Brooks Books

A collection of 29 short stories from five remarkable authors! Talented author, Su Kopil, was kind enough to send me this for review. I am happy to say that this collection is fantastic!

Modern romance stories of all ages of lovers. First marriages, second chances, magical, renewed, you'll find them all here. Each will have you smiling and sighing in contentment.

Short stories cut out the fillers and additives. Instead, it gives you the meat immediately, so you will never be able to catch your breath with this book! Delightful, fun, and highly recommended!

A collection of 29 short stories from five remarkable authors! Talented author, Su Kopil, was kind enough to send me this for review. I am happy to say that this collection is fantastic!

Modern romance stories of all ages of lovers. First marriages, second chances, magical, renewed, you'll find them all here. Each will have you smiling and sighing in contentment.

Short stories cut out the fillers and additives. Instead, it gives you the meat immediately, so you will never be able to catch your breath with this book! Delightful, fun, and highly recommended!

I picked up this book only because I was so bowled over by a writing book by one of the coauthors, Tami D. Cowden. I've read mystery short stories for years, but had never really seen a collection of truly short romance stories before - most of those are novellas.

But this unique collection does not contain novellas - these are nice punchy short stories just like I find in mystery anthologies. You'll be amazed at the characterization the authors manage to pack into so few words - the very brevity makes each story so much more powerful.

The stories themselves are quite varied. A few brought tears to my eyes, while others had me laughing out loud. Each one truly different from the other. The only things they have in common are the very satisfying happy endings!

I recommend this books as something off the beaten path. But frankly, I hope to see a lot more books like this in the future!

Need a quick pick me up? Hate having your reading time interrupted? Try Love Triumphs, a collection of short romance stories that will have you remembering that instant you fell in love. Written by five wonderful authors, this electronically published anthology is worth a second look. I usually like my romances long and involved, with detailed characterization and vividly imaginative settings, so this collection caught me by surprise. Each story is brief and yet has character portrayals that stick with you. Within these stories you are bound to find yourself, and come face-to-face with your own insecurities and doubts. Whether you are still searching for your true love or have been happily married for fifty years, these stories will remind you of that powerful, all-consuming feeling that we call love and how often it can catch us by surprise. Within every mountain there lies a sparkle of gold and within this collection there is a true gem. Seven stories truly touched my heart and left me yearning for more, more detail, more scenes, more joy and heartbreak. Author Carolee Joy is the treasure buried within these pages. Every story she wrote was more poignant, more heart-touching than the others. I sincerely hope to see more written by her in the future for I feel this is an author with true potential. If you have only five minutes during your day and wish you had something to fill it, pick up this great collection of stories. They might reflect you, they might move you, but they are guaranteed to touch your heart and remind you that love can often be found in the most unexpected of places. Recommended

Aimee E. McLeod Reviewer

This story had me misty eyed, the emotions and characters leapt from the page. All of the stories in this anthology will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy. And Heaven knows, we can all use a little warm and fuzzy in our lives.

I think this must be the best book I have read to help the youngest members of your family deal with death. It is an incredibly positive and loving book.

Young pig and old pig live together, young pig is old pig's grand-daughter. They do their chores together each of them doing something different - constructive and sharing. Until one day Old Pig can't get out of bed.

Later they go for a walk. Old Pig knows she isn't long for the world and wants to look one last time at the beauty of things - the light on the water, the leaves on the trees. Then they go home. Young pig HOlds her tight for the last time.

It is a very beautiful and positive book. The illustrations are very sweet too.

This book is a lovely way to discuss the life cycle with children and to encourage them to view living and growing old with spirit. Old Pig is a grandparent figure who celebrates life but one day does not get out of bed. He lets the young pig know it is his time to slow down and that life will go on and that his spirit will continue.

Soft illustrations from Australia's best young lit illustrator (Rob Brooks) keep this tale of death from being utterly bleak.

In the book, death is dealt with through the emotions of grief and loss. So incredibly powerful is the simple text, it is hard to be unmoved in the reading. For me to hear the illustrator himself give a reading of the book, while my dearest relative was in the clutches of incurable cancer, was almost too much. For this reason, this is NOT a pick-up-and-read-any-old-time kind of book.

