Meyer Books

Wow, when I first started to read this book I had no idea what it was about at all. I am glad I read it though. It is a tale of a poor young lad going out to sea for adventure, only to have the most nightmarish and strange tragedies befall him in rapid succession.

It starts out innocent enough, but soon the vivid descriptions of the wild situations that take place draw you into the book. Even though some of the events happening would make any normal man wish for death. However Poe does a good job balancing the dramatic storytelling without overdoing it.

Poe only wrote one novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. The novel is a series of amazing adventures that happen to the young Pym. Pym hides in a casket-like box in a ship, along with a rotten ham and several bottles of liquor and a cask of wine. While trapped under the deck, Pym finds that his dog has also joined him in his misadventure. The book takes you through Pym's experiences of being trapped under deck without food or water. He also experiences a mutiny where a faction of the crew take over the ship and kill many of the other crew members before putting the captain and a few honest sailors into a small boat with now paddles or compass. Pym, his friend the Captain's son, and a super strong sailor who participated in the mutiny stick together for survival sake, especially around the African blood thirsty cook who beheads other sailors. The sailor who mentors Pym is half black and half white, which Poe calls a 'hybrid'. They undergo a range of adventures with a death ship full of corpses, and storms so violent that the ship is reduced to ruins. They are reduced to cannibalism and draw straws to determine who will be dinner. They find and eat a dead polar bear. They pass many icebergs until the water becomes warm and tropical as they get near Antarctica. They find a tropical island full of black men who become very treacherous to our heroes. They escape the island and get caught in a giant whirlpool that is going into the center of the earth, where they see a gigantic white glowing figure. Then Poe pulls a fast one on us and tells us that the final 3 chapters of Pym's narrative have been lost and unfortunately young Pym has recently died.

What do we make of this crazy tale? This novel influenced Borges, Melville, and Jules Verne. Yet it is an odd novel, with an abrupt and truncated ending. In some ways it is a series of short stories strung together, each short story meant to give impressions of horror and adventure. Yet, I could not get over a distinct impression that Poe had written himself into a corner with no escape (after all what can possibly come after going into the center of the earth on a whirlpool at the south pole and seeing God or a giant angel?) and thus he wraps up the story in a very untidy manner.

At times, Poe's descriptions of horror are extremely beautiful and masterly. The ghost ship description is especially well done. At other times he develops a careful plot of intrigue and betrayal. The sections about the tribe of black men is very well constructed. At other times he is very abrupt and shocking, such as the immediate stabbing death of the poor man who was sacrificed so that the others could eat him and survive.

This brings up the topic as to whether a good novel must tie up all lose ends for the reader in a tidy plot resolution package? If this is what you seek in a novel, Arthur Gordon Pym is not the book for you. However if you are willing to go on an awkward journey with a skilled but uneven writer,then you will enjoy this unique novel.

Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is one of the most relevant and significant novels of Poe. His passionate literary style, told in first person, tells us about the hidden incursion of Arthur in a boat that will make a tour through the east coasts of South America.

The prodigious imagination and febrile mood, make of it an issue of invaluable and beating actuality.

The white color will impregnate the work as another invisible actor. And its final is still one of the most sublime and admired ever written.

Suspense and horror pervade Poe's full-length story of entombment, mutiny, shipwreck, cannibalism, and more--a veritable catalog of all the human fears and foibles that Poe depicts in his more widely read tales of mystery and imagination.

The novel opens with a prefatory episode, in which Pym describes a truly harrowing night at sea when he and his best friend Augustus, after having far too much to drink, went sailing during a storm. Instead of curing Pym of his wanderlust, the experience and Augustus's anecdotes about sea life fill his head with abnormally romantic visions of "shipwreck and famine; of captivity among barbarian hordes; of a lifetime dragged out in sorrow and tears, upon some grey and desolate rock, in an ocean unapproachable and unknown." It's an accurate summary of what ensues, and although it may sound a lot like Defoe, Poe livens things up with his own special brand of horror.

After this preview, the rest of the novel feels like two main stories patched together around a central character. In the first adventure, Pym stows away on the ship owned by Augustus's father and emerges to discover that there has been a mutiny. The second half imagines a sort of "lost horizon" in the midst of Antarctica; instead of ice, there are temperate islands populated by devilishly affectionate natives.

It's rip-roaring fun, and it slows down only in between, when Pym travels through the Galapagos Islands on the way to the South Pole. These chapters, paraphrased and plagiarized rather shamelessly from contemporary travel accounts, abound in longitudinal measurements (a map will come in handy) and summaries of previous real-life explorations of the South Seas. The interlude as a whole is remarkably similar to Poe's unfinished (and languid) novel, "The Journal of Julius Rodman," published two years later, which also purports to be an account of unexplored territory--in this case, the Rocky Mountains. The fact that Poe had never been to either location doesn't help his fiction.

