Bloom Books

Lauren is a lucky girl, mostly because of her perfect boyfriend Dave. He's a star football and baseball player and incredibly gorgeous, not to mention extremely smart, loyal, and nice. Her grades are fine and she's got a great friend Katie, but she doesn't realize that she's missing out on anything until Evan Kirkland shows up. Lauren is almost an entirely different person with Evan, because she doesn't pretend anything with him. But even as a passionate relationship with Evan develops, Lauren can't bring herself to break up with her perfect boyfriend Dave. She's torn between her two personalities: the one that accepts her life with Dave as perfect even though it's boring or the more wild and honest side that Evan brings out.

Bloom was a very romantic and sexy story. However although I loved the story, I didn't always love Lauren. She was just so frustrating sometimes, especially when she couldn't make up her mind between which guy she wanted. I have to forgive her though, because she's really only human (even if she is fictional). The setting of high school was not particularly unique, but I felt that the story worked well in it. Also, I liked how the story stayed pretty focused on Lauren's problems instead of meandering onto Katie's or Dave's problems. However, by touching on these other character's problems, I was left with many unanswered problems regarding them and I wished there were more of these characters in the story. Nevertheless, I felt that Bloom was a very honest and definitely romantic story that I'd reread if I had time.

I have to say though that I preferred Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott to her first novel, Bloom because it was just more unique, but I still did enjoy reading Bloom. I recommend this novel for fans of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Wake by Lisa McMann, and When It Happens by Susane Colasanti.

I absolutely love this book! It's cute, funny, and shows that change can be scary. I loved the characters. It was all very believable. Every teen romance fan must read Bloom!

This novel is great in the realistic and honest narrative of Lauren who isn't beautiful or perfect no matter what people see.

Iread this book in 3 hours, it was so good! i never wanted to put it down, it had the best story to it. now im trying to find more books like thiss!

Imagine that your boyfriend is popular, drop dead gorgeous, crazy about you, athletic and wanted by every girl in high school. This is the relationship that Lauren has with Dave. Seems like she should be happy, right? Wrong. She's not. She's in the "perfect" relationship (so everyone thinks), but yet she feels so far from perfect and certainly not happy. In fact, she feels like a fake.

World History is the class she wants to get out of, however it's also where her story finally begins. As a new semester starts, Lauren dreads her World History class. It starts to get interesting when the teacher assigns seating in alphabetical order. Across from her is Evan Kirkland. The son of her father's former live-in boyfriend; a relationship that ended very badly.

As Lauren's feelings grow for Evan, she realizes everything she is missing with her boyfriend Dave. She struggles with keeping up appearances, lying to her best friend, Katie, and understanding these new feelings that Evan has stirred up. Lauren's mom left the family when she was young and her father has been in and out of numerous relationships. Now, he's hardly a presence in Lauren's life. This is also an impact on the triangle of Lauren/Dave/Evan.

Overall, I liked this book. Katie and Dave were good supporting characters, however I wanted to know more about their lives. Bloom is a good story about young love, trying to fit in struggling with doing what is expected of you, and discovering who you really are.

I'm coming to the end of my undergraduate studies (in PHYSICS!) and I was looking for some insight into what graduate school would be like to to try and figure out if a PhD is in the cards for me. This book is easy to read and FULL of useful tips. However the overwhelming majority of these nuggets of gold come from past PhD students in the medical/biological sciences. This began to get really annoying. I was constantly having to decide which comments to take onboard and which to leave behind (because I thought they wouldn't apply to me). As a result, I probably have in my head a very distorted picture of what grad school will really be like.
The title is very descriptive, it's just missing one word, but I suppose if they added it sales would drop significantly.

This book should be required reading for anyone applying to gradutate school in the sciences (physical or biological). A quick read of the text will give one plenty to think about before making the big decision. The earlier you read it the better off you will be. The most important reading regards selecting an advisor. I am in the process of completing my degree and in hind sight agree with the issues on which the author has choosen to focus.

The following was copied from another website's review of The Ph.D. Process, and I think it describes the book perfectly:

Graduate school in science is not an experiential extension of undergraduate education, where the passing of a sufficient number of courses usually guarantees one a degree; nor is it medical school or law school, where there is a delineated and set curriculum. Ph.D students are actually pretty much on their own--and they will sink or swim depending upon their own interpretation of how the system works.

The purpose of this book is to provide students with some insight into this unusual system. The authors--each a Ph.D. in the sciences--reveal the generally unspoken "rules" of the game. They offer the secrets of survival and success: What should you discuss in your application essay? What types of research advisors should you avoid? What kinds of research projects should you never undertake? How hard do you have to work? Are grades important? What steps should you take now to make yourself "employable" when you finish? What decisions can make or break your career? How can you network in the scientific community? What goes on at the oral defense, and how can you prepare?