To be sure, there are going to be times when this book is extremely valuable. If a child is suppressing his emotions over a loved one's passing, perhaps this book could be the perfect ice-breaker.

But if the parent feels that his or her child needs to deal with death from another angle besides loss, it might be best to find a book that expresses other philosophical views on death.

Old Pig is the most touching story of life. I read it to my children, ages 3 and 4 years. My son, who is the older of the two, had questions about what it meant to lose someone you love. However, he quickly turned it around and spoke about life and how much fun it is share to it with others. Later that evening and for many evenings thereafter, I read Old Pig after they went to bed. It is indelibly etched it my heart.

i came across this book in 1996 when a fellow production controller showed me OLD PIG. we were the printer of this book for allen & unwin.

it made the hairs at the back of my neck go all funny the first time i read it. and it still does everytime i reread this achingly beautiful book. i left my hometown, 10 years ago, to work when i was barely nineteen and my grandfather died a few months later- never had the chance to say goodbye. i wished i had the chance to hold my grandfather tight one last time...

This book was first published in 1969, but remains particularly topical today, in the world of hedge funds and private equity pools. It's all there-- the stock manipulation, the insider trading, the coordinated bear raids and bull pools, the senseless leverage, the lack of regulatory controls, the laissaiz faire Republican administrations, a terrorist attack, the boundless greed and the ruined reputations. Only, it's the 1920's and '30's. History repeats itself. Brooks' account is meticulously researched and the writing flows very easily. Can you believe a corner in the stock of the Stutz Bearcat Company? It happened with ruinous results for everyone involved.I give it to friends in the financial world for their education and amusement, and also as a cautionary tale.

Times may change, but human nature does not. "Once in Golconda" is a play-by-play of the worst financial disaster ever to befall the U.S.-- at least until now. Yet, unfortunately so many of its lessons have faded. Eighty years may have passed since the events described in it took place, but this book reads like living history of the most timely sort-- it covers the first years of the roaring twenties to the last years of the groaning thirties-- and has so many parallels to what's going right now that it's downright eerie.

There are superficial differences of course, we have different characters (They: Charles E. Mitchell, Albert Wiggin, et al-- We: Stanley O'Neal, Richard Fuld, et al.), and we have, of course, developed far more sophisticated ways of circumventing fair standards, decent practices, and common sense. But at their core the greed, the recklessness, and the hubris of then versus now is as similar as one malignant strain of virus to another.
Fast-money, fear; booms, busts; glory, and disgrace are all part of the story line, and believe me it is one that will have you turning pages as fast as any Grisham thriller, while shaking your head that so many of its lessons about free markets, easy credit, and wishful thinking have either been forgotten or forsaken.
After reading John Brooks's brilliant expose, surely no historically knowledgeable Fed head would feed speculation by keeping interest rates recklessly low as Benjamin Strong did in the twenties; or any Congress and President be complicit with or cowed into watering down or repealing hard-won safeguards (Glass Steagall eraser Phil Gramm, anyone...?) by special interests. Just as today, "Once in Golconda" reports industry leaders celebrating economic growth while railing against the onerous, anti-capitalist evils of transparency, oversight, and "anti-competitive" regulation-- all while the bubble they were blowing kept expanding. Then, once it popped, many of those same leaders scurried off, carpetbags bulging with slippery loot, leaving both the markets and the economy shattered.
Everyone should read this book. Maybe then, we could avoid the financial devastation of a casino capitalism that demands socialist-style bailouts. Maybe then people would demand accountability from management, and clarity on how their hard earned retirement funds are being bet, borrowed, and blown. Fat chance.
History is indeed just variations on a theme and "Once in Golconda" shows us how easily we are led not only to march to the same drummer, but, before we know it, right off the same old cliff.

This book brings the Depression to life. The writing is erudite and the author's decision to tell the story through the life of one individual makes it personal, more than a "dry" history. A time that should not be forgotten, a story that should not be forgotten.

