Blair Books

This is a continuation of my interview with Robin Hemley.

Q: Among the famous authors of the past few centuries, whom do you consider to be the most boring to read?

Hemley: For me, the hands-down winner is the French author Robbe-Grillet who could write a three-page description of a slice of tomato.

And many literary theorists are quite adept at boring readers in the name of edification. But the list of those would be far too long.

And even the most celebrated authors have written wonderful works as well as boring works. What we find boring changes over time. Shakespeare's epic poem, "Lucretia" comes to mind. In his own day, this was a famous work of his - I had to read it in college, and though I adore many of his plays, this poem was incredibly dry to me.

Q: If you were asked to compile a three-book required reading list for the college students of America, which three books would you select?

Hemley: Ack! I'd probably start with that biography you're forcing me to write.

For me, that's one of those impossible questions. How could one possibly choose? Three books would be much too narrow for me. For that reason, I'd probably choose The Tao of Lao-Tze, The Illiad, and maybe the Old Testament. I'd want them taught in the original language, so the students would have to learn Chinese, Greek, and Aramaic. I might remove one of the latter two in favor of The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, which I used to read as a kid. It has an introduction by Robert Graves and is pretty comprehensive, thought the version I have does not include Judaeo-Christian mythology, and should before I'd want to use it. I know the term "mythology" is out of vogue, but I'd use it as long as all belief systems fell under that category. That might be a substantial education: culturally, historically, spiritually, and in terms of language.

Q: What is the function of your work? Entertainment? Social message? Something else altogether?

Hemley: I'd like my work to be both entertaining as well as working towards discoveries. I'm not a writer who has a message in mind when he writes. Personally, I'm after discoveries, not messages. The highest kind of discoveries, and the most elusive, are spiritual discoveries. And to me, this is what many literatures have their roots in, the Eleusinian mysteries of ancient Greece, or the ontological tales that most cultures share.

Q: What is your greatest work?

Hemley: We end with a trick question. I'd love to have a greatest work, but right now I only have a "goodest work." And right now, my goodest work is, of course, the last book I wrote, which is something I think most writers want to believe. The last work they completed is the best, and the next one will be even better.

Robin Hemley's gift is in the detail, the nuance and the subtlety. In ten pages, he can develop characters more rich and layered than many authors do in a whole novel. These stories are warm, inviting and quietly moving.

This book is perfect for any student of writing, whether enrolled in a university or not. It guides the reader through every stage of the writing process: planning, drafting, researching, revising, and editing.

The unique features of this book are (1) helpful ESL boxes that offer important tips for international students, or for those that help international students, (2) Questions for analysis and useful assignments, both for individuals and groups, (3) a clear, exciting format that makes for easy, captivating reading, and (4) practical charts and helps for easy reference. The book can be read like a novel or used as a reference tool. The only problem is that, because of the size of the book, the softcover does not wear well. I would recommend buying hardcover.

I have always avoided writing; it never quite turns out the way I want. But this handbook, with its clear explanations and user-friendly tone, has inspired me to simply write, not letting burdens of worry slow me down. I have been encouraged to have fun exploring new ways of putting my fingers to the keyboard. This book is for anyone who is not a writer, or is, but wants to be one.

THE BLAIR HANDBOOK IS MUST HAVE FOR WRITING PERFECT ENGLISH. NO HOUSE, LIBRARY, OR EVEN STUDENT SHOULD BE WITHOUT THIS TEXT. EVER WONDER WHY IT IS THAT 'THE ROAD WINDS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN.' INSTEAD OF 'THE ROADS WINDS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN'? WELL NOW YOU CAN FIND OUT, NOT JUST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SOUND RIGHT, BUT THE REASON IT ISN'T CORRECT. THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT YOU WILL WRIET AND THEN SECOND GUESS THEM, AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE CORRECT. WITH THIS BOOK YOU CAN FIND OUT WHAT IS CORRECT AND BRING YOUR WRITING UP TO A HIGHER LEVEL. USE THE TIPS AND LESSONS TO WRITE IMPRESSIVE RESUMES, PAPERS, THESES ETC. A MUST FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN WRITING EXCEPTIONALLY WELL.

Hardcore Blair Witch fans will find that this is a nice addition to their collection. This journal can be used to record daily logs for the year 2000 much like Heather Donahue did in the movie. Contains pictures, trivia, and fun facts

We all know by now that "Big Daddy" is more along the lines of the current American intellect. But until the rest of the world catches up with the Blair With Project... Get this book. I work in a bookstore and found it hard to come across! It features dated entries that correspond with the legend and with the films' events itself. This is a great deal of fun and a great collectible for any BWP fan!

