Frank Books

Endurance: an Epic of Polar Adventure
By F.A. Worsley
W.W. Norton & Company, 1931
ISBN: 0-393-04684-2

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure is a sterling example. This riveting first-person narrative of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 - 1916 recounts an extraordinary survival story replete with close calls, near misses, imminent disaster, and harrowing escapes. It's a true story "of invincible endurance and irrepressible humor through hardship and danger" in the face of overwhelming odds.

Sir Ernest Shackleton set off to cross Antarctica, a journey of more than 2,000 miles. Although his ship Endurance was wrecked before he set foot on the "most desolate, storm-swept place on earth," Shackleton and his men pulled off the greatest escape in the history of polar expedition. I've read and seen several accounts of this "bottom-of-the world" adventure, but none so detailed or compelling as the account of author Frank Arthur Worsley, commander of the doomed HMS Endurance.

Shackleton and his crew leave South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, in December 1914. While the ship makes good progress initially and pushes her way through thick pack ice off Antarctica, the wind shifts and closes the narrow channels or "leads", packing ice floes around the ship until she's stuck like a fly in honey. During the long winter the pack ice carries the Endurance almost 600 miles north.

In July 1915 Shackleton conferences with Worsley and Frank Wild, Shackleton's second in command. "The Boss" prophesies of the Endurance: "She's pretty near her end." He's right. A "splendid little ship," the plucky Endurance eventually succumbs to the enormous pressure of thousands of tons of ice and hoves onto her side. The crew salvages what supplies and stores they can just before she goes under, along with three life boats. The ship finally shatters and sinks, leaving twenty-eight members of the Expedition shelterless in the one of the harshest, most inhospitable regions imaginable.

At Shackleton's direction, the crew initially camps on drifting ice floes dubbed "Ocean Camp" and "Patience Camp" and allows the current to carry them north to safety. During this time Worsley recounts encounters with sea leopards, Emperor penguins, and deprivation - "we had been living for some weeks principally on seals and penguins" and when these migrated away, the men were reduced to "fourteen ounces of food a day" - which resulted not only in physical weakness but also a significantly reduced ability to fight the intense cold. Worsley recalls the "sad day" when all of the dogs, save one team, "had to be destroyed, to save food." Despite the omnipresent threat of exposure, frostbite, thirst, starvation and other adversities, Worsley dubs "the dreaded monotony" as the expedition's worst enemy. They are saved from starvation by a flock of migrating Adelie penguins.

After five months of drifting and countless dangers on the floes, the crew sights the Antarctic Continent in March 1916. Shackleton has brought them safely through two thousand miles of pack ice (p. 65). Deciding upon a safer but longer route to the nearest island to avoid more deadly pack ice, Shackleton orders the men to prepare to sail for the forbidding Elephant Island.

Worsley narrates the crew's reaction to Shackleton's decision, "... for most of us, I think our former lives had receded to that dim and shadowy vagueness usually associated with drams... I was unable to picture an existence in which a desert of ice and snow, battles with sea leopards, the dread killer whales, and a regard for penguins as almost personal friends did not play a part."
The floe cracks and the crew hurriedly launches the boats and embarks upon a hair-raising journey across the Southern Ocean to Elephant Island. On the stormy crossing the crews of the three boats - the Stancomb Wills, Dudley Docker and the James Caird - fight to stay together against blizzards, contrary currents, starvation, exhaustion and a voracious ocean that constantly threatens to swamp the small boats. Only the thinnest sliver of hope and a huge chunk of confidence in Sir Ernest keep his men going. Worsley describes the journey through "white hills of ice-clad sea, capricious currents, constant, unrelenting cold," sleep deprivation, exhaustion and exposure in an orderly, almost calm narrative without a trace of self-pity, panic, or despair. The men had such faith in their leader that the thought of failure never took hold. (See pages 83, 84, 86 and 88.)

Separated from the two other boats, Worsley and his men endure a hellacious night in the Dudley Docker before finally sighting the forbidding the coast of Elephant Island. Worsley and his crew eventually land on "a low, rocky beach" and are overjoyed to find the two other boats at the same location, which Worsley describes as "a gigantic mass of rock, carrying on its back a vast sheet of ice."

The full weight of responsibility for the safety and well-being of his men falls solely and wholly on Shackleton, whose self-sacrificing devotion to his men was legendary: "He was not only the leader of a great expedition but a true brother and shipmate to each one of us, thinking of us always before himself." In the wild, inhospitable, inaccessible environment of Elephant Island, this responsibility would have crushed a lesser man than the indomitable Shackleton:

- "It was due solely to Shackleton's care of the men in preparing ... hot meals and drinks every four hours day and night, and his general watchfulness in everything concerning the men's comfort, that no one died during the journey (to South Georgia)."