But don't let these skimmable chapters put you off. Readers who enjoy such classics as "Robinson Crusoe" or "Treasure Island" will find "Arthur Gordon Pym" a thrilling contribution to the adventure genre. It is also one of his more accessible works for young readers, often resembling a yarn of the high seas, without the ponderous metaphysics that bog down some of Poe's shorter pieces of fiction. And fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror will be interested in the novel's obvious influence on later writers such as Jules Verne (who even wrote a largely forgotten sequel, "The Sphinx of the Ice Fields") and, of course, H. P. Lovecraft (most notably his story "At the Mountains of Madness").

Claiming that this is the true narrative of a sea voyage by Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Edgar Allen Poe records the strange, unbelievable events aboard the ship Grampus in 1827 and on a voyage of discovery to the Antarctic six months later. Published in 1838, Poe's fictionalized narrative, supposedly penned by Pym, a young man from Nantucket, describes Pym's experiences beginning in July, 1827. Stowed away in the hold of the ship and aided by his friend Augustus Barnard, whose father is captain of the Grampus, Pym endures more than a week alone and in almost total darkness before he discovers that a mutiny has occurred onboard.

Macabre details of ghastly deaths and unrelieved bloodlust, the massacre of the crew, and the casting adrift of the captain presage even more gory events. A countermutiny, equally bloody, leaves only four men alive on the Grampus. A gale, a gruesome death ship which passes them, circling sharks, and additional deaths leave only two men alive when the brig capsizes.

The second half of the account details the trip of discovery taken by Pym and the other survivor, along with an English crew from a passing ship, south to the "Antarctic Sea," a voyage in which they go "more than eight degrees farther south than any previous navigators." On this journey they encounter a monstrous "Arctic bear," more than 15 feet long, a cat-like animal with red teeth and claws, warm water with Galapagos tortoises, a series of islands inhabited by canoe-paddling natives, the Aurora Borealis, hot and milky water, white ashy showers, and a huge human figure in white, not the sights reported by later Antarctic explorers.

Poe's only novel, in the romantic tradition of sea adventures, presages the publication of Melville's Typee, which is a true story. In this case, Poe plays with the reader's sense of reality, claiming that his fictional narrative is true and that the fictional Pym had "refused" to publish it because he thought no one would believe his tale. Ironies abound, matched only by the romantic embellishments and imaginative "discoveries" in Antarctica that make this fast-paced narrative as full of tense drama as any soap opera. The abrupt "conclusion" remains ironically inconclusive. Breathless excitement and near death experiences, combined with mystical visions and inexplicable events, make this exciting narrative fun to read. Mary Whipple

I've read many biographies of rock personalities and other famous people. This one is better than most. It provides a balanced viewpoint with input from varying sources. A good read for Gram Parsons fans.

A superb book on Gram Parsons. It probes the genius and vulnerability of this great talent. I, for one appreciate the authors in-depth telling of this man's life. One can only imagine the even greater impact he would have had on the music world had his life not been cut so drastically short. It is a true loss for everyone.

This book starts REALLY slowly!!! It digs really deeply into Gram's family ..... generations before he's born. I'm sure the stories about his well-to-do family was meant to add background to his own messed-up personality. But it was really boring. The book picks up when Gram finally gets out and starts making music.

This is an amazing book for anyone who is interested in music from the 50s - 70s.
While reading I suggest you listen to the music discussed to truly appreciate the details and evolution of Gram's contribution to American music. enjoy!

I've already read the Ben Fong-Torres bio, as well as the Sid Griffin bio.....now, while I am not a Gram-o-phile, I am most definitely a Nez-head. And based on the countless errors I am reading about Mike Nesmith, I wonder just how much research went into this book?

1) "Nesmith...the iconic Monkee, the one who could actually play his instrument." Never mind that Peter Tork was a clasically trained pianist, French horn player and FAR better guitarist than Nesmith...

2) Red Rhodes was "a regular contributor to ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith's country-rock First National Band." Hmmm...seems he ought to have been *in* the band with all of those contributions....oh wait....he was.

3) David Barry "played piano on Michael Nesmith's Country Time Records recordings." They served a lot of lemonade during those sessions, apparently. It was Countryside Records.

4) Red Rhodes "played on Elvis Presley's records." Let's name them:

5)Red Rhodes was the CMA's "Steel Guitar Player of the Year from 1965 through 1968." Close...but Red did not win in 1966. Ralph Mooney and Tom Brumley shared the award that year.

