Johnston Books

I received this book 22 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I have given it as a gift to each friend who became pregnant. It is funny but oh so true. It makes you realize that you are not the only one going through it but in a very funny way.

Throw away the Brazelton. Throw away the Spock. Buy the set of Johnston books on pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenthood. You will gain far more wisdom. Well, maybe not wisdom. Certainly perspective! Lynn helped me and many other incipient/new parents put the whole "kid thing" into perspective. You gotta laugh at the whole situation from time-to-time.

This is one of Lynn Johnston's earlier works before she became famous for her cartoon strip "For Better or Worse".

Unlike the strip "For Better or Worse" which is centred around the Patterson family and usually has a continuing story line this book contains one panel gags (101 in total) and has a variety of characters in it. Although for those who have followed her cartoons you may be able to find a young Elly & Michael Patterson in the book.

The book has a lot of funny gags told from a variety of perspectives including from the first time parents, expectant mothers, fathers, siblings etc.

It would make the ideal present for someone who is expecting or for someone who is a Lynn Johnston fan.

This book, written primarily for Anglicans/Episcopalians, is a concise and wonderful answer to Christians who give the Bible too much prominence in their faith-life, those who are perhaps guilty of practicing "Bibliolatry." Without disrespecting the Good Book, Johnston speaks about the importance of reading the Bible within the context of a community of faith, and like communities of faith, the Bible is a living and ever-changing thing. I especially appreciated the distinction he draws between reading the Bible literally, historically, and prophetically. And anyone who considers the Bible to be a sacred text needs to read it in all three senses. Reading the Bible literally means to read exactly what's on the page (not to read into it things you remember for Sunday School or Christmas pageants)--to see it with fresh eyes. To read it historically means to be reasonably curious about the story behind the scene and to be willing to do a little background research to better understand the context of these ancient texts. And to explore the Bible in its prophetic sense is to be willing to understand what the text has to say about the way we apply the lessons of the Bible and live out our own lives today. One statement Johnston makes that I will continue to ponder for some time is, "Bible readers in Christian communities do not so much need experts as they do adepts, skilled readers who can both instruct and inspire with their own passion for the Bible" (p. 40).

The last three chapters ("Who is the God of the Bible?", "Who is the Jesus of the Bible?", and "The Word as Sacrament") are especially thought-provoking. ENGAGING THE WORD is volume three in a twelve-part series called "The New Church's Teaching Series." Volume 2, OPENING THE BIBLE by Robert Ferlo, is also worth reading and deals with more practical issues about what Christians should know in order to begin a meaningful and satisfying practice of reading the Bible.

This book is a very in-depth look at how to read scriptures. It has a lot of helpful information, but it's also somewhat boring. However, it is written for the general population and does not read like a textbook. The author suggests reading it with a bible at hand, and that is helpful. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a lot about how to really read scripture in depth.

The Episcopal church in the twentieth century took advantage of the general availability of publishing to good advantage, compiling through several auspices different collections and teaching series, the latest of which was only completed a few years ago. There have been 'unofficial' collections of teaching texts, such as the Anglican Studies Series by Morehouse press, put out in the 1980s, as well as an earlier teaching series. However, each generation approaches things anew; the New Church Teaching Series, published by Cowley Publications (a company operated as part of the ministry of the Society of St. John the Evangelist - SSJE - one of the religious/monastic communities in the Episcopal church, based in the Boston area) is the most recent series, and in its thirteen volumes, explores in depth and breadth the theology, history, liturgy, ethics, mission and more of the modern Anglican vision in America.

This third volume, 'Engaging the Word' by Michael Johnston, picks up where second volume leaves off. Whereas Ferlo in the second volume looks at the Bible as a document in practice and development, Johnston's emphasis is on interpretation and meaning.

The first several chapters of this look at narratives - stories. How does one tell the story? What are the important aspects of retelling the story, and of receiving the story? How do we adapt the story to our own situations and make it our own? There are key stories in the biblical text - the Abraham cycle, the story of the Exodus, the gospel stories of Jesus - identifying these and the worlds they came from are key steps. Re-reading to grasp aspects of community is also a critical step - Johnston uses the example of the gospel of John and the Johannine relationship with the more-dominant Jewish culture to show the complexities that can arise. These first three chapters can be considered strategy sessions.