Described also is the daily experience itself: research life, classes, seminars, journal clubs, lab meetings, interactions with peers and professors, qualifying exams, professional meetings, oral exams, dissertation preparation, etc. Anxiety, frustration, and joy-- all normal responses to a grad student's life--are also examined. (In quotes sprinkled throughout the text, numerous past and present grad students relate their individual experiences and emotions during their doctoral training.) A separate chapter is devoted to the special problems of foreign students, strangers to our culture and educational system.

There are many intellectual and emotional challenges inherent to becoming a scientist. This book prepares students for each stage of the experience. They will learn what to expect--socially, psychologically, and academically!

The PhD process is a great overview of graduate school in the sciences. It covers most basic topics such as choosing a type of school, applying, preliminary exams, comps, thesis work, etc. Of course each school does these things slightly differently, but the main points are there and the authors do a good job of pointing out where differences between programs are likely to turn up. This book also explains things that graduate programs aren't likely to advertise such as using students as `cheap labor' and what things to look for in an advisor other than interesting research. This is a fun to read honest book, and the anecdotes from current and past graduate students are the best part. I enjoyed reading them because so many of the same things have happened to me, and it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

I wouldn't say that I received any great insights from the book because I had some experience with academic labs before I applied to graduate school and had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. I found it a little calming to read about others' experiences as I was waiting to get started. I think most students who apply to graduate school have already spent much time in labs with current graduate students so this might not be that useful to them as practical advise; however, I found this book to be an excellent resource for my parents. My parents had no idea what graduate school is like, and the fact that I'm at school all day and only go to class for an hour baffles them to no end. Reading this book helped them to understand the structure and goals of graduate school. Though I still don't think they understand journal club. (Why would anyone join that club? It doesn't sound like very much fun.)

I recommend this book to grad students for their parents or to undergraduates who aren't sure if graduate school is the right path for them. This book gives great insight into what graduate school is really like.

The book definitely unfold the whole map of graduate school life, especially for (biological) science students. Many aspects and stages of doing science research and how to survive in graduate school are covered. However, the lack of insightful guidence is the main drawback of the book. Pointint out possible obstacles does not necessarily makes gradute students' lives easier. The interviews from (past) graduate students do help readers build up confidence because it is comforting to know many people suffer as they do now, but at the same time few specific steps or directions are NOT distilled by the authors. It's like everyone just talks their experiences without any conclusions.

The book is amazing and easy for read [ASIN:0809115093 Beginning to Pray]. I am concerned about the way we pray and what we are supposed to wait from pray. The book shows that we may be searching the wrong way, and addressed me to improve may pray.

My spiritual director recommended this book to me. The book guides me in my spiritual life and is clear in its message.

I am reading this book for the 5th time, and I just got finished leading a study group for it. Each time I read it, it is as if it's brand new. English is not the author's first language, so some of the wording is a little choppy at first. He phrases things a bit differently than English speaking people, but once you get used to his style you can't help but be challenged and encouraged in your personal relationship with God. I think an appropriate sub-title for this book could be: How to have a personal relationship with the living God. His first chapter "The Absence of God" hits a topic that all of us have experienced at one time or another - Why does God seem so far away? I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in deepening his walk with God. Among many things, it will challenge you to be authentic before God, show you how to be still before God, and demonstrate how to live in the present moment - practicing the presence of God.

The apostle Paul tells us "we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words."

This little book by Anthony Bloom will help any person find the way to a prayer life breathed with the Spirit's life.

Anthony Bloom's Beginning to Pray is not just for beginners in prayer. In it, Bloom offers practical suggestions for novices in prayer and profound insights for even the most spiritually mature. Bloom draws from a life rich in challenges and communication with people and God in myriad circumstances. His writings of prayer reveal the mysteries that open to a person who prays in God's presence often.

The introduction to the book is the transcript of an interview of the author answering questions about his life and ministry. The interview illustrates his qualifications to write a book on prayer. It also shows that his is a remarkable life journey that has taken him from Russia to the Orient to France. He worked his way through college to become a surgeon, eventually being conscripted by the Germans after the occupation of France. He then became ordained as monk in 1948 and served as a monk and a surgeon before leaving his medical practice for ministry.

His first point in writing of prayer emphasizes our state before God. People at some point will face God, and when they do, they will receive salvation or condemnation. He encourages readers to accept their desperate state and to go to God asking for and receiving mercy. Then prayer can begin. Otherwise, God is outside of us and cannot hear. Prayer will be sent to the unknown.

