Gregory Books

having finished this one, all I can say is: WOW.. after catching my breath...
Authors, if you guys are reading those reviews, will there be a sequel? It begs to be written: Sen. Constance returns a couple of years later, or rather, he is called back when resigned Middlefield is assasinated and so forth.. We would like to see Constance implementing our 13 points to bring America back. This is a huge cliffhanger otherwise and leaves a reader with an eerie feeling.
I would personally like to see a twist where overly intellectual for her own good the lead female protagonist charachter Dr.Offman, that pacifistic idiot, is Off'ed somehow or plain hanged by the muslim crowd directed by her best friend. Could you please include this? Thanks!

Books like America 2012 should be required reading in the intelligence community and probably on university campuses. I was impressed at how the characters are drawn; divided on the war on terror, each side believing its solutions are correct, just like the American public today. I don't think there has ever been such an unsettling cautionary tale. I've re-read the book twice, cover to cover. The story stays with you long after you've finished reading.

While this book is so realistic as to be genuinely scary, it will not promote greater harmony between Americans and Muslims. The scenes are jarring, a wake-up call, but where are the solutions to the many questions it raises about America's national security?

Don't let the number of pages scare you. America 2012 is one of those books that once you start reading it, it is hard to put down, at least in my case. With the current events, I found it very realistic in dealing with the war on terroism. It is a different type of war and as mentioned in the book, not one with a simple solution. The character of Offman clearly represents the population of people or countries who would prefer to choose appeasement over our own liberties. I can say I found the reading both interesting and captivating and I do highly recommend it.

I once lived in the Middle East (before the current madness began) and I know Muslims intimately; their traditions, beliefs, practices, and habits. America 2012 is the first novel I've ever read that depicts them in a completely realistic and believable light. Some people will scream that this book is anti-Muslim, but there were several good and decent (even heroic) Muslim characters too. The authors know their subject very, very well. People should definitely read this book. -James Correli

Beginning each day with Fr. Behrens' meditations lifts my spirits and helps me find the humor, joy and love of God in seemingly ordinary things. His personal experiences and thoughts shine a fresh light on each day's Scripture passage. I also find that his vignettes of the daily lives of the monks demystify holiness and help me pursue it in my daily life.

This book is full of "story sparks" that only take seconds to read but open the doors to considerable wisdom and hope - with humor as a bonus. The deft way that each is connected to a few lines of well-chosen scriptures breaks open that medium as well, connecting it unforgettably to lived experience.

This book contains a daily dose of wisdom to go along with that morning coffee, toast and multi vitamin. It's easy to digest and helps nourish the mind and soul throughout the day. The snippets of scripture and Fr. Behrens life stories, cause us to slow down and take another, deeper look into ourselves and our past.

This gentle, faithful little book is full of wonders to be read, and re-read -- personal insights, quick asides, random thoughts, elegant sermonettes on life and living. James Stephen Behrens doesn't waste words; these quick essays are like Cistercian chapels, with no unnecessary adornment, nothing to distract the mind from the matter at hand. This makes you savor each word, contemplate each story. Sometimes, in this book, the simplest notions are the most moving -- why he thinks, for example, that the most eloquent prayer is one word, "Stay." When I started leafing through this book, I folded over the corners of pages I liked. Bad idea. Now, nearly all the pages are dog-eared. But the best news is that discovering this book has simplified my Christmas shopping. Now I know what to get people who seem to have everything: this little package of wisdom, a book that looks at commonplace things with uncommon grace.

I have just come to know James Stephen Behrens and it is a fortunate discovery! Although I have read comments comparing him to Thomas Merton, also a Trappist priest-writer,I find his bill of fare served differently. There is a profound simplicity in the reflections as presented in this book. One must chew the words slowly to savor the delicacy of the banquet Behrens puts before the reader. He has taken the common place and elevated it to the supernatural where it belongs. I cannot look at my everyday world with the same eyes since feasting on "GraceIs Everywhere."

We own a number of the Lone Pine state/province field guides. The features I like most are the range maps on the same page, the similar species comparisons, the behavior descriptions, the best sites in the state/province for observing the bird, and the occasional interesting tidbits of information pertaining to the bird's naming, history, quirks, folklore, etc.

