Dunne Books

As a child of the 50's and 60's, I grew up just outside of Queens NY. My parents found a truly magical hamlet on the east end of Long Island, near Sag Harbor and we spent 14 summers there - encompassing some of the best times of my life.

Imagine my surprise when I picked up Summer At Sea Shell Harbor and started to read about my boyhood summers. I was transported back in time - to malt shakes at the malt shack; hanging out at night by the 'general store' or "The Sugar Shack"; convertible cruising; spending the days at the beach or one of our speed boats; and discovering new girls from other than my home town and trying to learn how to deal with them. I literally could not put the book down until the end. This book truly captured the emotions and feelings of those times.

But you don't have to have lived the story to enjoy it. This is a great read for anyone of any age. While depicting a magical time, there is a plot and character development and relationships that literally draw you from one chapter to the next.

I truly hope that someone has the sense to make a movie from this great book. I think it would be a huge success if true to the book.

This would be fantastic as a film. When will Hollywood realize we baby-boomers are movie watchers? What a great film it would make.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read. The writing reminded me of my teenage (other) life. Memories of summer vacations in The Hamptons, partying with friends and young love. Great!

You don't have to have grown up in New York or spent summers in the Hamptons to remember the experiences and feelings that come back so vividly reading "Summer in Sea Shell Harbor". Wherever your're from, growing up takes you on an emotional roller coaster that drags you on at around age 13 or 14 and drops you off sometime later, maybe 19 or 20, somewhat beat-up and bruised, but relieved to still be standing. Whatever else adolescence is, it is a time of intense feelings and fragile egos; friends are at the center of our lives; good times and bad times; trying to sort through it all and figure things out. Richard Dunne has done a great job nudging our memories, taking us along with these very real characters who are a lot like our friends growing up; and their predicaments are similar to ones we can recall. A great read on a universal theme and one that we don't really ever forget. A book for all ages! An excellent, enjoyable read.

"Summer at Sea Shell Harbor" deserves a place on every bookshelf in America. The first, and most important reason for purposes of this review, is that it's a great read. Richard Dunne's beautiful story, set in the summer of 1959, is as much an ode to teenage angst and coming-of-age as it is a revealing look at how our country's own innocence has disappeared over the years.

The novel's strength lies in Dunne's portrayal of late 1950's America in an honest way, through the eyes of seventeen year-old Richie Donnelly, without the pretense that today's youth is somehow living in a bleaker, more paranoid world (the truth may be that today's youth ARE living in a bleaker, more paranoid world, but Dunne shrewdly lets the story progress without so much as a hint that he's seen America unfold over the last half-century). This approach is what makes the story great for all ages. Whereas a film like "Stand By Me," which also captures the spirit of that era, relied on an adult narrator to tell its story in flashback - thereby attaching a certain level of nostalgia to its main character during the film - that is not the approach here. We are treated to a story set in the summer of '59 that effectively captures the period without asking the reader to remember it (which is perfect for me since I wasn't born until '67), and it succeeds wonderfully in educating and enlightening us along the way.

The characters are strong and well-developed, and the story itself engaging and entertaining. I can't remember reading a book that so often made me long for the days of my own youth and at the same time allowed me a deeper appreciation for the youth of my parents. I enjoyed it despite not being from Brooklyn or Long Island and despite being too young to appreciate the nuances of the time. I even bought a copy for my Mom.

Personally, I think with the right people involved this would make an outstanding film.

I'm a long-time student of the life and work of Carl Jung and I found this book to be a delight to read. The short readings about Jung combined with the ample supply of photos and illustrations make this book a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Carl Jung's work or life.

This wonderfully illustrated, spiritual biography of one of psychology's most original thinkers will be welcomed with enthusiasm by Jungian scholars and students. This penetrating examination of the man and his ideas which helped revolutionize psychology and our understanding of the mind is multidimensional and highly recommended.