The book really placed you back in that era. The information was like spying on the "old guards" of Wall Street. This book was really a well written and it is hard to believe it was written in 1969. I could not believe how much George Whitney bailed out his brother Richard and how others at the Morgan firm went along with it...I guess old money is generally foolish! Great Book!

Once in Golconda is a well-written financial history book. The setting is 1920s and 30s Wall Street. The drama centers around Richard Whitney, who falls from grace like the hero in a Greek tragedy. During the '29 crash, Whitney himself (he was president of the NYSE at the time) strode onto the floor of the exchange and bought U.S. Steel (and other blue chips) to temporarily halt the slide. In the aftermath, Whitney literally stole from widows and orphans and was sent to prison. An excellent example of a financial history book that is not dry and unreadable.

My book arrived in perfect shape and in a speedy fashion. I am totally pleased with this transaction.

No fun prose but great illustrations of a whole bunch of animals. They are grouped in some general themes (hot, cold, nocturnal etc.) and to be clear all the written information is in the back and borderline useful - but each page is covered in beautiful illustrations of animals. I am on my second book as we take it out for bedtime on a very regular basis. That is also why I gave it four stars - I love it and it seems sturdy but it did sort of wear out.

This a very large (coffee table size) book filled with wonderful graphic illustrations of different animals by groups such as animals found in the desert under "Hot"; creatures found "On the Seabed"; animals with "Spots and Stripes". Great book. I'm a graphic artist and appreciate the book from an artistic point of view. My 4-1/2 year old daughter loves to find the chameleon among each group in the book. Brief description of each animal and creature is found at the back of the book under "Secrets of the animals". I bought this book when she had just turned 3 yrs old. This will be a great reference book for a long time to come.

I love this book! It has beautifully crafted illustrations and artistic groupings of animals-not the typical ABC animal picture book. I love its larger size and I enjoyed the interesting information tidbits located in the back pages of the book. Adults can really enjoy spending time looking at this book with their kids.

I love this book. I am an art teacher and I use this book in my class as reference for all the beautiful yet simple graphic shapes Ms. Jolivet produces in her work depicting animals

What children don't dream of being a hero in the eyes of their family and friends? In this adventure Alexander and his fearless dragon fly off into the starry night to visit a castle where they are welcomed by the fairies and their king. But meanwhile the ogres and trolls are ravaging the town. Can Alexander and his dragon fight off the monsters and save their friends? This is a fun read for young children. The illustrations are colorful and not too scary for the targeted age group...and they're going to love the dragon!

Purchased this title online when I was looking for another book - but - ended up absolutely loving it!! The illustrations are bright and bold and the young hero is perfect for younger children. I would highly recommend this book.

This is a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations. Great story about a magical closet door that leads Alexander on a series of adventures. A "must-read!"

This is my son's favorite new book. Great adventure story for all who love magic worlds with dragons and fairies. Not scary - just fun. We loved it!!

Fun, Fun, Fun! Your children will truly enjoy this enchanting story as well as the dynamic illustrations. We can't wait for the next adventure in the series to become available! Thanks for the fun read!

Similar to past works of Gallagher's, this book contains invididual chapters written by popular Civil War historians keying in on battle concerns, myths, strategies and political concepts during the campaign. I really enjoyed reading William Blair's chapter on how Marylanders caught in the middle of political unrest viewed the campaign and Lee's invasion. Brooks Simpson's chapter on how the Army of the Potomac was McClellan's bodyguard according to Lincoln really made me understand the political frustrations the Lincoln party had in regards to McClellan's slow moving and cautious approach to battle. Keith Bohannon's view on Confederate logistical problems was very informative and really brought forth information as to Lee's reasons for invading the north and also his retreat.

These chapters are just some of the great amount of information brought together in a very fine book. I would recommend this book to someone who has already read a book on the battle itself before reading this one. This book contains some fighting information but isn't one for coverage on the entire battle. It is one for understanding political unrest, commander motivations, strategies and little unknown and sometimes unclear myths that surround the entire campaign in September 1862. 5 STARS!!!

