Bloom Books

I watched Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa so I though I would share my review of them here as well, the story is of the same adventure and its spectacular!!!!!

I've watched the Mondo Enduro dvd and I was so impressed by it I that I also watched its companion follow up dvd Terra Circa. They are a wonderful insight into the round the world adventures of a group friends on their motorcycles. Filled with the real world flavor of such a trip, it is amazing to watch as this adventure unfolds. Beautiful scenery, diverse culture, and true character fill this intriguing story. It seems that most of us dream of such adventures, however life always seems to find a way to take other turns and most of us never realize those dreams. These fellows did a great job of documenting the trip both in video and print in such a way that we get to at least experience part of it with them. My wife and kids also had a great time watching and its perfectly geared for wholesome family entertainment. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon traveling the world with them from your couch. I highly recommend it, and Terra Circa, well worth watching for sure. I do hope these guys take future adventures and I'll be the first in line to see them as well.

The kind of book that you want to savour and enjoy a little piece of every night, but that you'll devour as soon as you finish the first page. Always leaves you wanting more.

An excellent book about a motorcycle trip around the world.
402 days and 44,000 miles. Going through Europe, Russia, North America, South America and Africa.
A day by day account of great rides, bad rides and some times no riding at all.
Along with the DVD Mondo Enduro and their second trip DVD Terra Circa, these tell a wonderful story of a motorcycling adventure.

I loved this book, reading it was even better than watching the movie!

I bought if from RippingYarns.com

We are huge fans of Mondo Enduro. These guys are amazing and oh, the stories they tell. It is a long read and it is hard to put down.(both of which are good things) Also there are a lot of British colloquialisms which can be a bit confusing but tend to add to the experience. Even with that, they are hilarious. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ridden a motorcycle or gone camping. There is an abundance of both. Austin Vince's editing of this manuscript was excellent and you can hear his voice inserted throughout. We eagerly await the publishing of the Terra Circa book. Both movies were great. The Mondo Enduro book has been even better. Thank you Austin Vince. Thank you Mondo Enduro. Result.

This is a good overview of various types of pensions. It's helpful if you and your spouse, significant other, or parents are confused about what is and is not allowed under the different pension provisions. It includes non profit pensions so it worked for me. It also helped me consider if I would rollover my pension if I changed jobs. Finally it had understandable pros and cons of Roth IRAs.

Virtually the entire pension investment and consulting industry is devoted to chasing employers to sell them products or services and speaking and writing well over the heads of the vast majority of the ordinary people who make up the millions of plan participants. It's little wonder that studies show year after year that the American workforce in increasingly mystified by the terms and procedures of their own employee benefit programs. As an ERISA attorney with more than 35 years experience, and founder of an online employee benefits counseling firm, BenefitsZoom.com, I have rarely found a book so well written for the end user of pension plans. Employers would do well to save a few dollars from the big bucks they pay their brokers and pension consultants and include a copy of this book with each summary plan description they distribute about their pension plans.

This book is a must read for anyone who is worried about retirement and the ins and outs of retirement plans. The information is extremely informative and invaluable. As a financial planner and long term company employee, this book answered the many questions and concerns regarding my 401k and pension benefits that my company corporate benefit department couldn't answer. It is an easy read and cuts through the legal "mumbo jumbo" to present information in a simple and understandable format. If "Knowledge is power" then this book will definately give you the power you need to be in control of your retirement plan and financial future. Anyone putting away money through a company retirement can't afford not to buy this book.

As a pension lawyer, I know how difficult and arcane the pension laws can be. Yet they affect tens of millions of employees. I also know how difficult it can be for employees to get access to an understandable explanation of these pension rules. Without this knowledge, employees are at a real disadvantage in understanding and enforcing their rights. And these rights pertain to many employees' most valuable asset other than their home. This fine book covers the waterfront of all of the important pension concepts and rules in an impressively understandable and readable manner. The reader should not be daunted or intimidated by the subject of pensions when this resource is available. I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about their retirement savings and well-being. This is one subject where it pays not to be a "dummy."

