Bridges Books

"View from a Burning Bridge" is elequant, suspenseful, hilarious, and heart breaking. It is one of those books where you are instantly brought into the world of the main character. Once you begin to read this story, you won't be able to put it down, and the story stays with you. I highly recommend everyone to buy it today!

The infernal view of the title is that of Frances Treadwell, fleeing New York and the overmany fictions she told down there. Her old family place in Maine, however, offers a prickly refuge. Indeed, Sarah Goodyear's first novel spendidly upsets expectations at every turn. It's a story of seeking peace and quiet that gets disrupted by the crash of a meteorite, of renewing love that drops the lover into a deeper and scarier murk than before. Throughout, too, we're never far from good-humored insight, though always at arm's length from treacly sentiment. Perhaps most impressive is how Goodyear sticks close to her protagonist yet exposes all the young woman's contradictions. For aren't Frances' more dubious choices rooted in trepidation about what's new and revitalizing? And in that, doesn't she shares a potentially fatal flaw with the ingrown rural place around her? A debut to celebrate, "Burning Bridge" bears out the ancient wisdom that you can't go home again -- but proves as well that there's no other way to achieve wisdom yourself.

...if you've ever thought about leaving New York. I felt as if these people could be me or any of my friends. FINALLY, here's a contemporary book that shows wonderful, flawed but sympathetic characters in believable, complex relationships. To me, it recalled "Rashomon" and "House of Sand and Fog". Great book!

"View from a Burning Bridge" is elequant, suspenseful, hilarious, and heart breaking. It is one of those books where you are instantly brought into the world of the main character. Once you begin to read this story, you won't be able to put it down, and the story stays with you. I highly recommend everyone to buy it today!

Great, quick encouragement to share yoour faith Biblically & effectively the way Jesus did. These "minutes" are also very convicting for those who might not be sharing their faith as commanded. You can never go wrong with anything by Ray Comfort.

When I first bought this book I wasn't sure how Ray and Kirk were going to be able to make good devotions that were only one minute long, but I am very happy to say they have done an incredible job. `The Way of the Master Minute' is quick, very motivating, and convicting (even if you do share your faith, you will be challenged to do it more). A must have for any Christian who has (or doesn't have) a passion to reach the lost.

I appreciate the stimuli provided by the book to share one's faith in Jesus Christ.

Ray Comfort's passion for the lost is contagious. You can never go wrong with any of his books in your personal library.

I found the book to depict in an excellent way the unspoken between a parent and child. The depth of the author's understanding the emotional bond is clear and profound. The illustrations are wonderfully crafted, and lend significantly to the narrative.

This book made me very emotional because it said everything that I feel about my child. No matter what a mother is always there through everything. This book says exactly what every mom thinks about her child.

This is a wonderful story, in question and answer format, of a young one and its mother heading home. As they go, Baby wonders if Mother would still take care of it if it was something else -- animate or inanimate. A number of possibilities are ventured, and Mother answers, as mothers do, that she will be there in some perfect way to take care of Baby. The illustrations are warm and cozy and this is a terrific read. This book deserves much more attention than it has apparently received, as it communicates a message that is very comforting to young children.

This book also makes a terrific present.

Author does an excellent job of telling abut unconditional devotion and love. The young kangaroo is not identified as being either male or female, so every child can imagine him or herself as having this conversation with a loved adult. Wonderful addition to bedtime rituals or cozy one-on-one time!

I'm not going to do a synopsis of the story. You can read that in the other reviews. I just want to say that I found Wizard's Bridge a delightful tale. It's a fast read, it entertains and it has a wizard and dragon in it. What more could you want?

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

This was a fascinating fantasy romance by the talented Karen McCullough that will carry readers away into another world where dragons live and wizards dream.

Alsa feels the stirrings of wizardry within her and makes a desperate bargain with a reclusive wizard to expand them. She needs to learn to use her magick to aid her village in winning a battle against amassed enemies who could wipe out everything she has ever known. She asks the wizard Korlen to teach her in the ways of magick and in exchange, she will bear him the son he desires, so as to pass his powers on to the next in his line.

Her adventure thus begins when she learns magick is not what she thought, nor is training in her abilities anything she ever would have expected. In the months spent with Korlen, she discovers many hard lessons about his way of life, soon to become hers once her training is complete. Never in a million years though, did either of them expect what the greatest lesson of all would be... that of sacrificing all for love. Can he help her learn what she needs to help her village survive? Can she finally begin to comprehend the choices he has made in his life, and how they will change her forever?

