Henry Books

As with any other "typical guy" I'm normally not interested in romance novels but this one is great! I picked it up thinking I would be bored to death and I couldn't put it down until I was finished with it!

Pick this one up, you won't regret it! Even guys can enjoy this one!

Really the best romance book I have ever read and I have looked for many. This book is a good book on good friendships too but like THE THORN BIRDS it shows how impatient and unfair it is to wait for true love. When it finally creaps it's way back into the lover's lives, will they be accepting and ready for the challenge of a long relationship? Read this one; it is truly written with insight, ispiration, and love.

Gotta love a good romance, and this is one of the better ones I've read in a long time. The story line is fresh and the characters are interesting. I especially like that Henry made the leading female strong. I can't stand helpless, desperate heroines. I look forward to more from this new author.

Wow, this book starts out like it might be a teen romance but moves ahead quickly to be a rather steamy romance. And there are lots of twists and turns along the way. And a few sub-plots that create extra interest. I especially like the way the author handles dialogue. It is pretty rare to find an author that does this really well. While you may think you know how it will end, along the way you will not be sure. If you are from the Kansas City area, you'll find the local landmarks and places interesting.

A great romance that takes a life time to prepare both people for. It takes place from a teenage crush to twist and turns of loves lost and found that finaly lead them to a mature love that takes place. I really liked that the book takes place in Kansas City where I grew up and brought back fond memorys of the city I love so much. A romance that leaves me thinking all great things are worth waiting for.

We've been cooking the pork dishes with the salsas and chutneys. Easy to do several at a time and have nice summer food without reheating the kitchen. An even better collection than I first thought.

Mmmmiami is one of the five best Florida/Gulf Coast cookbooks out there. Well, that's my opinion. I've been updating my Amazon "So You'd Like to Guides" and I have one on Key Lime Pie. Take a look at it if you want. Anyway, I've included fifty cookbooks (the maximum Amazon will allow) in all my guides, so I've had a chance to go through my collection. And quite a collection it is, I've got hundreds of cookbooks and I go through them all the time. That's my problem, how to organize them. While going through what I wanted to include in my guides, I started separating them into piles, the ones I couldn't live without and the ones, if I absolutely had to, I could give away as gifts, you know, like if we moved into a very small place.

Mmmmiami is one I could never part with. I love the food and the atmosphere of Florida and the Gulf Coast, have spent a lot of time there, as I'm a sailing lady. I'm also somewhat of a gourmet chef. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, or galley, depending if I'm at home in the States or on our boat in the Caribbean. The recipes here will make your family, or even just yourself, if you live alone, drool. They are mouthwatering good and that's the truth.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

A wonderful book if I still lived in Miami. The availability of some of the products might be limited to Florida and major metropolitan areas. I would love Carole to publish something from her early cooking classes. I rely on those recipes on a regular basis.

Reading through MMMiami is almost as much fun as actually tasting the results. This readable collection of recipes showcases the best of Miami's tropical and latin cuisine with an emphasis on using only the freshest ingredients available. Sprinkled throughout with helpful hints, historical tidbits, and fun food facts, MMMiami is filled with easy to understand recipes that are sure crowd pleasers. The techniques and tips offer time-saving shortcuts that will help not only for the recipes contained here, but for all of your daily cooking tasks. The authors succeed in sharing their knowledge and love of Florida foods to the rest of us who (until now) have only dreamt of being able to concoct a coconut flan. The chocolate-pecan torte is worth the price of the book alone.

As a former Miamian now living in Virginia, reading this wonderful new book was like taking a trip to my hometown. It has many delicious recipes that seem to me to capture the true essence of tropical cuisine. Try making the Hot and Tangy Black Bean Dip for an easy (and low fat) snack that will wake up your taste buds.I prepared the Calabazas and Sweet Potato Soup for company and received raves reviews from my guests.It's really simple to make and everyone will think you worked all day cooking it.Mmmmiami also offers the reade an interesting history of the growth of So. Florida and the influence that the influx of Latin tourists, businesspeople and immigrants have had on the culture.The book's witty and clever text explains why tropical cuisine is now the hottest food trend sweeping the country.I think this wonderful book should be a staple (like black beans and rice)in the house of any serious cook. I recommend Mmmmiami highly.

This is one of a series of Mr. Putter books. I am a teacher and my first through third graders love this old man and his cat. I find that Mr. Putter and his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry with her dog, Zeke, help children to appreciate older people and to understand what aging involves.