The illustrations often don't help me as much as other field guides: they usually just show one plumage variation. I use the illustrations as a 2nd opinion with another field guide, or as confirmation when the behavior, etc., seems to fit.

I am very happy with this book overall. I have to agree with what others have said about the layout. It is easy to identify the birds that you are seeing without having any prior knowledge of birds. The only bad thing that I can say about this book is that it is printed in China. Would be 5 stars otherwise.

I love this book. I had one of North American birds that I was using, but it's nice to have a book that narrows it down to Michigan. It also gives a lot more information on each bird than the book I had. The descriptions and pictures are wonderful. I would have liked to see pictures of both male and female (not every bird is pictured that way), and would have liked to see pictures of immature birds, but overall this book is exactly what I was looking for.

I've used (and abused) a number of bird books over the years.... and tend to carry a veritable library with me on my forays. But I've been frustrated by most of the identification guides available today. I know they can't be perfect, if only because birds themselves vary so much, but surely they could be just a little better. This one is. I hope Lone Pine Press and Mr. Black expand beyond the Michigan edition. In the meantime, I though, I won't have to carry such a library into the woods. "Birds of Michigan" will suffice by itself.

I agree with the other two reviewers' comments. This book is very easy to use, proving much information in a concise yet digestible way. While it provides a lot of detail, it does not do so in a tedious way--this is a field guide that is actually READable! It is very user-friendly and has helped me clinch idenifications of even rare migrants due to the written descriptions which do not overwhelm the field guide. Large, accurate drawing of the birds are supplemented with written descriptions emphasizing the field marks. The maps are on the same page as the birds, which can help narrow down birds in the field more rapidly. This has been a helpful local supplement to my National Geographic & Peterson Field Guides. I also recommend Stan Tekiela Birds of Michigan book & CD set and Peterson's Birding by Ear: Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides(R)) (Audio CD)
by Richard K. Walton, Robert W. Lawson, Roger Tory Peterson.

This book stands the test of time. About 12 years ago, I read it several times over and over again and loved it more with every read. I would love to read it over and again several times more. I loved it so much that I recommended it and loaned it to friends and acquaintances... and that's where I made my mistake. I loaned it out so many times that I lost track of who had it and I never got it back. It's the best romance book I've ever read and I really hope that I can get my hands on a brand new reprint. As soon as you've finished reading it you'll feel like rereading it all over again.

I read Bitterleaf over (and over) 10 years ago and I've never forgotten the story. I think that is a testimony in itself of what a great book it is. I still recommend it to people as an all time favorite book to read. Superd storytelling!

One of the best books I've read-smart, sensitive and sexy, with honest situations and characters, and truly affecting situations. I'm desperate for a sequel!

Bitterleaf is one of the best romance books ever written. I read this book over 10 years ago and found myself re-reading it over and over again. The pages became worn and the book cover was tattered. Unfortunately, I lost this book and have never found it again. I highly recommend it to readers who value a clever plot and great DIALOGUE about adults (not 18-year old girls) who truly explore together the meaning of love and their own lives. The sexually explicit scenes are well written and erotic enough to keep you turning page after page until you get to the end. I guarantee that once you read the last page, you'll want to read it again!

Very well written story with good plot detail and very developed characters. The novel itself is highly erotic and is one of my favorite novels to date. This book really can never go out of style with its timeless take on a great love affair, it can stand the test of time and last throughout the ages. The compelling narrative of the novel keeps the reader wanting more. I have read this book many times over and I never get bored with it, I just can never put it down when I start reading it! I highly recommend it!!!

hey, I know that this book is awesome, but is old too, the reality of Brazil is not that anymore, some people tend to form opinions about things that they don't know, that they have never seem with their own eyes. But the best thing is that it still is a really interesting novel, and if you read you won't forget, it is just the best book I ever read.

I would recommend this book to anyone as an absolute must read. I read it in the original Portuguese at the suggestion of a friend and if you have the ability, I suggest you do the same. The translation simply doesn't portray the magnificence and beauty of Amado's original. After living in Brazil for sometime, this novel is, to me, the most incredible portrayal of these youth and the circumstances in which they live. The book may be 70 years old, but it is certainly as applicable today as anything else I've read.

