Green Books

I don't know Barry Grimes. I know somebody who knows Grimes, though, and that's how I got ahold of This Green, which is, along with Kevin Miller's Everywhere Was Far, one of the two best titles that Blue Begonia has ever published. "Driving the Canyon Road" and "Letter to Miller Written with Rickie Lee Jones, Flying Cowboys, and Horses in Mind" are two of my favorite poems, full of what Grimes calls "the silence of no distinction." Everything is fair game here, everything on this green.

And how can you not love a book whose epigraph is from a Greg Brown song?

Thank you, Barry, for this one. I come back to it again and again.

eric must be a former student...breathe in the details of a life that has bumped into yours and then wonder of all the lives that could be...a lovely inch...

Some would classify this work as a "5". That which reaches beyond the daily complications, and steps back to view the larger picture, assembling the details. Barry Grimes has done a superb job of detailing the passion of teaching and learning. Beautiful work!

Barry Grimes captures his life as a poetry and english teacher in Washington state, and his childhood perfectly, making you feel as if you are there! A must read!

Probably the best single resource I've ever seen about Army S.F., recommend to anyone interested in this field!

This book provides great insight in to what it takes to be the best. It breaks down the process from the beginning of basic to the last phase of the Q Course. I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed,boy was I wrong. The info. is from BTDT's and students going through the training. The pictures are vivid and clear. If you have "To be a U.S. Army Ranger", its in the same format, just a little bigger in size(HxW). This is a must for anyone wanting to go SF.

I'd give this book 3.5 but I cant... I found this book to be very well informing of all types of stages in trasining to be a green beret and the conciseness... Though it lacks detailed first-hand accounts on what the training is like and rather usually just gives a brief overview. It does however have alot of pictures and often times (brief but) particular information on other stages of the course like the Scuba and even has a course outline and pictures on SERE.


This book is really good for those that have no working foundation on process of becoming SF, yet its also good if you already have one because it presents the information in a clearer concise presentation. If you want more detailed first-hand accounts on the actual training read Dick Couch's "Chosen Soldier"

This book is amazing, because of its pictures and diagrams. It gives you an exact idea of chronological order of what happens in your training of becoming an SF soldier. It gives you respect for these soldiers and what they are capable of doing. very informative. However, since i am not interested in becoming a green beret, i haven't been able to finish it. i have read the "to be a u.s. army ranger" because it seems to pertain to me more. however it is a good book and i would recommend to those who really don't mind spending money on just buying books to satisfy their curiosity and those who want to be SF.

I read this book when it first came out, before I knew Betsy. I loved the humor and the Genealogy slant with the cantankerous elderly ladies of Haggarty. I liked having the whole town of quirky, but down-to-earth townsfolk helping with the case. I liked having Mark and Kate Iverson in this one as well. I highly recommend this and all Betsy's Haggarty books. You're in for a HUGE treat!!!

This was a great suspense book and romance as well. If you like Betsy Brannon Green, you will love this one too!

Once again Betsy has writen a book I hated to put down. This story is about Beth Middeleton who is given a job by her boss. The courts want her to observe the relationship between Jack Gamble (a lawyer that no one seems to like) and his daughter Cloe. Jack is involved in the biggest murder trial. Beth offers to help with paperwork and becomes involved more and more in the case. Meanwhile she is beginning to understand Jack and his relationship with his daughter. As the trial gets underway, people start to disapear and Beth finds herself right in the middle of danger. You will LOVE this book. It takes place in Haggerdy GA and even has Kate and Mark Iverson from Hearts in Hiding in it.

This is Betsy Brannon Green's greatest book yet. I enjoyed every momeny of it and couldn't stop turning the pages. It had great suspense, a sweet romance, and interesting characters. Beth Middeleton tries to leave reality after her fiance' dies in a car accident the day of their wedding. As months pass slowly, however, she again is forced to come back to normal life, but finds it very difficult. When she accepts a job to be the evaluator of a big name attorney, Jack Gamble and his five-year-old daughter, Chloe, she becomes involved in the biggest case her boss has ever encountered. As the evidence mounts against Jack's client and important people in the case begin to dissapear, she and Jack work to find out what really happened and come closer together than she ever thought possible. This book lived up to my expectations and more. I hope Betsy Green continues to turn out the great books.