That many omissions on some sidebars to the main story make me wonder how many omissions are in the main story itself.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is set in 1921, in Dillon, Texas. In the midst of the city of supremacist whites, there is an all black neighborhood called Freedomtown. The majority of the residents of Freedomtown make their livings by working for the white residents in one way or another. Life goes on peacefully enough until Rose Lee Jefferson, a young girl who resides in Freedomtown with her family, discovers that the whites are planning to raze the neighborhood to build themselves a park.

This story chronicles the struggle between the oppressed residents of Freedomtown and the racially prejudiced whites determined to have their way. Obviously I won't reveal the outcome, but I'll say that the characters are developed so that they are quite endearing, especially Rose Lee's jovial Grandfather Jim, obstinate Grandmother Lila, and schoolgirlish Catherine Jane Bell. This book shows very well the frustrations of the segregated South in the early twentieth century, and one can relate to the helpless feeling that the Jim Crow laws created amongst the Black community. A definite must-read.

In 1921 some of the white folks decide to move the "coloreds" out of the middle of Freedomtown because it is in the middle of Dillon, all the coloreds must take action. The only reason they are making the coloreds move is because they don't want them right smack in the middle of Dillon and they want a park built in Freedomtown. The whites decide to take a vote the day after July 4th about whether they should keep the coloreds in Freedomtown or move them, and Rose Lee finds herself in a mess, she must be a food server to the Bells because her cousin Cora has fallen ill and she also finds herself a spy, giving any information that she hears about Freedomtown to the colored men of Dillon. Rose Lee also finds herself getting Henry out of two sticky situations and helping out an old friend, Catherine Jane. Soon Rose Lee has to answer these questions to herself, will she ever see her friends again? If the families of Freedomtown are kicked out of Freedomtown where will they move? Also, will she be able to find a way to save Henry's life?

The characters were so realistic and I think that the author did a good job of describing places and things and people. But I think that Henry is so mean. I think that this book wasn't boring so anyone who does, i don't agree. Why does this book even be considered boring? I think it is very cool. I wish I could tell Carolyn Meyer that. I like meeting authors face to face. Teacher's like this book also, because it receieved a teacher's choice award in 1991.

In 1920's, Dillon Texas, Negroes worked like slaves, but the really were not. Rose Lee, a young girl not more then twelve years of age, lived with her mother, father, older brother, and two younger sisters, in their small house. Dillon is a very racist city. The Negroes had to stay in their own territory, which they liked to call Freedom, except for when they had to work. Rose Lee, along with her cousin, Cora, aunt, Tillie, and grandfather, Jim, worked at a white family's house, the Bell's. The Bell family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Bell, son, Edward, and daughter, Catherine Jane.

All seemed to be going well until a vote to change Freedom into a park changed the lives of these Negroes forever. People try to speak out to the public and try to get the public and try to get them to vote to let Freedom stay. The book includes the Ku Klux Klan, and they do some pretty mean things to the people of Freedom and their town. You will have to read the book to find out what happens.

I thought the book is definitely a book everyone should read. Carolyn Meyer teaches the people that read this book she wrote, about how some black people were treated many years ago, and how some may still be treated like this in some places of the world. The Ku Klux Klan is still in the world today, when they should not be. When you read this story, you feel poorly for the Negroes. The majority of the White people in this book do not care about the black people. Some of the characters, like Catherine Jane, are friendly to the Negroes.

I loved this book. It told the facts, while also telling the story of a young girl. This book is showing Denton that we don't have to hide our past. It's better to get it out in the open. I read this as a class assignment, but I loved it. I truly recommend it.

They sent me a different edition than what I order so I was a little mad about that but i was still able to use it for class.

As an undergraduate student of history and a Mexican born dual citizen I find this book to be a great work of historical analysis and research. I own the 2003 edition, thus I have owned it for several years. When I came to study abroad in Mexico, this was one of the books I brought with me. The authors hold an objective tone in their easy-to-read scholarly writing. It is very comprehensive and it includes various sub-themes per chapter such as: Women and Society, Culture and Society, Intellectuals and Society, etc.

It also includes various helpful charts and tables to explain data and recent information. As any concise history, it is very brief on some important events but nonetheless it includes the most important facts of the events. For example, the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968 is explained in a couple pages, but the elements of the basics are there.

I have used this book to do my essays and research both in California and in Mexico. I strongly recommend this book to any student of history, politics, or economy and to the lay and curious reader as well.

Had to buy this book for a Modern Mexican History class, so I only read the chapters dealing with Mexican history from the end of the colonial period through the end of the book. What I read was interesting, brief and to the point as a text book should be. However, I would not enjoy just sitting down and reading it for fun.