The next chapters look at methods and uses. Johnston discusses some of the more recent hermeneutic processes, as well as methods for tying things together to make general sense. These can then be turned to answering critical questions such as 'Who is God?' and 'Who is Jesus?' The key purpose to all of this is to build community and find the place of Jesus. In his epilogue, Johnston focuses upon two particular pieces from the Emmaus text (Luke 24:27 and Luke 24:30-31) that locate Jesus for us; we must also find and form ourselves in process with these.

Anglicanism is sometimes accused of not taking the Bible seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth, as this text will indicate. The Anglican church requires no particular hermeneutical framework, nor any particular translation of the text to be used. However, this freedom is accompanied by the longer traditions of the church that give respect and authority to certain kinds of interpretation over others.

Michael Johnston is an Episcopal priest who has taught Bible study and classes in lots of parish groups. He has also taught at Seabury-Western (the Episcopal seminary in Chicago) and his diocese's school for deacons.

Each of the texts is relatively short (only two of the volumes exceed 200 pages), the print and text of each easy to read, designed not for scholars but for the regular church-goer, but not condescending either - the authors operate on the assumption that the readers are genuinely interested in deepening their faith and practice. Each volume concludes with questions for use in discussion group settings, and with annotated lists of further readings recommended.

Another Great book to visit the Patterson's with. "For Better / For Worse" has to be one of the best comic strips of all time. It really makes you think, "They are just like my family", and if you do not have kids, read the books so you know what to prepare for.

This cloying book is designed to soothe and nurture away your every worries and insecuries as you go through each stage of life from being born to growing up to mating to having children to growing old to finally waiting for the Grim Reaper, only that this comic strip really has nothing to do with real life, WHATEVER.

In this book, the parents magically obtain a popular toy shop with a basement chock full of rare treasures that would make the family instantly rich and reunited with their own rugrat days. Then there's the heroic princes and princesses. Handsome young Michael and his doe-eyed blonde princess, Deanna decide to secretly elope to escape an overbearing old Queen who wants to throw her little girl a huge, glamorous wedding ceremony. And, Prince Michael's childhood pal has fled an odorious existence with his cruel stepfather to build a fabulous gas-service world with his sweet wifesy and two precious little cherubs. Princess Elizabeth has finally left her nubile "Lolita" phrase and blossomed into a pretty, perfect young woman who coyly avoids every male's desiring clutches and parties forever with her perfect, colorful roommate. And Little Princess April continues to look and act like a precocious kindergartner with innocence and spunkiness oozing out her ears at age 10 and even outsmarts a big bad bully before she SAVES his life.

And the irony is that this comic strip had orginally started out as a SATIRE on the dewy-eyed world of family that "Family Circus" and "Hi & Lois" had built up during the Baby Boomer days. Today, I wouldn't even be surprised if a fire-breathing dragon suddenly appears out of the blue to snatch away Princess Elizabeth or one of Gordon's apple-cheeked tots.

To me for better or for worse is sort of the story of my life. And it kind of is the story of everybodys life. The Patterson family resembles the modern family. There are some good moments and bad moments. There are surprising moments and boring moments. And like life on the outside world people age and people die. People get married and sometimes people have hardships. Lynn Johnston is a brilliant cartoonist. She captures true family life and captures the relationships of the familys with eachother, their friends and their pets. Over the course of the strip the family pet has passed away and a friend announced something personal, and people have got married. I definetly woould reccomend this.

I enjoyed reading this book, and would suggest it to others looking for a good romantic novel . . .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever

...Just a short note to say that this was a good book -- well worth the cost. I love what happened to Millicent (the Fairy God Mother) in the end!

A real cute Cinderella story. The fairy godmother was a real laugh. It was very captivating. I read it in only 2 day. The main character are chaming and delightful.

Galambo's writing style and use of plots at the appropriate detail make this a very useful book. It is directed toward a mature readership fairly aquainted with existing standards such as the AISC. The chapters on plate girders and box girders are exceptionally well written. This edition is about 1 1/2 times the content of the third edition due to the addition of the box girder chapter and the greater content of data. Next to the AISC manuals, this should be on every structural engineer's book shelf.

This book is an absolute mandatory purchase for anybody who needs to know the origin of AISC, AISI, etc, stability design criteria. The references alone are worth the price.