- "Shackleton's popularity among those he led was due to the fact that he was not the sort of man who could do only big and spectacular things. When occasion demanded he would attend personally to the smallest details, and he had unending patience and persistence which he would apply to all matters concerning the well-being of his men."

- "Shackleton had always insisted that the ultimate responsibility for anything that befell us was his and his only. ... My view was that we were all grown men, going of our own free wills on this expedition, and that it was up to us to bear whatever was coming to us. Not so Shackleton. His view was that we had trusted him, that we had placed ourselves in his hands, and that should anything happen to any one of us, he was morally responsible. His attitude was almost patriarchal. True, this may have accounted in some measure for the men's unquestioning devotion to him, and it always seemed to me that they bore toward him the love of sons for a singularly noble father..."


In the chapter entitled On Elephant Island, Worsley describes Shackleton's extraordinary leadership abilities. The Boss quickly discerns that a severe food shortage is imminent on Elephant Island. The consummate commander, Sir Ernest acts swiftly and decisively. He readies a twenty-two foot boot for the "forlorn hope" of sailing across "the most treacherous seas in the world" in the dead of an Antarctic winter to South Georgia Island, some eight hundred miles away. The odds of success are staggeringly slim, but Shackleton and five others remain undaunted and resolute. Reaching South Georgia Island and launching a rescue effort is the expedition's sole hope of survival.

Leaving Frank Wild in charge on Elephant Island, Worsley and Shackleton and five others set out. Worsley describes the scene the night before the leave: "It is a dreadful thing to face your shipmates, men who have been through thick and thin with you, and to realize that in all probability it is for the last time; nor does it add to your serenity of mind to know that if you fail to come back they will starve to death."

Worsley concludes On Elephant Island with thoughts of the men left behind: "...I felt that whatever hardships we might be called upon to face, we were the fortunate ones. Inactivity and uncertainty would come harder to men of the type of my shipmates than the unknown adventure that was before us." He adds pointedly, "We had in fact started on the greatest adventure of our career."

In chapter VI, The Boat Journey Begins, Worsley chronicles some of the challenges facing the determined little crew of the James Caird in their desperate attempt to sail north:

- Finding a way of breaking through the encircling line of pack-ice to north of Elephant Island so they can make for the open water
-Constant risk of being smashed by sea ice
-Being constantly wet for the duration of the journey
- Frozen reindeer skin sleeping bags
- Contaminated fresh water
- Being battered by blizzards and ferocious storms

Deciding upon the best point to make for, Shackleton emphasizes getting north as quickly as possible, "even though the route might be lengthened, so as to avoid all danger of ice and to relieve us from the almost overwhelming cold":

"What do you think of Cape Horn?" he asked, adding, "it's the nearest."
"Yes," I replied, "but we can never reach it. The westerly gales would blow us away. With luck, though, we might fetch the Falkland Islands."
"I am afraid that, although it is the longest run," he remarked, "we shall have to make for South Georgia, as you originally suggested. The gales will drive us leeward." And do they do, but not without incident on what Worsley understates as an"eventful and truly dreadful journey."
They finally land on South Georgia, but on the opposite side of the Norwegian whaling station and help. The boats isn't safe to put to sea again, nor are some members of the crew, who are too weak to continue. So Shackleton, Worsley and Tom Crean "rope up" and set out to cross the uncharted "impassable" interior of South Georgia Island. Worsley later records:

Without sleep, halting only for meals, we had crossed South Georgia in thirty six hours. Incidentally, he continues, "I learnt afterwards that we had crossed the island during the only interval of fine weather that occurred that winter. There was no doubt that Providence had been with us. There was indeed one curious thing about our crossing South Georgia... which I have never been able to explain. Whenever I reviewed the incidents of that march I had the sub-conscious feeling that there were four of us, instead of three. Moreover, this impression was shared by both Shackleton and Crean.

The exhausted trio stumbles into the whaling station on South Georgia on May 20. Three days later Shackleton and Worsley leave the island aboard a whaler bound for Elephant Island, determined to rescue their marooned shipmates. Weather forces them to turn back within sixty miles of Elephant Island. Heroic efforts to secure another vessel and safe passage finally pay off - on their fourth attempt. The strain of Shackleton and concern for his men is recorded by Worsley, who writes: "Lines scored themselves on his face more deeply day by day; his thick, dark, wavy hair was becoming silver. He had not a grey hair when we had started out to rescue our men the first time. Now, on the third return journey, he was grey-headed."

