Bryan Books

After twenty years of seminary and personal study, I taught Isaiah in an academic setting to bright high school seniors for twelve years, so I came to the book with some scepticism regarding its ability to both handle the details and to see the big picture. Beyer's book handled both with a facility that made it an enjoyable read [I went through it in two days]that blended scholarship and clarity. I never found an adequate textbook, other than the Bible itself, when I was teaching Isaiah, but if and when I teach it again I'll have no reservations with using Beyer's text.

This book was assigned to me as a textbook in my seminary class on Isaiah. It serves as a helpful guide for understanding the book of Isaiah. The book is filled with side bars which provide great background material, definitions and other helpful information. The book is not overly technical - any student of the Bible would benefit from this book.

Every once in a while, I reread this book. It is a Mark Twainish laughing at the sad shape of farming, of government mistakes, of bureaucratic fumbling, while offering a bracing vision of sound farm economics and common sense.

It has aged a bit--the corporate farm is now more in charge of prices than ever--but it has aged well, and I cannot open it and read a random page without chuckling to myself.

I've read a lot of similar books over the years--Victor Davis Hanson's excellent FIELDS WITHOUT DREAMS springs to mind--but for humor and overall enjoyment, you cannot beat this little known and under-appreciated take on small farm life.

The characters portrayed here you've either met or after reading you'll wish you had. Jones does an excellent job weaving the trials and tribulations of farming and ranching with the truly unique characters that are found down on the farm. I'd highly recommend it.

Bryan Merton was given the opportunity, however unfortunate, to formulate this useful tool to be used in time of need. I have not had to use mine yet, thank God, but I bought it because "you never know." Also, friends and family have found it to be a lifesaver, so to speak, when they have borrowed it from me. Everyone should have one!

The flipchart works very, very well for communicating with someone who cannot talk. It's full of common and useful phrases which facilitate dialog between you and someone who is ill. I found it to be very useful to "talk" with a friend who was hospitalized and because of repiration apparatus, could not use their voice. The flipchart is worth it's weight in gold if you are visiting with someone you care about who is ill or hospitalized.

Sharon Bryan has a superb feel for words and a distinct original way of looking at things. All of the poems here are worth reading, and many of them are brilliant.

I usually take particular interest in the title poem of a collection. Sometimes it completely encapsulates the poet's point of view--sometimes it ties together several loose themes within the book. At eighteen lines (narrow lines at that) "Flying Blind" is one of the shortest poems in the book. It is short and tight, with monosyllabic words dominating the poem Each word like an attention getting clap--especially in the first line, "We can't quite see". The harsh vowel sounds give power and directness. Larger words come later in the poem as the ideas become more complex and abstract in lines such as "to serenade the universe". "Flying Blind" explains that we know the world and the universe only through our words, and that as we "fly" through it all we only really have our language to guide us. The voice of the narrator is speaking with the authority of a director of a production, speaking from offstage to explain the principle idea behind the scene. With the exception of "Frankly", "Trimmings" and "What Biology is all About" it is hard to say exactly where the narrator is in this collection of poems. In fact, it is almost like a "Where's Waldo" book--she is usually in the position of one in a crowd, rarely referring to herself as an individual. It feels as though she is one of us (sometimes speaking for us) referring to "we" "us" and "our" as a collective humanity, and when "you" is used, it refers to all of us, as though we are being addressed by this Poet/Teacher conglomerate who is sharing wisdom. An example of this conglomerate voice is in the poem "Foreseeing". The audience is not inclusive of the narrator, although she is present in the form of voice. While there is no "I" in this poem, there is a sort of omniscient "eye", one that is not present in all of the poems, but in a few (such a as in "Beholden", "Bemused", "Minutiae" and "Theory". In these poems there is "you". Her omniscient voice in "Foreseeing" has a strange sense of personal knowledge. The voice is one of experience, one that is intimate with age. The poem made me think of writing on a wall, perhaps carved into marble--speaking a truth to us amongst the statues--perhaps like proverbs deemed absolute and universal. What does "we" and "us" do? As I was reading these poems I found myself buying into the ideas presented, and I was able to relate to the narrator in a strangely personal (strange because she seems so impersonal) way. I found myself thinking "Oh, she's one of us", sparing me from a large condescending tone explaining how the world works(like the Wizard of Oz). I feel as though I am on Sharon's team with all the "we" togetherness, as though she is the woman sitting next to me who happened to speak for us all. I have to wonder what her purpose for distancing herself from her poetry is-- and what purpose that serves for her in the process. I wonder if she feels a distance between herself and her poems, or perhaps a fear of intimacy with her inner self (it could also be she was simply trying to be different). Her focus is largely outward, with a leaning for the appreciation of words themselves--as if the words actively shape her reality rather than words describing her reality. She seems to have fun with it, as seen in the poems paying tribute to prefixes and suffixes (i.e. "Be-" and "-Esque"), coming to a point with the cliché ridden rhythmical poem "Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language". I did not like the poem all that much, on the surface it is unoriginal and against the norms of avoiding clichés in poetry. However, I commend her for taking a risk with this poem. There is a recognized power behind clichés, and this poem is a bunch of snippets of emotion delicately arranged. The fact that the poems are alphabetically arranged further demonstrates her priorities on letters and language. While most poets tediously arrange their collections based on emotion, topic, and general feel, Sharon Bryan has gone even more basic-- the alphabet. The alphabet being the roots of all written and spoken words, without which there would be no emotional conveyance--no transference of thoughts and ideas through speech, writing, or poetry. Sharon Bryan's distance from her work makes a point--that point being the importance of language. Is it a coincidence that that is also the point of the title poem? I don't think so. I highly reccomend this collection.