Bloom urges readers to develop a passion for God at the expense of the possessions of the world. He reminds readers that one must take up his or her cross daily to follow Jesus. Bloom offers readers ways to experiment with types of prayers to find what suits them. These include written prayers like psalms, short prayers like the "Jesus Prayer, praying with icons or spontaneous prayers. What is important writes Bloom is that those praying believe in their own prayers and pray heartily not haphazardly to God. He also exhorts readers on the importance of sitting quietly in one's room away from the distractions of the world. To Bloom, practicing silence before God is a key to closeness with God in prayer.

For Bloom, those "crises" in our lives that would become excuses not to pray are the very dangers that should prompt us to pray. Let nothing stop you from entering into quiet time before the Lord. He devotes a chapter to managing time and prayer.

The final chapter entitled "Addressing God" discusses the necessity of a personal relationship with God as opposed to a functional relationship with God. This idea critiques a relationship where readers see God as serving a purpose only in their lives versus a relationship with him in which he is the object and desire. This personal relationship requires us to call God by a name that is personal and address him not vaguely but as someone known.

Bloom's insights target intensity, passion, relationship and time in prayer. I think all Christians often need to begin again in prayer. This book is a tool to help readers do just that and to analyze their prayer lives and see where they stand. Bloom offers several ways to "experiment" with prayer, and these are useful. The main impact for me in this book is his emphasis on taking prayers seriously. He writes that if we want God to listen and act on our prayers we must pray earnestly and sincerely with thoughtfulness and heart.

He adds two meditations at the end of the book. One I found instructive and one I did not find helpful.

Craig Stephans, author of Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays

Beyond Dancing is a great story. One that needs a broad circulation. I'd love to see it on film. Anita is a strong, feisty woman who is also a danged good writer. I highly recommend this book, especially to women, girls and all veterans. You won't regret getting this one.

While you're here, have a look at Fixin' Things: A Novel of Women at Gettysburg

I found this book to be important showing how an individual can overcome adversity and through persistence and intelligence deal with the 'red tape' of government bureaucracy. The reader is touched by her plight as she struggles to overcome wrongly inflicted treatment by a military that adheres to rules and regulations with total insensitivity to individual needs. Their concern is only protecting those involved. The relevancy of her situation is played out today with the ill treatment of our veterans. The author shows how one can find love and understanding with major handicaps and make a powerful contribution to society and the betterment of others. I strongly recommend reading this book.

Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (2/07)

Never in my life have I known a person with as much strength, endurance and simple fortitude to achieve what Anita Bloom has achieved. A woman of such strength not only will make one take a second look at one's own life but perhaps cherish what people like Anita have accomplished for others.

Serving as a WAAC, Anita Bloom was tragically struck with an infection that eventually took her mobility. As a paraplegic she began what continued to be a fight for her life and her rights. Continuously battling not only the health issues at hand but also the social issues, in a time when being "disabled" meant simply giving up and living a life of institutionalized remorse. What Anita achieved, instead, was not only the ability to become more "abled" than a person with full functioning limbs but more determined than any average person would begin to be.

As a young Jewish girl, she found her calling when she met another woman who was a member of the Women's Military. Not yet considered a true "branch" of the service, these women trained like soldiers out of simple pride for their country and in Anita's case pride for her heritage. To witness the horrible biases against her simply as a Jewish person would be hard enough but then to realize she not only fought the battle of her heritage and religion but also the fact that she was a woman in a man's world and later a disabled person in a world never intended to accommodate her as such makes this woman's story absolutely heart warming and touching beyond belief.

Although the WAAC's were not considered a true part of the military as of the time Anita served, they soon became known as WACs and were recognized as an actual branch with the benefits attached as so. Under Anita's case, as a WAAC, she received some benefits of being a "veteran" but also was dismissed when applying for other benefits that would help her live a productive life. Never considering quitting, she continued to fight to get those rights not only for herself but for other women who served in the WAAC branch of service.

While undergoing treatment, after leaving a Veteran's hospital, she met her unknowingly to-be-husband John with whom she immediately found a connection. Although not a "trained" physical therapist, his desire to be the best in his job and his desire to learn all he could truly made him the one person in her life that made a huge difference in creating a life as close to "normal" as possible. When they finally admitted the connection, amongst constant gossip pertaining to his being married and in the process of divorce along with the definite disapproval of her Jewish parents, they lived for years in waiting until they could manage to become husband and wife with minimal damage socially. An amazing story in itself, this autobiography not only shares the tale of a woman's strength in fighting for her rights as a disabled veteran but her story of true love with a man who simply seemed to be meant for her.

As you witness stumble block after stumble block placed in front of this woman, you begin to realize the strength involved simply in living her daily life let alone taking on other huge hurdles such as becoming the first disabled person to attend NYU. Life simply was never intended to be "lived" by a disabled person and the laws we easily accept and relish in today's society weren't in place during Anita's fight for a normal life. As she seemingly finally pulls herself over one hurdle only to find another one waiting for her, you truly wonder when this woman will simply give up and yet it never really happens. She may stumble and question her meaning or desire but never falters in truly obtaining what she feels is her right to life.