This is a general narrative summary of Mexican history. It is not very deep on anything, has few direct quotes from primary materials, but it's organized fairly well. For the beginner - or college student who is not very intellectually ambitious or curious - it's OK. For anyone else, I'd advise buying the really excellent Mexico Reader, Duke Univ Press, edited by Gil Joseph et al. The Mexico Reader is a terrific compendium of original sources covering all the same periods and can be used as a complement or in place of this book.

Growning up in a "Mexican" household with parents that did not teach me Spanish or much about Mexico's history, culture and roots has left me with a thirst to find out more about Mexico. I am so happy that I stumbled upon this book. This is a book that is easy to read. This was actually the book that I started with in my pursuit to find out more about Mexico's culture and history. This is also where I would advise anyone else to start.

From this book you will learn about Mexico's early Indian civilizations through the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest all the way to the colonial era through the revolution and independence of Mexico, and post-1940 era. If you want to learn more about Mexico's history you will also find recommended readings at the end of each chaper of this book. I highly recommend this book.

Prompt delivery, Great quality, very happy all the way around. The subject matter is intriguing and makes one look at the Christian faith with new eyes.

Why has this author left out the most important writing of Jesus Christ - 'The Sophia of Jesus Christ'? read in the NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY. The Gnostic Bible is without meaning without this writing.

This is truly a complete Bible for the Gnostics. It contains every major writing that is considered Gnostic. It includes both and Ancient and Medieval writings. The writings are gathered from all religious branches of Gnostics Pagan,Jewish,Christian,Mandaen,Manichaen,Islamic and Cathar.

With in this volume we have early wisdom Gospels such as Thomas and even the biblical John, there is Sethian,Valentian,Syrian,and Hermetic Literature.

This is a great volume to use in referencing the original works as you read about them. I read this entire volume through from front to back when I had just began studing Gnosticism and had a hard time comprehending it.Some of the writings are hard to understand with out a full understanding of what the writer was trying to teach. For example the book Thunder teaches nondualism but makes no sense with out this understanding.While I believe the Gospels of Philip and Thomas are very easy to understand.This volume contains almost the entire Nag Hammadi text and so many other texts, it is like one stop shopping for all the texts you will need in your studies. If you are interested in Gnosticism this "Bible" should be in your reference library.

whenever I see these religious fanatics trying to put down yet another "heretical" work of humankind, I shudder b/c if they had the power, we'd have the inquisition all over again. Why so afraid of people reading anything they want? Specially if it would help rid us of ignorance & long-hammered traditions based on man-made politics and search for power? The converted are blinded by their conversion and in turn want to blind others without questioning their own motives . . . why, it would mean they are questioning their faith . . . and that's a no-no . . . might burn in hell if you question your blind faith, right?

Excellent source of additional books to the Bible that didn't make it, for whatever reason. The book itself is very, very involved and in some very difficult dialogue/dialect....be ready to study. Enjoy yourself in God's words to you.

On Money and Markets: A Wall Street Memoir; The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World; In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington; What A President Should Know: An Insider's View on How to Succeed in the Oval Office
"A Term at The Fed" by Laurence H. Meyer is a very educational and thought provoking book regarding the decision making processes at the Fed. Meyer readily admits that his thoughts did not always agree with thoughts of the other Fed Governors. The book also gives some detail regarding the Fed staff support information to which Fed Governors have access. One sobering realization is that the Federal Reserve Governors and staff DO NOT KNOW THE CORRECT ANSWER BEF0RE MAKING A DECISION!! However they probably make the best decisions possible based on the available information at the time of the decisions. This book would be of value to persons managing a business and to individuals self-managing personal assets and personal pensions, as well as to commercial and investment bankers. Some talking-heads in the media might be enlightened also.

A must for anyone interested in monetary policy. It stimulates an intense interest in the subject.

Productivity is the measure of the economic well being of society. Productivity is the maximum sustainable level of output of an economy without lowering the unemployment rate and triggering inflation. Leaps in productivity will raise wages in the long run, but not initially. This means that it is possible to have steady inflation at a lower unemployment rate. As a result in the short term increased productivity tends to lower the cost per unit of output and generally push prices down. Once wages begin to rise in response to increased productivity acceleration and if the unemployment rate remained low, inflation would begin to rise.

In the 90s, Greenspan feared an ever-tightening labor market and the possibility the market would ignite overheating and higher inflation and the fed recognized this possibility with new technologies and a new economy.

The economy seemed to be growing without high inflation. New technologies had the potential too be introduced into the market before it reached the top. Technology developments such as massive parallel computers, personal robotic, biotech, & communications).