I loved these books about Mr. Putter and is cat. They were the books i learned to read from. I always asked for the new ones that came out and read them all the time.

Mr. Putter decides he wants to celebrate his birthday in spite of being "too old" to do so. The humor comes to you through the story and the drawings.

Mr. Putter really wants to have a party for his birthday but he thinks that he is too old. He waits and waits for his friend from next door to come over with a surprise! When she arrives he finds that his birthday wish has come true. She brought cake, balloons and a gift! Happy Birthday Mr. Putter!

The cartoon- like illustrations in the book are really funny. Tabby is a cute kitty that always has a cute expression on her face.

This is a great book for early readers. There are pictures on every page and only a few sentences to each page as well.

My son and I loved Mr. Putter & Tabby Make a Wish. Like all of the other Mr. Putter & Tabby stories, the book focuses on the kindness of friendship, and points out that no matter how old a person gets, they still feel like a kid inside.

This story of a peasant girl named Ti Moune is set in the French Antilles, where racial discrimination persists due to frowned upon intermarriages of the French and the black natives. Ti Moune fell in love with a Frenchman named Daniel Beauxhomme but they are soon parted as caused by the boy's family. Ti Moune's journey to the city, where she has never set her feet upon, to meet with the boy she loves was, unknown to her, being observed by the gods. Agwe, god of water, initially made the meeting of Ti Moune and Daniel possibly through a stormy night; while Ti Moune's journey to the city was greatly helped by the goddess Asaka, mother of the earth. Two opposingly playful gods--Erzulie, goddess of love, and Papa Ge, god of death--bet upon Ti Moune's eventual triumph or defeat. Toward the end, this Little Mermaid-based story would have a triumphant finale but not without a tragic conclusion.

Rosa Guy's mastery in her storytelling craft has led thousands of readers to grieve and laugh with her very human characters. And as in her other stories, the triumph of the human spirit always persists.

This book has long been out of print before I got a copy through an online auction. Not once did I regret paying a premium for this one.

I have read the book and was also in the play--well. The high-school version, at least. I simply can't get sick of this beautiful story...like a modern-day romeo and juliet, with a twist! Pick this up, you WON'T regret it.

Let two worlds meet...

...TONIGHT.

This book is very good, with a nice blending of tradition and rebellion. I believe it is better than it's Broadway companion, Once On This Island, and the theme of the book is wonderfully beautiful. It sings clearly a song of love and is deeply rooted in romance.

I love Caribbean fiction and I don't really know why. It's probably the way Caribbean authors tend to blend the beautiful with the brutal. In MY LOVE MY LOVE, drought drives a group of peasants from their village. They are following their cattle to a different place, when a four year old child falls. Seemingly with-out a second thought, her mother abandons her, placing her in the crook of a tree, and continues on her way. For this heinous act, Agwe, God of Water raises a violent hurricane to vent his fury. The child survives to be adopted by an elderly couple and she lightens their years, if she strains their resources and their patience, as children will. Island gods are very real on this island. Pounding rhythms at vaudun ceremonies allow the gods to come among their worshipers. They sometimes borrow bodies to enact their jealousies, posing and posturing and sapping the strength of the chosen, sometimes to the point of death. Frighted by the demon of death, TiMoune flees one such ceremony and sets out on a journey to the city to be re-united with with a rich boy she nursed after his car crashed into a tree. Her TonTon had already made the hazardous journey to the city to search for the boy's family, and as a result, the boy had been rescued in a helicopter while Ton Ton Julian was left to return home on foot. Such is the disregard for peasants on this island. TiMoune sets out to find Daniel Beauxhomme, armed with the rightousness of youth and faith in her gods (especially her personal loa Agwe). She believes that "...the life you save, like the infant you bear is yours to care for, always." She WILL be Daniel's wife. On her journey, she discovers life beyond her peasant village, encounters levels of class she never imagined, and experiences petiness and jealousy, yet she exercises great patience while keeping her dream alive. Early on, she meets another orphan and instructs her in the ways of the world, setting her on the road to her own village where, she assures the child, a love couple is waiting just for her. She equips the youngster with her own wishing cage and teaches her the ways of orphans, dreams and butterflies. Finally, TiMoune reaches her destination and her patience is rewarded. She dutifully nurses the grande homme back to full health, where the best doctors have failed, and of course, they fall in love. At the rich boy's behest, TiMoune is clothed in luxury and she is presented at a ball to the island's elite where the Italian count proclaims her his 'black Madonna' while kissing her feet and an African diplomat desires her, hailing her as a descendant of an African queen. Of course, when the girl Daniel has been engaged to since birth returns from France, the allure of the exotic fades and TiMoune is cast off. Despite advice to accept the diplomat, TiMoune rejects her suitor (and others), so deep is her faith and love for Daniel. This book became the basis for the Broadway musical ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. It is a lyrical beautiful show that maintains many themes of the book, including the peasants' helplessness at the whim of the gods and the rich, and class distinctions between those of light and dark skin. Accented is the belief that even the worst storm will be followed by a sunny day and the show remains mostly up-beat and bright. It differs from the book in that it has a happy Broadway ending and I find I prefer the book's bleak hardness, although I love them both.