Each and every step you experience with her seems so huge yet in our society today it's simply "expected." These expectations of today come from people like Anita, who fought ever step of the way to be recognized and entitled to their own rights.

Even to the end, as you somewhat sadly read the epilogue, you realize that nothing in life ever came easy for Anita Bloom. The loss of so many loved ones in her life at such young ages seems unbearable to the average person but then you recall how far above average Anita Bloom has always been.

The wonderfully written story of love, life and triumph in "Beyond Dancing" will, simply stated, never leave you the same. I could only hope to have the courage and strength of this one woman. If everyone in our world were this strong, we would be an amazing species indeed! The terms heart-warming, tender, triumphant and amazing just begin to describe the story inside these pages.

WOW!!! Having my own physical challenges I have had to overcome a few obstacles in life, but reading Anita's story puts it all into perspective. My so called "struggles" were small...no TINY potatoes, comapred to the things she overcame. Her strength and determination warmed my heart.

Her story once again proved a point I've been trying to make all my life, that there is no room for 'dis' infront of 'ability.' We can all be ABLE or disabled, depending on our attitudes.

I urge anyone who needs their spirits lifted, or who themselves might be coping with a 'dis' ABILITY, to read this incredible story.

Beginning her story in 1938, shortly after Anita Bloom graduated from high school, this autobiography explains why Hillary Rodham Clinton recently said, "You are clearly a woman of courage."

Courage, fierce independence, strength and an iron-clad will are some of the qualities evidenced throughout Mrs. Bloom Ornoff's story, "Beyond Dancing: A Veteran's Struggle - A Woman's Triumph".

Joining the Women's Auxillary Army Corp, with noble ideals of serving her American country during World War 2, young Anita first met resistance from her Jewish parents, who among many others, thought it not to be a proper pursuit for a lady of that time. In addition to racial ignorance, Anita constantly encountered those misunderstanding her reasons for joining the WAAC.

When she was accepted into the Women's Auxillary Army Corp, at age 21, Anita was already full of dance and hope. Yet with many dreams and goals left to fulfill, fate literally awoke her with a mysteriously begotten, painfully stinging thumb during the WAAC's stationed time in Nacagdoches, TX.

Instead of adequate medical care from a doctor or nurse, Ms. Bloom was treated in a cruel manner by a sargent who incised her thumb with a razor blade while giving her instructions to soak it in boiling water and Epsom salts, being shown indifference when later seeing the military doctor as well.

Penicillin, not being discovered until 1943, Anita's infection gained strength and she was not admitted to the hospital until six weeks after the advent of her first symptoms. By that time she was paralyzed from the waist down.

Only in refusing to release her dream of an army career, barely missing the graduation to Officer's Training School, did Anita refuse to sign the honorable discharge papers presented to her. Regardless, Ms. Bloom was discharged, and worse, due to a technicality - the WAAC not yet officially a part of the regular army - she was not recognized as a bona fide veteran, therefore not entitled to the disability benefits she needed.

Mrs. Bloom Ornoff diligently fought the battle to become recognized as a veteran for 11 years - just as she became a veteran and winner of all other battles fought in her life, whether physical or otherwise - with courage, patience and determination.

In the last paragraph of her book, in the Epilogue, Mrs. Bloom Ornoff writes, "I hope that my life and the challenges that I have faced will inspire others, especially young men and women, to overcome adversity and go forward in life with a positive attitude to conquer any misfortune." Yes, I have truly been inspired by this story which is interesting and so intelligently written.

I love the paperback version of this book because it is spiralbound. It has laminated pages, great for the garden, keeps it clean. The book is organized by flowering month that helps find plants you can't identify or to locate plants for a certain month that you need more color in your garden. I live in the Chicago area and it seems to cover a lot of plants for my planting zone. Each plant has the information I need to choose for certain areas of planting. It's a great book!

This book has taken the puzzle and work out of perennial gardening. THanks to Pam, I now understand the way to keep my garden in color all season!

I have many books and enjoy them all. But this book had some ideas and information I had not read about in the past. A very fine purchase.

Continuous Bloom is one of those books I refer to over and over again. Pam Duthie shows that it is relatively easy to keep perennial beds and borders looking good and in bloom from March through October in eastern North America. Two hundred and seventy-two of the best perennials, each with a full-color photo, are arranged in order of bloom time. For each plant, there is necessary information for home gardeners such as: plant hardiness zone, height/width, descriptions of flower and foliage, bloom time, light and soil requirements, care, propagation, and potential problems. A good investment for beginning as well as experienced gardeners.