Inflation was at 2 1/2 percent and would remain that way until 2005. Inflation had anchored. GDP shifted from manufacturing output to service output. Inflation violatility and output volitility standard deviations were low through out the world. The economy looked health and would recovered from shocks with a soft landing. Irrational exuberance seemed more speculative than real.

Market experts were not in consensus that technology had reached neither market output limits, nor that the consumer buying behavior had collapsed, or that growth was slowing.

Greenspan seemed to be talked about a potential risk management policy rather than a reality. Greenspan made a policy statement with his irrational exuberance remark shocked the market, suggesting the Fed would step in and increase interest rates. Was there really any rational reason not to believe productivity would not remain strong in the 90s? It is not irrational to invest in companies that will grow, position themselves in the market long term, and bring innovative products and services too market; this is the benefit of capitalism.

However, Greenspan thought he saw consensus that the market was over-hyped, speculation was overvaluing stocks, and the Venture Capitalist were dissatisfied with their investments. Greenspan characterized the era of growth as "irrational exuberance". Greenspan believed productivity would climb "higher" but never verbalized how high. Greenspan had limits. The market reacted negatively too Greenspan's remarks but reversed and marched to higher stock prices. The market continued to drive one of the longest bull markets in history. The bulls were running Wall Street.

Stevenson said, "There are limits. They may not be the old limits that disciplined policy in the past. But even if the limits are new, they must be respected. Overheating is a natural product of expansion that over-taxed these limits. Good policy must therefore balance regularities and possibilities."

Technology increases manufacturing productivity. In the 1990s productivity growth was at 3%. In the 1990s capital was deepening per employee and the capital and labor equated to quantifiable increases in productivity. The increases in employee productivity were long-term and permanent.

2002 through 2003 the growth of the economy reached 5%, the fastest in 40 years. The higher the GDP, the more improvement in labor conditions emerged. Productivity continued to climb through the recession of 2001, accompanied by a decline in inflation. The Fed wondered if rising productivity and declining unemployment would trigger inflation. The Fed wondered if power dis-inflationary effects created by higher productivity could be used as justification delaying tightening of money supply. The Fed wondered about the affect on real interest rates and the need to tighten money supply. The Fed's policy was positioned to slow the growth trend and avoid the possibility of overheating at the risk of causing a massive depression. During these two years, the DOW had risen 25% and the Nasdaq risen 50%. Productivity had stimulated the demand side of the economy. The fed was measuring productivity, aggregate demand, and employment. The reasoned the economy looked health, inflation was below the target and fed rate increases could be delayed. The Fed did not fear immediate deflation and it reasoned that if deflation was a result of positive supply shock then growth most likely would continue.

$890 billion of debt is the "irrational exuberance" and has become the nexus for the Fed raising rates. Government spending gain power and increased debt in historically unachieved amounts. However, Inflation and productivity arguments do not hold up for reasons for raising the Fed rate and slow down growth; it was the potential inflation of Taylors equation that cause the rate increases.

This is a wonderful book -- well-written, funny, and intelligent. Laurence Meyer served as one of the governors of the seven-member Federal Reserve Board, all of whom are appointed by the U.S. president. While Meyer was selected by Clinton and appears to be a Democrat, he was known as an inflation hawk, and was reputed to have clashed with Chairman Greenspan -- something Meyer denies in this book.

Meyer served on the board from 1996 to 2002, during the rapid rise and nearly-as-rapid fall of the U.S. stock market, and a period in which numerous international financial crises (Asia, Russia, LTCM, 9/11) took place. This is a unique look at the inner workings of the Fed and can be enjoyed by the general reader.

If you are looking for a tell-all confessional about the wild coke-filled parties that take place before meetings of the FOMC, this book will be sorely disappointing to you. But if you want to be reassured about the level of economic discourse at the meetings of the FOMC, you will also be disappointed. More than one academic economist has commented on the low level of economic discourse in Washington (see, for example, 'Peddling Prosperity' by Paul Krugman or 'The Roaring Nineties' by Joe Stiglitz). This book will do little to disabuse readers of the notion that most economic policy is made with a good deal of intuitive guesswork (e.g., about where the NAIRU is in this case) and great uncertainty about even the current economic situation (e.g., the lack of evidence on productivity growth until years after the Fed was being forced to make decisions). While hardly reassuring, this probably gives a pretty good idea of how most policy is made!

The book has some interesting parts (e.g., the power of Mr Greenspan, the importance of consensus, the lack of internal discussion outside of the meetings, and the great uncertainty about even short-term policy making). But it is very slow--no revelations about the personalities involved (including Mr Greenspan) or the internal politics of the Fed. Moreover, if you have been reading the popular press over the past decade (e.g., The Economist or Business Week), most of the economic discussion (e.g., over productivity growth) will be old news. So should you buy it? If you want a primer on how the Fed works, this is probably a good place to start. Just drink lots of coffee before attempting to read it!