Agwe and Asaka, the gods of water and earth, are angry and drought empties the land as their quarrel overtakes the French Antilles. A peasant girl, abandoned as a child in the curve of a mango tree, finds safety in the home of an old peasant couple, but as her beauty grows, she dreams of wishes borne on the wings of butterflies and the love of a rich creole man's son whom she nursed back to health after a car accident. Her belief that their union is sanctioned by the gods, sends her on a journey as difficult as it is enlightening. But a promise to Papa Gé who guards the door of Death, is one that all souls must keep and Désirée must choose between her love and her life. Set in a land where "Misfortune sits at your table and won't leave until He sees your bones," Rosa Guy's haunting, tragic tale inspired by "The Little Mermaid" is the basis for the Broadway musical, Once On This Island. The author of thirteen other novels, Rosa Guy is a masterful storyteller whose prose is as lush and memorable as the original Hans Christian Anderson tale is old.

-- Sheree Renée Thomas

TASTE A HAPPIER REALITY
The Utopian fantasy is reinvented for the 21st Century
in this dazzling
collection of short stories detailing
the eternal life and times of the
denizens of Bullford, a place beyond our recycled human psyche
filled with laughter, hope, and eccentric wisdom.
Written and brilliantly illustrated
by international artist Melissa Henry.
A generous portion of food for hungry minds.

"A remarkable and revealing piece
of work."
(Professor Ronald Comer,
Princeton University).

Just have to say: I adore "THE NOBLE SOCIETY". These very unusual stories put me in a wonderful funny mood.

These "adult fairy tales from another dimention " have a quality characteristics of the best literature: they shimmer.You will get something different from them upon each new reading.

A wonderful exploration of human and social behavior. By brilliantly setting her stories in an imaginary place inhabited by unusual people, Melissa Henry provides readers with an endless stream of provocative insights about the potential and limitations of the human psyche. A remarkable and revealing piece of work.

This was a real surprise. I bought this because of the beautiful cover and the interior art plates, but the stories -- they really are "Adult fairy tales from another dimension!" -- totally captivated me. Set in a society that seems to exist in an altogether different time and space from our reality, the stories that comprise "The Noble Society" offer entertaining, amusing and beautifully written little parables about money, war, eternal youth and other contemporary obsessions. It's a little bit science fiction, a little bit fantasy, some sociology and a dollop of satire. Tasty indeed!

The recent publication of a biography of Green encouraged me to revisit his books, which for years have been grossly and inexplicably neglected. I started with this one.

Nothing is based in London in 1948 and concerns two former lovers, John Pomfret and Jane Weatherby, who find their two children, Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby, are engaged to be married. Complicating things are Liz Jennings and Dick Abbot, the pair's current lovers. Jane still loves John and hatches a subtle plan to wreck the children's engagement and win him back. Things work out nicely in the end for everyone except poor Arthur Morris. Like almost all of Green's books, Nothing is about love.

One of the most curious thing about it is that it consists mainly of dialogue. It is almost a play rather than a novel. There is little descriptive narrative, unlike some of this earlier works. Happily Green gets the dialogue right. He has an extraordinary ear. Nothing is reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh (circa Vile Bodies) and Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time). John and Jane are by far the most attractively rendered characters. I found myself particularly drawn to the latter.

Green is an absolute master. In addition to Nothing I would recommend the rest of his books, especially Loving, Party Going, and Pack My Bags.