Military historian Bryan Perrett offers a dual history of America and Great Britain's top medals for bravery in this fascinating book from Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Perrett's book is an interesting read. He examines various battles beginning with the Crimean War and concluding with the end of World War II. Curiously, though almost 400 Victoria Crosses and Medals of Honor were awarded in post-WWII conflicts, these awards are only covered in a one-page summary. Why these awards were given such short shrift is unknown. Likewise coverage of VC/MOH winners very much favors the English award. Some 20-odd chapters deal with VC winners; ten deal with MOH winners.

In any case Perret sets the stage for each battle - Balaklava, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill, Mons, Jutland, Iwo Jima, etc. - and then describes the VC/MOH actions against this backdrop. He also supplies information on what happened to each winner after their "moment of glory" including post-war careers; an interesting touch.

Given the number of VC/MOH winners and the lack of coverage for post-1945 winners, Perrett's book cannot claim to be definitive. It does do a marvelous job of describing the often incredible feats of valor performed by some incredibly brave men.

Recommended.

This is one of Bryan Perrett's finest works. It describes certain battles from The Crimean War to WWII that were notable for awards of either the Congressional Medal of Honor or the Victorian Cross, with the emphasis on the latter undoubtedly due to Mr. Perrett's English military background. The emphasis of each chapter is really more on the battle in question, with the individual stories of the medal recipients woven into same. It is also interesting to find out what happened to some of the recipients after their military service and medals, which the author shares, and unfortunately some of these heroes came to a sad end in their civilian lives. The greater emphasis in the book is on the 19th century British colonial period and World War I. Mr. Perrett always goes to great lengths to lay out the units involved in each conflict, and to explain what led to the battle and what outcome it had in the overall conflict. This is an entralling read, especially if you enjoy military history. Also highly recommended by the same author and somewhat in the same vein are "Heroes Of The Hour", and "Last Stand!".

Nancy Clark has written another winner. My child was riveted by this story. I also read it to another child I am taking care of and he too was quietly listening. He wanted a copy to take home with him!

Nancy G

Storytelling is used as a powerful healing tool in this very rich, therapeutic tale. It is perfect for foster children to help them with the healing process. I read it to my daughter this morning. She has been living with us in foster care for 3 years and has very severe behaviors. She has reactive attachment disorder. She has many huge buried feelings about what happened to her. More than once while I was reading it to her, she commented on her own experience. This is something she has never done. I was so rellieved to finally help her let a little out. For anyone seeking a simple, practical tool to help children heal form their early trauma, this one is superb.