This is a delightful story and Ms. McCullough proves once again why she is a rising star in the world of romance. The world-building is vivid and has so many facets to it that readers will feel as though they are in the village with Alsa and her family, or in the castle where she learns wizardry. Landscapes are so beautiful that one senses the faint stirrings of Breath, the air elemental whom Alsa befriends, and feels the pillowy softness of the rainbow bridge under her feet as she crosses into the wizard's lair.

Most of the characters are skillfully rendered and full of life, from Dragon, the sulky, yet satisfied guardian of the castle and rainbow bridge, to Dortee, the wizard healer, to Adam the precocious child of Korlen and Alsa. Alsa comes across as a brave and selfless young lady willing to do anything to help the village she loves, yet vulnerable enough to cry over the accidental damage she causes in her lessons in magick.

Korlen is a complex individual. He is a loner; having withdrawn from others after something scarred him emotionally in his past, and is afraid to speak of his feelings, even if he's not afraid to show them in other ways. One will love him for his vulnerability at the same time as being frustrated with his refusal to interact with others. The only thing this reviewer would have liked to see regarding him is a look into the events in his past that is alluded to many times throughout the story, but never explained. That is left out and this reviewer can't help but feel that may have made her understand him even more.

In short, this is a very satisfying and quick read that will captivate readers from the first page all the way through to the beautiful happy ending. Karen McCullough is a wonderfully talented up and coming author who is guaranteed to have quite a future in the fantasy romance genre.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, October 2004. All rights reserved.

Hoping to turn her talent into power enough to save her people from raiders, Alsa dares cross the wizard's bridge and strike a bargain with its owner. The wizard will train her in his art and she will bear his child. To make the latter easier for her, he wears a handsome mask with such ease she must wonder if the hideous face she first beheld is the lie, or if both are. Despite the difficult monotony of her training and hard taskmaster, Alsa grows to love her new home and all of its occupants, yet believes that the wizard is incapable of returning that feeling, even after she gives birth. When the truth comes, it may be too late and too painful.

**** With all the wonder of Beauty and the Beast, a truly magical tale about the greatest enchantment of all will capture your heart. Truly, it is regretable it finishes so neatly that a sequel seems impossible. The most endearing character is not one of the protagonists, however. The dragon who guards the bridge makes it worth reading to meet him. ****

Her village is in trouble from hostile neighbors so Alsa, who has elementary wizardry skills, decides she must save her town. However, though she has latent talent she has no training to focus her flair. Alsa knows her only hope for mentoring comes from the nearby wizard, who lives in a castle on the top of a mountain across a bridge of light particles guarded by a dragon.

Frightened by the rumors she has heard of the hermit wizard, Alsa crosses the bridge and meets face to face the dragon, who sends her onto the castle following her explanation. Inside the castle she meets her host who wears a mask to hide what Alsa assumes is his hideous face from her. The wizard listens to her plea without displaying any emotion. Instead he offers to train her if she bears his child. She agrees. As she learns how to use her talent under the tutelage of a difficult harsh instructor, Alsa falls in love with her teacher and the other castle minion, but believes she will be sent home once she gives birth because though she knows her wizard cares he hides his feelings from himself.

WIZARD'S BRIDGE is a beautiful retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story enhanced by fantasy elements. The lead couple is a delight as both will soon learn that they received much more than their original deal's considerations. The action starts right away when the "Little Mortal" meets the dragon and never slows down until Alsa finally learns the first rule of wizardry on what ingredient casts the most powerful spells. Adult fairy tale fans will want to read this delightful romantic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

This author of this book, Mr. Takenishi, is my 6th grade teacher. I'm really proud that he wrote this to make a difference in kid's or even adults lives. Mr. TAkenishi did this to give children a better understanding in writing. I mean, the way he explains it sounds so simple; and when it's time to do Pictures, the format is so easy to follow. You can even teach kinders! i'm already trying to teach my sister, but her short attention span doesn't help. Thanks Mister!! i would think it's rate is 5, from what i heard from other people, but i'll get a chance one day to read this book.