It is August 30, 1916. "One hundred and twenty-eight days since we had left them" writes Worsley, "days covering the worse of the Antarctic winter." One of the most poignant passages in this narrative appears on page 179 as Shackleton, on his fourth attempt at rescue, peers "with almost painful intensity through his binoculars" at the near coast of Elephant Island. He's counting: "There are only two, Skipper!" Then, `No, four!' A short pause followed and he exclaimed, `I see six-eight-` and at last, in a voice ringing with joy he cried, `They are all there! Every one of them! They are all saved!""

A boat is lowered and Shackleton leaps into it. "And as he drew close into the shore I hear him shout: `Are you all well?' Back came their answering yell, `All well!' followed by his wholehearted `Thank God!'

It is an historical fact that not a single man was ever lost in any expedition headed by Ernest Shackleton.

The narrative drops off precipitously following the Elephant Island rescue, but picks up steam on page 251, Southwards Again, when Worsley rejoins his old friend for another assault on the Antarctic. The year is 1922. Sadly, the return expedition isn't meant to be. The author's "best friend" dies of a massive heart attack in his cabin on South Georgia Island on January 5, days before his return to most desolate, storm-swept place on earth" that proved his mettle and made him a hero. Shackleton is buried on South Georgia Island.

Worsley's final chapter, The Death of A Hero, sensitively records the final scene with affection and admiration that shine through in every paragraph. "He had a way of compelling loyalty" writes one who sailed with him. "We would have gone anywhere without question just on his order." Asks Worsley rhetorically, "What more glowing tribute could any man wish for?"

Indeed, Endurance isn't just "a tale of unrelenting high adventure," but a tribute "to one of the most inspiring and courageous leaders of men in the history of exploration." This book is a compelling look into the heart and soul of a man whose extraordinary sagacity, capability, kindliness, courage and "wonderful capacity for self-sacrifice" set a standard for Leadership that still makes the world sit back and wonder. A great read.

I took a copy of this during an overseas military deployment, and in being reminded of the incredible conditions of the Endurance expedition, I found it hard to complain about some of the comparatively minor discomforts of being in the Army. This account by Worsley, the skipper of the Endurance and a lifelong friend of Shackleton, is a useful complement to other writings on the subject. The details of the Antarctic conditions, and particularly the section on the famous open-boat crossing to South Georgia Island, are described in way that no one but a participant could tell the tale. Worsley includes material about his WWI era experiences that doesn't appear in other works about the Endurance expedition. This is a recommended book for not just the Antarctic subject matter, but for its treatment of bravery, resourcefulness, survival, adventure, and leadership. This is a book that I will keep and re-read.

Endurance: An Epic of Polar AdventureI wanted to know something new, beyond the shackleton's book - south, but sometimes I think Worlsley had a great imagination.

Amongst all the books on Shackleton's voyage, this one provides the best insight into Shackleton as a man and as a leader. Due to his sense of humility and perhaps focus on the task at hand, Shackleton's own account of the voyage tends to dwell on the daily details of the group's struggles. Worsley's account on the other hand provides great insight into group dynamics and Shackleton's skill at maintaining unity under trying conditions. Shackleton's story needed someone other than Shackleton himself to tell it, Worsley being the expeditions captain and Shackleton's right-hand man, not to mention a masterful writer, is just the person. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone studying leadership and team building.

Now those were some tough adventurers back then...just solid outdoorsman and really strong willed and strong physically. This was outstanding to read and imagine what the human spirit can endure.

What a cute book! My kids love hearing me read FROGGY so they can respond with WHAT! The sounds after Froggy puts on a piece of clothing still makes my children laugh and we've been reading it off and on for over a year. This is a book that parents will enjoy reading also.

I've always loved the Froggy books, so when I had my daughter I was glad to see that there was a board book available in the series. She's 3 months old now and loves to look at the pictures and enjoys all the sound effects that go along with Froggy putting on each item of clothing.

This is our first Froggy book. We bought this book because of all the great reviews. If I had previewed the book at the bookstore, it would probably had stayed at the bookstore. There is probably nothing wrong with the way Froggy's mommy chose to deter Froggy from playing in the snow, but my older son was turned off by her telling Froggy about his underwear and he didn't want to read the book anymore.

His explanation was Froggy's mommy is not very nice because: 1) she embarrassed him by yelling at him in public, 2) my son didn't see the problem with Froggy not wearing underwear (since Froggy probably wasn't wearing underwear in bed or he wouldn't have forgotten, 3) for my son, underwear had no function in keeping warm. I asked my son to suggest some ways to improve the book (as we always do when we find bad books), and he said, "she should help him get dressed and let him play for 10 minutes in the snow. That's what I would like you to do if I were Froggy." Love that child.