It is not a textbook, so would not be useful for typical structural design engineers or students. It does not go into detailed derivations, but is clearly written and points the reader to all the right sources for the details.

DBD

Galambos covers many topics that aren't even addressed in other texts, let alone the codes. It is a compendium of knowledge covering the mundane, standard areas as well as special situations that are maddening to research when you come across them.

This is the television equivalent of a local delight, like the Space Needle or Dick's Drive-In, that simply cannot be replicated like Starbucks or Must See T.V. to every streetcorner in the ideosphere. It just don't work that way.

In the era of one-culture-fits-all, this book reminds us that we all need local color like J.P.

The book is solid, full of photos and backstage stories that clear up a few things that were mysteries to me as a child.

A blessing on this book and on the whole City Dump!

I loved growing up a Patches Pal with JP Patches, Gertrude and the rest. This book if full of pictures and memories as well as great behind the scenes stories.
Like others who are quoted in the story, meeting JP Patches was a thrill in my life. Glancing through the book I started to read it and ended up reading it in one sitting; it was wonderful but could have been longer!!![.]
If you grew up in the Seattle area in the 50's - 70's you'll enjoy this book.
We love you JP Patches! (I rated this 4 rather than 5 stars as I wanted the book to be longer.)

I was there when the show began and was there until it finished.
It was one heck of a ride!
If you are ignorant of the greatest bunch of folks that ever graced Seattle, then I feel sorry for you.
I even met J.P. on several occasions and was in several parades with him as one of the Merry Maker Clowns many years ago.
This book is a must for your J.P. Patches memorabilia library. Along with the videos, t-shirts, actions figure and bobble-head doll.
Thank you J.P., Gertrude, and the City Dump gang for such wonderful memories.
Television was less enjoyable and never the same when your show was taken off the air.

That Gunther Fraschka is a hero worshipper, not a biographer and certainly not a scholar, is painfully evident in this collection of sketches purporting to commemorate the deeds of Hitler's greatest heroes. Worse, his writing style is atrocious (or Johnston's translation is), consisting of prose more appropriate to a high-school essay than a serious study of the essence of heroism, and the 27 men considered here certainly qualify as subjects for any such investigation. I invite the reader to consider Fraschka's essay on Genraloberst der Waffen SS Joseph ("Sepp") Dietrich. Fraschka completely glosses over Dietrich's involvement in the "Roehm Putsch" of 1934 and the Malmedy massacre in 1944. I would not expect him to pillory Dietrich for whatever real responsibility he had in these events, but I hoped for an honest appraisal, not the gloss he gives us here. I would like to believe too that Dietrich stood up to Hitler, but Fraschka cites no sources for writing that he did, nor does he give a shred of evidence that he approved of the July 1944 assassination plot. It would be nice to know that this man was as brave in front of Der Fuhrer as he was in front of the Russians. But I give this book 3 stars anyway. In this age of "leaders" who've never worn a uniform much less placed their sacred persons in harm's way for a cause larger than themselves, men who have made careers out of living off the public interest, men who order others to do what they'd never dare themselves, men who cannot even control their base animal instincts, the deeds of the 27 Knights whose stories appear in this flawed book nevertheless shine brightly. Read it, but with caution.

This book consists of 27 short biographies of the men who won the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves Swords, and Diamonds.

Many of the men are quite famous, but unless you are an expert on the subject, I am sure several of these mens histories will be quite new to most readers.

One reviewer criticized the book for not discussing Peipers evil doings. That is not the point of the book, it was written to tell of the deeds that these men performed to earn the award.

I do agree with the other reviewers that the translation is quite bad, but it does not take away from the book.

I am well read on the German army, and have been a WWII reenactor for several years, I am well versed on the subject, but there was still much to learn from reading this book.

I'm not an expert so I can't vouch for the details but only 27 of Germany's heroes won the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Their's was a war of skill, courage, and sheer will against an endless, unremitting tide of the Allies' personnel and machinery.

All 27 are covered in Knights: Panzer commanders, U-boat captains, combat generals, Hans Rudel (the Stuka pilot), and fighter pilots. Fighter pilots included Adolf Galland, Werner Mölders, Gordon Gollob, Hermann Graf (200 kills in 13 months), Erich Hartmann (353 kills in 30 months), and Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer. Called the "Night Ghost" by the British bomber crews, Schnaufer shot down 4 bombers a night for 5 consecutive nights and once destroyed 5 bombers in 14 minutes.