As a homeschooler with an ADHD/LD son, I picked up this book at the library hoping for some advice on making lessons more do-able for my son. I feel like I hit the jackpot! Although directed to classroom teachers, this book contains info that is useful for both parents and teachers. It gives examples of how various types of lesson plans can be adapted to varying abilities without sacrificing content. It provides "ammo" for parents who (unfortunately) must fight with schools to accomodate their child's needs. It gives a picture of what kind of classroom can meet the needs of ALL students. this book should be read by ANYONE who works with ADD/LD children.

This book gives a clear and useful accounting of the difficulties encountered by students with LD's and ADHD. The first two chapters introduce Al, a young man with classic ADHD. The rest of the book expands on how this person deals with his disability and how classroom teachers can recognize and help those with ADHD and LD's.

This set consists of 3 audio cds and a CD-Rom disc. The basic idea in this teaching method is that you are given German words in the context of familiar English sentences and that by becoming familiar with the new words and slowly increasing your vocabulary you eventually listen and learn sentences and phrases in German alone. I do not rate this set as highly as the Michel Thomas Beginner's series simply because it is not as in-depth nor does it build language comprehension as solidly. A very good buy for the current used price of approx. $8. Tchuss!

This is the best language series I've ever heard....the method is unique and fun to listen to...you really learn while doing! It's not the usual boring memorizing of words. I was amazed at how much I had learned on my recent trip to Germany. I look forward to more of the same when I begin studying another language for my next trip abroad...

Judith Mercier is an author with unquestioned command of the apt phrase. Although Duck: An Outer Banks Village reads like a high-end magazine article, there is no evidence that Mercier has previously published any of this material. As early as her introduction, Mercier sets the book's tone:

Duck remains a place worth knowing. Its people are worth meeting, its heritage worth guarding. Stories are what bolster the spine of this coastal community, an old village bent but not yet broken. For that reason alone, these are stories worth telling (at pp. xi-xii).

One finds it hard not to like phraseology such as: "A coat of simplicity has been brushed over every million-dollar deal, a homey quaintness hammered into each joist and floorboard" (at p. 36) or reference to blacks who "concealed whatever blues and bitterness they felt as cleverly as bootleggers hid their liquor" (at p. 105). That this glowing prose is combined with numerous facts about Duck and its environs should make for a rich mix, and it does.
What tempers enthusiasm about Duck, and to my mind makes it a "very good" rather than a "great" read, is the general treatment of references. Mercier says, for example, that Suzanne Tate's Bring Me Duck (1986), "provided insights and reading pleasure" (at p. 256), but this is tepid praise for what appears to be a major precursor to her own work. Mercier's comments about Lewis Scarborough (at p. 162) and Ruth Scarborough Tate (at p. 169) reflect material already published in Bring Me Duck (see pp. 28-29, 5), while the quote from Tate about "cripple-ducking" (at p. 170) is directly taken, without attribution, from Bring Me Duck (see p. 6). The superstition about sweeping sand out of doors at sundown is found in both books (at pp. 196-97; see also Bring Me Duck, at p. 6), while other examples could be added. Indeed, readers of Bring Me Duck may regret that even more of Tate's work was not utilized in Duck.
At the same time it is clear that Mercier has done a lot of research on her own. While it's frustrating that no bibliography lists articles from the "dozen mainland journalists and travel writers [who] have dropped in on Levin [Scarborough]" (at p. 41- or sources for the quotes at pp. 50-51), materials such as Frank Scarborough's cooked sea gull story (at pp. 149-51) are almost certainly appearing in print for the first time.
Details such as the 600 canvasback killed in a day (or the 892 ruddy duck shot in less than ten hours in 1905- see p. 166) give us glimpses of a community now dominated by condominiums and tourists- although the contemplated Food Lion mentioned (at pp. 241-45) does not appear to have been built (personal observation in Duck; May 2005). Duck: An Outer Banks Village, is a lyrical introduction to the town and its social history, providing a worthy and informative read for summer visitors and Bankers alike.

Samuel Pyeatt Menefee

I must admit that I had never in my life spent a sleepless night wondering about the land and the people of Duck, North Carolina, or about the Outer Banks, either. Nonetheless I found this book fascinating -- a page turner, for sure. The book carries the two most important requisites for good creative non-fiction: fascinating subject matter and excellent writing. And it is thoroughly researched. Both old-timers and new-comers spring to life and entertain in these pages, as does the village of Duck and its history. A good read: thanks.