The illustrations are quite cute, especially with the rabbit and racoon in the process of making a snow bear in the background. It is nice to see such attention to detail.

It's very very difficult to dislike froggy. Those wide innocent eyes. That wide innocent mouth. He's like Kermit the Frog in picture book form. And though Froggy has been around some ten years plus, he's just as beloved of children today as he has ever been. You want a good read aloud story? Just pick up the nearest Froggy book you can find and start ah-readin'. Like Pavolv's dog, kids are somehow programmed to react to Froggy's setbacks and mistakes with uproarious cued laughter. The best example of this can probably be found in the lovely laughable, "Froggy Gets Dresssed". Arguably the best in the series ("Froggy's First Kiss", has its admirers as well, I should note), the book's a great Intro to Froggydom. And in the wintertime it's an ideal choice for your little ones.

First of all, frogs hibernate in the winter. This is a fact of life. No one disputes this. But this winter is different. Froggy wakes up in his warm toasty bed, takes one look out the window and shrieks with delight, "Snow! Snow!... I want to play in the snow!". Froggy's mother attempts to dissuade her little one from this course of action, pointing out that frogs are not snow-playing creatures. Froggy remains undeterred. He dresses hurriedly and flops outside. Whoops! Froggy seems to have forgotten his pants. So he runs back inside, puts on the missing item and runs outside. Whoops! He's forgotten his shirt and coat. You see where this is going. About the time it becomes clear that Froggy has forgotten his underwear (cue the laughter of underwear obsessed kids everywhere) he's too tired to do anymore playing in snowdrifts. And so, it's back to bed he heads.

You want alliteration in your picture books? Well brother, you've got alliteration. One of the great draws in "Froggy Gets Dressed" are the sounds made as Froggy dresses. Listen: "So Froggy put on his socks - zoop! Pulled on his boots - zup! Put on his hat - zat! Tied on his scarf - zwit! Tugged on his mittens - zum!". It's twice as much fun to say aloud as it is to read to yourself. But Jonathan London is only half the genius in the Froggy world. Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz deserves just as much credit as well. Froggy is such a likable protagonist that it's hard not to read the book over and over just to watch him as he leaps, hops, dresses, undresses, and generally has a fine ole time. And his mother, though she tells him that frogs sleep in the winter, is mostly amused by his antics. She carries a bemused smile on her face as he runs hither and thither in the snow, donning various articles of clothing. Clever children may even wonder why it is that Froggy HAS all this winter clothing if he tends to sleep during the winter. Such children should be immediately deemed geniuses and given full scholarships to Yale. Ditto adults who say the same thing.

All in all, it's hard to find a better upbeat winter bedtime story than dear old "Froggy Gets Dressed". It's one of those sure-fire hits that the kids will be bound to enjoy. A top notch bit of kiddie fare. Recommended in spades.

Another in the prolific Jonathan London's "Froggy" series, this book about the amphibious one is a recursive story about all the clothes you must wear on a snowy day--and all the clothes you must take off (in the reverse order) when you forget to put some on.

In this Froggy tale, our green hero wakes up with incredible enthusiasm--it's like he was raised on caffeine--and he just CANNOT wait to go out and play in the snow.

"No! No! cried Froggy.
"I'm awake! awake!
I want to go out and play
in the snow."

Straight away, he puts on his socks, boots, hat, scarf, and mittens. London cleverly uses different sound effects for each item (e.g., socks get a "zoop!," and mittens, a "zum!"), and different verbs for each action: A scarf is tied on, boots are pulled. However, just as the excited Froggy is ready to join the other animals in the snow, his mother yells, "Frrrooggyy!" (and that's a direct quote) "Did you forget to put something on?" Froggy discovers that he forgot one important thing--to put on his pants.

That, of course, is an almost certain lock on kids' attention. But first, Froggy has to take off all his clothes (except his socks--they don't get in the way), put on his pants, then put them all his clothes on again. The hasty frog's mood jumps from joyful to exasperated surprise to determined. Subsequently, his mother clues him into noticing that he has forgotten his coat and shirt, and, of course, his underwear. All this putting on and taking off and putting back on tires Froggy out, and he crawls back into bed. The book's basic plot and repetitive scheme will engage most toddlers, and teach them a lot about clothes (they all look so cozy!), sequencing, and word structure. The illustrations, colors, and font are big and bright, and despite all the action, the pages look uncluttered.

(One very minor complaint regards the synchronization of text and illustration. On one of the three pages where Froggy realizes he forget to put something on, he is shown smiling as he prepares a snowball. It's really unfortunate when this sort of editing error occurs, and I've seen such problems [poor continuity is another example] in other books for kids.)

Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz also does wonders with facial and body expressions. Still, I wonder whether somewhat older toddlers and those in early elementary school might feel a little disappointed that Froggy doesn't get to play. It's realistic--a kid or a frog WOULD get tired with all that dressing exercise--but I didn't like that the mom smiles so broadly when Froggy goes back to bed. However, I doubt that the intended audience is going to give a rivet about that.

I bought 5 of them to give away as Christmas presents!

Amazing and whimsical illustrations take you and Sam Katz all over the world. This book will delight kids and parents alike. Great gift -- be a hero and get one for every kid and cool cat on your list!!!

Frank Radice was my boss on the East Coast and had sent me a poster Charles Fazzino had illustrated for the Daytime Emmy's in Los Angeles. I loved his artwork and Frank told me to check out the book which I then promptly bought. I really loved the story, especially since I personally know Sami Katz and the pop-up illustrations are amazing. I just recently gave the book as a gift to the daughter of good friends for her birthday.

This pop=up book, beautifully illustrted by Carles Fazzino, is very charming. Using works of art, it tells the stry of a cat named Sam Katz who travels through the house in which he lives. The illustrations, by the well known artist Charles Fazzino, really make this book the charmer that it is. I certainly woild recommend the book to any one who loves cats, art and clean fun.

This book has become her absolute favorite! I have read it to her countless times! Very cute story and bright beautiful illustrations! This a wonderful book to add to your little ones collection! We would love to see another book about Sam Katz adventures!!

This is a great book for fans of FLW. We visited his house when we were on vacation in Chicago and saw several of the other homes he had designed. This book is full of superb photographs - not just of the exteriors but of the interiors too, so you can see the furniture and fixtures that he designed.

This is a lovely coffee table book with mostly spectacular color photos of most of Wrights houses, including many interior shots. There is not much historical information but this is covered in other books.

This book was a wonderful eye opener. It will appeal to the reader for crisp pictures in beautiful settings and landscapes as well as the various style phases Wright went through architecturally. For Wright aficionados, there is a detailed, but not too intense history of his style, works and personal history as he changes design elememts during his career. Grand interior shots only enhance the overall attraction. The book will add diversity to anyone's collection.

There are many different aspects to highlight when studying the work of one of Americas' greatest architects. The part of his work that is probably the most accesible, are his private houses. It was great to see all these houses together in one beautiful volume. The photographs are stunning, and it is great to see so much attention paid to the interior of these houses, as Wright was responsible for most interior design too.
As a professional or just a fan, when you love Wrights' work and want to visually enjoy it to the fullest, this book is a must have. The only thing better is to buy one of his houses...

This is a necessary book for all who study architecture. Why? Because the photography conveys something close to the reality of Mr. Wright's works, especially so when it comes to the interiors.

When I was studying architecture in college in the 1970s, the BEST photography books about Wright's oeuvre were "In the Nature of Materials" and the very expensive Wendingen Edition. Both are presented in black and white and while that kind of pared-down quality may have suited the age in which the International Style was still in its ascendancy, it did nothing whatsoever to convey the true sense of a Wright space--specifically interior space. The intimately human scale of these spaces was missed.

And color is so much a part of Wright's aesthetic, and without it, one is in dreary Kansas instead of Oz.

Living in the northeast, it was not possible to see many Wright buildings first hand, until that trip to Chicago... and then what a revelation! These spaces were not cold grays but marvels of ochres and greens and wood tones and conveyed so much more serenity than those older photos could suggest.

Happily, future years placed me in conjunction with many of the Midwestern buildings, and a day trip could take me to Wisconsin or Michigan or other less-frequently visited residential and commercial works by F L W. Friendships with original Wright clients or owners of Wright houses opened other doors--I have experienced about one third of the places in this book, so--trust me--the photos do them justice and are almost as good as being there.

I would guess that anyone who has been in these places will tell you that this book gives a very fine representation of these spaces. And thankfully, more and more of these spaces are open on a regular or annual basis for the student or admirer of Wright to visit. Some residences are even now B&Bs. Wow!

The fine articles that accompany the photographs are also most helpful and enjoyable.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Let me start by saying that I understand why this book has been so well-received. I love the concept. The writing is fantastic. The concept is well-executed. However, it just didn't do enough for me and, I guess, just wasn't my kind of book.

Others may agree, many may not. The main problem I had with this book was that I didn't actually agree with the character's ideas of what was proof that God existed. I really wanted to see his revelation and redemption. I think he may have gotten that to some extent. However, I still felt like there was a bit missing.