It is absolutely magnificant. This is the first time for me writing a book review online and I thought that I'd never do it, but after I saw that there's is copy out there somewhere I had to say that 69$ is nothing for this book. It is the only book I take along when I travel or move abroad. It is the book that can change your life, or atleast bring that special something to it. Now that I'm reading this through I have this funny feeling that it's not me writing, but from time to time you come across extraordinary matters that make you act in a very peculiar way. This is one them. Don't miss it.

Amado's literary output falls rather neatly into two periods. His early work is imbued with a strong sense of social responsibility, a fact for which he had some difficulty under the Vargas regime, and I believe he may have even done a short stint in jail over. The second period, the post-"Gabriela" books, are a lot more laid back and anecdotal.

Sorry to say that in general the second period is the one that's more fun to read, and the books he wrote in the second half of his life are what established his international reputation. A lot of his earlier stuff is not that great, with one exception - this book.

The story is about the kids on the street in Fortaleza, back in the 1930's. To say that they're poor doesn't do justice to it - they live on the street. By necessity they're thieves, but you can't help liking them. They have aspirations of their own in life.

Explaining it in a few words like that may make the American reader think that he's dealing with some "Angels with Dirty Faces" sort of story. It's not. This is not a sentimental novel. It's a reflection of some of the hard realities of Brazilian life, like the urban poverty that never seems to disappear. But it also reflects some of the inherent optimism and the very un-American concern with each other that Brazilians manifest - features of their society that make Brazil such a wonderful place.

This has to be the best book Jorge Amado has ever written. It was the first book of his that I ever read, it touched me so deeply, that I have read almost all his books since. It really lets you know about the poverty in Brasil, and what some people would do for money. Every character and every story in the novel makes sense. It touches my heart to see what some kids go through, not only in Brasil but in the whole world. As a proud Brasilian myself, It made me think a lot about the poverty in my country. The love story is also so romantic and sad. It's simply just the best book that I have ever read.

THE CAREER CHRONICLES: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO WHAT JOBS ARE REALLY LIKE offers professional opinions and assessments on jobs from over seven hundred professionals. These reflections offer candid assessments of two dozen popular professions, contrasting reality with ideas of the job, including reviews of each profession, its requirements and its duties, and offering college students an excellent opportunity to make better informed decisions on their career choices.

During the last year of high school, the most common question is "what are you going to do with your life". Somehow, within the span of a few months, you are supposed to figure out who you are and what career you'll have for the rest of your life. It's no wonder that many people go to college and change their majors several times.

Unfortunately, an even bigger surprise awaits the new college graduate. After studying for years, they come to grips with the reality of working. Often what is taught in school doesn't ready the student for the job.

The Career Chronicles takes a unique approach. The author has interviewed a number of professionals in a variety of popular occupations and asked the things that we all wish we could have asked before committing to a four year degree program. Information includes employment levels, academic requirements, average salary levels, college vs reality, the biggest surprise, hours and advancement, how they spend a typical day, and whether they'd do it all over again.

I was really interested in this book after reading the other reviews. I am an educator and am always looking for books that can help students or their parents. When I read this book, I quickly realized the importance that this book serves to those graduating from high school or those looking for a new career. There is so much valuable and rich information for each career. Of course, I had to flip directly to the education portion of the book to see what it had to say. After reading it, I realized how easy my first two years of teaching would have been if I knew this information beforehand. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book is unlike any I've seen. For college students deciding on a career, it is an excellent commentary about "real world" jobs, well researched, logically organized, easy to read. I teach in college and will definitely recommend it to my students.

What a fantastic book to read in helping one select a career. This book is subdivided by various careers including health care, law, architecture, education and IT. It gives the opinions of seasoned professionals where it describes the pros and cons of their career decision. The books even asks the professionals if they would choose the same career if given a choice. I hope that this becomes a necessary reference book for colleges and institutions that help people make a career decision. This book is an excellent tool for anyone deciding on their career path!

I have read both books twice now. I ordered two sets, one to give as a birthday gift to my sister and one to keep (because I loaned out my original copies and have lost track of them). I intend to order two more sets for birthdays coming up in August. Everyone, Christian and non-Christian, should read these books. They are captivating and a very fast read. You will want to read them over and over to refresh the images in your head and your heart, and you will want to give everyone you care about a copy, too.