With a little patience, the reader will quickly adjust to the rhythms of one of English literature's most unique, and until recently, nearly forgotten novelists; and in the process enjoy an utterly and unabashedly charming and delightful novel. Years after having an affair that almost ruined their respective marriages, Jane Weatherby and John Pomfret are reunited when their children decide to get married despite questions regarding their possible kinship and the fact that they have almost no money to their name. Afraid that Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby are destined for the working-class, Jane and John attempt to stall the development of the wedding plans by having endlessly witty conversations about, well, nothing. This gives Jane -- a shrewd, resourceful widow -- the opportunity to embark on a scheme to lure John away from his current love interest. As the plot advances through discussions filled with misdirections and omissions, Green demonstrates that there is nothing like the spoken word to conceal one's true intentions, yet at the same time reveal everything. One of Green's final novels, Nothing is a worthy addition to the varied tradition of English literature that includes Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh. Fans of Austen, Forster, and Wharton should also be rewarded. Green's masterful description of the novel's centerpiece alone -- an as-if-you-were-there party -- is worth the price of purchase.

The British writer Henry Green's literary skill went far beyond a comedy of manners, which this book appears to be on the surface. Dense with meaning, "Nothing" is a short literary gem, which forces the reader to read a million nuances into the witty and yet deeply dense conversations which make up the entirety of the book. The story is set in 1948 and follows John and Jane, now middle aged but still reminiscing about an affair they had many years before when they were still married. They both have new relationships, Liz and Richard, but still see each other frequently for meals or for tea. Their respective children, Mary and Philip, are now grown and want to marry. But of course there are complications.

The world that the author creates for the reader is a very British one. The dialogue is precise but filled with hidden meanings, as what is unsaid is often even more important than what is said. There's a wonderful symmetrical balance in each of the conversations as well as in the structure of the book. The characters speak for themselves, with very little description, and, through their words alone, the twists and turns of the story emerge, the sounds of their voices echoing on the pages. The question of what really happened and is happening is always just beyond our reach, and the even though the characters might be moved around like chess pieces at the author's whim, they never do change or gain insight into their behavior. Surprisingly, this is still an amazingly satisfying read, as if is the reader himself or herself who gets to experience their world and gain insight into the inevitability of the conclusion. This book is a delightful read and a real treat. I highly recommend it.

The recent publication of a biography of Green encouraged me to revisit his books, which for years have been grossly and inexplicably neglected. I started with this one.

Nothing is based in London in 1948 and concerns two former lovers, John Pomfret and Jane Weatherby, who find their two children, Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby, are engaged to be married. Complicating things are Liz Jennings and Dick Abbot, the pair's current lovers. Jane still loves John and hatches a subtle plan to wreck the children's engagement and win him back. Things work out nicely in the end for everyone except poor Arthur Morris. Like almost all of Green's books, Nothing is about love.

One of the most curious thing about it is that it consists mainly of dialogue. It is almost a play rather than a novel. There is little descriptive narrative, unlike some of this earlier works. Happily Green gets the dialogue right. He has an extraordinary ear. Nothing is reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh (circa Vile Bodies) and Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time). John and Jane are by far the most attractively rendered characters. I found myself particularly drawn to the latter.

Green is an absolute master. In addition to Nothing I would recommend the rest of his books, especially Loving, Party Going, and Pack My Bags.

With a little patience, the reader will quickly adjust to the rhythms of one of English literature's most unique, and until recently, nearly forgotten novelists; and in the process enjoy an utterly and unabashedly charming and delightful novel. Years after having an affair that almost ruined their respective marriages, Jane Weatherby and John Pomfret are reunited when their children decide to get married despite questions regarding their possible kinship and the fact that they have almost no money to their name. Afraid that Mary Pomfret and Philip Weatherby are destined for the working-class, Jane and John attempt to stall the development of the wedding plans by having endlessly witty conversations about, well, nothing. This gives Jane -- a shrewd, resourceful widow -- the opportunity to embark on a scheme to lure John away from his current love interest. As the plot advances through discussions filled with misdirections and omissions, Green demonstrates that there is nothing like the spoken word to conceal one's true intentions, yet at the same time reveal everything. One of Green's final novels, Nothing is a worthy addition to the varied tradition of English literature that includes Virginia Woolf and Evelyn Waugh. Fans of Austen, Forster, and Wharton should also be rewarded. Green's masterful description of the novel's centerpiece alone -- an as-if-you-were-there party -- is worth the price of purchase.

