Bloom Books

Fantastic! Features 26 girls acting out what they hope to become when they grow up-from Aliki the astronaut to Zoe the zookeeper. Multicultural. Ryhming minimal text on each page, fun illustrations. I also love the conclusion page urging girls to dream big! Very inspiring. Age 1.0+

What a fantastic book! I saw the cover and was intrigued. What a wonderful celebration of girls and their dreams. As a teacher and mom of young children I couldn't be happier when I find positive books for children. This book inspires children to think outside the box! Bravo!

This book is an example of fantastic compilation of discussions and articles explaining Christian faith simple and clear. The fact that those words come from one of the most interesting people in Russian orthodoxy, who was born abroad and lived most of his life in Europe, make these words even more important for the western reader. Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) found his faith being an educated medical doctor. Therefore his words target modern educated people who are looking for the answers that can not be found anywhere but in a thousand years old tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

I almost gave this book four stars, but that wouldn't really do justice to the breathtaking insights it contains, nor the beautiful illustrations Metropolitan Anthony (Of Blessed Memory) uses to convey otherwise tedious and heavy theological concepts. There are places where some readers will find the discussion a little philosophically heavy (especially in the title essay), but not overwhelmingly so. Also, since this was written 40 years ago, one notices that the issues discussed may at first seem a little dated. And yet, everytime I started to feel this way, up would pop another beautiful insight that was absolutely timeless. This man of God, whose intellect and gentle grace touched many, does a fabulous job here of making hard-to-comprehend theological concepts meaninful - even life-transforming - to his readers. Strongly recommended to Orthodox Christian and non-Orthodox readers alike.

This book is called Goodbye Walter Malinski. By: Helen Recorvtits. This story takes place in a small town in America. The time of this story takes place in 1934. The season of this town is winter.

Some of the characters in this story are, Walter, Wanda, and Pa. Pa can get cruel a lot. Walter is the finest brother in America. Wanda also is a nice sister. Walter is 16 years old. He also likes to do stuff dangerous. Wanda loves to dance a lot with her mom. The problem in this story is that Pa loses his job and doesn't have a lot of money. Pa also gets angry with Walter a lot.

My favorite part of this story is at the end because it shocks me. The story starts when pa loses his job. I actually like this book. I loved the author because she gave a lot of background and detail. I also liked the illustrator because it had a lot of exiting pictures. I would recommend this book to a friend because it was thrilling and the author wrote a lot of exiting things in it.

The book Goodbye Walter Malinski is a wonderful example of how a poor, Polish famiy survived in America during the Great Depression. It also displays how a family coped with the loss of a loved one. This is a book that is short and sweet. My opinion of this book is very high, but to discover the exiting events you must read it your self.

As an avid hiker in southwest Ohio, I had searched for years for a decent hiking guide for my neighbors in the Hoosier state. I saw Falcon had one out, so I decided to give it a shot. What I found was a real gem.

There are 65 destinations described in this book with one hike per destination. The destinations range geographically from Indiana Dunes in the north to Hoosier National Forest and the famous Knobstone Trail in the south. Distances range from 1.5 miles to multi-day backpack treks, with the average at around 3 or 4 miles. Thus, there is something in here for every ability and every location.

Each hike contains a summary of the "critical facts" about the trail (length, difficulty, land management, nearby campgrounds, etc.) and a map of the trail that includes only the essential, but still enough, information. Trail descriptions are excellent, as are directions to the trailhead. The only minor drawback to this guide is the lack of a trail summary in the front of the book, a feature I have come to expect in most top-notch guides these days. Thus, you might have to do some page flipping to find a hike of interest to you. There is, however, a table of contents, so the impact of this omission is lessened.

In summary, this book is a great source of information and a real joy to read and use. You will find the best hiking Indiana has to offer described here. Further, this book easily beats any other guide to Indiana hiking on the market. I enthusiastically recommend this guide for purchase.

My family enjoys day hiking and recently completed the Knobstone Trail in southeastern Indiana. We purchased this book in order to get ideas for future hiking trips. If you enjoy hiking, you'll find this book an interesting read and a great resource. It begins with a short introductory section containing general information, especially useful for novice hikers or people (like myself) who are relatively new to this part of the country. The remainder of the book consists of sections organized by geographical or geological themes, with each section summarizing from five to ten possible hiking trips. With hikes ranging in distance from less than a half mile to over twenty miles, both novice and experienced hikers should find something to suit their fancy.

