N Books

James Rowe's story is one that makes you appreciate how good we have things in our day to day lives. I love POW tales because I am always hoping the person(s) can find a way to escape to freedom. This story was fine but I would say a little darker & more depressing than most POW tales I have read.

Interesting but written more as a novel and not as an actual recount of his 5 year imprisonment in the hands of the North Vietnamese. The minute detail of his every recollection during his 5 years of captivity makes it difficult to believe that he himself wrote his memoirs. Nevertheless I salute him for his bravery, his will to survive and service to his country.

This book should be on everyone's "must read" list. It should also be on the must read list for evey high school student. This book is very well written and easy to follow. It is also very hard to put down once you start reading it. Being a Vietnam War Veteran myself, I would highly recomend this book to anyone.

Incredible story of this man and other POW's in Vietnam. This is one of, if not the best, books I've ever read. One of the many points I took away was how the will to live sustained Nick Rowe and so many others. Maybe more so, it gave me an appreciation for the freedoms we take so much for granted. I finihed the book days ago, and can't get it out of my mind. Great book, Great leasons, Great man.

I served with 1st SFG during Vietnam. I knew Nick and the young soldiers knew about his experience as a POW. He was a fine and well respected leader within the SF community. The book is exciting and takes its' place within the accurate historical realm. To set the record straight there were plans in the making and at least one effort to rescue Nick. Also suggest reading "Raider" about CSM Gallen C. Kittleson who had been selected as part of the rescue attempt for Nick. Also suggest reading "Code Name Columbus."

This is book is at the top of my all time favorite books as a child(I'm 21 now). I read this book a million times over and if I could find it I'd do it again. This novel definately molded my reading as a child and I can't be more thankful of it. Interesting and difficult to pull away from this book draws you in. I think I might go and re-buy both this book and Wise Child to read just for summer fun!

After reading Wise Child I was very happy to discover Juniper. It is the story of Juniper and how she became a doran after enduring her teaching from Euny. The story is well written like Wise Child. I recommend reading this book especially if you enjoyed Wise Child.

The prequel to Wise Child, Juniper is the story of Ninnoc, know as Juniper, a medieval princess sent to apprentice under her godmother. Juniper leaves her friends, family, and the comforts of her father's small palace to live with Euny, her grandmother, in a small cold shack on the edge of the kingdom. Under Euny's care she toils throughout the day, eats little, and sleeps poorly, all with the promise that, in time, Euny will teach her the knowledge and ways of a doran, the women of the world who live alongside the rhythms of nature and use their skills and magic to help others. While Juniper spends a year and a day at Euny's shack, her father's castle comes under attack by her aunt, and evil sorceress who wants the kingdom for herself. Juniper's first task as a doran will be to use her powers and what Euny has taught her to defeat her aunt and save her father's kingdom. While I prefer Wise Child, Juniper is also an engrossing, worthwhile read. Many of the same themes are present, especially the concept that nothing worthwhile comes without a price. Juniper's story is darker than Wise Child's: Euny is a tough task master and Juniper's aunt is a more immediate and threatening foe. In exchange, the elements of magic are larger and more visible. While perhaps not as enjoyable or as skillfully crafted as Wise Child, Juniper provides interesting backstory and continues to examine the path of a doran--how they learn, what their purpose is, and what trails they must face. I recommend this text, especially as a prequel to Wise Child.

Despite the similar storyline, Juniper is very different from its sequel, Wise Child. Both stories are about young women who live with a doran, working hard and suffering in order to learn from her and train to be dorans themselves. However, Juniper deviates from Wise Child's focus on the nature of love and family: unlike Wise Child, Juniper comes from a stable and loving home. Rather, Juniper's story is about assessing one's own skills and finding one's own path, even if that path takes you far away from the comfort and desires of your youth. This theme of self-discovery is worthwhile and interesting to readers of all age groups: it's instructive and comforting to the young, and reminds older readers that the sacrifice and reward of self-discovery is never really over.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Wise Child and Juniper is the role of magic in the books. In Juniper, magic plays a much more visible role and doesn't fit into the world as we know it quite as well as it does in Wise Child. Talking animals, transforming sorcerers, and magical items all transform the visibility and role of magic. While not as extreme as it could be (there are no dragons here), magic is more obvious and harder to explain in this book. As a result, the story is a little more distant and harder to identify with than Wise Child, making for a less sucessful book. Juniper's story is more exciting, with a more physical and exciting climax, but on the whole it isn't as successful or as enjoyable as Wise Child.