For someone that has never exercised this book is a must have. I was looking for different exercises other than what I have already been doing and was disappointed that I spent the money on something that I already knew.

No prior level of fitness is presumed in order to use FITNESS AFTER FIFTY: ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE AND LIFE TO YOUR YEARS. And it's not even necessary to follow a single program of exercise to use this, either: it's a self-paced workbook manual which imparts the basics of after-50 fitness, from asking questions of a doctor and exercising safely to adapt an activity regimen to a medical limitation. From aerobic benefits and how to explore them to enlisting friends in a program to add support, any over-50 person should have this basic guide.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This packet comes with a small goddess statue that acts as an incense burner, 4 sticks of incense, and a very thick, small book of goddess affirmations - heavy on the Native American and more obscure goddesses. The box also turns into an altar. I have always been a big fan on Nancy Blair and really like this concept.

My only bias is that because it is a 365 day book of goddess, I wish all the major goddesses were representated. I agree that mentioning obscure goddess is important, but I think representing the core group is also valid. I would recommend this set to anyone.

This is truly a lovely kit containing mini incense sticks, a Goddess figurine (which can hold the incense), a workable altar, and a petite book which lists a Goddess and an inspirational paragraph relating to her and to using her energies in your life for each day of the year. I love day-by-day Goddess books; because I'd gone through my other ones, I was so happy to find a new one. I find the figurine and the meditations in the book truly beautiful, calming and inspirational. The kit is definitely worth five stars, but I do have a complaint: I find it too messy to actually use the incense with the Goddess figurine. She "holds" it upright, and although she has a little bowl to catch the ashes, it's so small that in reality the ashes scatter everywhere. Buyers of this kit might want to have a separate mini-incense burner to use, like I do (or just use incense of regular length separately).

The south has always been known for its hauntings, as has the seacoast. Wilmington, North Carolina and Cape Fear are a combination of the two and therefore ghosts should abound in the area. Brooks Newton Preik has taken upon herself the task of documenting some of these apparitions from the old North State.

Among the ghosts to be found in this book are the familiar Maco head light and the spirit of Theodosia Burr along with many lesser-known haunts. Many of the stories to be found are backed up by the testimony of contemporary witnesses, which adds a great deal to the believability of the story. Unfortunately, there are also some stories that are mere legend and the last chapter about the Oakdale Cemetery, while interesting, is just a short history of the cemetery and contains no ghosts at all.

Overall though, this is a well-written and enjoyable book. It would especially help set the mood of the Cape Fear area for anyone planning a visit. As one might expect of a place with this much history, this book will tell you not only of the ghosts themselves but also much of how the ghosts may have come to be. Along the way the reader will be lead down a colorful history that includes pirates, redcoats, ship wrecks, Confederate soldiers, and even a couple of Scottish highlanders.

This is not the most detailed, informative, or even scary ghost book on the market. Even so, it is an entertaining book and Preik has a very pleasant writing style. I enjoyed it very much.

As a memeber of the Cape Fear Paranormal Investigations. I really enjoyed reading this book. If was full of history from the Wilmington area and has a lot of ghost stories that the CFPI had investigated. If you like ghost stories or history you will enjoy this book.

Written by Carol K. Anthony and Hanna Moog, co-founders of the I Ching Institute, Healing Yourself the Cosmic Way: Based on the I Ching is an in-depth, self-help guide to improving one's well-being and recovering from physical and emotional pain through ancient Chinese wisdom in the need to balance body and mind, as well as identifying various influences on the consciousness of the psyche. Healing Yourself the Cosmic Way is not an I Ching manual or primer per se, but rather walks the reader through valuable truths that understanding the I Ching can help communicate. Chapters cover the role of ego in illness, understanding infections, pain as a messenger, causes of regressions and hindrance to healing, the causes of susceptibility to illness, and much more. A welcome addition to holistic healing and alternative medicine shelves. "Guilt, if not deprogrammed, greatly diminishes our self-healing abilities. It therefore keeps us ill for longer periods of time than necessary. Guilt also reinstalls the things we have deprogrammed by making us fear that if we turn our backs on our time-honored beliefs, we will become guilty."

It is a new way to healing, I have only read a small part because of busy schedule but, I am intrested.