As the author's student, I'm sure this book is great! I have done picture writing and from my point of view, it's a great way to help describe everyday actions into a MUCH more detailed level. I recommend this book to all teachers because it really helps in the students vocabulary, descriptive writing, and Beauty of Language ;)

I am a 4th grade teacher in Miami-Dade County and received this book at my school. Honestly, I was skeptical at first. I thought another writing program. I have been teaching writing for 10 years what new thing could they possibly tell me. How wrong I was! This approach is wonderful! The books takes you through step by step of the Writing Pictures program. The authors include numerous student examples at various levels of achievement. The book also outlines an approximate time line of the program and when to proceed to the next step. My students have been extremely successful with this program. They look forward to their Writing Picture time daily. The book also provides ways to integrate this writing approach into all areas of the curriculum. I have 37 students and reviewing their writing can be time consuming. This book offers guidence in how to correct and grade their writing objectively. The authors also provide record keeping suggestions. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to any teacher who is looking for a new and exciting approach to writing in their classroom. Parents may also benefit a great deal from this book. It is written such that you do not have to have a background in education or writing to implement the strategies. Happy Reading!

I'm a student of the author (2001-2002) and I have been doing picture writing since the first day of school. We're at level 4 now and each time, it's been VERY helpful for my writing skills. I've always wanted to be an author and this helps me a lot.

It's an excellent way to write everyday actions with more 'spice' and beautify it with words othe than 'good' and 'like' but with 'excellent' or 'vibrant' the action words transformed from 'walked' to 'glided' in one simple lesson.

This helped me in my descriptive writing, Beauty of Language, and my vocabulary was broadened over the months I've done this.

Written by a man with a well-known healing ministry in Sydney, Australia, this book offers a clear prescription for a successful healing. Glennon states that it is necessary to learn the broad promises of God as revealed in the Bible. It is also important to forgive others unconditionally. Above all, it is essential to have faith. By faith Glennon means a belief that God's promises are received with a resulting healing and that no lingering doubt about it is retained.
Glennon's style is not flashy and the tone of his book will be welcomed by those who are repelled by the overly dramatic antics of some Christian healers seen on television.

I was recommended to this wonderful book written by Canon Glennon and was delighted and edified by it. I have found deep wisdom, an easy to read style and excellent scriptural references. I would highly recommend this volume to anyone involved in healing ministry or seeking information on your path following Jesus Christ. One word of caution, the paperback current edition is not of high quality, I found that rereading and highlighting led to breaking of the binding.

Jim Glennon, in this pathbreaking book, enlightens us about one of the most important truths than any of us could ever learn, and this is present reality of the Kingdom of God. More than that, he gives us the practical tools that enable us to make this a transformative force of our lives. Faith is a decision and we can make the power of faith ours by accepting the promises of God by a decision and by affirming that decision as often as needed so that the promises we have by faith we will begin to have in our actual experience. Problems are permitted into our lives by God to make us more dependent upon Him and as we live out that powerful fact, we find that our experience of God is deeper, that we know more of the "joy and peace of believing" and that God's grace causes the problems to melt away. The atoning death of Christ has made all this possible and it is up to us to quietly adopt this vision and experience, over time, the tremendous blessings that come as a consequence. Read this book more than once and apply its message to your life in a persevering way and you will not possibly be disappointed.

Jim Glennon writes about a God-centered approach to healing which can happen either instantaneously or gradually and be applied to both physical and emotional disorders. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in this subject.

This book was awesome. It's a powerful collection, with a wide range of prom stories. There are the traditional prom stories, where a good time is had by all ... or most. There are the anti-prom people, who want nothing to do with the dresses and the disco balls, but make their own fun. And there are a bunch of other stories involving gorillas, chickens, condom dresses, and six-packs of Bud.

My favorites from the collection were three amazing stories that stood out against the rest:

- "Mom called, she says you have to go the prom" by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
- Chicken by Jodi Lynn Anderson
- The Great American Morp by John Green

I liked them all for different reasons, and I'm not going to spoil the surprises that are hiding in this book. I'm just going to tell you that it's worth the read.

21 PROMS tells the stories of, well, twenty-one proms. Twenty-one fantastic authors contributed to this collection, and each and every one of the stories is fabulous and enjoyable. A few, however, really stick out in my mind after finishing this book.

Holly Black's IN VODKA VERITAS is a creepy story about an evil Latin club. "MOM CALLED, SHE SAID YOU HAVE TO GO TO PROM" is Adrienne Maria Vrettos' contribution to the book. It's a great story that manages, in just a few pages, to create wonderfully three-dimensional characters that I'd love to read more about. BETTER BE GOOD TO ME by Daniel Ehrenhaft is a brilliantly written and romantic story. Aimee Friedman's THREE FATES is a hilarious story about what happens when Abby ends up with three dates instead of going dateless the way she thought she would. THE QUESTION is Brent Hartinger's one-act play that would be wonderful to see performed. PRIMATE THE PROM is Libba Bray's very interesting, original, and unusual story of a boy going to prom with his boyfriend -- who just happens to be a gorilla. THE BACKUP DATE, by Leslie Margolis, is a fabulously well-written story about Jasmine, a whiny but completely believable character, going to prom with her boyfriend and brother's best friend.