Great book on showing you how to use those thoughts and feelings to create a life you desire. The book stresses positive thoughts which bring on those positive emotions. This does remind me of the law of attraction and my favorite workbook, Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook that also stresses the positive and gives you many, many recipes on how to follow this premise.

I bought this book after hearing about the postivie outcomes of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

This book is amazing. You only read certain chapters that pertain to your specific problem (it tells you in the beginning which ones for which problems) and follow the instructions. My problem is panic disorder, so I looked up and know which chapters to read and complete. It takes a lot of work on your part, doing exercises, following through on things, I am only done with the first chapter I have to read and have done all but one of the exercises, and I already feel better!

My therpaist is buying a copy of this book to follow along with my progress. It will take a while, but with lots of hard work and a little patience, I hope to be medication free within the year! I know I may never be panic free, but my goal is to minimize it and make my life happy and liveable while medication free.

I highly recommend this book!!

This book was very hard to find, but a simple click on amazon.com and i had it at my door in 4 days in perfect condition. This book has helped in alot of ways so far and im only halfway thru. I like the journals and charts. It makes it a handson activity that i can get into instead of just a book.

This book was recommended to me by an LCS when I sought help for depression several years ago. I was also perscribed Prozac which I took for several months. The combination worked for me and the book in particular was a great tool for me long term. CBT worked for me and this book was key.

I appreciated that this book was about DOING something about your emotions vs. thinking about and reflecting on WHY you're depressed, anxious, etc. I, like many people, know exactly why I don't naturally have the best mental outlook- thinking and reflecting on the why (ruminating on a past I was powerless to change, worrying that more horrible things might happen) was part of the reason I would get so very depressed. Especially useful for me were the techniques detailed in the book to end negative loops of thought. It took time to master, but I now use the lessons I learned in this book reflexively, without effort. It has made a huge difference in my life: I deal better with negative emotions, I note the change in my moods without being trapped by them nearly as often and I am generally happier, more forward thinking and positive.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. If it doesn't help you, it couldn't possibly hurt. Not all of it will apply to you (for instance, almost none of the anger related stuff applied to me). Changing how you think is possible and can dramatically improve your life. Try it.

Lots of excellent ideas and some good techniques. But therein lies the problem: the techniques, especially on relaxation, should be defined, described and explained for use by stressed-out people in more detail.

Also, I believe that Beck's original insight about thoughts controlling feelings is not as airtight as he and the many people following in his wake believe. Do your realize how hard it is to even identify specifically and accurately your thoughts on almost any subject or in any situation that calls for psychological intervention.

Finally, I believe that workbooks such as these offer as much fool's gold, as real value and cogency. The most important deficiency is the assumption by the authors that psychologically crippled (blunt word but appropriate) individuals have the self-discipline, not to mention the intelligence, to make use of this book. Since Beck wrote his seminal book in the 70's, very little hard data exists to show the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy and techniques. C.B.T. may be an improvement over Freudian analysis (duh!) but certainly not over medication and directed therapy by a truly competent therapist who has the time and commitment to really help you. However, few therapists have the time, dedication and ability to actually help you. There are certainly some good therapists out there, but 99% have other patients and other concerns and responsibilities that distract them from focusing on YOU.

That said, the best relaxation techniques are taught by audio tape or c.d. Troubled people need the structure and discipline that tapes offer.

I was excitied to read this book, it was something different. There are lots of unanswered questions in this book. A good storyline that makes you want to see it to the end. However, I was a bit bored with the book. This is probably just me as mermaids don't interest me. The ending is a cliffhanger, as mentioned by others, but it wasn't enough for me to want to read the 2nd book. The Water Mirror didn't leave a real impression on me. I found the Flowing Queen annoying. She never seemed to be of any help to Merle. I expected more from Eft. It felt as she was being played up to be a major character and then just stopped. Also making a deal with Satan to save the city? Just not my thing. Overall, if you like mystery and cliffhangers, this is the book for you. It wasn't for me.

This book was amazing! It had a darkness to it that reminded me of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline".

This Venice isn't a tourist's Venice. It's a puzzling, magical Venice at its most extreme, a perfect mythical setting for the first of Kai Meyer's trilogy. The Water Mirror is targeted at teenagers, but like other successful trilogies such as Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, many adults have become increasingly attracted to Kai Meyer's work.

I read this in one sitting, thrilled to the bone by what I read and imagined. It's nothing like what I've read before. It's evocative, it's mysterious, it's deliciously dark, and it doesn't shy away from the grotesque, reminding me vaguely of the the computer game, "American McGee's Alice", in which a children's story becomes warped and sinister and extremely enticing.