This book is a virtual Cliff's Notes for corporate executives and human resources professionals who must be able to answer questions and speak intelligently about corporate pension plans. The book is neither intimidating nor simplistic. It seems like a great resource for those who need to clearly understand pension plans, whether they are participants or professionals in the business world.

I especially like the book's handy format, using icons which alert the reader to the importance of certain issues and information. If you or your spouse has a pension plan, this book can save you big money. Knowing your rights equals keeping more of your assets. You will learn how to make informed, insightful decisions.

The only "dummies" regarding this book are those who don't read it.

SKI MASK WAY tells the tale of a young man trying to forge a new life, a life of crime. Isaiah "Ski" Thompson's goal has always been to be a basketball player. With good grades and basketball skills it seemed as if he was on the fast track of doing just that. That is until tragedy strikes and what used to be important to Ski no longer is. Finally giving into peer pressure Ski chooses a new direction in life - drug dealing and stealing.

There is plenty in Randy Thompson's debut to sate the appetites of readers starved for a good read. The tone ranges from carefree and fun to murder and mayhem. Undoubtedly, readers will find themselves fully absorbed in SKI MASK WAY. Thompson's descriptions of the sights, sounds and emotions bring the story to life with all of its horrors and satisfactions. Job well done.

Intrigued, I look forward to SKI MASK WAY II.

Reviewed by: Tracy

Randy Thompson aka Ski had two options while growing up poor in Long Island New York, ball or be a baller. Randy had the skills neccessary to leave his hood behind and pursue his basketball dreams but sometimes even the most seemingly attainable goals can slip away. When's Randy's opportunity slipped away he still had to provide for his family and being a small time drug dealer just wasn't gonna cut it. Randy was gonna have to do things the Ski Mask Way and with his clique of childhood friends that wouldn't be hard at all.

From Long Island to upstate NY nowhere was safe from the wrath of Ski and his crew. Jewelry Stores, Drug Dealers and Department Stores all got touched but would Ski's clique remained untouched? Or would Ski find out that becoming a baller by amassing ill gotten wealth would be even harder than going to school to pursue his NBA career. Especially when you have to overcome more than just the police but jealousy within his own clique. Read the Ski-Mask Way and find out what's harder balling or becoming a baller!

Randy Thompson aka "Ski" comes out hitting hard with this debut novel.. "SKI MASK WAY". In this story Isaiah "Ski" Thompson is a young man who is destined for great things. As he goes off to college to play basketball things take a turn and leaves him out of school and trying to make money, the ski mask way. The Go-Hard Crew, consisting of his childhood friends, rob anything, no business and no person is safe from this crew, because they definitely go hard for theirs.

I have to be honest with you this book had me from the first page. My mouth literally dropped on some parts and I had to laugh at a few. Randy came out banging with this book, if you haven't copped this book I suggest that you do, because in my opinion this is THE BEST book that I have read in "2008". So he gets my vote for best new author and best book in "2008". Randy I will definitely support your future titles!

Although words can't be used to describe how truly HOT, this novel really is, I decided to pick a few of my favorite to give you an idea!

SPLENDID, SUPERB, SUPERIOR, WONDERFUL...and the characters were...VICIOUS, WICKED, FIERCE FEROCIOUS!!!

To say that I thorougly enjoyed this novel is an understatement. And the fact that it's based on a true story is CHILLING!

From the very begginging Randy pulled me into the pages of this novel and I felt like I was right beside Ski through his entire journey. Although some disloyal people surrounded themselves around Ski, (disguised as friends) I smiled when I realized that in the end REAL friendship prevails.

You are a fool if you call yourself a lover of "Street Fiction" and don't cop this book!

It's a MUST READ!!!

Young Isaiah "Ski" Thompson eats, breathes and lives basketball. It's his ticket to happily ever after. Despites the hustling lifestyle of his friends around him, Ski is steadfast in his pursuit of the NBA. However, life-altering circumstances soon snap Ski wide awake from his hoop dreams and find him going hard on the streets instead of the court. Can he be MVP or will he foul out?