Early in September, 1862, Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland in what became the Confederacy's first invasion of the North. General McClellan received command of the Union troops following the disaster of Second Manassas. In a daring move, Lee divided his army in an attempt to capture Harpers Ferry, and McClellan had the good fortune to recover Special Order No 191 detailing the movements of the Confederate units. McClellan pressed forward, albeit cautiously, and the result was the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) on September 17, 1862, the bloodiest single day in American history. Following the battle, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam, rather than the more famous Battle of Gettysburg, is increasingly regarded as the pivotal moment of the Civil War.

The Maryland Campaign and the Battle of Antietam have provoked no end of controversy. This excellent collection, "The Antietam Campaign", edited by Gary Gallagher, consists of ten essays by as many different students of the Civil War examining in detail various aspects of the Antietam campaign. The essays are thoughtful and provocative and will cause the reader to rethink commonly held assumptions about Lee's first invasion. The book is part of a series edited by Gallagher titled "Military Campaigns of the Civil War".

Various aspects of the Battle itself are examined in three essays in the volume. Robert E.L. Krick's article, "Defending Lee's Flank" explores the role of Confederate artillery in holding off the initial Union attacks early in the morning on the Confederate left in the vicinity of Dunkers' Church and the infamous Cornfield. Robert K. Krick's essay takes a close look at the Union's attack on the center of the Confederate line on what has become known as the Bloody Lane. Lesley Gordon's "All Who Went into that Battle were Heroes" is an essay in history and memory. It examines the fate of the 16th Connecticut, a unit of green volunteers, which had the unenviable task late in the battle of meeting a counter-attack by A.P. Hill's troops, after Union General Burnside had finally crossed "Burnside's Bridge" and was pressing the Confederate Army to cut-off its line of retreat.

An additional essay in the collection, "We didn't know what on Earth to do with him" by Peter Carmichael covers a little-known aspect of the Maryland campaign. A small component of Union troops attacked the rear of the Confederate Army of September 19, 1862 in an attempt to harass the retreat. Confederate artillerist "Parson" Pendelton failed to hold the line, but the small Union force was, even so, rebuffed with great loss. Carmichael, as are most scholars, is highly critical of Pendelton's role at Antietam and in the War.

The remaining six essays in the collection offer broader views of matters related to the Maryland campaign. Three essays focus on the Confederacy. Gallager's own essay, "The Net Result of the Campaign was in our Favor" explores Confederate reactions immediately after the battle. Confederates looked to the capture of Harpers Ferry, the victory at Shepherdstown, and the hard draw at Antietam as evidence of their Army's prowess, and were motivated to continue the long, hard fighting of the Civil War. Keith Bohannon's essay, "Dirty Ragged, and Ill-Provided for is, together with the essay by Carol Reardon, the finest in the collection as it explores the difficulties faced by Lee's Army resulting from lack of supplies of basics, such as shoes, rations, and ammunition, as a result of the South's inadequate logistical system. In "Maryland, Our Maryland", Brooks Simpson examines Confederate hopes that the Maryland campaign would bring the Bay State into the Confederacy. It examines the strong efforts President Lincoln made to hold Maryland for the Union. Simpson concludes that the Confederate failure to rally Maryland to its cause worked as a defining moment for Southern identity in the conflict.

Two essays take a close look at the Union side of the line. Brooks Simpson's "General McClellan's Bodyguard" challenges the view held by many students of the battle that McClellan was at fault for not pressing the attack on September 18. Simpson maintains that McClellan did about as well as could have been expected under the circumstances. Scott Hartwig's essay, "Who would not be a Soldier" compliments Simpson's in that Hartwig looks closely at the composition of the Union Army that McClellan led to meet Lee. Much of this Army consisted of raw recruits who had not had basic training, learned to march, or even to fire a weapon. These troops swelled the size of McClellan's Army but proved a liability in the heat of battle.

The final essay in the volume, "From Antietam to Argonne" by Carol Reardon takes a close look at Antietam from the standpoint of the United States War College and its studies of the battle prior to WW I. Students were given detailed summaries of the actions in the Antietam campaign and, in addition, toured the battlefield. They were asked to comment on the command decisions of Lee and McClellan, as well as subordinate officers, and on the performance of the troops on both sides. The results, as Reardon explains them, were fascinating and provide a searching look at the campaign and its leaders. For me, Reardon's essay was the highlight of an excellent volume.