I found this to be a very engaging beginning. I know Kai Meyer is doing just fine with being a bestseller in Germany and published in many other countries, but I'm surprised this doesn't have a larger readership here in the U.S. It should, and you won't be disappointed if you give it a try.

I found it to be well-written and inventive. Meyer's Venice is both grounded and surreal. At times it has touches of magic realism. Like with the mermaids that open the book. Instead of mermaids being something to feel awe about, they're essentially enslaved by Venetians and treated harshly. Basic human nature uncovered. I don't think that's that far from a type of fantastic/reality that Gabriel Garcia Marquez would recognize.

But without a doubt this is a fantasy adventure that's deservedly on par with the work of Jonathan Stroud -The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) or Garth Nix -The Abhorsen Trilogy Box Set. Like those author's works, this if YA that can hold an adult's interest. What's actually more enjoyable about is that the main characters, Merle and Junipa, are very likable and sympathetic. They're smart, make reasonable decisions, and deal admirably with the challenges thrown at them.

You might as well know that the novel doesn't really end with any sort of completion. It cries to be carried on in the next volume. I, for one, will be happy to do so.

It seems Venice has become a hot commodity in children's literature ever since Cornelia Funke's "Thief Lord" appeared. But Kai Meyer gives the ancient city a new, dark twist in "The Water Mirror". Filled with sharp-toothed mermaids and flying stone lions, the "Water Mirror" is a satisfying begginning in this new series.

Merle and Junipa are two orphan girls who live in an alternate Venice, one which is under seige by the powerful Egyptian Empire and its mummy armies. Magic is not unusual in this Venice, as mermaids swim through the canals and the city is patrolled by flying stone lions. But only the Flowing Queen, who is said to be the very water herself, can truly protect Venice from the Empire.

One day for reasons unknown to them, Merle and Junipa are whisked away from their orphanage and apprenticed to the mysterious magic mirror-maker, Arcimboldo. Here is where their adventure starts, and Merle learns that her water mirror, the one she's had since she was a child, is mysteriously linked to the Flowing Queen. Soon, Merle along with her new neighbor boy Serafin, learn of a plot in the Venetian Council to betray the Flowing Queen to the Pharaoh. If Merle has any hope of saving Venice, she knows she must first save the Flowing Queen.

"The Water Mirror" is an exciting fantasy, richly detailed and interesting. The characters are believable and the magic is enticing. Venice is the true star of this story. The city is alive with magic and detail, yet there is also an extremely atmospheric foreboding about its fate. Meyer manages to keep the reader interested long enough with mermaids, flying stone lions, and political intrigue until they reach the ending where the story truly picks up. The book ends in mid-adventure hinting at more to come, but Meyer skillfully leaves the reader wanting more by revealing a bigger plot at plan than what was originally shown before.

While stopping in mid-adventure, "The Water Mirror" is still an interesting and magical read. It's the most original story I've read in a while, and the sudden new plot details revealed in the end left me and I'm sure will also leave readers wanting more. Highly reccommended, "The Water Mirror" is not to be missed if you are looking for high fantasy with a dark twist.

This book is my favorite devotional book. I was given this book as a gift and was surprised, fantastic book. Helped me in so many ways that I bought another to give as a gift to a friend. It also has a workbook and I'm recommending it for a bible class at my Church.

Wow, what a book . To the point and the chapters are not long at all . Makes me feel like I am accomplishing something as I read . Easy to go back in the contents and look up something specific to help you just at that time .

Purchased December 2008.

Positives: Brief, interesting comments with both a relevant Bible quote and a prayer. She weaves a lot of her personal experiences into the story. I start my day with this devotional because it gives a positive start. I no longer am a Christian, but, overall, her message about God gives me a lift.

Deltas: Nothing major.

I suggest that if you haven't seen Joyce Meyers on TV get the sample first, and read that before purchasing.

This book will open your understanding of our everyday battle! It is an eye opener and a help to our daily Bible Study! It has been taken off my hands by my friends!

I received a teaching once that basicly said that when you get right down to it the Devil really only has two methods for tempting us: 1. Pressure 2. Pleasure. The Devil has three maxims which allows him to pull this off : 1. You (your own thoughts, bad habits, exc.) 2. The environment (Government, religious oppression, the systems of the world, exc.), and 3. Other people. Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield Of The Mind" is mostly geared at the one maxim each of us have the most control over (You, yourself, your thoughts, and YOU).