While I love all of Andrew Lang's collections, I think this has to be one of my favorites. This is a collection that pretty much goes out of its way to collect every strange, exotic, and unknown tale on the face of the planet. Far from the simplicity of other tales, these are complex and detailed. Which probably means they were not passed down quite as much, but are wondrous and inspiring just the same

Submittted by Pamela Kekst: I thought that the Violet Fairy Book was very well written and fun to read. The book is made up of many different short stories, all of them are fairy tales. Each has its own problem and solution. They all had their own setting as well. One of my favorite stories is called The Finest Liar in the World. It takes place at the edge of the wood. It is about a boy telling a story to an old man for a lying face-off. I liked the book because each story was different so you could never get bored reading the book. It was also very interesting because of all the strange pictures in the book. I would only give the book a 4 star rating, however, as sometimes the stories could be hard to follow. I recommend this book for any one that likes fairy tales.

For some reason, this is one of my favorites of the Colored Fairy Books edited by Andrew Lang. Once again, Lang includes tales from many cultures including The Boys with the Golden Stars, The Envious Neighbor, The Fairy of the Dawn, The Finest Liar in the World, The Story of a Gazelle, The Girl Who Pretended To Be a Boy, The Grateful Prince and many others. I am also a fan of H. J. Ford's illustrations. Be sure to admire them and wonder at the power of black and white. END

As always Andrew Lang's books continue to be great, this book being no exception. This book contains myriad great fairy tales, great for all ages, my mom read them when she was younger and know I am reading them. The Violet Fairy Book contains 35 fairy tales and 65 black and white illustrations. Fairy Tales include: The Finest Lair in the World, Schippeitaro, The Lute Player, The Grateful Prince, Stan Bolovan, The envious Neighbor, The Enchanted Knife, The Fairy of Dawn, The Nunda, Eater of People, The Headless Dwarf and many more. This book is a great bed-time-story book.
I would recommend this book.

This is a true story about a lone sailor on the biggest, most beautiful, and most violent lake in the world. The lake that can swallow a modern day 730 foot lake freighter in an instant. LAKE SUPERIOR! Marlin Bree was caught, without warning, in a storm that wreaked havoc across the land and exploded on to Lake Superior. It is the story of the skill and luck it takes to survive a short lived hurricane with winds in the 100 mph range. It tells the stories of others who were surprised, and survived the green monster. I witnessed this same storm, and can attest to the ferocity of it. This book tells about the stark contrast of the changing moods of what has become known as the inland sea. It is a lesson on the unpredictable nature of such an immense body of water that has been known to create it's own weather systems. It's no wonder most choose to admire her from the safety of her rugged shore line. This is the type of intense adventure that makes it difficult to put the book down.

It's been a long time since I have read a book that I truly enjoyed as much as "WAKE" It's one of those books where you just don't want to and CAN'T put it down because you sense and feel that you are there with Marlin sharing the adventures. Superior is well known for the fierce storms that drive across the lake. Ships of all types and sizes have sailed into these storms, never to be seen again....Marlin tells about some of these storms and his voyage aboard PERSISTENCE... a first hand account of the infamous "Green Storm", and other tales along Superiors North Shore..........

Treat yourself to this true sailing adventure that will transport the reader into scenes of terror beauty, serenity and whimsey. It is the next best thing to being there!! Marlin Bree takes us along as he sails his 20 foot sloop, Persistence on the unpredictable and sometimes merciless waters of Lake Superior. Among other things, he tells the story of how he and other boaters were caught in the July 4, 1999 storm which devastated the area with 100 mph winds. The story of the green storm, as it came to be called, is masterfully interwoven with tales of the people and the history of this vast body of fresh water to create both a gripping and heartwarming story. Being a solo sailor myself, of course, one might expect that I would love the book, but non sailing friends have repeatedly thanked me for bringing their attention to the book. It is a story that will be loved by all those who appreciate the hardy characteristics of adventurers everywhere: preparedness, self-reliance, dogged determination in the face of adversity and most important, humility. Marlin is to be respected not only as an author and a solo sailor, but, for his ability to have it all, that enviable balance of family, work and personal passion. Do not miss this pearl among adventure stories, but beware that it may stir some sleeping inner longing and inspire you into action! (-:

This is Bree's third cruising narrative. The first was _In the Teeth of the Northeaster: A Solo Voyage on Lake Superior_ followed by _Call of the North Wind: Voyages and Adventures on Lake Superior_.