These are two wonderfully thought-provoking books. What first appears to be a couple of easy reads becomes a springboard for much discussion & thought . I recommend these books to anyone who doubts Jesus' message or even His existence. You will come away with a different way of thinking about Christianity.

recommend this to everyone. easy quick read....read it all in one sitting & now am buying more to pass them one. get it & read it. then pass it on!

These books really made me think about God and Jesus in a different way.
I couldn't put them down and loved them. I purchased this set for my Dad, who has emphysema and is, what I would consider, a fallen Catholic. I hope he gets some enlightenment out of them.

This is a very quick and enjoyable read. This is rated a 4 star because I really enjoyed Dinner with a Perfect Stranger (his first book) and I rated that 5 stars.

A must for any child to read! A fun, exciting wonderful book that will be any child's favorite!

Dobbs Dog Detective is a compelling tale of animal investigators, told from the perspective of a veteran FCF Special Agent Dog Detective (Dobbs). It is an imaginative, enjoyable read, appropriate for pet lovers of all ages. I look forward to seeing more of Dobbs and company in future adventures!

This book was one of the reasons my kids love reading now. Can't wait for more books from Jillian Gregory!

Dobbs Dog Detective is a very fascinating, imaginative, and funny story. The writing style is captivating, and the content is fun for all ages (adults too!). The mystery portion will develop children's problem solving skills while the zany antics of the characters keep them interested. I defiantly recommend this book to anyone with children, and even those that are just a child at heart. I absolutely loved it and am anxious for more stories from this author!

Dobbs Dog Detective is a very fascinating, imaginative, and funny story. The writing style is captivating, and the content is fun for all ages (adults too!). The mystery portion will develop children's problem solving skills while the zany antics of the characters keep them interested. I defiantly recommend this book to anyone with children, and even those that are just a child at heart. I absolutely loved it and am anxious for more stories from this author!

this is truly one of the best books available for implementing behavior change. the self-defeating behavior exercise forces you to look at what you're doing regardless of how ready you are for change. if you are motivated already, it can help propel you forward. it's amazing how something so simple in theory can be one of the most confrontational and powerfully motivational tools for healing. people often just don't get it until you spell it out for them in black and white. this book is the shortest distance between two points. the self-defeating behavior exercise makes you look at negative patterns and self-perpetuating cycles brought on by just one core issue. the visual aspect of this exercise makes it really stick in memory as a reminder of the results of a certain behavior. this, then, can force you to give pause long enough to implement a more adaptive skill or coping mechanism.

Mental health professionals Gregory Boothroyd and Lori Boothroyd combine their experience in Going Home: A Positive Emotional Guide for Promoting Life-Generating Behaviors, a consumable self-help book written especially for those who struggle with themselves in the search for happiness in their life and relationships. Chapters discuss how self-sabotaging behaviors are learned, maintained, and implemented, how to identify harmful behaviors and replace negative thought patterns with positive focus. Applications for these helpful psychological techniques range from learning to disassociate from substance abuser behavior patterns to improving communication in family or intimate relationships.

While reading this book it was clear that the authors are not only experts in their field, but they are passionate about their work. Their individual expertise combines to form a wonderfully warm and thoughtful book. Unlike so many books in the health and mental health genres, this book is easy to understand and the exercises can be used by anyone looking to fulfill their potential by eliminating self-defeating behaviors. How refreshing to try new and creative activities to improve our overall wellness.

Very insightful, especially if you do the work recommended.

I've been a mental health professional for nearly 40 years, and have practiced some of my own self-defeating behaviors over the years. Drs. Greg and Lori Boothroyd provide an accessible, easy-to-use, practical guide to helping people rid themselves of self-defeating behavior. A wonderful book that I have begun using in my own practice. I recommend it to everyone!

George Polley, MSW, LICSW

This book should be required reading for ALL teachers and all those preparing to become teachers. I have been falsely accused myself and find this book helpful in dealing with the stigma and the humiliation that comes with the accusation AND the media witch-hunt that follows the accusation--well before evidence has been presented or fully examined, and long before any "verdict" has been reached. These authors have dealt with and represented hundreds of teachers who have been in this situation and offer, through their experience and insight, ways to handle the legal, emotional, and practical aspects of false accusations. Do these things really happen? Of course they do. But there are many more falsely accused than there are actual cases of abuse. And what of the accusers who have ruined a teacher's life and livelihood? They get off with nothing almost 100% of the time. Read the book. You will find some frightening and crippling stories of teachers who have had their lives ruined and their incomes and futures ripped away from them because of the anger and need for revenge of some students.