Joyce masterfully explains how that old Advesary The Devil works by waiting for the right moment (he`s not only a parasite but he`s also a predator). He waits to see where your weak, when your most vulnerable moment is, and he waits for that moment to attack. The Bible says "Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." Perfect example is Luke chapter 6, The devil waits for Jesus to be 40 days and nights in the wilderness before he attacks. He didn't come the first day to attack him when our Lord was at his strongest. Oh no, our advesary doesn't play fair; he bides his time and waits for your weakest moment and attacks. Jesus resisted him and the devil fled from him (for awhile). Best thing is we have victory through our risen Lord this very day if we claim it. Joyce does a great job of illustrating this in this book(though I don't know if she used the Luke example I used above or not).

I really got a lot of insight from this book. For example, one of the concepts in the book (in my own words) was "what comes out of your mouth had to originate in your brain." Sounds simple enough , but Joyce had a masterful way of describing every thought we commonly have today and referring it to biblical passages. About half way through the book I began to realize that the grumbling, griping, complaining, and various other human emotions and thoughts I have are not uncommon to our time. The children of Israel went through these same emotions and they are all recorded in Gods Word. I used to ponder how stupid these people must have been, but now I can see myself in them. It really was a humbling experience! Many of us make the same mistake over and over again and ask God, "Why don't you do something?" Truth is God has always been willing to help us. We are the ones who get in God's way by not bringing our thoughts into the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Read this book and find out how you can change and train your mind to shut the door on The Devil and how to allow God to do what he's always been willing to do. BLESS YOU!!!

Hebrews 13:5b "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

P.S. This book comes in many formats. There's the traditional version, teen version, devotional version, exc. It doesn't matter which one you use. Just read one of them. You will be blessed.

This book is my favorite devotional book. I was given this book as a gift and was surprised, fantastic book. Helped me in so many ways that I bought another to give as a gift to a friend. It also has a workbook and I'm recommending it for a bible class at my Church.

Wow, what a book . To the point and the chapters are not long at all . Makes me feel like I am accomplishing something as I read . Easy to go back in the contents and look up something specific to help you just at that time .

Purchased December 2008.

Positives: Brief, interesting comments with both a relevant Bible quote and a prayer. She weaves a lot of her personal experiences into the story. I start my day with this devotional because it gives a positive start. I no longer am a Christian, but, overall, her message about God gives me a lift.

Deltas: Nothing major.

I suggest that if you haven't seen Joyce Meyers on TV get the sample first, and read that before purchasing.

This book will open your understanding of our everyday battle! It is an eye opener and a help to our daily Bible Study! It has been taken off my hands by my friends!

I received a teaching once that basicly said that when you get right down to it the Devil really only has two methods for tempting us: 1. Pressure 2. Pleasure. The Devil has three maxims which allows him to pull this off : 1. You (your own thoughts, bad habits, exc.) 2. The environment (Government, religious oppression, the systems of the world, exc.), and 3. Other people. Joyce Meyer's "Battlefield Of The Mind" is mostly geared at the one maxim each of us have the most control over (You, yourself, your thoughts, and YOU).

Joyce masterfully explains how that old Advesary The Devil works by waiting for the right moment (he`s not only a parasite but he`s also a predator). He waits to see where your weak, when your most vulnerable moment is, and he waits for that moment to attack. The Bible says "Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." Perfect example is Luke chapter 6, The devil waits for Jesus to be 40 days and nights in the wilderness before he attacks. He didn't come the first day to attack him when our Lord was at his strongest. Oh no, our advesary doesn't play fair; he bides his time and waits for your weakest moment and attacks. Jesus resisted him and the devil fled from him (for awhile). Best thing is we have victory through our risen Lord this very day if we claim it. Joyce does a great job of illustrating this in this book(though I don't know if she used the Luke example I used above or not).

I really got a lot of insight from this book. For example, one of the concepts in the book (in my own words) was "what comes out of your mouth had to originate in your brain." Sounds simple enough , but Joyce had a masterful way of describing every thought we commonly have today and referring it to biblical passages. About half way through the book I began to realize that the grumbling, griping, complaining, and various other human emotions and thoughts I have are not uncommon to our time. The children of Israel went through these same emotions and they are all recorded in Gods Word. I used to ponder how stupid these people must have been, but now I can see myself in them. It really was a humbling experience! Many of us make the same mistake over and over again and ask God, "Why don't you do something?" Truth is God has always been willing to help us. We are the ones who get in God's way by not bringing our thoughts into the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Read this book and find out how you can change and train your mind to shut the door on The Devil and how to allow God to do what he's always been willing to do. BLESS YOU!!!

Hebrews 13:5b "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

P.S. This book comes in many formats. There's the traditional version, teen version, devotional version, exc. It doesn't matter which one you use. Just read one of them. You will be blessed.