This collection illuminates greatly the Antietam Campaign and shows how much can be gained by careful scholarship and the willingness to rethink received opinions. Readers coming to this book will benefit by a strong prior background in the Civil War and by a basic familiarity with the Battle of Antietam, as can be gained in works by James McPherson, Steven Sears, or James Murfin.

Robin Friedman

Just like previous reviewers, I agree that this book is a fine addition to the on-going series about the Military Campaigns of the Civil War. This installment about the Battle of Antietam is particularly strong because of the quality of scholarship included and the distinguished group of historians that Gallagher gathered for this edition.

Each author includes an interesting essay that details a specific aspect of the battle. Some examples of topics that are covered include: the supply challenge the Confederacy faced, how new Union recruits reacted to the carnage of Antietam, the role Confederate artillery played, and why McClellan failed to pursue Lee after the battle. I found that every essay presented a compelling argument and really offer the reader a detailed analysis that you will not find in other books about the battle.

As always, this type of book is not aimed at telling the history of what happened at Antietam. If you are looking for a general narrative of the battle - this is not the right book. On the other hand, it is designed for those who are somewhat familiar with the battle and are looking for the most current research from a find group of historians. I highly recommend the book for people who fall into this category. It will greatly enhance your understanding of key aspects that affected the battle which has been the bloodiest day in US military history.

Gary Gallagher has written/edited a number of books on the Civil War. This book is an edited volume, focusing on several aspects of the sanguinary battle at Antietam, fought in 1962. All told, there are ten essays in this volume, with Gallagher contributing the lead essay. As with all edited volumes, some of the works may not be up to the same standards as others. But, overall, this is a useful volume. It might best be used by reading it alongside one of the better histories of the battler, such as Stephen Sears' "Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam." Let's take a look at some of the essays to illustrate what the book is about. . . .

Gallagher begins the book with an essay on how the south saw the aftermath of the battle. He notes that, in the final analysis, southerners were more likely than not to see Antietam as a plus for the cause. In the aftermath of the Peninsula successes of General Robert E. Lee and the remarkable victory by the Confederate forces at Second Manassas, this was seen as the denouement of a stretch of marvelous fighting by the Army of Northern Virginia.

Brooks Simpson authored a more positive than usual account of Union General George McClellan's leadership at Antietam. McClellan was often accused of "the slows," because of his seeming inability to fight aggressively. Simpson argues that some of McClellan's arguments made sense, such as logistical problems associated with the movement of the Army of the Potomac toward Antietam.

The last chapter is a nice counterpoint, examining how Antietam was used by the Army for training/education before World War I. This battle was one example used at the Army War College to prepare officers for command. They would go over maps and scenarios (e.g., what if McClellan had hurried toward Antietam after finding Lee's orders as opposed to his rather movements). The students and teachers were pretty much unanimous in concluding that McClellan had not generaled his forces very well--up to Antietam and at the battle site itself.

Other chapters speak to addition key issues, such as: how poorly supplied Confederate forces were, the Confederate cavalry's and artillery's role in protecting the Confederate flank, the action at Bloody Lane, and the ineptitude of Confederate artillery chief William Pendleton.

For those interested generally in Civil War history and, specifically, the battle at Antietam, this will be a welcome volume. While there is some unevenness across the chapters, all in all this is a solid volume.

Once again, Gary W. Gallagher has compiled a wonderful collection of essays in this latest volume of the Military Campaigns of the Civil War Series. Each chapter or essay focuses on a different aspect of the campaign and is written by a different author. This allows for a new perspective on the campaign with each chapter. Among the topics covered by the various essayists are Confederate perception of Antietam as a victory or defeat, Confederate logistics, Confederate artillery, the use of the Antietam battlefield as a classroom for military leaders in the 20th century, the impact of new recruits on the Army of Potomac's effectiveness, and the experiences of individual units.