Nonetheless, Furlong writes in a clear, readable style, her characters are realistic and easy to identify with, an the lessons contained within the book are worthwhile and personal. It is a fitting companion to Wise Child and contains many of the concepts and themes that make that book so wonderful. As a prequel, this book successfully provides backstory and characterization that should interest anyone that has read Wise Child. I do recommend this text, primarily but not only as a sequel, and I like to come back to it every couple of years.

If you have read Wise Child...(I don't know, I read Wise Child first--I don't know if that's out of order or not)...anyway, this is a great book to go along with Wise Child. The books are imaginative and fun to read, and I'm not even a kid anymore...she just makes them fun for all ages to read...I highly recommend this book...

I hope this helped you...

I'm a guy (you know the drill - testosterone has me rooting for the robots in the terminator movies) with 3 young daughters and so story time for me can be it's own kind of hell, overpopulated with too many thoughtful ponies, joyous princesses and other terrors from the Id.

Juniper at least is a story that can engross a child while being satisfying to the adult reader. I never once had the urge to plunge my head through the sheetrock in the bedroom whereas when forced to read stories like the Pony Pals, that's all I can think about. The wise women in Juniper are are a bit too knowing and all seeing, the plot a bit formulaic but other than that, it's a story of growing up, persistence against adversity good and evil, courage and adventure and some things in between. Same holds through the rest of the trilogy: Wise Child and Colman though they're not written in order.

I suspect that these stories catch the mind of young girls more than boys and are aimed more at a female audience. I don't know if I would have read it by myself, but with mission to read to my daughters, it was an enjoyable journey. I could see adult women enjoying this for it's own sake. In any case the books of this trilogy are well above the average children's fare for girls or for boys. Definitely worth the price of admission.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to ready true stories from someone's life.

I am was in shock throughout this entire book. I could not believe that this actually happen in the 21st century. Mende told her story so descriptively. I could not stop reading it. Excellent memoir.

Parts of this book were too graphic for me. I can't believe what women in some parts of the world have to endure. I couldn't finish it.

I just finished reading this book and wow. One of the things that really helped me was the references to modern things like cell phones and VCRs. It really helped reminding the reader that this happens today. The book will have a profound effect on whoever reads it. We live in what we consider a civilized society but who knows what goes on in the house next door. I wish the remaining years for Mende to be filled with health, love, and happiness.

The story of Mende begins as a young girl growing up in a harsh environment in the mountain region of the Sudan. She is playful, witty, too smart for her own good, somewhat at odds with her mother, and completely enamored by her father. She is loved by her family and culture, and loved back in spite of some harsh rituals (female circumcision) and a harsh environment (dangerous wildlife and at the mercy of the land).

When raiders attack her peaceful village it all changes. She is raped on the way to the slave traders who then shove her off to an absolutely evil woman in Khartoum where she is unknowingly sold as a slave. No choices, no friends, no comforts, no real safety. She is a body of labor. Flesh that can work as a substitute for others who practice the art of leisure. Beaten and dehumanized to the point of absolute affliction.

She is then traded off from Khartoum to London where she manages to escape the home of a diplomat. She is now free. But she has still not seen her family in over a decade. She is in complete fear of her own country and those in power. And she is a devout Muslim all the while.

This tale shows us that violence towards darker skinned people is alive and well in the world. The violence in Sudan is not religious as much as it is racist and classist. Mende was an unclean barbarian who did not deserve to be treated as a human by her Arab captors.