That being said, the fact that there was something missing gave it more reality. I didn't enjoy it as much, but there was truth to how the story played out.

I found this to be a very difficult book to read; perhaps because my views are different from those portrayed in the book. I did finish it and passed it on to a friend who said she could not finish the book and decided not to pass it further. Some people may identify with the author, but I was not one of them and neither was my friend.

Deeply moving, thought-provoking, and very moving. This novel has taught me different ways to view myself, as well as my life and my God. Wow...

Gabriel Black was sentenced to life in prison. He has all the time in the world to sit and think about things that the common person just overlooks or takes advantage of. He decided to search for God in prison. Each chapter is titled with what he believes is proof that God excists.

The one thing I loved about this book was how deep thoughts he was. I had to keep underlining stuff in the book that I really liked a lot. Really made you think a lot.

This is one of those books that I wish I wrote.

Gabriel Black is the instrument of his own punishment, a young man who has taken the murder of his girlfriend's husband on his own shoulders, accepting the blame for a crime he has not committed. When his girlfriend, the only other witness, makes no effort in his defense, Gabriel is left alone behind prison bars. In this vast wasteland of personal pain and the struggle to account for a misspent life, he begins a lifelong search for deliverance.

Sentenced to life without parole, Black sets himself the task of finding God in the lowest of places, where the dregs of humanity endure endless days of mind-numbing boredom with only their twisted memories for company. Some spend the years reading, learning about a world they barely remember and may never see again, while others escape into monotonous drug-induced sleep or give free reign to the demons that have brought them to this place.

Walking a landscape of despair, Hollon treads familiar territory as his protagonist gathers the contents of the box that will define his life, piece by piece, assimilating The God File. There are soulful letters, mournful essays, remembrances of things past, questions about this terrible struggle, all arranged in a particular order of importance. All attempt to explain the inexplicable, to find a place where belief can coexist with despair.

Gabriel's quest is intensely spiritual; the years he spends gathering this ambiguous evidence are part of his evolution toward the answer he so desperately craves. It would be impossible for Gabriel to find God when he first comes into prison. He hasn't achieved the maturity to save himself, let alone determine the existence of God. Each particle of thought scribbled on a scrap of paper in The God File is necessary to the whole. Gabriel has been baptized Catholic and his journey is littered with the small rituals, pieties and beliefs that are wedged so deep in the soul they almost cease to exist, until they are needed. Then, in the never-quiet, never-quite-dark, they emerge, tiny hopeful prayers, begging for a response. From God.

For Gabriel to find an answer to his question and know peace, he must be willing to endure each step of the agonizing journey. After all the wasted years, all the unspoken entreaties, Gabriel must experience patience. He has nowhere else to go. It is his journey alone and his personal path is intimately marked by the struggles of his individual soul. Yet Gabriel finds the courage to make each fragile leap of faith, to surrender his haunting question: "If God gives me more than I can endure, how can I know?" Gabriel listens to the faint sound in the chambers of his tortured mind, hoping to understand. Perhaps, after all, he will find peace of mind. Luan Gaines/2003.

A wonderful book for silent meditation.
I prefer this book over The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.

Having been a long time Brother Lawrence fan I was leery of adding Frank Laubach's journal entires to this ancient classic. I was wrong. Laubach is a modern master who takes Brother Lawrence's simple way and brings it into the 20th century. After reading this short missive my friend and I have agreed together to practice the presence of Christ in everything that we might try this simple and beautiful way ourselves. Read this short guide and commit yourself to walking in the light. It's worth it.

Excellent book for those who believe we exist for the glory and honor of God. It will help you get to the point where your agenda no longer controls your life. It will be his agenda that controls. Two classics in one book.

I've read this book twice already and each time I read it, feels like the first time. This book is really intense. It made me realize how far off the mark I was with keeping God in my thoughts more often than I do. It's a life long practice, but once you read this book you'll never forget it and will keep coming bak to it at least once a year. It's also an excellent book to recommend to others who feel it's impossible to maintain God's presence all the time. The first time I read this book I became so much more aware of how little I think about God through the day and have been working on this practice ever since. I can honestly say I'm making progress. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a closer relationship with God.

This book I believe is a must read by any Christian desiring to live an others centered self sacrificial broken life style before the Lord. This can only be acomplished by staying on our cross and allowing God to have all of us. Practicing His Presence will help us stay focussed on God through out our day. Learning from Frank Laubach and Brother Lawerence's experiences at trying to live this life style can be a blessing to all of us. If you want to know what Heaven will be like, read this book. Because in Heaven we will be in God's presence all the time. So shouldn't we be practicing it here on earth?