All of the essays are well-written and contain wonderful insights into their selected aspects of the campaign. Due to the focus of the series on military events, other important issues related to Antietam are only briefly mentioned. Most notably, issues related to emancipation and foreign intervention are mentioned in passing. This, however, is a result of the decision by the editor and the press (University of North Carolina Press) to focus on military aspects. Despite this weakness, I would highly recommend this and all other books in the Military Campaigns of the Civil War series to anyone with an interest in the Civil War.

I enjoyed reading this book and putting some of Brook's ideas into action. How easy it is to forget the simple things in life can be the most important times we can share with our children. You don't have to spend money to have a strong bond with your family it only takes time together. Thanks Brook for opening my eyes to things I failed to remember.

I saw the author speak in Vancouver, Washington where she gave the keynote address at a local parenting conference. She was down-to-earth, friendly, and very encouraging. I'm glad I read her book. The book's introduction "Cherish Your Wood Chips" is a classic, insightful look into the priorities of a loving parent's heart -- and probably well worth the cover price of the book just for the thoughtful message of the intro.

When I think about violence among teens and the utterly essential role that parents play in raising children, I wonder what specific steps we can take to do a better job, and to live more humanely.

I've never found a book with practical answers -- until now, that is. Brook Noel should run for President. Her heart is in the right place, her excellent writing comes from that wonderful place, and her practical steps for how America can get back to basics make total sense.

How can we improve our lives and give more to our children? The policy wonks wonder and scratch around. Noel has figured it out. If you want to improve your own life and add heaps of love to your family life -- in short, if you want to get your priorities straight -- read this book.

There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. ~Freya Stark

Brook Noel has created a Family 101 manual that reads more like an enjoyable idea book. Throughout her writing she shows a talent for selecting the important priorities in family life.

Many of the idea present new opportunities for growth, like her idea about a gratitude journal. She delves into interesting ideas about why we should laugh more to combat negative feelings and improve our health.

I loved her story about her daughter and the "I love you" story. She also presents important information about brain development in the first three years of life. Other helpful topics:

Eliminate Morning Madness
Sanity Saving Family Meetings
Chore and Reward Systems

Back to Basics is the perfect book for new parents or for anyone who is trying to heal their family and solve some of the main problems that occur in daily life.

~The Rebecca Review

Back to Basics addresses a core problem in America, the disintegration of the family unit. As a father and husband, I have been frustrated at the difficulty of maintaining strong family values, relationships and interaction. Our society doesn't place high emphasis on fixing family unit problems rather it spends a tremendous amount of time treating the symptons - higher crime, delinquency, higher divorce rates and more time with therapists. If we fix the core family and it's value systems - a lot of the other problems are diminished.

Hat's off to Brook for creating a book that addresses a fundamental issue in america today.

I have very close ties and fond memories of rural California during the 1940's. Mr. Jeter was able to capture those memories and put them on paper - a rare gift. As well as enjoying the stories, I found his artwork delightful. I have recommended it to all my friends as: one of those books that makes you very sad when you are finished and realize that you have to leave this young man's adventures behind.

I read a chapter of this book every night before I go to sleep. It relaxes me and makes me smile. Author Bill Jeter's account of a happy boyhood takes me back to the summers that I spent in his neighborhood -- the California Sierra Mountains -- with my parents and relatives. Jeter writes from the viewpoint of a boy, in rich, descriptive language, and illustrates his adventures with delightful, pen-and-ink drawings. He has captured the high whistle of the winds, the pungent pine smell of forest air, the music of running brooks, and the unspoiled sweep of high meadow. His accounts of hiking, camping out, cleaning a rifle, hanging out at the general store, rafting on the nearby creek, and making his own rafts, backpacks, boomerangs, and kites, restore my faith in children's creativity and craftsmanship. I plan to read this book again and again. It makes me want all children to experience the beauty of growing up in nature, with parents who encourage them to do things for themselves.