This is the Jung book to have at hand, whether one is a 'Jungian', a seeker after individuation, or an artist. Ms. Dunn has brought us the humanity of Dr. Carl Jung, bringing us into his life and making his work accessible. It is richly illustrated. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This is a beautiful book. I expected that, but there isn't an index, so it is difficult for me to see at a glance what else I might learn from this book. The notes are extremely brief, mainly to give page numbers in MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS by C. G. Jung much more than any of his other works, or to give page numbers in the two volumes of his letters, plus THE FREUD/JUNG LETTERS, and the compilation published by The Analytical Psychology Club of San Francisco, Inc. in 1982, C. G. JUNG, EMMA JUNG, TONI WOLFF. In the contents at the beginning, we find that in Part 1, Wounded, there are two pages for "Toni," and in Part 2, Healer, pages 101-05 for "Helpers: Emma, Toni," and in Part 3, Of the Soul, pages 141-47 for "Answer to Job" and pages 169-172 for "Toni," who died suddenly in her sleep at the age of 65. The caption of the picture on page 170 states, "Although Jung tried to get Toni Wolff's scientific writings published after her death in 1953, as yet they remain unpublished." But sometimes things change faster than photo captions, and Jung managed to write an introduction "When Toni's STUDIES IN JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY was published." (p. 171). Jung destroyed "Toni's letters to him and his to her."

Shortly before Walter Kaufmann died in September, 1980, he finished work on the third volume of DISCOVERING THE MIND, which he called FREUD VERSUS ADLER AND JUNG. As a philosophy professor, Kaufmann sought sound scholarship, innovative science, a well-organized writing style, and the sort of penetrating self-knowledge that he was used to from all the work he did on Nietzsche. The first page of section 70 of his book, page 397, explains how Jung achieved success without being particularly profound, by failing in ways that enhanced his popularity, a strategy that ultimately might be considered more professional than scientists can claim to be. He quotes Jung as someone who, "much more even than Adler, became a guru" to a group that expects professionalism above all: "About a third of my cases are not suffering from any clinically definable neurosis, but from the senselessness and aimlessness of their lives. . . . Over two thirds of my patients are in the second half of life."

As a mere philosophy professor, Kaufmann never benefited from having a consistent publisher for his own work, though coming out in paperback made it possible for his translations of Nietzsche to be fully successful. Most of his page 397 is about books. "Among Jung's patients were wealthy American women, eager to do something for the cause. Eventually, the publication of his collected works, in English and German, was subsidized, and the volumes were produced very beautifully and underpriced, and then also made available in extremely attractive paperbacks." Though CARL JUNG: WOUNDED HEALER OF THE SOUL/ AN ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY by Claire Dunne (who was born in Ireland, lived in Australia, and founded two Australian multicultural radio stations) is not entirely the work of women, it is as attractive as any that could describe itself as "--the book is itself a work of art, the kind of enduring tome which is picked up again and again for the pleasure of the eyes as well as that of the mind." (back cover, Olivier Bernier, "who directs the Van Waveren Foundation, was the first to acknowledge the manuscript with a publication development grant." Acknowledgments, p. 218).

The picture on page 104 which shows Freud and C. G. Jung standing, with Emma Jung and Toni Wolff seated in front of them at the Third International Psychoanalytic Congress, 1911, also shows an arm of Lou Andreas-Salome at the edge of the picture by Freud, as more of the same picture is displayed on page 136 in JUNG A BIOGRAPHY by Gerhard Wehr, translated from the German by David M. Weeks. The latter, hefty biography of Jung, for whom "the superindividual was paramount" (Wehr, p. 4) has an index of names on pages 539-549, with the number of listings for Toni Wolff taking 2 lines as only a few names, like Alfred Adler, Jesus Christ, and Friedrich Nietzsche do. Sigmund Freud and Aniela Jaffe each need 3 lines in the index of Wehr's book, which seems to devote much more to Jung's work than to his life. People who are more interested in what kept Jung motivated should see the picture of Toni Wolff on page 50 of Claire Dunne's book, dated December 1930. I'll bet she was about 44 years old then, when Jung was 55, and thought she was only 42. Some people aren't good with numbers, at that age, but people who are likely to buy this book don't have to be adept at math.

I just finished reading Claire Dunne's portrait of Carl Jung and wanted to share what a powerful and inspiring work this is. Ms. Dunne did a wonderful job of telling the story of Jung's evolving and awakening soul as he lived his life fully as a real individual with great gifts and real shortcomings. The book really reflects both the real earthiness of Jung "the peasant" and the highest and deepest explorations of Jung the genius and truthseeker. More than anything else, it seems to me, that you cannot be in the presence of Carl Jung (either in person or through the skillful help of this author) without feeling, as the poet Helena Henderson is quoted in the book, "Above all I remember someone who, by his every word and action, gave one the feeling that life is a good thing--something even more precious to me than anything he put on paper." (p. 109) The book has really blessed me, and it will be one I turn to again and again. I hope others enjoy it as much as I have.