This little book has a wealth of information along with some absolutely gorgeous pictures. It is easy to read, and I use it as a reference book. If you just want some serenity in your busy schedule, just look at the pictures, so calming. I needed this book a couple years ago for one of my college courses - Geology of the National Parks, which was an awesome course in itself.

The author of this book was a ranger at Yellowstone and taught geology at the college level in California. This is a superb book about how geysers and hot springs work in general. While it is written for the younger set, it is also a very good book for adults. If you have any interest in geysers, buy this book. The fantastic pictures alone are well worth the price.

In this conversation style book, Loritts relates the Gospel as well as popular Bible stories in modern, easy-to-understand language. This quick read is as entertaining as it is informative. With a solid biblical foundation, this book is perfect for the seeker who is tired of "being preached to". Believers who need a fresh look at Bible stories they've heard 1000 times will also enjoy Loritts' style of writing.

I'm not a fast reader, but once I picked this book up I didn't put it down until I finished it the next afternoon!!!

Loritts' ability to intertwine ancient and modern history, coupled with his down-to-earth personal anecdotes, truly set this book apart from your typical Christian reading fare. "Real" is probably the best all encompassing word for his style of communication.

I found myself engrossed in the life story of Malcolm X or a historical perspective on the bubonic plague one minute, and the next feeling compelled to apply great Christian truths in a deeper way in my life. Its surprising approach draws you deep into nitty-gritty Biblical stories that are often glossed over by Christians, such as those involving prostitutes, cheaters, stealers, liars, murderers, and all the not so "perfect" Bible heroes.

All around it's a really cool book by a guy who draws on a wealth of super interesting knowledge, and who has a keen ability to explain what's going on in one of the most misunderstood books in history.

You'll laugh, cry, and be consistently amazed at God's "passion and pursuit" of everyday people throughout ancient and modern history. I can't wait for his next book! (I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true.)

Many tattoo books have come out in the last few years. Some good and some not so good. This book is a little gem. Both black and white and colour designs. All in great detail. The kind of book to pick up when you need a break and just want to look at some really nice art work.

I've known Ben for a good 7 or so years at this point, and I have to say, that it's amazing to see his 'Flower Road' taking him to such places. I've known his artwork since his punk rock days in Minneapolis, doing show flyers and comics for fun. I tried to steer him in the direction of tattoo art, and I'm glad to say that he's taken to it like a fish to water.

The book is very interesting as it shows a real evolution from his beginning pieces done with both traditional tools (pen, ink) and non-traditional (Adobe Illustrator, boo) to the point of doing clumsy watercolors that slowly turn into professional sheets of flash that would look good on any Tattoo Parlor's walls. Lots of sellable designs are in these sheets if you are so inclined, or they can be used as inspiration for your own tattoos.

I have to disagree with his view that the era of flash is over, but am grateful that he has created a good body of work that can be appreciated and used by other tattooists. Ben's work in this book show that he is a tattooist that has a bright future. If he ever decides to come back to the states, there would be a lot of people who will be amazed at his skills. Keep an eye out for this guy, it's only a matter of time before he is known as one of the greats along the lines of Aaron Caine, Guy Aitchison, Grime, and many others.

This is the best book out there for both medical and legal professionals. It is easy to read and and a great resource for all law and medical issues.

Liang's book is the first comprehensive AND comprehensible book on the health care system out there! As a physician who went to medical school decades ago, i never realized how much would change in the practice environment. No one has been able to give a thorough review of all the topics that we need to know now; not my specialty society, certainly not the AMA, and not my state med society. But this book does; it has everything from a great overview of the law, the standard stuff (e.g., med mal, informed consent) AND gives clear and complete explanations of the huge and legalese laden areas of fraud and abuse, antitrust, etc. I found the material on physician contracting really helpful in understanding what I should look for in my contracts. And the stuff on death and dying (e.g., advanced directives) was very helpful for my patients (I copied it for them). I heard of this book from the general counsel's office at our hospital and she uses it a lot too. I tell all the med students and residents who rotate with me about this book. And the web page addresses are really great!