This book is a novice gardener's dream come true!
The flowering plants & colorful bushes are arranged by month of blooming time, each page has a picture of the plant & a detailed description of it: Type, flower size, foliage color, bloom length, light preference, care problems, tips, etc..
There are planting & seasonal garden care tips at the end of the book.
As a novice gardener I'm glad that I found this book to help me create a continuously blooming garden.

This is now one of the most beautiful books I now own. The photographs are extraordinary. I am a photographer myself and am blown away by the images that truly capture the essence of the elephant. I would have purchased this book in Australia but the $100.00 cost made it prohibitive. Imagine how thrilled I was to purchase it through Amazon for $32.00 including postage!!!! I will treasure this book for many years to come. Andrea.

This is a beautiful book on the life and personality of elephants. The photography is outstanding. I can certainly see why it took so long to photograph the elephants. It is a keepsake for those of us who love and understand this beautiful animal.

This is a magnificent book filled with rich photography. From the ground looking up you can see the majesty of the elephant. The group photos show
their need and love for one another.

My daughter is an artist. When she was very young, she saw her first elephant in the zoo. Her father asked her what she thought. "He makes me feel very deep," she said.

I am a sculptor and toy designer who wanted good photos for my work. This book will fill your eye and touch your heart.

With great sensitivity, compassion, passion, and courage, Steve Bloom has created a masterpiece of words and images about elephants and their habitats and caretakers. His aesthetic, poetic insight helps erase any boundaries between "us" and "them." So it is a look inward as well as outward. Bravo, Steve Bloom

I think that this book reveals both the deep and fun side of elephants. The picture of an elephant swimming shows off the grace and beauty. By using pictures of elephants in human cerimonies, Steve Bloom portrays an elephants life in a very beautiful way! :-)

The editor's introduction delivers a very engaging and useful introduction to Burke's work that contextualizes the selections while giving the reader insight on Burke's background and career. The introduction prepares the reader for Burke's style and wit, while situating and commenting upon some of the reasons for Burke's somewhat fringe status in the critical canon and overviews the reception of his commentaries on Shakespeare and their acknowledged and tacit influence in how Shakespeare has been read by others.

Newstock not only did a great job of gathering and situating these scattered essays and bringing together Burke's intent of collecting all of his Shakespearean writings in one place, he also has added a valuable appendix of which offers a nice addition of other prominent discussions of Shakespeare's work in Burke's other writings.

Burke's essays themselves clearly demonstrate his affinity for the works of Shakespeare and to my mind show a level of interaction with the plays that cuts beyond common textual criticism.

Burke throughout draws references to philosophical matters and figures, social and individual psychology, cultural critique, history and also political issues (including biting commentary, such as his asides to the war on Vietnam, as in his King Lear essay). These make his essays even more broadly entertaining and engaging as he is adeptly able to step out of the context of the works in order to bring the Shakespearean works into a broader discussion, and also to play out these external discussions and intellectual considerations in the context of the plays.

Stylistically, Burke proves to be more fun and of broader interest to the non-specialist than one might expect, and for students of Shakespeare, Burke's essays offer a wealth of insight and perspective that will surely spark discussion and reconsideration of the plays themselves.

