Gray Books

I figured that since it wasn't on here I might as well include it. Here is the summary on the back of the book.

"Magick, mischief and mayhem--that is what Alexander Adams finds when he wakes up one morning with magickal powers. Rules, regulations and attendance policies take a backseat to the never-ending quest to get out of school early. But what starts as a prank has a deadly result. Can Alex deal with the devil and figure what happened? Or will he have to spend the rest of his life in..."

It's a cute little book that, no matter what your age, will give you a few good chuckles.

Haunting, evocative, whimsical, mysterious, and occasionally heart-breaking, the fantasy stories of the late Nicholas Stuart Gray have too long been out of print, both in America and Great Britain. These days, a library is your best bet at tracking down this treasure, a circumstance that I, for one, would love to see change. The ten stories in this collection explore the many facets of the fantasy genre--its wonder, its horror, even its unexpected humor. Notable stories in the lighter vein include "The Sorcerer's Apprentices"--in which a peasant lad and a haughty princeling compete for the attention of their master, a powerful sorcerer--and "A Letter to My Love," which borrows a leaf or two from the famous ballad, "Tam Lin." Of the darker stories, "The Silver Ship"--a haunting tale of a generous, self-sacrificing king and his relationship with his spoiled, selfish only son--and "The Thunder Cat"--in which a reckless minstrel crosses the fragile barrier between storytelling and reality, with devastating effects--are standouts. Gray's style--spare, fluid, and effortlessly graceful--is well-suited to both extremes, casting an otherworldly glow over his fantastical terrain. Which is, after all, as it should be--for magic happens "mainly in moonlight."

I met Mainly in Moonlight by accident, it seemed, at a library book sale. At $1 per each grocery bag full of books, I stocked up for the winter reading season. However, when it came right down to it, I didn't have the time to concentrate on longer works, and this book, having 10 short stories, was more convenient to read in snatches.

I was drawn in immediately by Gray's realistic portrayal of the characters (albeit magical), and the not-quite-fairy-tale flavor of the stories. Gray's magical world is true in the sense that, like *real* life, things are unpredictable, and fate seems capricious at times. His remaking of fairy-tale stereotypes is delightfully humorous, and some stories can move me to tears of laughter and joy, as well as instill a sense of overwhelming awe, no matter how many times I re-read them.

If you like fantasy, and understand that magic lives in all of us, this is a must-read.

Herman Charles Bosman was an Afrikaner, born in 1905 and dying in 1951 at the age of 46. He worked as an english teacher in the Groot Marico district of the Transvaal in the 1920's, a devastated area that was then still recovering from the Anglo-Boer War. The place and the people provided him with the background for his best-known works, the Oom Schalk Lourens and Voorkamer stories. After a year teaching, he returned to Johannesburg to his visit his family, a visit that culminated in him shooting at and killing his stepbrother. He was sentenced to death for murder but reprieved in 1930 (the subject of another book he wrote, "Cold Stone Jug").

Released on parole in 1930 after four and a half years, he plunged into writing stories and poetry. In these stories he describes the rural world of the Afrikaner from the beginning of the 20th century, using very South African English flavoured with the occasional Afrikaans words. Some of Bosman's appeal lies in the language and some in the unexpected outcome of the story, which often contradicts the expectations of the reader. Sometimes this reversal takes place in the very last line of the story.

Bosman is, sadly, virtually unknown outside of South Africa, but his tales of the Groot Marico as told by Oom Schalk Lourens, are classics of their kind, and established him as one of South Africa's most popular writers. For non-South Africans, Bosman is enlightening to read for the access he provides to an understanding of the Afrikaners - a much criticized people who deserve a great deal more understanding than they've received.

This book, "Makapan's Caves", is a collection of 27 of his short stories covering from the first to the last of his writing, 8 of them appearing in a collection for the first time. For ease of reference, the short stories included are:

Makapan's Caves
Yellow Moepels
The Red Coat
Unto Dust
Funeral Earth
The Mafeking Road
Karel Flysman
The Question
The Rooinek
Cometh Comet
Ox-waggons on the Trek
In the Withaak's Shade
A Boer Rip Van Winkel
In Church
Secret Agent
News Story
Lost City
Singular Events
Detective Story
At this Time of Year
A Bekkersdal Marathon
Laugh, Clown, Laugh
Play within a Play
Birth Certificate
White Ant
Day of Wrath
Jim Fish

It's an outstanding collection of short stories by a writer who should be better known. He's far more readable and his stories will stand the test of time far more than more known south african authors such as Alan Paton (Who?). Any of his books are good, I've got them all, and I can't recommend them highly enough. Read just one and you'll see what I mean.

I was assigned this book as part of my college course curriculum (in an anthropology of aging class) and it's the only "textbook" I have held onto since graduating 4 years ago. Timothy Diamond blends a wonderful collage; weaving the life stories of the elderly and their caregivers along with proffering sage advice and caution about the state nursing homes in America. This is more than a book, it's a call to action.

My kids love this, when I leave them in the morning they ask "Will you come back for me?" and of course I say YES, just like the book.

Jerry Manas provides an excellent set of compelling reasons to reflect on how the world is certainly much more gray than black and white and how employees are human beings needing to be treated as the most valuable part of any organization.

Far too often managers (admittedly myself included at times) tend to think about how to establish rigid policies and procedures rather than considering more guiding principles. Many of the concepts Manas suggests I have tried to implement or discuss with others in the past but I have found it to be difficult. Manas gives suggestions on why people think in black and white and how one can approach situations differently.

Looking at the table of contents you will see he has picked out some great gray topics; Vigilance versus Delegation, Structure versus Flexibility, Centralization versus Decentralization, etc.

This is one of those books you might find yourself lending or giving to a manager/leader pleading them to read. If they pick up just a few of the concepts it will be well worth it.

I also like the references and uses of other books helping to support his concepts. The book format works well too with the Concept/text, then "Key Concepts" and "Questions to Ponder" and then a place for notes. This helps to reinforce the text and makes it easy for a discussion group reading of the book or for just a quick reference in the future.

I found the writing very good and the plot interesting. The author did a very good job with making the reader try to figure out what would happen next. I really thought that the news reports were realistic and the different characters made you both care and hate them. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others.

This handy little book covers just about everything you need to know about marbling on fabric, including help with problems. Contains lots of color pictures and excellent diagrams of techniques. Instructions on several crafts projects are included, as well as a bibliography and a list of sources and suppliers.

Book started out great... until page 2. Paragraph 'Difference between Marketing and Sales': "Marketing is different from Sales in that you first determine the customer's needs and then design a product or service to satisfy those needs.. Marketing is really about listening to your customer. In a sales-oriented organization, salespeople listen with the intent to reply; in marketing you listen with the intent to understand."

My recommendation for a replacement definition: "Marketing is Sales on crack - with no quota." Get a grip - nothing happens without a sale and you're not going to get one of those without listening.