Bloom Books

Recipe for Spelling by Frances Bloom and Deborah Bloom provides excellent activities that children can complete independently, in small groups or for homework. It provides practice for decoding, encoding, writing and spelling. Excellent tool for phonemic awareness.

As author of the book, I thought I'd put this review out there to reflect that (1) it filled a real void and (2) it was initially published by a "desk top" publisher and the second corrected and revised edition is worth the wait. The late Terry Gore operated a small home office based publishing outfit geared toward meeting the needs of folks who play miniature wargames. Meaning that they utilize representational models of warrior figures on miniaturized terrain instead of abstract pieces on a game board. Terry was expanding his range to include
discussions of wars and campaigns from an historical perspective, as opposed to simply crafting rules for game play.
We had no editorial boards, proofreaders or any staff to assist in preparing the manuscript. So essentially, what we had was a first draft, replete with typos, a few grammatical or syntax glitches that I overlooked and a few unfinished paragraphs.
Hence the three stars for the first edition. That said, other reviews in print and on the internet have praised the book for meeting the need for a discussion of this crucial conflict as a military contest. I believe that I made a real stride redressing that need. My revised and corrected draft resides with a new editor who is gradually trying to revive the publishing enterprise halted by the untimely death of Terry Gore. Hopefully this revised edition will go to press some time in the late summer of 2006. Also in the works is a smaller booklet on an alternate Roman-Jewish War, an extension of some
"what-ifs" hinted out in my straightforward history.

Romance of Waterfalls is a unique book on the magnificent waterfalls within day-trip range of Portland, Oregon. The 252 page work combines the best of a hiking book, coffee table book, nature book, art book, and a work of poetry and literature.For each of its 100 featured waterfalls, it provides a photograph-like pencil drawing, complete directions, time and distance, map, description, nearby attractions, hazards, accessibility to the physically challenged, view and kissing spots, picnic areas, restrooms, historical trivia, and a poem. Introductory and reference sections offer advice on weather, children, pets, and safety, and information on local wildlife and plants, the Chinook language, and phone numbers for reservations, information, and emergencies. It contains 165 illustrations and 111 poems, all original works by the authors.This one of a kind book can be enjoyed year around by all families, couples, and individuals, it should be in the library of every resident and visitor to the Pacific Northwest.

The author knows Africa well.
This book paints a vivid picture of the challenges that young people face when cultures are changing.
Love and romance often clash with cultural norms in many places.
The book is a story of the triumph of love over bigotry.

A super collection of color photos of America's Mother Road. I first came across Kittel's work in 1986 when I bought his `Southwest USA' and the following year `A New England Autumn'. As well as photographing the landscape he has an eye for capturing man-made America and as a foreigner that does not mean he searches out the ugly and the squalid. What I find so impressive about his work is the color and depth he manages to capture, you are really there looking at the scene as he saw it. The only other photographer I know of who also captures color in the same way is Stephen Shore in his 1982 book `Uncommon Places'

Kittel's photo essay of Route 66, in eighty-three (well printed) images captures the sights he found along the way. It starts with a spread of the morning rush-hour on a corner of Jackson Boulevard and Michigan Avenue in Chicago and ends with a picture of Santa Monica Boulevard and Ocean Avenue in California, the photos in-between show motels, gas stations, shops and frequently the people who run them, road signs, landscapes and more. Actually just the sort of photos that you would expect to see in a book about Route 66 but not until now with this quality and beauty. Some of these images are quite stunning, page sixty-one shows the Munger Moss motel in Labanon, Missouri, with its huge neon sign, page sixty-four has a near dusk image of the Boots Motel in Carthage, Missouri, the neon strips creating a glow on the sidewalk, page 157 shows a street corner in Barstow, with at least ten commercial signs disappearing into the distance to the left of the photo

In five sections between the photos pages author Freddy Langer's words cover the history of the highway in one paragraph decorative blocks. I think you can read better histories elsewhere and fortunately the text pages don't take up too much space. There are several general books about Route 66 but I got one recently that I feel is an excellent complement to Gerd Kittel's book, check out `Travelling Route 66' by Nick Freeth. The publishers had the great idea of making it small (about the size of a postcard) but with four hundred, all color pages. It is a travelogue, state by state, with maps, of what you can see and do if you drive the whole 2,250 miles of America's most famous road. So get out there and get your kicks.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

The description of this book makes a glaring mistake which is sadly, quite common. Omar Khayyam wrote in Persian. The original poems were written in Persian, therefore they are Persian poems.
By the way, the same goes for Rumi. Rumi wrote in Persian. Rumi's poems are, therefore, to state the obvious, Persian poems. Rumi is often referred to as a "Turkish poet born in Afghanistan." I take this to mean that he lived in the area which is now Turkey, and was born in the area now Afghanistan. But in that time long long ago, "Turkey" and "Afghanistan" did not exist as nation-states. This is all a very insidious way to avoid giving literary credit to a language, Persian, and a nation, Persia, today known as Iran.
Omar Khayyam is a popular poet, and Rumi is today the best selling poet in the U.S.---but no American knows that these favorite poets originally wrote in PERSIAN. They wrote in the language of the Persian people, today called Iranians. Perhaps this knowledge would make it more difficult to demonize or make war on the poetry-loving nation of Iran.

This edition is out of print - but it's been reissued as "Beginning to Pray".

This book is filled with magic . It is a great book for children everywhere.

The author is sweet and kind (I Know her + she works at the local library in my area)

I suggest this book to all that love magic and encourage those who do to read this book.

PLEASE READ IT !!!

Too much of a good thing can be just as bad as too much of a bad thing. "The Seven Deadly Virtues And Other Lively Essays" is a compilation of essays, autobiographical in nature. Author Lynn Bloom warns of the seven deadly virtues throughout her life - duty, rationality, conformity, efficiency, order, economy, and punctuality - and that the overuse of any of them can sometimes lead to many of the problems normally associated with the seven deadly sins. Full of wit and wisdom, "The Seven Deadly Virtues" is an entertaining read indeed to anyone aspiring to be a writer or teacher, and especially for anyone who fears they may be trying a bit too hard.

The book is a bit pricy but it's useful and worth purchasing. It is filled with useful information and it is displayed in a readable format for even the novice Shakespeare reader. I believe Dr. Harold Bloom is a literary genius and not just a critic. He knows how to display the information without it becoming too concrete and provides information like characters, plots, subtext, and other criticism of Shakespeare's works. Dr. Bloom is our country's leading Shakespeare expert perhaps he is the worldwide's most well known literary critic. It is because he has made an industry of helping others become literary readers without being overburdened with too much information.