Campbell Books

Althought this shows very clearly how dishes are put together I think a professional chef is the one who still gets most out of this book. He also has special section about food chemistry.

This book ROCKS BIG TIME.

Happily waiting for the next book to come out...

P.S. -- the no-sex scene in the motel room is one of the hottest I've ever read!

Now Detective Ryder, J.D. immerses himself in his work, living his life through his job. He doesn't believe he has the skill or the knowledge to be a father or a husband, despite his feelings for Kirsten. She deserves a man like Brad, even if the marriage didn't last, rather a man like himself. Brad gave her the kind of life she always wanted with "kids, a heritage of comfort, a refrigerator door full of photos showing traditions she probably took for granted." J.D. doesn't believe himself capable of such a feat.

As a child, J.D. once overheard his parents expressing regret, believing they would do better yet failing so miserably. J.D. believes that "willpower could sometimes make a difference, and when that failed there was always detachment, but nothing could change the blood you were born with." And he was born with tainted blood that could never be a father or husband. Years of secrecy, protecting himself from Child Protective Custody had taught J.D. to keep silence, and even years later, he finds it impossible to share his growing up years with the woman he loves.

Kirsten believes that if J.D. truly doesn't want to be a part of her children's lives, then there's no use second-guessing the decisions they've both made. No use in regretting that he determined what was best for her without ever discussing it with her. She'd only accepted Brad's proposal as an alternative to the endless pain of J.D.'s absence. It took Kristen years to take control of her life, rather than allow her parents and then Brad to dictate her path. She's become fiercely independent, and she finds it impossible to yield control of her search for her children, so J.D. must take her with him, even if her own secret threatens to be exposed.

As a mother who's endured a scenario similar to that described in HOME AT LAST, I have to praise the author's approach and handling of such a challenging plot. A mother's heart is on the line every time children visit a distant parent, especially when a parent shows up at the terminal gate only to learn the children are not aboard the plane. Laurie Campbell's portrayal of the panic, self-recrimination and fear is right on target. Further, Campbell's approach to J.D.'s character is equally extraordinary, vividly creating this wounded and distant man. Very highly recommended.

Although it doesn't take lots of time to read, the return on time invested can be incredible. This is probably the best book I've read on goal setting--and I've read a ton.

I particularly like Campbell's realistic approach. He doesn't try to get you to squeeze your life into a predetermined, micromanaged mold. Instead, he offers lots of advice on how to increase your options as you go through life.

I'll be getting this book for my favorite high school grads for sure. But if you're a little past high school, as I am, don't count yourself out. This book could help just about anyone.

The figure of Kokopelli is found chipped into desert stone at various ancient sites throughout the American Southwest. It also appears in contemporary forms, painted on canvas, etched into glassware, printed on Christmas cards, and sculpted into candelabra, in presentations that range from the holy to the kitschy. What energizes the frequent appearances of the enigmatic hunchbacked flute player? The authors suggest that the centuries-old drawing power of this archetypal figure may lie in both its protean nature and its spiritual origins.

Hill acquaints the reader with images of Kokopelli as hunter, warrior, healer, gambler, fertility bringer, and even mythological insect who appears in some Native American accounts of the Creation, by presenting a broad review of the available literature on the topic. Wisely, he presents Kokopelli's multiple manifestations without seeking to narrow them to a definitive representation that would deny the complexity of the image. His smart narrative contains a mine of information that yields a pocketful of nice nuggets with each perusal; and his readable style turns them up without a lot of digging.

In stunning visual images that complement the text, Montoya presents Kokopelli as an avatar figure who both generously offers and thankfully celebrates the receipt of the gifts of a bountiful earth. To Hill's scholarly analysis, Montoya adds the cultural insights of one steeped in the kind of ceremonialism from which Kokopelli likely first emerged, and the imagination of a skilled contemporary artist. Their collaboration is a complimentary one in which the text illuminates the paintings, and the visual images add an intuitive content that transcends the text.

Hill is frank about his intention to produce a hybrid text that is concurrently an art book, a study of Native American spiritual beliefs, and a review of Kokopelli literature. The challenge in such an undertaking is to do it seamlessly. How that challenge was met produced my only caveat, and a small one considering the ambitious nature of the project. The book's divisions make it seem a bit episodic, particularly the insertion of a short chapter by art critic James Bialac that might better have been placed in an appendix. At the same time, the holistic approach to the book's subject matter is an essential part of what makes it original and interesting. Hill and Montoya have added an important spiritual component to an art/cultural study without becoming simplistic or sappy, a laudable achievement.

Kokopelli Ceremonies provides some satisfying depth in an area in which much of the available material only skims the surface. Although the book is brief, it contains a well-selected bibliography for those readers who wish to further pursue the elusive Kokopelli through the avenue of cultural studies. For the text-challenged and those who prefer to see beyond black and white, sixteen gorgeous color plates provide a visual feast. Leave Kokopelli Ceremonies out where you can reach for it often--you'll probably make frequent journeys following the elusive notes of the ancient pied piper.