Slavery is alive in the world and while much of the world decides to look away at such atrocities, there are undoubtedly thousands like Mende when she was just a little girl who are being beaten and abused in every way possible as I write this. Beaten for not washing dishes the correct way, for talking to others, for laughing, for smiling, for an unnoticed wrinkle left in a shirt, a counter left undusted, for not calling their owner "master". It is a reminder to those in the West that there are parts of the world where basic survival and the freedoms that we have are not taken for granted. A healthy reminder.

The book itself is wonderfully crafted, hard to put down even though you want to avert your gaze often.

The princess needs a bit of deportment apparently.


When you decide you need to work on the aristocratic side of a girl, of course you would send her off with a pig keeper and a beast man, wouldn't you?

Because of this, and a bit of a princess triangle, they all end up in a Land of the Giants type scenario, or at least in part.

Here, along with a bit of magic, is a fantasy book where a crow actually comes in useful as a good thing.

This is a great series. One of my favorites and my husband's favorites.

All of Alexander's main characters are back in this book (besides Doli I think), and once again Alexander does a wonderful job of portraying the battle of good vs. evil in the fun garb of a fictional adventure. This book highlights self-sacrafice, as Taran has to choose whether or not to help the man competing for the same things that he wants. It also highlights the immorality of selfishness, as Glew is pretty much selfishness incarnate and ends up stuck in a cave with no way to get out, until Taran and co. decide to be merciful to him even though he tried to kill them.

This books is lots of fun, definitely a recommended read, along with the rest of the series.

Overall grade: A-

As a kid I read the Prydain books again and again. I can't resist some Harry Potter comparisons, and since they make a good common point of reference, I'll use the device here. The Prydain books aren't quite as exciting and magical as HP, but they have many of the same coming of age problems expressed through allegory, and frankly I find the characters better developed, more humorous, and more likeable. This is the third in the five book series, and to my mind the weakest but still very, very enjoyable. The protagonist of this book, as of the others is Taran of Caer Dallben, an orphan of unknown parentage and now an Assistant Pig-Keeper. He is being raised by a monastic collection of former war heroes and semi-wizards, and is always insecure about his lineage. In this book he also struggles with the crisis of his best friend, the princess Eilonwy, being forced to leave to learn to be a lady. Other main and recurring characters, save perhaps for the princess, are more or less also neurotic in delightful ways. Alexander avoids formula, even though the plot when described could sound like a million sword and sorcerer books. The depth and likeability of the characters lifts it above most fantasy books,though, especially fantasy books for kids. We grow up with Taran, and the character he develops is character that would almost universally be recognized as admirable. I highly, highly recommend all of them- at least as much as the HP books. Again, I think this may be the weakest one, but it's still terrific.

Dont mind if I rated this 4 stars. THis is a great book, I couldnt stop reading it, but its just that THe book of Three was more interesting. I read this book since 5th grade(now im in 6th grade)its a lot interesting.
I hope this review will be useful to you !!!
thanks!!!