I enjoy this book it help a lot understand in and out of rod building from start to the finish stage i also score it 10/10. I say good for beginner to understand want fishing rod needs to make it and good fishing rods.

I recently bought a copy of the book and loved it. I even bought a copy for my friend for Christmas. Very clear instructions and commentary that is useful. The author even offers his email address if you have questions.

I purchased "Rod Building Guide: Fly, Spinning, Casting, Trolling. The book is excellent, shipping was fast and the packaging was very good.

I just bought this book and I cant wait to build a rod! It has clear insturctions along with great pictures to help you see what you should be doing and what to expect. I really am enjoying all the information in this book. It is not a big book, but has all sort of info for a person who is just starting out!

This book is indispensable to anyone wanting to build their own fishing rod. A basic primer with helpful hints of what pitfalls will truly be encountered and how best to avoid them.

Stephen King did a good thing by writing this book.The charcters and cast
are wonderful, This is one of my all time favorite, what goes on behind the walls of a prision.

After reading 85 novels, I finally read a Stephen King story. My friend who encouraged me to start reading had been after me to read him for awhile. I am really glad that I did. He is a great story teller and kept me in the story even when I wasn't reading it. As I have said before, a good writer is someone who can paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind's eye. This is done here in painting a picture of life in Shawshank Prison, Maine. This a great story of one man's strength to survive against all odds; we can all learn from this. It certainly should be told to all those who would think of breaking the law.

"Stand by me" - this is the most important sentence in the novel The Body written by Stephen King. The novel is about the natural and deep sense of friendship. Four boys are keen on experience an adventure, they take a long way to see a dead body in the forests of Maine. Alone on the way of excitement and fear, they are between childhood and adulthood. The story is easy to read and also to understand.

Reta hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, was a great short story by stephen king. I enjoyed reading this book and even watching the movie. I was suprised how much the book grabed my attention and how I didn't ever put it down.

I recently watched both "The Shawshank Redemption" (with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and "Stand By Me" (with River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman) and this prompted me to dig out my old copy of Different Seasons. Most people are surprised when they learn that those movies were based on novellas by horror master, Stephen King, but he shows that he's not just into scaring the heck out of you.

The story cycle bases one novella per season, and each follows characters on a journey, whether it's one of hope, descent into corruption, coming of age, or life through offspring.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" takes place over decades, as a prison inmate retains his spirit and soul, while breathing life into a dark institution, and whose patient nature finally leads him to freedom. The story is told in first person from the point of view of old Red, the guy who can get you things, about Andy Dufresne, a young banker jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover.

One of King�s great strengths is creating a believable voice for his characters, and as you read this tale, it is like Red is talking to you. Other King strengths are providing back story and creating a world in which these characters live, one with a past, present and future, and it makes them three dimensional. One of King�s flaws is going off on tangents and digressions a bit too often, but he always comes back to the story.

�The Body� (basis for �Stand By Me�) is a coming of age story about four small town boys on the cusp of entering Junior High School. On the Friday before Labor Day, they set off to find the body of a missing boy. One of the four boys, Vern Tessio, overheard his brother talking to a friend about the dead body.

The characters fall into several categories: Gordon LaChance, who narrates the story as an adult, is the dreamer/writer whose older brother died earlier that year. Chris Chambers is athletic, tough but smart. wise beyond his years and the white sheep in a family of black sheep. Teddy Duchamp is the psycho wiseguy who wears thick glasses and hearing aids as the result of his war veteran father putting his head to a stove. Vern Tessio is the least intelligent, but plays a key symbolic part as the one tells the others about the body and also is the first to spot it.

Along their journey, the boys encounter adventures, such as Milo Pressman the junkyard operator and his dog, Chopper. There is a run across a high trestle as a train bears down on them, a swim in a culvert full of leeches, and a night in the dark woods with screaming wild animals. When they eventually reach the boys, they have a run in with a group of teenage hoods from their town. A major difference from the movie, is that this story details the aftermath of the confrontation after the boys return to town.

King does a nice balancing act with his adult narrative and pre-adolescent dialogue, making each voice unique and fleshing out each boy�s character to make them multi-dimensional. All four experience growth, but Gordon and Chris take this growth with them as they get older. Don�t let people drag you down. There�s a lot more to this story than just kids looking for a dead body.
My bumps here are again that King goes off on tangents and digressions, some to fill in background and history for the characters, but sometimes really straying far from the course. At one point he takes nearly a page to say that someone is dead, where �The kid was dead. The kid wasn�t sick, the kid wasn�t sleeping.� Would probably have sufficed.