Kenneth Burke was a restless thinker ever-alert to what makes Shakespeare's plays work. Scott L. Newstok, with admirable bravura in a profession that tends to undervalue the editing of collections, recognized the importance of committing himself to the painstaking project of recovering Burke's writings on Shakespeare. The result is a treasure-trove both of some landmark essays in his career (most notably the 1951 Hudson Review piece on Othello), and also of the bric-a-brac of intellectual history scattered throughout Burke's work from the 1920s through the 1980s. Newstok unearths and reproduces sections that Burke crossed out from a lecture, thus offering windows onto his compositional process. Among other works never fully revised for publication, he edits and annotates the typescript of Burke's response to a graduate student's paper on Troilus and Cressida. As importantly, Newstok gathers what appears to be every excerpt from Burke's lifetime of writing that mentions Shakespeare. The process of obtaining permissions alone is staggering, but it is a further tribute to Newstok' s professional integrity and passion for the project that he gained full cooperation from the Burke estate and the endorsement of surviving family members.
The volume begins with a cogent survey of the key issues and terms (including a glance at Aristotle, "Burke's classical mentor") that played a generative role in Burke's Shakespeare criticism. He ends with suitably terse yet remarkably helpful notes; for example, indicting where precisely in Coleridge's Biographia Literaria we can find the reference to which Burke alludes in passing. Newstok gives sufficient identifying tags of dramatists, writers, philosophers, and artists whom Burke assumed his audience knew, and covers in detail the original settings of the works discussed and, when applicable, where they were printed previously.
This much having been said, the larger question still looms: Do we need so much--indeed all--of Burke's Shakespeare criticism gathered in one place? The answer this volume convincingly urges is: yes. The Editor's Introduction establishes the impressive influence Burke has had on a number of critics and dramatists, as well as on important movements in literary scholarship and dramatic criticism. The claim of kinship to Burke's work is wide and diverse, ranging from Edward Said to Angus Fletcher. In a long note Newstok gives an initial roll call of upward of fifty Renaissance literary scholars who have profitably engaged Burke's work. He goes on to point out that Northrop Frye annexed Burke as one of his antecedents in "the archetypal approach," and Harold Bloom called Burke "my heroic precursor." And yet it is often through indirection that debts to Burke's ideas are acknowledged. Buried in a footnote, for example, Stephen Greenblatt tellingly relates: "As so often happens, I discovered that Burke's brilliant sketch had anticipated the shape of much of my argument."
In part this reluctance to give Burke pride of place in one's own scholarly work is the result of the unmistakably Burkean tone and trajectory of thought to be found in his often idiosyncratic approach. Unlike literary critics who develop systems that others dutifully can follow, Burke does not leave a coherent methodology, notwithstanding his "Pentadic analysis" and his, at times, deeply moving readings of Shakespearean scenes. Rather readers receive insights--the kinds that he left for a general audience rather than a coterie of the initiated. Although he "appreciated the favorable attention from academia," finally he was more concerned with inspiring "others to join his ecstatic readings of Shakespeare, and gain contact with the energy at the heart of Shakespeare's plays."
One example illustrates just how useful having access to these essays can be, especially in a properly edited edition. Recently when teaching Timon of Athens to undergraduates, I turned to Burke's typical mode of beginning an investigation as presented in Newstok's book. It supplied just the heuristic jump-start required: "First, let's force ourselves to decide exactly what Timon of Athens is about." Written originally as the introduction to an edition of Timon, Burke intelligently recounted the main strokes of the play, act by act. He then treated the main characters in turn and examined their function in the drama: "Apemantus serves to keep the play from falling simply into contrasted halves." He also considered relations among the sexes, showing how women in this play function "only in a supernumerary capacity." That there are only courtesans and no mothers, sisters, or wives, fits well with Burke's judgment on Timon as "an almost brutally end-of-the-line character, his life coming to a close in rabid talk of total human rot." The one moment of pity, supplied by the faithful retainer Flavius, is a touch that Burke sees as "quite Shakespearean, at least in the sense that a Shakespearean tragedy has a scene that softens the audience with tears of pity just before the final outbreak of victimage." He compares Flavius speech instructively to Desdemona's willow song, a connection discussed at greater length in Chapter Six, Burke's landmark essay on Othello (another reason why it is good to have all of these essays collected in one volume). When all is said and done, Burke is a reliable and subtle expositor of Shakespeare's plays.
The second part of this essay turns to consider the nature of Timon as a dramaturgic invention. With all of the rigor shown in his Rhetoric of Religion (1961), Burke explores "invective," "lamentation," and "praise" seen as "the three freedoms." Fortunately Newstok restores paragraphs apparently excised by Burke's editor, Francis Ferguson. These are instructive paragraphs indeed, as they make clear why these three are linked and how they help explain the ineluctable humane movement charted out in Timon of Athens. Granting the disputation of authorship, Burke makes a solid case for Timon's "radicalism"--in its usual, literal, and etymological senses--and concludes that, although it "is not pretty," it is "extremely thorough."
Likewise Burke is thorough and radical in his approach to the plays as a whole. He covers all of the chief topical issues and he seeks to dig to the root of things that often remain undetected by virtue of alluring speeches and the fast-paced sweep of a drama's action. Consequently this is a book that should be placed next to The Riverside Shakespeare on one's bookshelf. As a teacher I anticipate returning to it often, especially when sorting out what should go into an introductory lecture on a given play. And it is for this same reason that people outside the academy will want to have ready access to Burke as well: he gets to the bottom of things.

An iconoclastic American intellectual, the late Kenneth Burke (1897-1993) was an exceptional and prolific literary critic whose writings and commentaries were respected -- even by those who occasionally disagreed with either his assumptions and conclusions. In the pages of "Kenneth Burke On Shakespeare", academician Scott L. Newstok (Assistant Professor of English, Gustavus Adolphus College, and Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow at Yale University) has gathered together under one cover all of Burke's Shakespeare literary criticism (including previously unpublished notes and lectures) that had such wide-spread influence on his contemporaries. Drawn from a profusion of sources, including literary magazines, academic journals, Newstok has accomplished a truly impressive task of research and recovery. The result is a compendium of analytical commentaries on Shakespearean dramas and comedies. Enhanced with the inclusion of an appendix (Additional References to Shakespeare in Burke's Writings), extensive notes, and 'Index of Works by Shakespeare', and a general index, "Kenneth Burke On Shakespeare" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to academic library Shakespearean Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

