasy series I have ever read!!

Do yourself a favour - GET IT, you won't be sorry!!!

Having just read all 6 books for the first time, you can imagine my howls of frustration on discovering that the series is left unfinished. If it had been wrapped up (at all) this would definitely have been a contender for a 5 star rating as the story is quite amazing and imaginative but leaving his fans hanging with no conclusion to the story is unforgivable. I can only hope that Mr. Tilley plans on a book 7.

All i have to say is that i bought the series 4 years ago and every year since i have reread this intriguing series. This story involves many highly developed characters pitting there wits against each other to see who can reclaim a post-apocalptic earth.