As you can see, there are quite a few fabulous stories in this collection. The two that I loved the most, however, were these: Melissa de la Cruz told the absolutely true and absolutely hilarious story of her prom in A SIX-PACK OF BUD, A FIFTH OF WHISKEY, AND ME. THE GREAT AMERICAN MORP is John Green's absolutely brilliant story and one of my two favorites about a couple of girls having a "morp," a party that is a backwards prom. In this funny and fantastic story, he introduces characters that I'd absolutely love to see again.

I did notice one thing that is interesting, and I want to know why this is: people seem much more likely to write about two gay guys than two lesbians. Quite a few of the stories had gay guys in them, but I can't think of any about two girls who wanted to go to prom together; I don't know why. In fact, I can only think of one book that I've read where the main character is a lesbian: KEEPING YOU A SECRET, by Julie Anne Peters.

A good short story, one that has good characters or a hold-your-breath-suspenseful plot or something, has to do it in just a few pages. These were some of the best short stories I can ever remember reading!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

I loved every minute of this book. I have read most of the authors' other works, so I shouldn't have been so surprised with how much I enjoyed reading every story, every page.

As with any compilation, there were some real standouts, but they were mostly because I could totally relate to them or laughed out loud. "`Mom called, she said you have to go to the prom'" by Adrienne Maria Vrettos was a fantastic story about an uninhibited girl who has the time of her life putting her oddities on display for the world to see. "Prom for Fat Girls" by Rachel Cohn was great because, honestly, what fat girl doesn't want to read about another fat girl getting the guy? And they saved the best for last. John Green's "The Great American Morp" rocked--it was the reason I gave this book five stars rather than four.

Great Authors + Great Stories = A Great Read. (Okay, that was pretty cliché and cheesy even for me.)

It was hard for me, but I helped people I hardly knew who demonstrated they needed help and to this day it was one of the highlights of my life--to bring them out of their troubles. Get it. Learn it. Use it. (It's so easy, even I can do it.)

This book has some amazingly simple techniques that one person does to another person to ease pain, sober someone up, and help someone heal and get well, etc. I dropped a heavy chair on my toe and it turned blue and swelled - agony! Using a technique in this book, it healed in three days.

I like this book because it gives practical, exact methods you can use to help others when they are hurt or ill.

Not designed as a method of healing, this book addresses the emotional and mental aspects of illness and injury. I've seen reports in the news in the past few years, that show that new research indicates that one's mental state affects how quickly healing occurs. I'm sure you've read them - older people with a pet at home recover faster from stroke. People who laugh often are less likely to have heart attacks. People who get hugged every day heal faster from certain illnesses.

Well, the idea is that the mind is a very powerful thing - that our bodies are affected by our state of mind.

This booklet gives these actual techniques you can use with someone who has been hurt, to help them with the mental and emotional affects of the illness or injury.

I'm telling you, these work!

These methods are called assists. My favorite assist is called a Locational. The technique is detailed in the book - exactly how to give someone a locational. I use this one on my children pretty often.

You know how kids sometimes will get upset about something, and stay upset for a while? For instance, a toddler runs across the room and falls down. Then proceeds to cry - for too long. You know he isn't really hurt, he's just upset. What do you do to help him get over it?

Well, I would give my toddler a locational - and by the end of the locational (usually less than a minute, in this kind of situation), he is laughing and happy!

My kids don't get sick very often, but when they do, we give them assists. They've learned to give them, too, and will give them to one another. They heal very quickly. When my youngest had RSV, a potentially deadly illness in a child his age, we gave him an assist in the hospital.

He was really sick - we took him to the emergency room when he developed a sudden fever and was having obvious respiratory problems. They transferred us to a larger hospital less than 2 hours later, as he wasn't responding to medication (his fever kept climbing - was at 104, and despite treatment he was having more difficulty breathing). It looked very scary, since nothing was helping him.

As soon as we arrived and got him settled into the emergency room at the second hospital, I gave him an assist outlined in this book. 20 minutes later his fever was suddenly GONE and his breathing was totally normal. The doctors were very surprised. They had him stay under observation for 4 more hours, then released him. His fever and other symptoms never returned.