The most valuable aspect of Scott L. Newstok's recent "Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare" is his inclusion of a talk, delivered by Burke, entitled "Introduction: Shakespeare Was What?," which serves as a useful primer to Burke's system of reading Shakespeare. As the lecture establishes, Burke is ultimately concerned with what literature does (i.e. how it functions). Accordingly, Shakespeare is, in Burke's mind, an artist who "spontaneously knew how to translate some typical tension or conflict of his society into terms of variously interrelated personalities." As Burke explains, Shakespeare's ability "was to let that whole complexity act itself out, by endowing each personality with the appropriate ideas, attitudes, actions, situations, relationships, and fatality" (18). Shakespeare, above all other dramatists, constructs plays in which his characters' engagements with each other constitute the play's movement while dictating meaning to its audience. And Burke, perhaps above all other critics, articulates the anatomy of these engagements for us.

Without a doubt, Burke scholars will find Newstok's compilation of additional references to Shakespeare invaluable. While the sections that Newstok provides can't possibly offer full context, the well-versed Burkean will certainly have the texts in question (A Grammar of Motives, Attitudes Toward History, and so on) at hand. An impressive piece of scholarship, Kenneth Burke on Shakespeare will prove to be an essential work for a variety of audiences, including Shakespearians and Burkeans.

This work gathers together all of Kenneth Burke's writing on Shakespeare, thirteen major essays and a host of notes and remarks scattered throughout his writings. It contains an introduction by its editor,Scott L. Newstok which explains his own work on the volume, and Burke's general approach to Shakespeare criticism. The book also contains on its back cover laudatory words from among others Harold Bloom and Stephan Greenblat, that is from among the most distinguished literary critics working today.
Burke is an original in his approach to Shakespeare. He focuses often on the opening of the play, and is very concerned with the effect of the play on the audience. He again and again shows how Shakespeare is master playwright creating the effect he wants the work to have on the audience. For Burke whose basic view of drama derives from Aristotle 'action' plays the central role.'Character' is if not subordinated then not given the central place in his analysis as it has in the work of arguably the greatest Shakespearean critic of all A.C. Bradley.
While understanding Burke's brilliance and originality I have never been a strong fan of his writing. I have always found it somewhat difficult and academic. His learning is vast and he makes sudden shifts in his discourse which I find hard to follow. I too find often that the kinds of dramatic questions, the questions relating to how the dramatist achieved the effects he did, are not those which primarily concern me.
However the volume as scholarly collection and edition of Burke's work is comprehensive and carefully referenced. It is a real contribution to Burke scholarship and should be made good use of by all those who take interest in his scholarship.

The Bloom County strip is social and political satire at its' best. Breathed has developed such distinct characters that their strengths and weaknesses are exaggerations of those that we possess and encounter in others in our daily lives. Among other things, you see political puffery, self-absorbed hedonistic males; swipes at the pompous mass media and consumer psychology. All are done in the distinctive Breathed style that will cause you to nod your head in agreement as you laugh.

I bought this book at a ued bookstore in fairly bad shape, but it was excellent.
Bloom County is one of the funniest comics out on the streets today. If you want to start reading Bloom County, Though, don't start with this book! Start with "Billy and the Boingers BOOTLEG". I just read this book at school, and I thought it was hilarious. This is an excellent book. The best series, i'd say, would be when Steve Dallas becomes Mr. America. That was SO Funny!
But, the best strip in this comic is the one when Opus and Portnoy are sitting in the pond, and pous tells about his favorite song (Yesterday)
Read This comic!

Close your eyes and go back in time 20 years. Ronald Reagan is in the White House and getting ready to run for a second term against Walter Mondale. Disco, Heavy Metal, and Michael Jackson compete for space on a new network, MTV. In the funnies, Bloom County provides a humorous take on American society. This collection from 1983 and 1984 can take you back to those golden days when the Soviet threat made terrorists seem insignificant.

I love the "Bloom County" seiries - the deranged goings on of various animals and humans, Steve Dallas the lawyer, Opus and of course, Bill the Cat. Mr Breathed's humor is right on target and very funny.

I recommend this book highly

Bloom County was one of the greatest comic strips ever to have existed, and possibly the best comic in the whole decade of the 1980's and that was when Calvin and Hobbs (by Bill Watterson) and The Far Side (by Gary Larson) were in their prime.

The best comic strips today are Scott Adams' Dilbert (which jumped the Shark a few years back, but still have good moments), Get Fuzzy (by Darby Conley) and a few online comics, most notably User Friendly (by Illiad) and Sinfest (by Tatsuya Ishid). See www.userfriendly.org and www.sinfest.net for some good stuff.