Alison Anderson is among the finest literary stylists writing today, writing a carefully crafted lyrical prose which reminds me of Patrick O'Brian's best work in his Aubrey/Maturin saga. Her graceful writing is a poetic throwback to Jane Austen, with much Joycean self reflection thrown in, reminding me too of Andrea Barrett's elegant fictional prose on science and nature. I was quite taken with "Darwin's Wink" as I read through the opening pages, keeping a keen interest in the affairs of the two protagonists, Fran and Christian. To her credit, Anderson has fashioned a tale that I wish didn't end, but yet it did, with ample realism and poetic prose.

Fran is a fortyish American behavioral ecologist and ornithologist who has found sanctuary on Egret Island, a tiny island near its much larger neighbor, Mauritus, trying to save a rare bird from extinction. She also finds herself coping with the unexpected death of her assistant and lover, Salish, a Hindu Mauritian. Salish's replacement, Chris, a former Swiss Red Cross worker, has lost the love of his life, Nermina, a Muslim Bosnian Red Cross worker, he met while both were working in war-torn Bosnia in the mid 1990s. Unexpectedly, they find themselves drawn to each other while contending unknowingly with Mauritians opposed to their conservation work, and who were ultimately responsible for Salish's death.

Starts quiet and sort of stays that way which belies the strength of its voice and story which rings loud and clear -- the power, trauma, guilt and loss as each are worked upon. The tiny Maritian island in this book is a stripped down, bare essentials cosmos. Some will say it's a love story but it's no more nor less than a survival story, and that's beautifully sufficient and gorgeously written (though not over-written). Will be moving on, just as quickly as my feet can scurry to my local, to Anderson's earlier novel Hidden Latitudes. She seems to have a thing for Island novels; works for me!

I really loved this book !
While you get gripped into the suspense which has the two main characters strive to keep alive an endangered species of birds on an island near Mauritius working against an unknown enemy and learn slowly about their secrets wounds in a well constructed story that takes you back and forth between past - the war in Bosnia during which Christian was working for the red cross and lost his girlfriend- and present - the island where Fran suffered her own loss, you really dive into the serenity of this island and the beautiful and lyrical use of words by the writer. It is punctuated with pertinent and philosophical comments about life, survival and relationship.
You will not want to leave Fran and Christian when you reach the last page.

This is a lovely, unusual novel. The writing is lush, the setting and characters complex, and the protagonist's work important. The ending seems quite realistic. For anyone, especially one who cares for endangered species and is drawn to the mystery of islands, this novel should hold one's interest straight through. Beautiful and imaginative.

Off the coast of Mauritius is a coral reef, Egret Island, twenty-five hectares of tropical vegetation. Following the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British, even the egrets vanish from this beleaguered place. Fran, a trained naturalist, comes to Egret Island via an independent foundation, her mission to return the island to its pre-human state, replacing plant and animal life, "the exotic with the endemic", restoring the natural habitat and possibly saving the mourner bird from extinction. The fiftyish woman is joined by a younger man, Christian, a Swiss by birth. Deeply scarred by his experiences with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bosnia, Christian is seeking refuge from the harsh reality of war, "a bloody game of bullies and warlords, a slaughter."

Fran carries her own heartbreak, a love affair with Satish, a younger Tamil immigrant from India who knew the island well, his death still a potent grief. Christian's arrival has awakened Fran's feelings, his romance with a local girl a reminder that Satish is gone, as if Fran's relationship was only an island tale. Socially unacceptable, Fran and Satish's love was something they chose, accepting the challenges of such an affair. At this point in her life, Fran has crossed an invisible line, accepted solitude as a way of life, made stronger within the boundaries of self. Fran finds comfort in her position, having never mastered flirtatious games, removed from island society, safe from the entanglements that expose her vulnerabilities. Watching Christian in Satish's place, Fran hopes that their daily routines will offer this man an opportunity to recover, to regain his balance in the world. Drawn closer by the defining experiences of their lives, Fran and Christian share their stories. Writing in her journal, Fran realizes that anything can be changed in nature, an act of God, Darwin's wink: "What will I do now... my ordered little world is only an illusion of order, thwarted by biology."