Bill Jeter and I are old college friends and we shared may adventures as young adults.
The sincerity and truthfullness with which Bill recalls his boyhood was indeed refreshing and took me back to my youth many times. In talking with Bill he never refers to himself as a great writer, only a "creative rememberer." I believe that he only has the thought half right, he is a great writer

What a great glimpse into simpler times, before a TV in every house, before Game Boy, Nintendo and computers! A time when a kid used his imagination for entertainment. My 8 year old son had a great time reading this with me. We strongly recommend it for summertime reading!

Amazingly enjoyable book! I laughed and I cried as I followed Billy Jeter around in these true reminiscences of a young boys life in small town America. This author captures the essence of being a boy: making discoveries, a boy's imagination, creating adventure, innocent and hilarious mischief.

This was like reading about my own childhood. I could smell the smells, laugh at the laugh's, feel the "scardiness" of getting into trouble. The railroad adventure is a dream I always had, but never had the guts to do as a kid. I lived it finally, vicariously through Jeter's real life description.

His drawings give life to each story, and amazingly some of them look just like the stuff I was trying to create or play with as a kid. Except he did it a lot better.

Read this book if you want to re-live your life as a kid, or perhaps want to see what it should have been like. It has everything: nostalgia,memories, and a glimpse of a simpler and less ccyical time in life.

First let me tell you about myself, like Brooks Robinson I am a third baseman. This book has inspired me to try my best. On page 35 in the book it says, "He was once again sent down to the minors-this time to Vancouver." He spent about four years in the minor leagues, but he kept trying and later became the greatest defensive third baseman who ever played the game. This book also inspired to work on my defense. Brooks Robinson was never that great of a hitter but he made his mark by his defensive plays on the field.

First let me tell you about myself, like Brooks Robinson I am a third baseman. This book has inspired me to always try my best. On page 35 in the book it says ,"He was once again being shipped to the minor leagues-this time to Vancouver." He spent about four years in the minor leagues, but he kept trying and later became the greatest defensive third baseman who ever played the game. This book also inspired me to work hard on my defense. Brooks Robinson was never that great at hitting ,but he made his mark by his defensive play.

First let me tell you about myself, like Brooks Robinson I am a third baseman. I am fifteen years old and I play baseball for my high school baseball team. I have twelve brothers and sisters. This book has inspired me to try my best. He spent about four years in the minor leagues, but he kept trying and later became the greatest defensive third baseman who ever played the game. This book also inspired to work on my defense. Brooks Robinson was never that great at hitter but he made his mark by his defensive plays on the field.

First let me tell you about myself, like Brooks Robinson I am a third baseman. I am fifteen years old and I play baseball for my high school baseball team. I have twelve brothers and sisters. This book has inspired me to try my best. He spent about four years in the minor leagues, but he kept trying and later became the greatest defensive third baseman who ever played the game. This book also inspired to work on my defense. Brooks Robinson was never that great at hitter but he made his mark by his defensive plays on the field.

First let me tell you about myself, like Brooks Robinson I am a third baseman. I am fifteen years old and I play baseball for my highschool baseball team. I have twelve brothers and sisters. This book has inspired me to try my best. He spent about four years in the minor leagues, but he kept trying and later became the greatest defensive third baseman who ever played the game. This book also inspired to work on my defense. Brooks Robinson was never that great at hitter but he made his mark by his defensive plays on the field.

Many people can become aware that they are dreaming while they are dreaming - they can dream lucidly. The Conscious Exploration of Dreaming, by my husband Jay Vogelsong and myself, details observations and experiments from our own extensive lucid dream accounts and places them into the framework of a relatively little-known perceptual theory of dreaming. We critique many popular notions about lucid dreaming and dreaming in general, and attempt to integrate our ideas with modern sleep and dream research. Though laboratory research has largely superseded psychoanalytic thought in explaining dream generation, ordinary people may have difficulty relating such research to their own personal experiences with dreaming. We hope that our book will help to bridge this gap.

In the naturalistic tradition of Hobson, Crick and Flanagan, the authors tackle dream formation and "lucid" control with an intelligence and style that is refreshing amid today's cacaphony of hype and varying agendas. In probably the best lay exposition of REM sleep since Dick McLeester's WECOME TO THE MAGIC THEATRE in 1976, these amateur dream explorers map the terrain of the sleeping brain with an excellence worthy of the prizes given to the best sanctioned "academic" publications. The book is as good in its specialized area as Steve Pinker's was to the mind in general in HOW THE MIND WORKS.