Bloom County dealt with political and social issues in original and novel ways. He didn't shy away from issues, and always dealt with things in a nice and funny way. Lovable Opus the Penguin became the soul of the strip. The plush Opus dolls I still own to this day are some of my favorite possessions.

Yes, it does look a lot like Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury. But Breathed was not copying it, but satirizing it and paying homage to it at the same time. Especially the way Milo Bloom played when compared to the Doonesbury's Uncle Duke... who Trudeau was just spoofing off from the real life Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (author who is most famous for his quasi-novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas").

However, my favorite character was Oliver Wendell Holmes, the young computer hacker who fought apartite in South Africa through his invention, which was going to turn all the white people in South Africa black. Then there was the time he basically brought down Western Civilization as we knew it when he hacked into the New York Stock Exchange and put "A vast Ye mattes, Bank of America's about to go belly up" across the ticker. He got a well deserved spanking for that.

Most important to me, however, Bloom County forms one of the great memories I have from High School. Reading Bloom County and talking about it with friends was something I really have fond memories of from that time. Maybe it was just something from youth that maybe you remember as a little better than it really was. Things like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams and the Night Court TV series seem that way to me now. Heck, I find much of Night Court to now be unwatchable. But Bloom County still seems to be very much readable to me. The 1980's in most ways basically stunk. But there were some minor high points to civilization as we knew it, and Bloom County was one of them.

This book was probably the best of the regular collections. It is good that I now hear that Breathed may be restarting Bloom County again.

When the Lilacs Bloom is perfection to read!! A very beautiful love story mixed with time travel and suspense!! A rare find!!!

Don't miss this one. I loved this book! The characters were well rounded and the story flowed with a build up of suspense and mystery. Romantic Times gave this paranormal time travel romance 5 stars and Linda Colwell deserves every star and more.

I especially enjoyed the unique approach this author used to create this time travel added a very unexpected twist. Well done! If you want a truly haunting love story, read this book and you will become an AVID fan of Linda Colwell's wonderful power of storytelling.

Linda Colwell has written a gripping romantic thriller that moves easily between Victorian West Virginia and its modern-day counterpart. The story deals with the timeless, immutable love of Nicholas and Elinor and the struggle they must endure to withstand the evil force that is bent on seperating them. Their modern-day ancestor, Emily, is drawn unwillingly into the past to help fight this evil.

When The Lilacs Bloom is a well-written, compelling novel that keeps your senses tingling throughout -- with excitement, passion and suspense. I recommend When The Lilacs Bloom to everyone!

Linda Colwell has crafted wonderful characters, a beautiful romance, an eerie Gothic tale, a believable time travel, and a suspenseful story. You'll find it all in her wonderfully written story WHEN THE LILACS BLOOM. This story will please and satisfy the most discriminating reader.

Whether your reading preference is romance, paranormal, or mystery, WHEN THE LILACS BLOOM has it all. Not one, but TWO compelling heroines, a hero to make feminine pulses pound, and journeys back through time as the tendrils of a tragic murder reach far into the future, pulling a modern-day woman into their frightening clutches. Will she be able to unearth the evil secrets of Langford manor and restore the happiness that was torn from two young lovers? Read this unputdownable novel and find out for yourself. Enchanting from cover to cover!

I've been gardening for years but only recently started growing flowers from seed. This book has absolutely everything you need to plan and grow successfully. The entries are thorough but succinct, packing tons of info into a compact space. Every flower I've been interested in (100+) has been listed in here along with nice color photos. General information about seed starting and other methods of propagation in the beginning of the book make it a comprehensive reference for any type of gardening. Especially helpful are the special sections within the entries about caring for the plants. The author even includes suggestions for companion planting. All around a great reference for the beginner and experienced gardener alike. Oh and be certain to check out the appendix that concisely charts heights, hardiness, bloom time, color, etc. for all species. Makes planning your flower bed a breeze!

I used this book extensivly this spring for starting all my flowers and veggie. I found it easy to use and most flowers etc were listed. Great book for my library and I will use it in the future for sure.

I have a library of gardening books and this is the book I reach for every time I need info on a plant. It has all the info you need from starting from seed to maintaining your plants. When I wear my copy out, I'll buy another. It is also THE gift to give to new gardeners.

This book is an excellent reference book describing seeds.
Giving the botanical name and common name. Most helpful with information on germination and were the seeds will grow best. And the the section that has thumbnail pictures
is excellent. The ease of using the paperback is all so great.

Bought this for my wife and she loves it! She was reading this book like a novel. Provides good information and tips on a wide range of flowers. Bought this book due to good reviews as well!