Fran is a complex person, having weighed her loneliness and made peace with it, yet allowing herself to embrace Satish, and later, Christian. The years have given her a natural wisdom and compassion, withholding her own needs so that those of others can be met. She offers Christian the freedom to make choices without resorting to trickery or dishonesty. Even Christian realizes that this place and this woman are temporary, a brief respite before he reenters a brutal world with unfinished obligations. Yet Christian is acutely aware of Fran's strength, her unconditional acceptance of what life offers, even if happiness only comes in small measures. Anderson evokes a time and place made real and tactile by the species clinging to life and the wounded humans reaching to each other for comfort. The characters inhabit the novel, Fran, Christian, Asmita, the devious Razel, the lost Nermina and the ghost of Satish. Here passion blooms without interference, but the world waits; this temporary solace belongs to the moment, where old wrongs may be made right, nature tilted gently into balance, Fran and Christian planting the seeds of the future. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Fathering Words portrays the grief and loss one man feels when his father and brother suddenly die within two years of each other. Their deaths cause Miller to recall how seldom he and his father spoke, and yet, he always knows his father loves the family. That singular way one person cares for and remembers another is at the spiritual core of this book. What does a son inherit from the men in his family when there are few conversations? Miller compares his life and his dreams to that of his older brother, and maps out the goals for his own future as he marries, has his own children, and embarks on his career as a poet. He punctuates the story with the gracious voice of his older sister, Marie, as he imagines how the family might have looked to her. Marie carries the secrets and stories that filter down to the younger son as rumors and tales. She becomes a source of information and verification of the family history. Using a network of subtle references to religion, classical and jazz music, basketball and baseball, as well as motifs from literary works, Miller provides a number of avenues by which a broad spectrum of readers will be able to enter and inhabit his poignant text.

For those who want to write about their own lives, the book provides a model for creating scenes in small vignettes that become interconnected by the end of the chapter, as opposed to providing a direct narrative path from the beginning of a life to the present. For writers who aspire to become published, and perhaps even famous, Miller chronicles the encounters he has with a number of writers, revealing the history of African American literature in the past thirty years.

I teach Fathering Words in a senior-level college course on autobiography at the University of Southern Indiana. Readers who want more information about the author might start with his website ....

If I had received this book five years ago, it would have saved me five years of pain and confusion. Fathering Words is the tangible witness of a man's journey into and through his writing life. Unlike many writing memoirs, it is not a how to, or even a how, but a detatched narrative of his life as a poet. He is eerily objective about the mistakes and choices he has made, and uses occasional passages from his sister to broaden the view he gives the reader.

I learned more about the writing process, more about the yearning that true writers feel, and more about the lack of understanding that non-artists have about the whys and wherefores. If you know an African-American man who yearns to "father words", buying this book for him will be the best show of support you can give him.

Fathering Words is a deeply moving memoir. Ethelbert Miller's description of his father will remain with the reader for a very long time. His decision to write the book using both his and his sister's voice is unique and it works.It's definitely a keeper.

Fathering Words portrays the grief and loss one man feels when his father and brother suddenly die within two years of each other. Their deaths cause Miller to recall how seldom he and his father spoke, and yet, he always knows his father loves the family. That singular way one person cares for and remembers another is at the spiritual core of this book. What does a son inherit from the men in his family when there are few conversations? Miller compares his life and his dreams to that of his older brother, and maps out the goals for his own future as he marries, has his own children, and embarks on his career as a poet. He punctuates the story with the gracious voice of his older sister, Marie, as he imagines how the family might have looked to her. Marie carries the secrets and stories that filter down to the younger son as rumors and tales. She becomes a source of information and verification of the family history. Using a network of subtle references to religion, classical and jazz music, basketball and baseball, as well as motifs from literary works, Miller provides a number of avenues by which a broad spectrum of readers will be able to enter and inhabit his poignant text.

For those who want to write about their own lives, the book provides a model for creating scenes in small vignettes that become interconnected by the end of the chapter, as opposed to providing a direct narrative path from the beginning of a life to the present. For writers who aspire to become published, and perhaps even famous, Miller chronicles the encounters he has with a number of writers, revealing the history of African American literature in the past thirty years.

I teach Fathering Words in a senior-level college course on autobiography at the University of Southern Indiana. ...

This book is so beautifully written, so touchingly direct that I called Howard University to search out the author and tell him what a compelling book he had written. Anyone who is a father, about to be a father or contemplating being a father (whether African-American or not) will find this book touching in what it says about the frequently mute love between fathers and their sons. African-Americans families are often love mutes like Mr. Miller's-- too busy working, too focused on the quotidien to express love outside provision of food and shelter. Out of such silent, seemingly fallow ground, E. Ethelbert Miller heaps up words of love and power, fathering not only his own father, but his whole family in some of the most poetic prose you will ever read.