As in McLeester's book, THE CONSCIOUS EXPLORATION OF DREAMING takes a balanced and fair approach to lucid dream potentialities and dream control, demonstrating that we always control our dreams to some extent through suggestion and that control and dream behavior are highly customized to each dream individual scenario.

The book is largely anti-psychoanalytical and attemps to show that rather than constituting symbolic distortions or affective resolutions, dreams simply are build-as-you go situations which we create in response to random brain activation. There is an existential "throwness" element to them; we are suddenly in Act II without an Act I. If we dream of panicing during a school exam, it's because we actaully "haven't" prepared for the test and we should panic, given the situation. No need to involve the Id and Superego in explaining the story.

I've been researching dreams and lucid dreams for over thirty tears, and this is surely one of the best tracts on the subject that I have seen in that time. Highly recommended.

Most books about Lucid Dreams are found in the New Age section of the book store. If this has stopped you from exploring the fascinating world of Lucid Dreaming then I highly recommend The Conscious Exploration of Dreaming. Janice and Jay Volgelsong have written a voluminous book about Lucid Dreams. They examine popular scientific and occult theory with a critical eye. Heavily referenced, their book is grounded in their own personal research, experience and observation. If you have been curious about where dreams come from you will find satisfying answers in their book.

Lucid dreaming first came to my attention when it formed the basis of a story in - where else - an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. I had heard the term before but hadn't understood what it meant. Subsequently, an arch-skeptic of my acquaintance called for support in a debate he was having with the members of an Internet newsgroup called alt.out-of-body.

I lurked for a while before joining in the discussion and was surprised to find a group of people were reporting out-of-body experiences and lucid dreaming, some on a regular basis. Although I felt that a number of the explanations being offered were rather fanciful, the reports of the experiences themselves seemed genuine. This was fascinating because it meant that a part of the human population were having dream, or dream-like, experiences that others like myself had never known.

I was curious to read more, so I ordered it forthwith via the Internet.

This is a substantial tome which, in paperback, runs to nearly 350 pages, if you include the detailed annotation, extensive bibliography and index, which are the proper appendices of any work which aspires to scientific credibility.

I mention scientific credibility because, unlike some of what is written about this subject, the authors have adhered to the ideal of scientific objectivity. Although written for a lay audience, they examine the research and thinking in this field in considerable detail, and they have been scrupulously fair in giving the various theories due and proper consideration, even those that some might consider more speculative.

In one aspect, though, they have a considerable advantage over other researchers: they have experienced lucid dreams and OBEs themselves.

The human mind and/or brain has been described as the most complex object in the known universe. Imagine trying to discover how a computer works from scratch: there is no manual, no help files and, initially, no knowledge of what it is made from and how it is powered. Even worse, it is associated with baffling phenomena such as consciousness. Imagine how much of a help it would be if you could think as a computer thinks, if you could learn about it from the inside, as it were.

This is especially true of an inaccessible phenomenon like dreaming, the activity of the conscious mind while the body is asleep. Janice and Jay are, therefore, in the rare and privileged position, for scientists, of being able to observe and experiment on themselves, of having a more intimate acquaintance with their subject-matter than is afforded to most researchers.

They have put this insight to the best possible use in this book, which I would recommend as the first choice for anyone who wants to learn more about lucid dreaming, and I can only endorse the words of one of the foremost researchers in this field, J Allan Hobson, when he writes in the Foreword:

"Brooks and Vogelsong are true scientists in both their adherence to value-free description and their state-of-the-art interpretation of their data.

The Conscious Exploration of Dreaming is a healthy antidote to the abundant New Age hyperbole on this important and serious subject."

I haven't finished the book yet but so far it is a great read! This book is a great help in understanding dreaming on a whole new level. Lucid dreaming is something that many are interested in and now have a resource to learn much more about. The authors share many of their own lucid dreams and experiences throughout.