Bree is one of the better writers in a small sub-set of cruising narratives by singlehanded sailors who go coastal cruising in small yachts. Other writers in this genre include Philip Teece (_A Dream of Islands_ and _A Shimmer on the Horizon_) who cruises the waters around Vancouver Island and Robert DeGast (_Western Wind, Eastern Shore_ and _Five Fair Rivers_) and Howard Walker Schindler (_Between Two Bays and the Sea_) who sail in Chesapeake Bay.

Just as reading Teece makes you want to go sailing around Vancouver, Bree does the same thing for Lake Superior. Bree is an excellent story-teller and his books are always lively and filled with historical information and yarns that will shiver yer timbers.

Bree's latest work is extremely tense in parts and you will probably have a hard time putting it down after you start reading (especially since the 'Prologue' is a nail-biter). The book is centered around his experience with the July 4, 1999 "Green Storm" in which his home-made 20 foot wooden centerboard sloop *Persistence* was caught out on the Lake and knocked-down -- and experiences by other boaters with the same storm. There are other exciting moments -- like grounding on a reef and tense moments navigating through very narrow channels in the fog and dodging floating trees.

Like the other books referred to above, this book shows that you don't have to cross an ocean or own a big and expensive boat to find some adventure. And, for sailors cruising in other areas, it will instill some respect (if they don't have it already) for "Lake sailors".

This book is like a spring of precious water that can nourish and sustain the reader over many years, even a lifetime. Lovingly wrought, it can be consulted again and again for its wisdom and insight. Working together, the authors have recovered for us vital elements of the Christian tradition that have been lost or excluded from mainstream teaching, to the great impoverishment of Christianity as a whole. At this crucial time of choice for humanity, their book reveals the way of the heart that could unify the visible and invisible dimensions of life, reconnecting nature with spirit, body with soul. The great spiritual task of our time as they see it, is to integrate the ancient wisdom that recognized divine immanence as the feminine face of God with the extraordinary scientific discoveries that point to our participation in the awesome Mystery at the heart of the cosmos.

This marvelous book points the way for all who are concerned with peace, justice, and the survival of the planet. With power and grace, the authors demonstrate that the path of ChristoSophia balances the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine, thus restoring humankind and all creation. The authors' scholarship is impressive and their style is accessible, as they synthesize a wide variety of traditional and excluded sources.

Cynthia Avens and Richard Zelley use the apt metaphor of "bypaths" for the hidden traditions within Christianity. The creative symbol of ChristoSophia restores the Divine Feminine to her original prominent place in Christianity. The institutional Church suppressed Sophia; the authors show that it is imperative to rediscover her in the "bypaths" of the Christian tradition. This insightful book reveals ways that ChristoSophia resurrects the Divine Feminine, restores the natural world, and recovers the mystical Christian tradition.

I highly recommend WALKING THE PATH OF CHRISTOSOPHIA to people of all faiths who desire a deeper spiritual experience, equality and justice in human relationships, and the restoration of the earth.

--Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Ph.D.
Chaplain, Baylor University Medical Center
Author of IN SEARCH OF THE CHRIST-SOPHIA
and INCLUSIVE HYMNS FOR LIBERATING CHRISTIANS

What a wonderful guide to greater spiritual fulfillment.

In their scholarly but eminently readable book, Avens and Zelley explain the important role of women in early Christianity, focusing on the two Marys, and celebrate the significance of Sophia, the feminine aspect of the Divine.

The authors also discuss the hidden revelations of lost scriptures, the role of Celtic Christianity, the history of the Holy Grail, the symbolism of the Green Man in nature, the mysteries of the Kabbalah and the rewards of walking a unique spiritual bypath...that of the ChristoSophia...which acknowledges the union of feminine and masculine divinity, the sacredness of nature and the rewards of mystical experience.