"Ski Mask Way" leaps from the pages with subplots and flashbacks, giving us Ski's adventures as a member of The Go-Hard Crew and his struggles with his hoop dreams versus his street reality.

Thompson proves deft in his delivery of drama, action, comedy and grit and grime. As much as this book centers on Ski, however, readers will be charmed and tickled by his colorful friends. They can tell jokes, turn on the charm and keep it gutter. I felt like I was riding shotgun in the get away car. And as wrong as they were, I found myself hoping they'd get away. Was so into the book I almost missed an editing issue - book temporarily flipped from first person to third. But even with that flaw, " Ski Mask Way " is an adrenaline and emotionally-fueled story, with strong elements all around that I recommend.

Readers will enjoy this well-told tale and leave many wondering: How much of Thompson's story might be closer to fact than fiction?

4.5 stars

Sleepytown Beagles are wonderful books that my nephews love. Each books guides kids through an adventure and a lesson learning experiance. Well written and asked to be read every time my nephews come over. They can't wait for the next book to come out. Keep the books coming Tim!!

Ben Perry is afraid to go to sleep, and so is his beagle puppy, Panda. Even though Ben's mother checks under the bed and assures Ben that there are no boogieman or monsters hiding under there, Ben is still afraid, especially when he sees the dark shapes of the tree moving outside his window.

Ben's other two beagles hurry to comfort him, and beagle Penny tells Ben a story about when she was afraid on the Fourth of July when she was just a puppy. Will Penny's story help Ben and Panda go to sleep?

Sleepytown Beagles: Penny's 4th of July is a book geared for children ages four and up. I read the story out loud to my two-year old and my five-year old. It held their interest, though it definitely isn't for two-year olds. My five-year old thought the story was scary, but she likes the story enough to want to look at the book and pictures over and over, and has even asked me to read it to her several times.

The book isn't the best written story I've read, but my children didn't seem to mind. The book stresses how nice a place "Sleepytown" is for children (and beagles) and how sometimes we can take wrong turns and go to "Nightmareville" and if we do, we need to turn around and go the other direction.

It also stresses that we need to obey our parents, even if we are scared and just want to run away, because parents know best, so it has some good lessons for children to learn.

Parents might also want to check out their Web site for some coloring pages to print out. There are also some word search puzzles and a word jumble too.

Armchair Interviews says: Story that hits on a child's fear of night.

My four year old daughter looks forward to Sleepytown visits with her friends Panda and Gunner. It is her favorite bedtime book! Thank you Mr Glass.

As new parents, reading to and teaching our child is on the top of our priority list. Panda Meets Ms. Daisy Bloom blends an imaginative story with an important life lesson and the colorful illustrations capture our daughters attention. We loved it so much, we ordered it for our neice and nephew! We think this may become a regular bedtime book!

The Sleepytown Beagles are lovable, believable characters who will capture every child's imagination. Sleepytown Beagles, Panda Meets Ms. Daisy Bloom, is a whimsical story that weaves a fantasy journey around a valuable lesson. The calm, serene visions of Sleepytown will send your child off to a peaceful dreamland.

Hatchett's collection of childhood stories is just like sitting by a grand old fireplace in the dead of winter. Like a dream from the past, this skilled southern writer carries us away to moments of truth, love, fear, friendship, and innocence of days gone by. You want to feel good? Read this book! Every overnight visitor to your home will find it a blessing if they discover this golden treasure placed on the beside table in your guest room. In the morning, they'll greet you at breakfast with a smile...and a "thanks!"

After reading this book about family values and interpersonal relationships among a rural southern family I wanted to cry. Ms Hatchett has put into words the feelings and experiences of those people who have grown-up and become parents in the south. Her collection of short stories encompasses all aspects of family life. There is illness, birth, death, and sibling rivalry. The author lives in rural Georgia and was obviously very observant and sensitive during her formative years. Her description of her family is painted with love and emotion and in such detail that the reader feels that they know every intimate detail of her family life. This book IS the life of a southern lady. All southeners and those who want to share the southern experience must read this book.

Most delightful reading. Everyone should read these stories of growing up in a small southern town. We live in a fast and furious world,------ --this book will take you back to a slower pace and give you rest. I highly recommend it for all the family.