This book would appeal to the young person who has the time and a little money to tour Ireland staying at hostels and trying out pubs. It's a fun book to read and you do learn a little about Ireland too.

Have yourself a Guinness while reading this book, it is a great pairing. The book is a smooth read and will inspire you to by the "mothers milk".
It's a craic in itself. luis

This book was fun, interesting and very well written. To read a book about Ireland that does not have the troubles as its main subject matter is refreshing. The author does a great job of relating Irish culture to the reader. The author even goes as far as to write the peoples dialects into the book, so that when you are reading the book, you can get a sense of the softness of the language.

I would recommend this title to anyone that wants to learn a bit about Ireland. I would especially recommend this to all those of Irish decent.

The subtitle of this book tells you what this Irish travel book is all about. And that is what drew me to it.

Contents:
The first round
Dublin on tap
Beer and politics
Blood is thicker than Guinness
Love at first pint
Pub town
Heading north
The holy mountain
A land of pubs and poets
Last drinks

Australian, Evan McHugh, travels to Ireland to meet some friends. On the ferry over to Dublin from Wales, he and his travelling companion "Twidkiwodm" (the-woman-I-didn't-know-I-would-one-day-marry), aka Michelle, have their first Guinness. It was not a very good experience (but it sure was funny to read). Debarking, they are told that the Guinness served on the ferry is about the worst in the world. Their friends take them to a couple of pubs in Dublin, including the Guinness Factory Tour. Whilst sitting in a Dublin pub, they are told that the best Guinness is found on west side of Ireland. Off they go, looking for the best Guinness and the result is Pint Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness.

Travelling cheaply, hitchhiking and sleeping in hostels, McHugh provides a wonderful travelogue of Ireland. That he is looking for the "perfect Guinness" makes this even sweeter. Travelling from town to town, asking about the best Guinness, experiencing some of Ireland's best (but maybe not so well known) sites, and picking up books from local writers (Yeats is one). Interspersed throughout the book, McHugh includes words from the writers to explain some of his experiences. It adds a lot to the book.

This book really makes me want to visit Ireland. No matter where he goes, be it Dublin, Westport, Sligo, or Belfast, the people are friendly, kind, and humorous. At each stop, either the barman or someone in the pub tells McHugh where he can find the best pint of Guinness (hint: it is always somewhere else). It is in a pub in Belfast, his last stop, where a patron begins to tell him where he can find the best pint. Stopping the man, McHugh tells him where you can find the best Guinness in Ireland. He drank for free the rest of the evening. Yes, the answer was that good, that true. And after reading this book, I agree (if you ask, I will tell you where).

An excellent travelogue, especially if you love "moother's milk."

Slainte!

A friend of mine tipped me to a book that immediately caught my interest... Pint-Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness by Evan McHugh. Having spent a little time in Ireland for a software conference, I find myself drawn to the country, people, and customs. Evan McHugh made me feel like I was right back there. And I haven't read something this funny in quite awhile...

Contents: The first round; Dublin on tap; Beer and politics; Blood is thicker than Guinness; Love at first pint; Pub town; Heading north; The holy mountain; A land of pubs and poets; Last drinks

So the framework of the story is that Evan and his traveling companion (who was to become his wife) decide to travel over to "Oirland" to meet up with a couple of friends. Knowing that there would be plenty of drinking (it *is* Ireland!) of Guinness, he felt that it was necessary to acquire a taste for the dark beverage. On the ferry over, they start their training. It does *not* go well. His description of "moother's milk" leads you to believe that mother is none too well. As expected, a stop at a pub is the first order of business once they meet their friends. This Guinness goes down better, which starts the discussion as to where you can find the "perfect Guinness". So as they travel the island via train, hitchhiking, and hostels, the question is always asked... where can I find the perfect Guinness? And it's always "somewhere else". Along the way, you meet traveling companions, colorful locals, and more pubs than you ever imagine existed. And at the end, McHugh does find the answer to where the perfect Guinness can be found. And it's a classic...