The summary of each hike is complete in a broad sense, including driving directions, general information about the location, decent (though not topographic) maps, mileages to key points along the trail, and somewhat detailed hiking descriptions. Having just completed the Knobstone Trail, I would have benefited from having the mileage and hiking descriptions in this book which are not available in this detail in any other source.

The only details that detracted from this book, in my opinion, were two apparent factual errors -- one in a road name, the other in describing a short segment of the route of the Knobstone Trail. I have seen both errors in other sources including some official publications cited by the author. Although some readers may question the lack of topo maps, the author includes details of elevation gain in each description. Furthermore, most hikes which are lengthy or strenuous enough to require such information are likely to be located in state forests or other public lands for which topo maps are frequently available.

Overall, I highly recommend this book especially for people like myself who enjoy rugged day hiking. There are certainly some hikes described which will appeal to campers and through hikers, as well as some moderate to easy hikes for novices. Whether you live in Indiana or a nearby metropolitan area such as Chicago, Louisville, or Cincinnati, you will likely find several hikes within a drive of an hour or two.

It's amazing to see how little progress mankind has made since the days of Mark Twain. It's been more than one hundred years since Huck Finn was first published, since that time there's been very little improvement in man's character.

We still see the same things: theft, dishonesty, riots, war, slavery, child abuse, superstition, hypocrisy, murder, and fear! Though pessimistic, Twain does see some good in man's character, just not much.

Since the writing of this book, we've seen the abolishment of slavery (which I think was the reason for Twain writing this story), though we are still fighting the stigma of the prejudices caused by it!

We've got all same character flaws, and the best we can say for ourselves is that we still have some of the same redeeming characteristics that Huck had: Loyalty, friendship, sincerity, and love. These may not be much, but they are enough for hope for the future.

These are the things that can help us to grow and progress, as Huck did. With them, we can open our eyes, and our hearts to our own weaknesses, and in so doing help us down our own rivers.

And who knows, perhaps in another hundred years we can look back and be proud.

This is the possibility that is Huck Finn!

After reading Huck Finn at age eight, and then reading it again in English class at age fourteen, I found that, though this is a delightful book, it is not the moral monster it is made out to be by English teachers everywhere. I don't believe that it should be banned from libraries or schools, having read it at a young age with no particular evils coming from it, but I also don't believe that it is a book that should be scrutinized as it is now. I think that everyone will take away something different from this book, and that it should be discussed, but while reading this in class everyone came up with the "right" answers, not their own personal opinions and ideas.

An extension of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn is a book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
-LJ

Human Parts accomplishes two feats which are key to creating a novel that is both socially relevant and fleshed out in the arena of character development: Castel-Bloom is a master at showing us how the minutiae of everyday life can and will control people: the broken car, the bill at the Laundromat, the broken washing machine, getting the kids off to school. But Human Parts also circles ever wider, to illustrate the intrusion of the world of violence and conflict into our social existence. This is relevant for Israelis, and increasingly, for everyone in the world. You can be controlled by the lack of oil in your car just as much as the suicide bomber. Catel-Bloom deftly captures the unique predicament of our time in this novel of events and details.

Most Americans look at Israel and see one thing - a conflict with the Palestinians. That is a major issue, to be sure, but Orly Castel Bloom takes a deeper look - at the economy, the social strata and the racism that permeates this country on every level - identifying her characters as humans struck by the inadequacies of daily life - just like the rest of us. She is fiercely critical of Israeli culture, but holds on to an affinity and sympathy for her country at the same time. Orly castel-bloom is a phenomenal writer and this book is simply superb.

The concepts and wisdom offered here are remarkable. Although at times text can be difficult follow for readers like myself who do not understand Hebrew, Jack Bloom does a nice job explaining the Hebrew vocabulary for the uninitiated. My soul was captivated and greatly expanded by the wisdom and concepts Jack Bloom discusses. He touches upon core spiritual truths that really cut across many religions and philosophies.

I am a CPE student, learning and working towards chaplain certification. This book is required reading.....and so my initial reaction was: not another book! Wow did I change my attitude quickly! While I have only read select chapters, this is probably the most versatile and valuable book in my personal library. Sections by contributing writers such as Rabbi Shira Stern are accessible and enlightening. This book is a must have for clergy, chaplains, and spiritual caregivers of all faith denominations!