I thought that this book was really good. I think that it will help kids understand how you should never judge people because that is what they did in the book. The neighbors judge Henry because he moved into a house and he did not fix it up so his neighbors cleaned his yard for him and was running him out. The neighbors did what they wanted but when he left the neighbors started to miss him. It shows that with him gone there was something special the people liked about him.

It may not last forever, but this book has momentarily knocked Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio" into second place. "Old Henry" is now my favorite all time book, even after having owned it for about seven years. Oh, I used to read it all the time to the kids, but the moment I realized this book is now, for the time being, my all-time favorite book, is when I sat in the emergency room late one recent Saturday night.

My wife was in another room, discovering she had a broken foot from a slip earlier that day on a basement floor made wet by water leaking in through the walls.

I spend far too much time doing home maintenance these days, mopping up wet basement floors, calculating how the house will be sided or painted, deciding whether topaint or replace a garage door, trimming hedges and yanking weeds.

All of these ridiculous, no-win chores simply chip away at the time I want for reading, writing and drawing. It is not enough that parenthood justly requires so much time and energy -- we signed on for that -- but the treadmill that is home maintenance is a horror for anyone who likes to sit by the bird feeder and read magazines.

I envy, then, Old Henry, who wants only to move in, leave things be, and read and draw while his neighbors are concerned about the length of his grass.

My uncle once explained to me why he barely ever trims his bushes. "I want them to express themselves," he said, comparing his free-flowing shrubs to the neighbors' which were stiff and buzzcut as military sentries.

So I used to read "Old Henry" for my kids. Now it is at my bedside, along with the magazines and feng shui books, all reminders that if I want to nurture my mind, I'll have to give up the landscaping and such, and while the water in the basement must be mopped up lest anyone else break a bone, that we actually do have the freedom to surrendur to nature, let it grow and grow around us, and in that sweet surrendur, curl up defeatedly with a book.

A most unusual children's book, Old Henry can be enjoyed by adults as well as children. The illustrations are particularly lovely and subtle; this book can be looked at many times, for the pictures alone. Old Henry is especially suitable for a child with learning disabilities and/or a language problem, or any child he feels he "doesn't fit in." The text is in rhymed verse, making it easier to follow the rhythm of the spoken word, and especially suitable for reading out loud. Also, the message of the book is that it is all right to be different or eccentric, even a hermit (in fact, Old Henry is something of a "slob," who doesn't maintain the house he has moved into. He prefers to paint or read.) Henry knows who he is, and how he wishes to spend his time, and he isn't bothering anybody. In fact, when he moves away (the neighbors pester him mercilessly to conform to their ways), the people in the town discover that they really miss this rugged individualist! In a society where everyone is strongly encouraged to conform, Old Henry is a refreshing reminder that it is all right to be eccentric. Your child will love hearing that from you!

I bought this book for my daughters because of the excellent illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Home, I sat on the sofa, girl on each side and read aloud. It didn't take long to finish this book that is written in verse. And it is a children's book, be assured of that. But, you know, the message here is one that would make this world a much better place if we adults would only open our eyes and see.

Sophie Cacique Gaul

Old Henry is a great childrens book that also has a moral. The moral of the story is that you should not judge a person for how they look, dress, or live but how they are as a person. The neighbor's of Henry in the story do just this and drive Henry to move away. The neighbors end up missing him and feel guilty about how they treated him. A child can learn a lot from the book.

An anthology of Mencken's newspaper reports and analyses on politics between 1920 and 1936. Most of them, I think, do not appear in any of the other various Mencken anthologies. They are written in lucid and musical prose, full of refreshing honesty and vigor.

This book is a collection of political columns, written mostly for the Baltimore Sun, that H.L. Mencken penned in the early twentieth century. In virtually every piece, Mencken advances the view that politicians are third-rate men, devoid of convictions, willing to follow any platform that will make them electable. The only politicians Mencken likes are those that he believes have spine. He detests politicians that waver, particularly those that try to sit on both sides of the fence on the abolition issue.
Mencken is at his best when he covers presidential campaigns, as he does in many columns in this collection. He revels in the empty rhetoric he hears, and describes the bilge to the reader in truculent and uncompromising language. The whole art of politics, to him, is circus-like. The pols are clowns and their election speeches are the main act.
Anyone looking for sober commentary should look elsewhere. But anyone looking for extremely witty, well-written and combative columns should pick up this collection. There is probably no better example of attack-dog journalism out there, nor is there likely a more entertaining way to get a quick history lesson on the important political figures and issues of the early twentieth century. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a book on H.L. Mencken, I would highly recommend "On Politics." This book highlights Mencken at his most acidic through his constant verbal jabs at the "holy" Woodrow Wilson, "Silent" Cal, the "royalist" Hoover, Roosevelt Minor and the stupidity of Warren Harding.(Note: Take a look at what Mencken writes about Harding's mangling of the english language and then compare it to what some modern columnists write about George W's handling of the language. It is truly scary how history repeats itself.)