The authors' genuine belief in the spiritual rewards of walking "the path with a heart" is likely to appeal to readers of all faiths, and perhaps even those who have lost their way along the spiritual highway.

S. J. Iacone, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, Adelphi University

This wonderful little book will assist those who wish to explore the various "ByWays" along the Christian Mystical path..

The authors pull together an interesting and insightful synthesis of The Feminine, Nature, and Mysticism,to lay the foundation for the Christo-Sophaic path of Christian Mysticism.

I would highly recommend this book for those interested in exploring Christian Mysticism..

Have you ever listened to any war stories from a family member, or friend? I have, and I have a few of my own. This book is a collect of war stories from the various members of the Green Berets, in their own words. All of the stories were from the Vietnam war during the 60s and early 70s. Some of these stories were very sad, but at the same time, very heroic. A lot of the stores were scary, especially during some of the patrols these guys had to do. There's also a quite a few funny stories that will make you smile, especially if you were in the service. I really liked the stories that were kind of spooky, there was one story that involved a SF patrol that bed down for the night. During the night, it was so dark an enemy patrol had mistaken the SF patrol for one of their own, and decided to bed down in the same area as the SF patrol! Crazy stuff! This is a book dedicated to the men of the Green Berets.

I grew up during the Viet Nam war, in a military family. I joined the Army immediately after college and was the first woman commissioned at my University, in 1975. While I never served in combat, I knew many who did. I read this book to try and understand what it must have been like for the men who served, without having to read through the filters of the liberal media, or the continuing lies of our government.

Being from a military family, I understand what duty, honor and country means, and to me, the Green Berets are some of last, true defenders of those ideals. This book did not disappoint me.

It is a wonderful book, with all the elements of life, both precious and horrible, woven through it.

My favorite story was of the POV and how his faith in God was restored by a fir tree and some fire-flies. He does work in mysterious ways!

To my brothers-in-arms--my heartfelt thanks for sharing parts of your souls with the rest of us.

To those who are stil! l unaccounted for--forgive us. I, for one, shall never forget you.

As a fellow Green Beret, I found Hans Halbertstadt's book very refreshing. It is free of the bravado and hype found in most books regarding Special Forces. What it shows is the real face of war a told by the unique and courageous men who fought it. You'll laugh out loud after reading one page and cry after reading the next. I highly recommend it!

As a former Special Forces medic in Viet Nam I could not put this book down until I had finished it. I got out of the Army in 1966 and didn't look back, but I could never get Viet Nam and Special Forces out of my blood. It was truely a calling that I failed to hear.

I was surprised to read about many people that I had long forgotten, but there they were again, as big and true to life as if it was yesterday.

There was even a story about the little sleepy camp, Polie Kleng, that I had helped build in 1966 (A-241), and of course there were lots of stories about Dak To, Kontum, Pleiku, Na Trang, Saigon and other places I had been.

I have always wondered what my life would have been like if I had made a career of Special Forces. Now I know. There is a good chance I would have gotten zapped, but it sure would have been an exciting life while it lasted, and I would have had an endless supply of the greatest friends in the world. I have never had those kinds of truely great friends since getting out of Special Forces.

This book tells it all, just as it was. Get ready for a lot of flash backs. Every word of it is true. Even the lies are true!

See The Warrior Within for a review

I have read the entire series and I wonder if it was worth it, for Terril. She pretty much suffered hell on earth to gain the fleeting love of man, Tammad. I know that in the end she got it all, the power, the love, the family which made her complete...but was it worth it. From the beginning she was punished for the very thing that Tammad tried to uphold, Honor and Pride. I'm sure she could have been taken down a notch or two but he very nearly destroyed her. I know that pain is the ultimate teacher so by all rights Terril should be the smartest human alive. I'm not so sure that the ends justify the means in this. If you knew love was at the end of a journey such as hers would you brave the heat? or would you seek love elsewhere? People say that love conqures all... now I,m not so sure. I know that I would die a million deaths for the one I loved but I doubt I would suffer them before I fell 'head over heels'. America fought a war to escape the clutch opression, yet she willingly slid into that same clutch. From her liberated society into bondage. I doubt I could do that.