If you are a teacher then you should read this book. Many of us are naive and think nothing bad will ever happen to us. This book is easy to read and tells the stories of teachers who thought the same way but ended up in legal trouble. This book will help educate teachers on how they may protect themselves against false accusations. A must read for teachers.

This is an important book. Sure it is anecdotal. Yea, some of the prose is less than deathless. Ok, the discussion of law is limited to one state. However, administrators and teachers need to read this and then pass it on to a colleague. Your jaw will drop open in astonishment every other page

All my grandmas, aunties, & Mom were teachers. (They were very good Working Mom's--incase you run into people that say working moms are bad. We did better in life than our peers who's mommas didn't work. ) Anyway, our teacher relatives discouraged us kids from going into it.
The odds of having any sort of false accusation made against you is really high...nothing is too low for many of these folks seeking to make money. You are lower than the garbage man, people are more intimidated because the garbage man knows where these folks live. Bartenders & cashiers gets better treatment, because they could spit in your drink, plus all your peers are watching.

Many of the kids won't mind, they aren't prepared for schooling, their parents didn't want to "break their spirit" by teaching appropriate behavior or discipline--unlike any other animal social pack on the planet.
Alot of the kids households are highly unstable, abusing drugs & alcohol, lots of men & women come & going from the homes, so that highly increases the chances of the kids being sexualized, relating to the world through sexuality, desperate for attention, manipulative, YET very angry and punitive.
These kids don't have much chance of learning study skills or even having a stable house to do homework or prepare for school, so not much future prospects. So they & their parents are going to "survive" at all costs even if it's taking advantage of a teacher or the school system. Or they'll take revenge over their failure in parenting, sue the teacher or school.

Here's a sad story:...
"Teacher who died in prison is cleared posthumously of rape

A WEST Yorkshire, UK, teacher who died in prison after being convicted of raping one his pupils has been cleared posthumously.
Timothy Gee was jailed for eight years when he was convicted at Leeds Crown Court in 2001. He fell ill and died from an undiagnosed blood cancer the following year.
Always maintaining his innocence, Mr Gee launched two unsuccessful appeals before his death. He has now been cleared by the Court of Appeal.
Campaigners have described the case as one of the worst miscarriages of justice they have seen.
Gail Saunders, of the campaign group Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers, said: "It is an appalling example of the extraordinary difficulties faced by individuals who are accused of abuse many years after the alleged offence."
Mr Gee's 88-year-old mother Molly has been awarded more than ?62,000 costs by the court after battling to clear her son's name. As part of that bid, she contacted the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which asked a leading psychiatrist to report on the girl - now aged 26 - who had accused Mr Gee of rape.
While the study cast doubt on the girl's mental state, it emerged that she had also made similar accusations against another man, whose conviction was quashed earlier this year.
Mrs Gee said: "It all boiled down to one girl's word against his, and the jury believed her. That's all it took to send my son to prison and it has left me very angry and grief stricken. I don't think anyone should have to work alone with a child - it's just too easy for an allegation like this to be made."
Mr Gee, from Lindley, Huddersfield, taught brass instruments for 25 years in Kirklees and Calderdale before he was accused of raping and indecently assaulting a pupil in a Huddersfield school in 1989.
He died aged 55 in August 2002, a month after his second appeal failed.
Overturning Mr Gee's conviction, Lady Justice Smith said that experts now believed the girl's statements to be "unreliable."
25 April 2006"

The collaborative effort of journalist Matthew D. Olson and Colorado criminal defense lawyer Gregory Lawler, Guilty... Until Proven Innocent: Teachers And Accusations Of Abuse is a compelling and authoritative look at the human instinct as expressed through the legal system's inclination to protect children at all costs - even at the expense of a constitutionally required presumption of innocence. Examining the phenomenon of false accusations against teachers, (including thirteen of litigator and author Lawler's cases), Guilty... Until Proven Innocent is an exceptional and thought-provoking study, which is highly recommended reading for students and practitioners of the law -- as well as educators and members of the general public with a vested interest in protecting children from abuse and teachers from false accusations, while upholding the highest standards of the American judicial system.