The techniques in this book do not heal the person - but they help his state of mind so he CAN heal. So he CAN respond to treatment. So he isn't so distressed, and the power of his own mind can aid him, rather than hurt him in his healing process.

This is a vital book for anyone, but especially parents, because kids tend to live such rough-and-tumble lives. (At least my boys do!)

I just happened upon this book when I was shopping for manga and thought it looked like a good read. Well, it's a great read! Finally a book in English about Tezuka!

Schodt does an amazing job breaking down Mighty Atom/Astro Boy along with Tezuka. He actually knew Tezuka so he brings a great insight to this work. The images in the book are great as well, especially the color inserts at the beginning of the book. Included are a great index of all the manga and anime episodes, and a character guide with both Japanese and English character names.

If you are a fan of anime, manga, or both, you will want to read this book to know why the two art forms are so popular today, not only in Japan, but all across the world!

I don't think the onslaught of Japanese pop culture would not take fruition if not for the talented work of Osamu Tezuka. He influenced his country men for many generations and his manga books are still published today and are fresh as they were printed over 60 years. The man has left a mark on more artists/animators than Walt Disney ever did. Frederik L. Schodt delves into the framework of this genius who set the blueprint to all manga and anime that we are used to. If not for Osamu Tezuka, I think Japanese manga and anime would be dormant, as with the Beatles a slew of bands followed them, but there was only one Beatles and they will always be standing tall in their heap in the part pop culture as will Osamu Tezuka will be for the Japanese culture, his name is under every breath of new creation that comes from that part of the world and has crossed oceans with his universal ideas and will leave a giant imprint for many more years yet to come. Astro Boy Collection Box Set

You will not believe me when I try to tell you about Osamu Tezuka. He drew over 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime, more than 700 separate series, and more than 70 anime, films and movies. He was a pioneer every genre, from hard sci-fi to mahou shoujo to adult films. He developed the drawing and animation techniques that still dominate the industry today. Today's greats, from Rintaro to Yoshiyuki Tomino, worked and studied with him. He was a political activist, writing against war, racism, environmental exploitation, medical corruption. He was a national hero of Japan, and under consideration for the Nobel Prize in literature when he passed away in 1989. Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, Metropolis, Phoenix, Buddha and Princess Knight are only the best known of literally hundreds of creations which have impacted every corner of the manga world. If you think this sounds like too much for one man to plausibly accomplish in a lifetime, you're far from the only one who finds Osamu Tezuka a little superhuman.

Fred Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan Manga! Manga!: the World of Japanese Comics and translator of Phoenix, Astro Boy and more, was a personal friend of the "God of Comics" and his translator when Tezuka visited America. In his long-awaited Astro Boy Essays, Schodt gives a concise and detailed introduction to the life, influence and significance of Tezuka in the history of Japan and the international comics world. Focusing on Tezuka's best known work, the anti-racist children's classic Astro Boy, it gives efficient, approachable portraits of Osamu Tezuka's life and personality, the atmosphere in Japan during and after WWII and their effect on the manga industry, the nightmarish behind-the-scenes production schedule that birthed Japan's first animated TV series, and the spread of Astro Boy as a Japanese, and later an international symbol of peace, technology, hope for the future, and above all of Japan itself. The rocky history of Astro Boy's American distribution gives a fascinating look at the beginnings of American anime fandom, and how many barriers had to be broken to achieve the comparatively-smooth licensing and distribution system in place today. All the material is presented in a format beginners can understand, but with enough details that even experts will find themselves learning more with every page. The Astro Boy Essays is an invaluable contribution to manga scholarship, and provides a window for American otaku to finally learn about the "God" who made anime what it is today.

For more information about the book, see:
www.stonebridge.com/AstroBoy/AstroBoy.html

For more information about Osamu Tezuka, his life and works, see:
TezukaInEnglish.com

This book does a great job of telling the story without the profanity. Good reading for all ages who want to know the soldier's story. A great book for Vets too. the story of a combat Medic.

This story follows the life of a young american boy from childhood, through being drafted, sent to vietnam, the 1970 Cambodia invasion, and the after shock of it all. It is written primarily to give the younger generation a first-hand report of the experience, and is suitable reference material for history classes in the middle school years.

As a Donut Dollie with the American Red Cross in Viet Nam in 1970 - 71, I found this book to be a great representation of a Viet Nam vet. It is factual, easy to read and entertaining. The book evokes emotions and helps the reader feel the life of the vet. I am currently a teacher and plan to use this book when I teach about the war.