While it sounds like this book is all about beer, it's really something much better. It's a travel diary of sorts, written by someone who has a real knack for capturing the color and flavor of the culture. In many instances, he writes the Irish dialogue as it sounds. So when they are visiting their first pub, he tells his friends they had a Guinness coming over on the ferry. The reply is classic. "Oh, you shouldn'ta doon that. It's fookin' shite, that's why. Now get that into ya. We've a lotta poobs ahead of us." After spending time with my friends over there, I know that would have been the EXACT reply I would have received, using the EXACT same words. :)

If you're at all interested in Irish culture, this is a must read. Think of it as a way to understand the openness of the Irish people, and how in a "poob" you're never a stranger...

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Poor Tom is Cold is a historical fiction that is more of a mystery. In the book the main character is Detective Murdoch. He is investigating a case in which his fellow worker and friend was killed. The police say that it was a suicide and call it a closed case but Murdoch knows that Oliver is not the type of person who would commit suicide. Oliver was found in an abandoned house all alone with a gun and a note saying that he killed him self. Next to the house were oliver was found much more is going on. Next store a lady named Mrs. Eakin is being claimed to be insane by her family. And it just so happens that she is blaming her son for a murder. Through out the book it also shows raisism to towards the chinese as well as the mentally insane. "Poor Tom is Cold" takes place in Toronto, Canada in the 1980's. I liked this book and would recommend this to any one who likes a good mystery.

Starring Peter Outerbridge as William Murdoch, Colm Meaney as Insp. Brackenreid, Keeley Hawes as Dr. Julia Ogden, Flora Montgomery as Ettie, and many more! Outstanding Canadian mystery set at the turn of the century Toronto. Will be a great film

Police Constable Wicken is dead--an apparent suicide. Still, Acting Detective Murdoch feels that things don't fit. Who was the woman who so conveniently testified about Wicken's broken heart? And what possible connection could Wicken's death have with the nearby home--a home where Peg Eakin has apparently taken leave of her senses in a paranoid fit?

Two things make POOR TOM IS DEAD stand out from the crowd. Murdoch and the fine turn of the (previous) century detail. Murdoch is a human character, fully rendered. His toothache is a nice detail, his frustrated love for his neighbor adds both human interest and historical detail about the then-current chasm between religion and class. Author Maureen Jennings has obviously researched her history--the details of police procedure, treatment of the insane, and class/race distinctions ring true. Better, she integrates these details into her novel so subtly that I didn't feel lectured to.

This book is wonderful. I know, I am a bit biased as I do have a small story in published in it, but really, it is wonderful!
To read how some of the famous people in the quilting industry got started, or what has touched them, helps bring to light what TRUE quilter's are all about! Giving, sharing, learning, and loving!

Denise of Pizzazz Studios's story is hilarious. Her comment about the stores with more than one location really made me smile.

Short happy stories about family and friends, this book is about families with the common thread of quilts.

I love this book and have given it to several friends. Every one has a different favorite. A great book to read and share.

This book reads like a devotional for quilters and other people who find that working with their hands is very spiritual. Each story adds something more to the wonderful patchwork world of quilting -- humor, sadness, joy, frustration, peace, creativity, surprise, fun, and so on. I truly have enjoyed reading each story and feel that I now have 67 new friends!

As one of the contributors to this book, I have anticipated the release of this book for some time now. As a quilter, I love to hear about other quilters and their experiences and what flames their passion for this art. To me, it is amazing how the same craft can touch such a variety of people in so many ways. I loved reading this book. It makes me appreciate even more how quilting goes beyond the physical quilt and into personal lives.

I want to just add to the 5 star reviews. As a moderate I was pleasantly surprised by how balanced this book was. The author clearly struggled with his feelings and never acted superior. As you get deeper into the book it becomes as riveting as any book I can recall. Very highly recommended.

I couldn't put this book down, and read it in one day. Martin Fletcher takes you where most reporters won't go, or can't go. You'll read of the intense competition between the networks, and what ranks as "go" or "no-go" story; which amounts to the number of people dying or killed as being newsworthy.

Stories of fellow journalists who are killed and wounded (including his own first-person account), in attempts to bring the stories of war and its victims to our television screens. How Fletcher identifies with the suffering of the victims of war in Somalia and the "Ethnic-Cleansing" of the conflicts in Rwanda and Kosovo; with his own family's suffering in The Holocaust.

From the Arab-Israeli Wars to the present Palestinian struggle, to personal interviews with a warlord, suicide bombers and refugees (one very touching story of a young girl). There'll be stories that will make you laugh, cry, and some that will anger you. But they are all presented within a very personal and moving context that almost makes you feel as if you're right there, experiencing Fletcher's witness of history in the making. And that indeed, this is a very dangerous and evil world in which
live.