Hans-Joachim Marseille was known by his friends as the "Southern Star." This lone fighter preferred to attack an entire squadron of Spitfires (at least 5) with his single aircraft. He never completed a sortie without a kill and often got all five enemies. The British had standing orders not to engage the wild but chivalrous warrior they called the "Eagle of Africa." He died in a 1942 aircraft accident with 158 kills. He was 22. Knights of the Reich is truly an exhilarating and inspiring book that tells of war time heroics and the sad tale of the heroes treatment by their cruel victors.

Terry Johnston writes like a man who was there as events unfolded. He leaves no doubt that he was there--not during the events, but at the locations. Weaving contemporary newspaper articles and original letters throughout the text firmly roots this novel in time and space. This, plus occasional historical footnotes quenches a historian's thirst for authenticity. It made me want to go and visit these places for myself, equipped with Johnton's literary visual aids.

Terry Johnston's "Lay the Mountains Low" is a must for the avid fan of western history. Part of the Plainsmen series, we are not gifted with the rugged Irishman Sheamus Donnegan, as he is on duty miles away trying to quell a different Indian uprising (this makes Johnston's writing less fictionalized)instead we fall in love with numerous characters both Native American and European. This is the second part to a trilogy about the Nez Perce War of 1877, focusing on the drama which occurred after the Battle of White Bird Canyon and culminating with the tragic Big Hole Battle. Johnston takes you to the campsite, the fort, the trail ride, the battle ridge, and makes you consider how you would stand up against the elements, enemy and morality. Without a doubt, this is Johnston's best piece of work and is a must read for all fans of the Great American West. Make special note to read the afterword as Johnston provides information on his fact-finding trips thoroughout the West. Johnston provides valuable information and insight to battle sites, cemeteries, forts and historical road-side stops...again, Johnston gives the reader a seat on the fifty yard line to some of our nation's most famous locations.

As always with Terry, a great book, an excellent way to learn about the history of the American West. If you are looking for a typical shootem up western this is not the book for you. This book is not for the faint hearted, there are few heros here, just a people fighting for their freedom and their lives against impossible odds. There is a lot of pain and and heart break here for both the Nez Perce and the whites, but mostly for the Nez Perce. This book really got to me, it was heart breaking reading what happened to the innocents on both sides. My family,s history goes back over 150 years in the west, so Terry,s books have special meaning for me. Read this book and you will never forget it.

I, too, am a fan of Lynn Johnston's comic strip, but it at no time conjures up the word "hip." Much of its charm is that it conveys an "unhip" feeling, even while addressing modern situations. Wholesomeness, humor, warm family ties and loyal friendships, yes. Hip? No, I don't think so. That does not mean that I don't recommend the book. It just doesn't scream "hip." The Hipster Handbook illustrates in great detail the hippest of the hip. If you want to read a book on leaving home that would appeal to the young and the hip, try 50 Ways to Leave Your Mother.
That said, I still would recommend Leaving Home: Survival of the Hippest for its humorous take on the pitfalls of kids living on their own for the first time. The author has done a nice job of putting forth life lessons of the young and the clueless with her wonderful sense of humor.

Another Great book to visit the Patterson's with. "For Better / For Worse" has to be one of the best comic strips of all time. It really makes you think, "They are just like my family", and if you do not have kids, read the books so you know what to prepare for.

I enjoy collecting works by Lynn Johnson. However, this is NOT a yearly collection or a "Best of..." book. Having said that, it is a book with some practical, but fun advice for those who are leaving home. Since I've been on my own for over 10 years, this was not a very interesting read. Instead, I gave it to a high school graduate in hopes that he would learn a few things through the chuckles. Overall, it's a good book, but not one worth keeping in my collection.

This is the book that started it all with the Long Tall Texan series for me: I fell in love with Corrigan and his brothers, and cheered for Dorie. Each successive book has been a delight, even if Ms. Palmer does make minor mistakes in the horsemanship in some of her stories.

I really enjoyed this book. Both stories were great but I especially loved the story of Corrigan and Dorie. I really hope Diana Palmer writes the story of the remaining brothers.

It was good reading. It also makes you hope that she will write something in the future relating to the three remaining bachelor brothers.