`An Introduction to the New Testament' by leading NT scholar and writer, Raymond E. Brown may be the best possible introduction to its subject for the lay reader and for pastoral readers. I am relatively sure the book is also used as a text in college level courses on the New Testament, if only for the wealth of bibliography on each aspect of its subject.
I give this glowing praise with some reservations, since I have been bitten before by praising a book on a subject on which I have not read many different works; however, by now I have read numerous books on both New and Old Testament subjects, on both introductory and `scholarly' levels, and this experience assures me that this is a superior book for its audience.
As you read this volume, you may be surprised to discover that the author is a Catholic, since there is not one wit of `bias' which would diminish the work for our Protestant kin. Rather, the author brings in notions from Catholic practice for which the Protestant, even the deeply scripture - imbued Lutheran tradition, has no easy concept. My favorite is the notion expressed by the Latin (of course) phrase sensus plenior, or `fuller sense' of a reading of scripture. This is totally consistent with Herr Luther's dictum that a scriptural reading has but one meaning. It just means that one wants to find the broadest sense of the text, taking all things into account.
Another of the author's positions which warm's my heart (and assures me the author is intellectually sound) is his opinion that the politically correct terms for what we all commonly call the `Old Testament' are no more accurate than this ancient term which some feel is disrespectful to our Jewish cousins. All common alternatives such as `Hebrew' scriptures are actually less accurate than the adjective which says these came before the Christian scriptures.
The greatest service I can do for you, kind reader, is to point out that the proper audience for this book may be much wider than the title may suggest. I would offer it as a NT complement to James Kugel's `How to Read the Bible', which deals only with the Old Testament (as Professor Kugel is a Hebrew scholar). It is also an excellent replacement for such heavy tomes as `The Oxford Bible Commentary', which I have never found exceptionally helpful in getting into an unfamiliar book of the Bible.
A dramatic illustration of how good this book is compared to some other works is to compare it to the recent Lutheran introduction, `Opening the Book of Faith' on four ways to read the Bible. Brown gives ten (10) different ways the Bible has been studied, and that doesn't even include the Lutheran text's `lectio divina' and `theological' readings. The former is a classic devotional reading and the latter is the approach promoted by Lutheran theologians.
If I have any reservations at all about the book for serious students, it is the fact that it was published twelve years ago, and probably written up to two years before that, which means the bibliography may already be slightly dated. However, I still found the bibliography exceptionally good, even with its limiting itself to works in English, proper for a book written for the lay reader or beginning student.
I was tickled to find, at the very end, a bit of a polemic against the works of the Jesus Seminar in an overview of works on the historical Jesus. He shares the dim opinion of this enterprise held by Catholic colleague Luke Timothy Johnson. This is the only place in the book where Brown strays one iota from an even handed approach to Biblical scholarship.
If you are first starting out in serious Bible reading, this book is a Godsend!

Raymond Brown sure knows how to write an introduction. Though I am not exactly sure how long the New Testament is, surely it is dwarfed by the 800+ pages of Brown's commentary. He does an excellent job covering the books as well as discussing various approached to studying the New Testament. I used this for background while studying Mark. Thus, this work is approporate for specific research or a general understanding of the New Testament. Though it is not quick reading, if you have your bible handy it the learning process is better. Unlike many theologians, he does a good job of sticking to mostly understandable vocabulary. I would say this could be of use for all beginning and intermediate-level bible students as well as those extremely familiar with the doctrines surrounding the New Testament. High praise for Brown in attempting such a collasal task!

This is a great book. Ray Brown is a scholar who has the ability to write so clearly that he is able to pull together years of study and scholarship and bring beginners, students and Scripture readers up to speed on the latest in Biblical understand. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible and how to read it and understand it.

As others have stated, this if you only buy one book for a study on the nuts and bolts of the New Testament, this is it. It is extraordinary in its scope, magnificently researched, and best of all, it's written so well that it does not become tiring or try to impress you with huge complicated words or phrases. This is an outstanding volume for the common man and the advanced student as well. Thank you Raymond Brown for leaving us with this marvelous tool to understanding the times and structure of the New Testament - this book will serve as a legacy and the benchmark by which all others will be compared for ages to come.

I am a somewhat new Christian and have really felt a connection with God since becoming faithful. However, I became wary of Church dogma and completely literal, simplified views of info in the Bible. I knew it had to be deeper than that. I had a hunger to learn more about the history of the New Testament and it's books, letters, etc. to help me better understand it. This book was extremely helpful and easy to understand; but I can see how it would be good for people who already know about Biblical critisism. It has deepened my faith more reading this book which actually has a centrist point of view for the most part. Highly recommend to all. I had read Raymond E. Brown was the way to go for this information and I'd have to agree.

Checked it out from the library.