Besides being an utterly hilarious look at the aforementioned presidents and American society in general, this book is quite eye-opening in terms of showing Mencken's political leanings. I always thought that Mencken was a pure liberatarian with his constant attacks on the New Deal and FDR. Actually, Mencken somewhat liked FDR up until he was elected. Mencken also sides with progressive politicians such as Robert M. LaFollete and expresses sympathy (or as much "sympathy" as the great misanthrope can express) for jailed socialist leader Eugene Debs. Nevertheless, all of the aforementioned people also receive Mencken verbal lashings.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in early 20th century American politics or for anyone with a slightly cynical bent. On days when you feel slightly misanthropic and (mad) at the world, read "On Politics" and you feel much, much better.

Favorite Mencken Quote: "All artists are idiots."

Mencken was the UberMensch. We are all monkeys beside him. Some of his best work, in my opinion, can be found in this collection. The America he covered (or uncovered) so masterfully almost a century ago is eerily similar to the one we live in today. In fact, nothing has changed. Computers may have replaced typewriters, but the Boobery remain the same, not to mention the politicians who so easily manipulate them. Read this book and evolve!

Buy everything you can find that was written by H. L Mencken, this collection is no exception. Mencken was one of the most influential and popular men of letters in America. He covered the Scopes Monkey Trial as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and was editor of two literary magazines: Smart Set and the American Mercury. His popularity waned for a variety of reasons. While he teased presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, he gave no quarter when it came to FDR, referring to him "Dr. Roosevelt" and "Roosevelt minor." He had little use for the New Deal. "The New Deal began, like the Salvation Army, by promising to save humanity. It ended, again like the Salvation Army, by running flop-houses and disturbing the peace." This and his pro-German attitudes didn't go over too well in the depression and war years. But over the last twenty or thirty years Mencken has enjoyed a resurgence or interest and popularity. As a journalist, a wit and a social critic he has no peer today.

This is nature writing which deviates quietly and profoundly from the main American currents. In the 1940s, Sally Carrighar spent her summers in a cabin in Sequoia National Park. She distilled her observations into this exploration of the experiences of nine creature during a single day near the same granite cliff. The interlocking portraits are engaging and convincing. Carrighar keeps the inevitable anthropomorphization to a minimum. Her descriptions allow us to enter into the animals' sensations and impulses. A deer mouse "wanted the walls of the nook to press her all over, but however she crouched, one of her sides had no touch of shelter on it." A lizard is tempted by "a gamey, delicately tart green leafhopper." A chickaree giving an alarm call "jerked, as if he were a little bag filled to bursting with bright sound that piped out whenever the bag was jostled."

Unlike Thoreau and all his literary descendants, Carrighar does not focus on the spiritual reverberations of nature in the human soul, and she does not speak of herself. In his introduction to the California Legacy Book edition, David Rains Wallace highlights her "down-to-earth, impersonal" approach. Today's nature writers, perhaps influenced by postmodernism and multiculturalism's emphases on individual perspective, rarely attempt to enter the consciousness of other beings. Perhaps they avoid cuteness, projection, and presumption that way. They also miss a chance to help us realize that other creatures exist as hungrily as we do.

As a veteran reader of nature writing, I am embarrassed to say that I felt surprised when this book made me remember that the animals I glimpse and don't glimpse on the trail must have continuous, emotional and sensory lives. I felt like going outside to watch a bluejay for an hour. I felt that the jay wouldn't bore me and I might be able to figure out what the he was up to.

Carrighar didn't entice me with the promise of objective knowledge of a secret kingdom. Rather, she made me wonder if I could achieve a sense of home in that kingdom through intimate knowledge. Though she never describes her own process of observation, Carrighar offers herself as a teacher. With her clear, faithful gaze, she comes as close to joining the community of Beetle Rock as a human can.