Absolutely wonderful short stories about growing up in the South. Sibling rivalry, heart touching stories about their pets, how their Grandmother helped mold thier lives, ----- on and on --- the reader just gets caught up right in the story. It covers all aspects of life including death in the family. Great writing, and easy reading.. The books are out. I want five more to send to my best friends. I'll buy from Amazon.com now that I know you have it. LOVE IT ---and you will too..

I think it is incredibly unusual today to find an individual who can evoke the rare and dramatic in everyday life and to pull such marvelous wisdom and wit from it. Nora Hatchett is definitely one of those writers. No matter where you are from, these stories build upon universal themes which touch the heart and essentially ask us each to reflect on who we are, where we're from, and those individuals and events which have shaped us. . .beautiful, painful, loving ----- Simplicity has never seemed so intricate and intensely moving --- I applaud this young writer's talent, wit and ability to transform the reader to another world.

The play truely inspired me to write sonnets.You know how it's so weird that Mr. Shakespeare related to us and our love life as if he to were living it.He explained life like no one could ever.The play was almost as if I were acctualy there when it happened. When my drama class did the play I was julte and as in the play it were in real life. you see my mom didn't allow me to have a boyfriend and Romeo was the guy who wanted me to be his love.Whatever the case my be he knew what we would feel and how we would relate to his play.

While I am a HUGE Shakespeare fan, this is not his best. Allbeit - its great literature. I love the twists and the language, but it's often quite silly and there are too many questions about motivations, etc. For true tragedy, you should spend the extra effort on Othello, Hamlet, or Lear. It's worth the endeavor!

An amazing story that has all the components of a moder day bestseller. The Shakespearean language is not to difficult to decipher in this play and will be enjoyed by academic and non-academic audiences!

Shakespeare is not for everyone. We all have different tastes and different opinions. For those of you who have not read this Shakespearian play, you are missing out on something amazing. This story of true love and tragic death can only be described as intense. For hundreds of years this has been Shakespeare's most amazing work. There is no way to explain what causes this story to be so good. Find out for yourself. Read it.

This book was inspired by everyday romances. We can't see it around us but it is there. Romeo and Juliet is about two star-crossed lovers who overcome boundaries that are supposed to keep them apart: Their parents, the law, yet they overcome them like they're not even there. Though the ending is sad, it keeps you reading and the shakespearean language is not very hard to figure out when the words by themselves, tell the story of this heartfilled romance. Everyone should read it.

Steve Bloom has given us a guide to some of the most difficult issues that many of us will face in our lifetime. He has given us the opportunity to choose to do the right thing even when much of today's legal advice points in another direction.

The format of this book makes it easy to digest, as well as easy to reference. You will find it's pages filled with valuable wisdom on many challenging legal issues. The writing style is clear and not cluttered with legal terminology.

I certainly hope that this author will continue to write more for us in the future.

Stephen Bloom offers sage advice to Christian families in "The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues." From the first page of the Preface to the last page of the final chapter I found myself engrossed in Stephen's practical counsel, examples, illustrations, and his solid stand on Biblical principles for facing legal issues prevalent in today's society.

Each chapter is made up of several parts. The chapters begin with two fictional vignettes reflecting life lessons and more life lessons, Biblical insights, concluding with practical counsel. The individual sections complement each other and together they integrate Biblical principles with contemporary legal issues.

Each chapter covers a unique sector of the law. The reader will identify with the fictional illustrations which they have already confronted. We have all experienced similar incidents in one or more of the issues addressed. I personally found the chapters dealing with estate planning, the living trust, the living will, and the Medicaid planning shell game, eye opening and helpful.

The final chapter pictures the message of the Gospel as an invitation from God to accept His offer in terms of a contract. The message is clear and simple. The contract illustration presents the offer and the opportunity to accept the offer - an exchange of promises. This is a meaningful word picture of salvation.

Stephen L. Bloom as a practicing attorney, speaker, and adjunct instructor at Messiah College is well qualified to author this book and to provide the reader with counsel in legal matters. The scope of his experience in church, community, and ministry organizations give him the additional credence to offer related spiritual counsel.