This is a very different, deeply-impressing account by a very special reporter - and if this book hadn't been thrust under my nose with the recommendation to read it, I would have assumed it was the usual set of star-turn anecdotes from someone who thought they were the star-turn. Not a bit of it. Unlike some, Fletcher is never, ever bigger than the news on which he reports.

If this was only the most brilliant account of exceptional, award-winning TV war-reporting journalism, which, incidentally, it is - then that in itself that would be something. But it's much more than that; it's about the moral and ethical dilemmas that people like Fletcher face daily on our behalf in reporting serious news - and, refreshingly, nothing to do with the soulless ephemerals of providing 'entertaining' so-called, 'news' features between adverts.

Fletcher is one of the last vestiges of conscience and soul in the digital age when it comes to serious news reporting. Breaking News is likely - and rightly - to be considered core-curriculum stuff for anyone considering serious journalism as a career - but it's also likely a must-read for anyone who wants to share Fletcher's personal 'take' - and the chance to share in his very human enlightenment - through his reporting of a truly extraordinary series of world events over 30 years.

An amazing, POWERFUL, insight into the world of Martin Fletcher. I read the book in two sittings, four days ago, and I am still thinking about it. He tells his story in a 'mostly' chronological order, leaving me breathless at the end. It's an incredible journey and I am so thankful he took the time to tell it!

Hanging my boots up last year after my final trip to Afghanistan was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my life. It was done at the insistence of my daughter and my knees. I finally had to realize that I could be a liability to those around me in a war zone. With that in mind, I was quite intrigued when friends contacted me and asked if I would read and review Martin Fletcher's book, "Breaking News". Martin was starting his career with the Yom Kipper (October) War of 1973 just as I was ending my Navy Combat Camera days with the very same war. Martin's account of this war is "spot on"! I wish he had written about this many years ago when I got asked to leave a Political Science class in college for telling the professor he didn't know what he was talking about. When the professor asked me how I knew, I replied with the only answer I could give, "because I was there"! Where were you when I needed you, Martin!

"Breaking News" is a MUST READ for anyone interested in international conflicts and what it is like to cover these conflicts as a cameraman and as a broadcast journalist. In his 35 year career, Martin Fletcher has pretty much seen it all, and this book is his very personal account of what life is like in the day to day world of the Foreign Correspondent. Part of what makes this book great is that it does not focus on world leaders, and "their" stories. It focuses on the day to day struggles of the average person caught in the middle of these conflicts. It gives an excellent account of the journalistic integrity of one man working in the trenches of so many conflicts, Martin Fletcher.

I am always reluctant to give too much detail in a book review because I hate to give out "spoilers". Once again, I will just say, "READ THIS BOOK"! Martin takes us on a journey of adventure and personal growth from the October War of 1973 to the Coup in Cyprus just a year later, to the Rhodesian War that gave us what today is known as Zimbabwe. He gives an excellent account of life in Paris for news reporters and takes us to Algiers and Iran for an insider's look at the Hostage Crisis in Tehran. From there he takes us to Afghanistan and covering the Afghan/Soviet War. He gives us a very telling account of life in Israel during the first Gulf War with SCUD missiles falling in Tel Aviv.

I could go on and on about his coverage of the Middle East, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Bosnia and numerous other places of conflict and genocide. But, once again I will simply point out that Martin's book is really about his own personal and professional growth. There is some humor here, but there is a huge amount of sorrow and pain. One does not do this kind of work for 35 years without it taking a toll on your soul.

Martin closes his book with the following: And I can only hope that Shakespeare wasn't referring to storytellers like me when he wrote "Life is but a walking shadow...it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"! Rest assured that Martin's book is anything but this! It is a glimpse into one man's continent crossing dedicated life as a Foreign Correspondent, a glimpse into hell, and hopefully an offered understanding of "conflict" on the average person, as well as what covering such conflicts does to those who report them.

Please...READ THIS BOOK "BREAKING NEWS"!

After just having a baby and having very little time this was a great book to get into. I could relate to all the characters; their stories let me know I wasn't the only one feeling a certain way. I think it's great how Louise made these women so real. This a great mom read, I would recommend it to all moms. Its very humorous too so you'll get a good laugh! Enjoy

I loved the simple way the book guided the reader in to a deep topic. The story was so enjoyable and kept you searching for more!