I haven't finished reading this book because I don't want it to end. Each chapter takes you through the same day as the other chapters, only from the vantage point of a different animal. Most humans don't have a clue as to the life of any other species 24/7. The detail, the nuance, the empathy that Carrigher brings is stunning, without being anthropomorphic. I'm starting a book club based on this book.

Each chapter is about a day's adventure of one of the animals (Weasel, Sierra Grouse, Chickaree, Black Bear, Lizard, Coyote, Deer Mouse, Stellar Jay & Mule Deer) on the rock and surrounding forests and meadows. Sally Carrighar compresses her observations into one day and weaves a fine tale of the activities and imagined-thoughts of each animal.

This is one of my favorite books. Carrighar writes about the lives of nine animals during one day in Sequoia National Park, one chapter per animal. Each animal interacts with the world and fellow creatures in its own way, and each has its own problems and anxieties -- which creates dramatic interest. Carrighar anthropomorphizes her characters, but convincingly and unobtrusively -- how could you avoid it in a book of this type? The writing beautifully describes sounds, scents, the play of light on leaves, etc.

This book, written from the point of view of each of a series of animals living around Beetle Rock, follows the web of life and illustrates the beauty of the natural world. This is a book for anyone seeking to understand the natural world, and anyone who truly loves animals.

This book is not for amature astronomers. The explainations require some previous knowledge. The information is very acurate and in depth. The pictures are wonderful.

Now that science fact has become stranger than science fiction, it's good to have a book that explains the physical universe in clear prose and pictures. The authors' stated intention is to make readers feel "at home in the Cosmos," although many of the astronomical photographs might leave us a bit in awe of the place where we live. In fact, I'm surprised that the authors didn't use more images from the Hubble space telescope. Perhaps it is because their stated intention is to explain, not simply astound. Conceptual drawings such as "How protons decay" are also found in abundance.

Tyson, Liu, and Irion introduce readers to 'the' golden age of astronomy (Right here. Right now) and explain the principles that govern our everyday lives, as well as the workings of the cosmos. That's quite a lot to accomplish in a book that is also a visual feast (400 full-color illustrations). However, the authors are well-suited to tackle the job. Neil de Grasse Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Charles Liu is an astrophysicist at the Museum. Robert Irion is a free-lance journalist, and a contributing editor and correspondent to Astronomy and Science.

Using everyday analogies (as opposed to mathematical formulae), the authors take us on a journey through our universe, from the infinitesimal to the infinite. Here is an example illustrating Newton's second law of motion:

"Imagine standing behind two people wearing roller skates. One is a 90-pound ballerina, and the other is a sumo wrestler who weighs five times as much. If you push on each person with equal force (and tact), you will accelerate the ballerina five times more quickly. That ratio holds true in space as well."

"One Universe" includes an illustrated timeline of the major advances in astronomy and physics, from Democritus to Hale-Bopp.

Want to know what a supernova, neutron star or black hole is, explained in everyday language? If so then this is the book you are looking for. Simply put, it's the perfect source for easy to understand explanations about all facets of astronomy and astrophysics. Find out how astronomers know the universe is expanding, how they determine how far away other galaxies are, or how a supernova happens. Learn about energy and particle physics, all explained in an intelligent yet easy to understand fashion. Learn about the different states of matter, about energy and Einsteins theory of relativity. Nicely formatted with stunning graphics, I highly recommend this book, especially to those with no background in the sciences who are looking for a simple, easy to understand yet intelligent explanation of science.

This work would make a wonderful gift for a student in
grammar school or early high school. It has a thorough
explanation of the color band, motion and energy.
Major Newtonian laws are explained and demonstrated. The author
demonstrates comparative orbital forms; such as, the arch,
ellipse, parabola and hyperbola. He explains how changes
in matter are a function of temperature, pressure and density
factors. The work concludes with some important theories of
an expansive universe. The book is challenging-intellectually.
The science is firmly grounded in classic theories of
Sir Isaac Newton and a host of other important mathematicians
and physicists.

The beauty of this book is apparent as soon as you open it. It is filled with wonderful pictures that help to explain the valuable information that is contained in this book. Neil De Grasse Tyson has taken the information that most of us find to difficult to understand and brought it to a level that makes it not only understandable, but exciting to read. The pictures give us a visual understanding of the dynamics of all the things around us. This is a book for all, young and old. I especially found it to be a great way to stimulate the minds of our youth, who seem to have lost interest in many of the sciences. This book breathes new life into a subject that affects all of us.