I bought this book when I was diagnosed with MS - and I must admit, it was the subtitle that really made me buy it because after a few weeks of grief and loss, I was ready to take charge - I had woken up - and I needed to move forward. This book has so many insights - it really helped me get my arms around the situation - There are so many passages in here that I underlined because they just are so on target - one has to do with "accepting and enjoying and finding the value in my own path. What was right for me." The chapters in this book are as follows:
Becoming my own mentor
First Awakening
Awaken your habit-dulled spirit
The process of becoming
There is no tomorrow
Watch for signs of spring

wonderful quotes from other authors throughout the book as well.

Anyway, it was/is a great book for me - helped me to loosen the grip on my self and allow myself to start to bloom, get perspective and live again. Many thanks to this author for sharing her experiences and thoughts.

Barbara Marie Brewster's book, "Journey to Wholeness" is a book that chronicles one woman's journey of life when she first discovered that she had Multiple Sclerosis in her late 30s, soon after her separation from her husband. These events started the process of growing her soul and uncovering the meaning of life in the most personal sense. I picked up this book just from the quote on the cover, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom."

What stood out for me in reading Brewster's book was how personally revealing her account of her thoughts, feelings, doubts, joys, and triumphs that she has gone through, seeking a way of meeting her MS head on. The MS was really a vehicle for Brewster to grow into a more self-actualized woman whose spirit was unleashed. Her explorations are a learning for all of us. "Journey to Wholeness" is a life-affirming book that takes the reader through all the nooks and crannies of life's challenges and the courageous and spiritual ways of meeting those challenges.

I recommend this book as a view into a life that shows us how a person not so much conquers MS or life's problems but how to accept and grow into someone who takes on the journey of life.

This is an extraordinary collection, filled with poems that evoke a world of mythological meaning just beneath the surface of contemporary life. The poem "Instructions for Healing" (which introduces the "Kore in Bloom" sequence in the middle of the book), begins by briefly recounting a Mediterranean voyage and goes on to take a profound journey indeed, in which the reader can "listen to the veins of the world turning to ice and silence." Creation of myth and ceremony is not a thing of the past when a poet of Margaret Holley's depth can get in touch with the flesh and bone of the universe, "the sleepy intelligence of the electron cloud," "sentience clinging to stone," (from "The Stars"), "the memory of every molecule in the motel of body and mind," (from "Now the Cicadas"), the fact that "the rock you see is a dance of atoms" (from "The Book of Changes").
The language is exquisite throughout; the range of experience in the background is substantial, and doors open in every poem to worlds the reader might well never otherwise encounter, from the numeromania of Anton Bruckner to the myths of the riveting Kore (pun intended) section, to the final moments of Brahms, the moon, Rilke. KORE IN BLOOM is unlike any other book of poetry I have ever read. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who wants to experience language in ways that are strikingly original and beautiful.

Holley's finest work, uplifting and technically stunning. A great, great book of poetry for anyone who appreciates the craft.

--Last year, Jeremy Bloom, late for the first day of sixth grade on which the students pick their classes, signed up for Pottery, which was one of the last still having spots open. Unfortunately for him, he only thought it was Pottery: he had signed up for Poetry! After several incidents which may or may not have caused his teacher, Ms. Terranova ("Ms. Pterodactyl") to give him a D- on every poem he wrote, Jeremy decides in this book that writing poetry wasn't so bad (despite the D- marks!) and that he would like to do it again. Ms. Terranova, now married and Mrs. Stegowitz ("Mrs. Stegosaurus") decides to raise last years' marks to A's. --Throughout the second year of Jeremy Bloom's poetry career, Mrs. Stegowitz always shows up for a sports game - and the boys always lose that specific game! Jeremy writes about alternative sports after such events ("Take a walk on Boardwalk/Who owns it? Is it me?/It's mine, with one big red hotel/Two thousand dollars' fee!) with absolutely hilarious results. --Marisa

Everyone will enjoy this collection of Jeremy Bloom's poems, not just sports fanatics, not just boys, not just kids who are a certain age. Jeremy writes poems about football, baseball, soccer, basketball, Monopoly (he claims that Monopoly is just as much a sport as football), and several other sports. This book is for anyone who enjoys to laugh, even if you can't tell a goal post from Home plate (I can't).