"The Believer's Guide To Legal Issues" is an important and timely reminder of the importance of integrity, ethics in business, and observing wisdom in making sound decisions that adhere to Biblical principles in the arena of both civil and criminal law.

A page turner - easy to read and yet powerful in applying Scripture to real life situations

Received the book on Tuesday finished on Sunday. Loved the format. Makes you think and re-think some decisions you have made. I feel better prepared to handle certain situations as they arise now. I really liked the life-lessons section which gives you a chance to see how you would handle difficult situations and then lets you see the possible ramifications of that choice. Well done God is pleased.

This is a book is quite good as most Norton Critical Editions are. It has a lot of what is needed by students for a course on Blake or, more likely, a course that spends part of a term on Blake.

It has some biographical material and some maps of England and London at the time Blake lived. There are also a good helping of black and white as well as color plates of Blake's illuminated works. The color plates are only good - the color is not produced beautifully. The student will only get an impression of the true power of Blake's artistry. However, a good teacher will point the student to the Blake Archive at:... so the students can see the works more completely with variants and in better color (if you have good video cards and monitors).

One of the best parts of this book begins on page 176 where working drafts are shown and compared to the final versions. There is also a nice selection of critical writing on Blake - criticism from Blake's time through the present. There is also a useful bibliography.

In some ways this is "Erdman Lite", but it is much more portable than Erdman and for an introductory course on Blake it is probably sufficient. I am glad that I have it in my library.

But please don't stop here!

Nice book, but too bad its front picture cover is defaced by Norton's double-layer of big gold stickers with high-tack adhesive that makes them impossible to remove without adhesive remaining on the cover.

This is absolutely the best compendium of Blake's work which articualtes an outstanding range of his vision. This edition acknowledges the poetry and color paintings of a consumate craftsman of the imagination on high quality, acid free paper and is nylon stitched and bound in signatures to last a lifetime. Books are rarely made this way but the Norton edition is a beautiful rendering of the first, and perhaps, primary British Romantic poet.

William Blake is one of those soaring pioneers of the human imagination whose visions and their scope make you feel rather humble at times. His works are quite diverse and his output during his life very considerable. Blake's longer poems, such as 'Jerusalem' or the 'Four Zoas', would easily make large books of their own in any edition of his works.

This Norton's edition contains selections from several of Blake's major works, including his Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, his visionary poems, as well as his political poems. The book also contains many scholarly aids including a chronology of Blake's life, critical essays by leading Blake scholars, and colour pages showing Blake's beautiful illustrations to some of his works (as well as being a great poet Blake was also a painter and engraver of very considerable ability). While critics never seem to really reach any consensus on what Blake's poems really 'mean' (Blake is read variously as a Gnostic by Harold Bloom, a revolutionary critic of England during the industrial revolution by Terry Eagleton, or as a disciple of Swedenborg and Boehme by others) Blake's poems contain incredible beauty and visionary power and polyvalent symbols energised with multiple meanings. I think if one consistent theme can be read from Blake and his poems, and I think this was his own intent, was that the power of the human imagination and what it produces in art transcends any attempt to 'bracket' or reduce it to a dead and static system of lifeless scientific symbols; I imagine Blake would class many critics of his work as agents of Urizen, trying to carve out of the fiery energized cosmos of the living human mind the perfect frozen archetype which orders all things perfectly but in doing so, misses the whole point.

Blake's poems then should be read not by trying to impose what you want to see in them but by trying to let them speak to you and perhaps, ignite your own spark of imagination, as Blake has done with many brilliant poets from Yeats to Allan Ginsberg and many others.

Goes way beyond blaming individuals for the horror of abuse, and holds the violent culture that abuse is embedded in accountable. Doesn't let individuals perpetrators off the hook, but is a window into the mechanism that produces them. Other people have addressed the topic of abuse and violence, but perhaps not as comprehensively as this book. Scary topic, but information and viewpoints needed to address this systemic illness.