I am so glad she talked about a condition that affects women after birth.

Our book club read this book, and had the privilege of having Louise come to our meeting. The book was a great read, and as a mother I could see so much of myself in the book. Some of the feelings of the characters in the book hit so close to home if was almost as if the author knew me. While it deals with some serious issues, there are parts of the book that are just laugh out loud funny. A very enjoyable read. I wished there was a sequel, because I wanted to know more.

In "Friends and Mother's" Limerick crafts a heartwarming story of five friends, all struggling to fill the many roles of being a mom without losing sight of living their own lives too. This book eloquently illustrates the many trials and tribulations of motherhood, and the challenges we all face as we strive to find our own successful parenting method. As the plot unravels, Limerick reminds us all that we must not take on this journey alone; yet through sharing our experiences, the celebrations,challenges, and triumphs, the joys of motherhood are vastly enhanced. A fresh take on the modern parenting book, this novel is both enjoyable and insightful, and I highly recommend it to any mother.

-Carolina Fernandez, author of "Rocket Mom"

I really lobed reading Friends and Mothers! It was a quick and enjoyable read. I felt a connection to the characters and didn't want the book to end. It's a perfect book club book!

I have this deck and i'm just starting to use it. At first, the simple cards, just with the letters elegantly drawn, didn't seem to me very interesting. I bought it mostly for the book, which IS wonderful (i don't regret the money spent on it at all)!

Then...it started calling me. The gentle simplicity of the cards attracted me, the way the cards are small (at least in the brazilian version), i can handle them perfectly. I've been putting them under my pillow when i go to sleep - not that it has been giving me any big revelation dreams, no yet, but it feels...comfortable.
As i said, i've just started using it, but i feel that i get very insightful answers in the book whenever i draw a card. Even if apparently doesn't make sense first, later i realize what exactly the letter wants to tell me.

I think many of people might not feel atracted to this oracle because of apparently 'empty' the cards. Don't do this. It's a wonderful deck, in it's own way. When reading it, since the card shows only the letter and a few numbers, i don't find myself projecting upon it anything. I let the letter take me where i'm supposed to go - it tells me a story, then it listens to me. Feels like an old friend sometimes.

My experiences with this oracle are, so far, really great. I really recommend it to anyone studying the Kabbalah, the Jewish mysticism, culture and religion, the Hebrew Alphabet etc. It brings together things from different cultures and religions (like Zen and Mayan) but in a balanced way. Like the author himself said, it's no "new-age mish mash".

The Oracle of Kabbalah gives the reader an appreciation of the depth and richness of the Hebrew language. Richard Seidman gives you a guide into the mystical capacity of meditating on, and interpreting the Hebrew language. This is a journey into your mystical and spiritual capacity as you connect with the language of the Divine. The symbols are richly provided with both detailed information on the Hebrew language and its Kabbalistic interpretation. I suggest to my students to use the cards as both meditation and to delve into their current state of consciousness. Not just a divination tool but a tool to develop our own connection to the One.

Richard Seidman's Oracle of the Kabbalah is a gift for those seeking to apply traditional wisdom to their everyday lives. The ancient meanings of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are presented along with inspirational discussions that run the gamut from the humorous to the profound and draw on other wisdom traditions. The author's personal reflections help anchor the teachings to our common experiences.

Rabbi Kushner's foward and the author's introduction ground one in the history and application of these mystical letters. The book and its companion set of cards are very user friendly, providing one with an insightful and welcome perspective when seeking direction.

I'm grateful to Richard Seidman for providing me with both a compassionate form of guidance and a readily accessible introduction to these sacred letters. This is a book that I'll refer to again and again.

Usually people don't think of Jews as being mystics, but many of us are. Jewish mysticism is different from New Age mystricism in that Jewish mysticism is grounded in text -- and letters. From there, it takes flight. This book is a good start for Jews and non-Jews alike, especially if you have trouble with the conventional idea of Big-Guy-in-the-Sky God. If the idea of hidden depths in Hebrew letters intrigues you, also take a look at Larry Kushner's "The Book of Letters" ....

If you are interested in learning Hebrew letters,this is a great tool. I would recommend that you purchase this "New" rather than used.I purchased a used one and ended up with just the book and no cards.It was worth ordering again, as I use the cards as flash cards on a daily basis..Plus,the meanings are insightful.