This is a wonderful book to read, the best and most complex (concluding) story in the "Terrilian" series. The heroine, empath/psychic Terril, meets challenge after challenge, and in doing so, becomes stronger and more self-aware. The character of Terril is finally allowed to grow and develop and become strong. A fitting conclusion to the "Warrior Within" series.

This is a very good series. As mentioned by other reviewers it does resemble John Norman up to a point, but then Terry does prove to everyone (including Tamad) that she is a strong (dare i say it) warrior. You can see Terry growing, going from a spoiled Prime in the beginning to a responsible (maybe too responsible) person.

In this volume she is kidnapped and taken to a planet where again men do not think that women are important and are only used a baby makers. The men are supposedly the only warriors. After manageing to escape she is picked up by Murdock and taken back. To find that she has a whole family (mother father brothers aunts uncles). They attack the baby making plant and ofcourse win. In the end it is mentioned that not everyone has to go through what Terry went through to gain what she gained. She also was not in bondage as proven by the last "feeling" of not belonging to Tamad.

In all the books were very very good. To fully appreciate the story you had to read all the books in the series, if you could get them it was worth it. It is a shame that people are not willing to wait until the end of the series to judge the books.

This book is a great read-aloud. I read it to my three-year-old niece and she didn't budge from the couch the whole time. The illustrations are simply captivating.

I bought this book after reading and reading Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea to my son, who is now nine months old. He likes this book just as much. I like the variety of animals, like an ocelot and a kinajou! My son's favorite is when I read as "sllllllooooooowwwww mooooooooo, haaaaaaiiiiirrrrryy slooooooottthhhhhh" as slow as I possible can. He laughs and laughs! This is a fantastic book that, along with Deep Blue Sea have successfully introduced my baby to reading, for which I will be forever grateful!

I bought this for my son, who was still too young to turn anything but board book pages (and certainly didn't understand a dang thing I read) when we got it. Maybe he got the vibe that Mommy was really into it because it was the first paper book he kept going to and now, at 1 1/2, it is one of his favorite books to read over and over. The illustrations are great; big, colorful and wonderful for both he and I to look at. We love the cadence and he is totally fascinated with smiling animals that you don't normally see in kid's books - like a kinkajou, sloth, gecko... He leans in on the girl's face and says "KISS!" every time.

The story line is clever. This is one book I don't get sick of reading and neither does he. It's just smart - definitely not a "baby" book and that's one of the things we love about it. I will buy every book the combination of this writer and illustrator will put out.

The rhyme and music of Way Up High In the Tall Green Tree will help any young child learn to read. Along the way each child will learn about animals that live in the rain forest. On top of it all is a droll humor that will delight parents and kids alike! I've written lots of children's books, and I know a good thing when I read it!

I teach first grade and have used this book for several of my reading groups. Since many schools in California are required to teach reading and math most the day now, it's great to have the opportunity to bring in a little science. Excellent pictures, simple text, complex concepts... My students loved it!

Most young children would enjoy reading this book at home as well.

This is an excellent science book for young children. At each turn of the page they will find clear, bright, interesting photos that demonstrate the growth cycle of our amphibian friends.

The text is good. The sentences are simple and clear and easily understandable by toddlers on up. (A good read-aloud.)

Amazon has the reading age as 4 to 8, but the book is *Level 2*, which the book itself suggests for children in the 6-8 age range.

Five Stars. We like this little book. Good Read-aloud. Good information. Pictures and information appeal to all ages whether they can read or not. [They really did manage to find very attractive frogs-lol]

My son is 7 and he read this book at the library to me while we were doing a unit on frogs. The book had get real frog pictures. Also the book only had a few words per page so it's great for begining readers. Lot of great info in the book as well!

This fun little book is filled with big, detailed image of frogs from every stage, from egg to frog, It does an excellent job at showing the different levels of growth of tadpoles. There are some nice shots of tadpoles with legs starting to sprout.

There are no more than 16 words per page, making it reader-friendly for ages 5-7.

I fully recommend "Where Do Frogs Come From."

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com