I won�t go into a lot of detail about the other two stories. �Apt Pupil� is about a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his town, and blackmails the old man into telling him stories about the war in exchange for not blowing the whistle on him. The stories the boy hears slowly lead him into senseless acts of violence. In �The Breathing Woman� a �disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.�

These four stories combine to make an interesting cycle, and demonstrate that Stephen King has writing talents that stretch beyond his horror work.

Challenging fun. Just enough of a challenge but not so much that you can't do it. Fun. Thus saith husband, doer of sudoku

First let me say I have too much Sudoku. I love this particular logic puzzle, and have collected a dozen or so different books of them. A couple I purchased when I was in the hospital and didn't have access to my original book. A few more I purchased because of some interesting variations in the puzzles. The point is, I have no reason to buy more Sudoku books for a long time unless something special about it compells me to.

The I saw this book. Kind of a cheesy way to cash in on a popular book and movie currently out, and the puzzles at hand really relate in no way to The Da Vinci Code. But they did throw in a twist that caught my attention. Basically, working your way through the book, another puzzle is slowly decoded and revealed. I think it's a nice approach that keeps this from being just another Sudoku book. Definitely a nice book to have for any Sudoku enthusiast.

As a Sudoku enthusiast I have a hard time finding interesting Sudoku books. The square grids have become a bit boring so I went on to the variations (circles, snakes, mazes, etc). So when I saw the grids in this book I fully intended it to be one of "those" books that you pick up here and there to work on a puzzle. But no, I too was consumed. It was like reading a book where you couldn't put it down. The codes build and I wanted to know what the next phrase was going to be. I worked on it every morning to wake up my mind and only intended to solve one puzzle...... an hour later and I'm still going! It does get hard so I too would say it's for a more expert solver but it is not impossible. I managed to solve it and sent for my button hoping they would say how many have solved it. Oh well - ENJOY!!

I bought this book for Christmas-2006. I wasn't much into Sudokus but the cover and cultural climate of the time caught my eye and thus I caught on very quickly.

Well, I just received my 'Solved The Code' pin today, along with a letter from Francis Heaney (co-author) who included a personal inscription in the note (Thank You!). I feel - well - accomplished, fulfilled. Whole.

Seriously, the last 6 months have been a blast. I now consider myself a Sudokruiser - one who can solve a grid in minutes. I recommend this book to obssesive/compulsives, like myself. But be prepared to say 'so-long' to your obligations and family as sudokus can be very addictive.

If you can't finish the book and need the final answer, here it is:
The final answer is...

***uh - what the???? **** ahhhhhhhhh!

[Sorry, the author of this message was just eaten by a great white shark - Amazon Editor-In-Chief Whitley Seymore.]

I've done Sudoku puzzles of all kinds and as much as I love them, they have become very easy for me. I can do them in pen. Once I purchased this book there's a challenge at every page, and with no answers in the back of the book the only way you know if it's right is to complete all 200 puzzles. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Book in Great condition (new), cheap. Shiped promptly. I will definitively buy again from this seller.

This review is directed mostly at those few Protestants, like myself, who might read it.

Are you interested in learning more about the Roman Catholic Church? Don't read what others say about it, read what it says about itself! This series is used by Catholic churches to train its members in its beliefs. Whether you agree, disagree, find common ground, or beliefs you think are unusual, this series will introduce you to beliefs, reasons for those beliefs, and supporting Scriptures.

An added bonus: I began with this book to learn more about the Catholic church and in the process learned something new about Protestants!

This book is a great start if you are interested in starting out as a Catholic apologist.
I own all of the series and the best thing about tese is that they each give you the information on a single topic.

You will not be an expert when you are done but you will have the tools you need to pursue each topic further if you wish to.

The information contained in this booklet will prove to be a great asset to both cradle Catholics & converts alike, even to non-Catholics wanting to know more about the faith. Well-written and easy to read, the author gives several references to double and triple-check the information so you're sure he backs up everything he's saying! The reader is left with a clear understanding of some of the most misunderstood teachings of the Catholic Church - from the Real Presence in the Eucharist to Mary and the Saints to Papal authority. This book is a must-have for all Catholic home libraries.

Our weekly Bible study group used this last fall, and the question that repeated itself most often was "Why didn't we learn this growing up?" Highly recommended for continued formation and evangelization!!

As someone who returned to the Church after several years of denial, I found myself forced to defend my faith against erroneous accusations from some evangelical friends of mine. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough yet to really defend the Church, and I wasn't a good spokesman for the faith. However, after finding this book in the Church library, I learned a great deal about what the Church stands for and why it is worth defending properly. I've bought most of the books in the set now, and I've learned a great deal about how to defend the faith. I recommend this set of books to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Church, whether they be Catholic or not.