*I* liked it quite a bit, from the cut-outs on every page, to the sheet music at the end, to the little cultural tidbits and little yiddish morals on every spread.

My nieces weren't very enthralled, and asked to read other books instead.

Can't win 'em all. Gave it four stars anyway because, hey, I have a voice too!

This is a great book! My son loves it, and I enjoy reading it to him. The pictures are interesting and there's a lot on each page to entertain the eye. Plus, the story is really cute.

i love this book. the illustrations are great and the story is simple yet enjoyable for all ages.

I wasn't expecting much from this book, really.

It was given to us as a gift, and I sort of set it aside in the book basket. My wiley children pulled it out one day for a read, and it has been on the top of the heap ever since.

The text isn't much.

But oh, the illustrations. The pictures are full-page cut-paper collages and they will suck you in, as your kids point out all these little details. The people are hilariously real -- you can recognize people you know in their expressions.

Each page has a little peep-through to the next -- we love that!

The paper has a wonderful heaviness -- this is a high-quality book. I need to write another thank-you note to the giver, now that months have gone by and we really enjoy it.

Oh, even the animals in the story have funny little personalities. It's just a darling book.

And the moral of the story is, even when you have nothing, you can make something of it.

We were introduced to this book on Between the Lines. I found it at the library and once we got it home, my 3 yr. old feel in love. The message is great, the images fun and the story enjoyable. My son loved the book, but he wanted us to sing the song in the back. We did a poor job, then I found the audio book at the library. We listened again and again. Even my 1 yr. old enjoys it. Whenever my son sees sheet music he pretends to read it and sings "I Had a Little Overcoat". How could I not treasure this book forever?

This book is simply sublime. I had it as a child, got it for my own children over 25 years ago, and now am buying a copy for my new grandson. Everything about this book is wonderful!

This classic picture book details the lives of the Mallard family in the Public Garden of Boston. This is an excellent read for kids of all ages, and is a good introduction to Caledecott books.

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard explore all the nooks and crannies of Boston and the Back Bay, before settling on the perfect place to raise their family. A true love letter to the Boston of 60 years ago (complete with Irish cops!), it is a classic that speaks to people from everywhere, and families worldwide, on the love and nurturing that parents show for their children.

This book was read to me, and I read it endlessly to my little sister and my daughter. Now I am reading it to my great-nephew, age three and a half, who fell instantly in love with it. He always lets out a little "whew!" of relief when Mrs Mallard and the ducklings make it through the gates of the Public Gardens. After about the fourth reading (there were two on that particular day) we went to a little park nearby where he insisted on playing out the story with me, complete with Mr and Mrs Mallard's dialogue. It is a ritual now.

This is an astonishingly involving book for small children. There is a practical but manageable level of threat (of traffic, which is very real and genuinely important for three and four year olds) with the assurance of adult help when it is needed, and the constant reassurance that they are being looked after. And adults can read it forever without getting bored!

This is the turtle back book. It is glued and stitched. It should hold up. If this book is going to get alot of use spend the few dollars more and get the turtle back.

i read this book 24/7 because of love the make out seen and paul i think paul is a hottie but he a jerk somtimes but he ok i would love to be a mediator so i can kiss a ghost so it can help me out with my life it would be very awesome!!

I love the mediator books so much and I want them to go to book seven maybe even ten. I've gotten addicted to them and I don't want them to end at 6.

The story line continues and this book is just as exciting and exhiliarating as the rest in this series. I would highly recommend this book and the previous in this series. Excellent read!!!!

This series is a lot of fun to read, but I did feel that the ending was a little too perfect. Everything tied up in a perfect bow. Throughout the book, I felt that the story was lacking a good central plot to work around. From the beginning, we knew Paul was up to something, and shortly after, we knew what it was, but for some reason, Suze couldn't figure out the obvious. Suze was just confused and unsure and shallow most of this book which is very unlike her character. However, the ending was just what the reader would wnat and I am very glad I read the book. I liked the series so much I had to read all of it in one week. Read it, but it isn't the best in the series, but you'll be happy with the ending. I am left wanting to understand Paul better, but maybe that is for another series. :)

I thought the sixth and final book in the mediator books was an awesome book. It solved all the questions I had about what was going to happen in the end, and it answered them in a very unexpected and extremely pleasing way. I totally recommend this book, but I recommend reading the first five Mediator books before reading this one so you have a better idea of what is going on.