A very moving account of the impact of violence on our lives and what it takes to create an environment where we can recover from our wounds. Dr. Bloom's call for a therapeutic approach to violence stands in stark contrast to popular proposals for meeting violence with more violence. In a violence-traumatized society, Creating Sanctuary belongs at the top of our social agenda.

By Dr. Ian Irvine, co-editor The Animist Creating Sanctuary is a powerful piece of writing by an almost extinct professional breed - the psychiatrist/psychologist prepared to examine the bigger picture in regards to the causes of psychic distress in modern Western societies. The book undoubtably belongs to a long tradition of humanistic and Freudian writings on mental illness as produced by modern Western social structures. The title itself recalls Fromm's book 'The Sane Society' and I would argue that in many ways Bloom has given us a powerful update on themes covered in that now classic work. One also thinks of works by Arthur Janov (especially his work on trauma suppression), Alice Miller, De Mauss, Mickel Adzema, Wilhelm Reich (and the Bioenergetic tradition), Stanislav Grof and many others who have applied Freudian and Humanistic ideas to the social arena. In this sense the work is also in a kind of refracted dialogue with that great Freudian text Civilisation and its Discontents. The picture of modern society - particularly modern American society - painted for us by Bloom is not a pretty one. Sanity and psychic health is seen as a virtual impossibility in the face of a normalised climate of repression and institutionalised trauma creation. The central obsessions of our consumeristic, violence and money obsessed modern world are described in terms of a general malaise polluting and undermining the psychic integrity of individuals and collectives alike. Bloom accurately describes to us a world characterised by institutional harshness, denial (that there even is a crisis!) and outright disinterest in the truly important issues to do with trauma and violence that now shape our collective social psyches. In this climate, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and other health care professionals seem all but unable to act in the best interests of their clients. In this sense, Bloom criticises the faceless bureacrats, lawyers and insurance moguls who increasingly shape and infringe upon the client patient relationship: often forcing psychiatrists to opt for functionalist alienated treatment regimes over potentially more humane and effective ones. The insight that society is not so much interested in curing people who have fallen victim to the collective (in)humanity we call a society, as in making money out of the later life effects of trauma suppression is a disturbing under-current to the book. There is a great deal to this book, far more than I could cover in a short review like this. The work is groundbreaking in its merged sociological and psychological methodology. More importantly, however, it stands as powerful indictment of the way in which modern societies act to undermine and subtly traumatise large sections of their populations. A must read.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. This is the most understandable and clearly written text I have ever read relating to the psychology field. There is no "psycho babble" here, folks. Anybody with an eighth grade education should be able to understand what the author is trying to say.

The author obviously believes in treating patients with tremendous dignity and respect. While this program is mainly inpatient focused to benefit those of us who are unfortunate enough to need more than a little help in carrying our life's baggage, as it were, reading this book makes very clear to me the way in which many situations I faced as a child effect my adult life that I have never really completely understood. The author says, in the most compassionate and definitive way, IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT! The author should be commended for her fine work and that of her team of obviously exceptional and gifted health care providers. The author must be one of the "real doctors" in todays environment, and they are darned hard to find.

THE DANA GUIDE TO BRAIN HEALTH appeared several years ago and was only recently received for review - but the information it holds has withstood the test of time and makes THE DANA GUIDE TO BRAIN HEALTH a recommended pick to this day. Where competing health titles are quickly outdated by advancements, THE DANA GUIDE remains as current and relevant as the day it was published, providing a resource for consumers which is intended as a home reference rather than a physician's handbook. Diagrams, tables, sidebars, graphs and photos all illustrate important, basic connections between brain health and body health and show how consumers can maintain both. From brain disease-specific chapters on autism, alcoholism, and Huntington's Disease, among others, to more general introductions on brain physiology, THE DANA GUIDE promises to be a lasting reference far beyond the usual shelf life of medical coverages.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Addendum to my earlier comments: Diagrams and illustrations are invaluable

Title is misleading. This is clearly written, and packed with easily accessible information. Recommend it as an introduction to neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and neurology

Title is misleading. This is clearly written, and packed with easily accessible information. Recommend it as an introduction to neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and neurology