Kimberlee Auerbach, The Devil, the Lovers, and Me: My Life in Tarot (Dutton, 2007)

Warning: the phrase "in Tarot" in the title had me thinking that I was going to be reading a memoir about the life and profession of a Tarot reader. That is emphatically not the case (and, in fact, the Tarot reading that provides Auerbach's framework here is, not surprisingly, fabricated). Thus, if that's what you're looking for, move on, folks, nothing to see here.

That said, given my antipathy towards memoirs, I did find myself grudgingly hooked pretty fast. Not that it's different than your run-of-the-mill memoir-- bad childhood memories, abuse, etc. etc. ad nauseam-- but Auerbach has a storyteller's touch and a sharp sense of humor, both of which have been notably absent from any number of memoirs I've read over the years. I hope that at one point she turns her attention to writing a novel; I'd like to see what she can do with the rest of the stuff in her head. Until then, we'll have to make do with this; a shiny presentation on trendy, though quotidian, subject matter. ***

Kimberlee Auerbach is a FUN writer! This book was mentioned to me via a friend, so I picked it up on a whim - and loved it! Engaging and highly entertaining, I literally stayed up half the night to finish it! Based on real life stories from the author's life, the first-person plot revolves around a professional tarot reading meant to enlighten the author along the journey to her future. But in order to find her tomorrow, she must first understand, embrace, and make peace with her past. The story's tone is witty and honest, making one feel as if Ms. Auerbach is speaking one-on-one to the reader, as a best friend and confidante. A very talented writer and storyteller, Ms. Auerbach should definitely write more books. This one was a gem!

The most impressive thing about "The Devil..." is Kimberlee's candor. Her experiences are powerful; there is no denying it. However, it's the biting honesty and the utter vulnerability that carry the truest gift of the book. Most people will relate to the heartbreaks, but every single human being can relate to terror and failure described and then triumphantly overcome. Brava. I will pre-order her next books.

Kimberlee pours her heart onto ever page. From beginning to end, it was an amazing journey of human relation, life, and love. Kimberlee's willingness to share is inspiring and brave to say the least. As each card is turned, with each story, each memory, the author exposes her deepest fears, the fears which we all share, and with each lesson she learns, she teaches the reader how to face those fears. Through it all I was able to see myself, my past, my mistakes and lessons learned. It is not an introduction into Tarot card reading, but rather a story of one's life illustrated by the cards themselves. One may not learn his or her future by reading this book, but it will truly make one pause and reflect on what has brought them to where they are in life thus far.This book is funny, heartbreaking, amazing, inspiring, challenging, entertaining, and simply wonderful.

This debut memoir is honest, funny, touching and raw and though it has a known ending, it's life-affirming message can't be over-told. Auerbach is a gifted writer and healer as well.

I really liked the book, it is beautiful, but I ordered several books and many of them were damaged. Amazon was really good about exchanges, but it was still a pain. If you buy one, check it carefully for defects.

I absolutely love this book. You will not be disappointed. It goes beyond the average pop up book. Things actually come up and off of the page. Its really quite a piece of art.

Beautiful and creative masterpiece! A real keepsake! Sabuda has created a magical, fairytale world. Something beautiful on each page and twinkling lights on the final page.

This is a great book. I wish I could find another battery for the back because mine is out and I can't find one.

i am a serious collector of robert sabuda's pop-up books!! i found a hidden surprise within the pages, that was unexpected and delightful. mr. sabuda's imagination is expansive. this book is amongst my favorites!! you will enjoy this book. it is well worth the price.