Reed Books

If you want to pass the exam for marine engineer this is the book that you need for Naval Architecture exam

Men! Forget all those politically correct, gender-biased relationship books - the ones your wife or girlfriend gives you to read (hint, hint: you have a problem communicating). The author, Gary Freitas, has written a witty, irreverent, and brutally funny book, Relationship Realities: An Emergency Survival Guide for Men. It not only tells you what women want, but dares to ask: What do men want? Regarding the latter, he says, "The answer is unpleasant and should probably be kept secret." (See page 196.) This small but memorable book, with many outrageous charts and tables, guides men through each stage of a relationship. On trying to pickup women Freitas suggests, "Never accept `entourage' status. In the great web of life you will be an E. coli in the small bowel of a woman, unless of course it's your destiny to be a tapeworm." Through the persona of the BAD Dudes, this book smartly and insightfully examines dozens of topics such as: men's fear that in future Nuremberg trials they will be accused of being "good husbands," as part of state sanctioned human rights violations known as "marriage." And "How does an older man convince a 19-year-old girl that he's a `previously owned luxury vehicle,' when all she sees is a `Rent-A-Wreck' who is six months away from being an abandoned vehicle?" Freitas says, "You will learn all of this and more. I promise." Topics are wide-ranging - from "Fifty Ways to Dump a Date," to the hazards of "Dating Beautiful Women," to the "Advantages of Being a Rich and Handsome American God seeking out mail-order catalog relationships." Freitas is not afraid to take on what he calls "The absurdity of relationships between the genders today." He provides men with a primer on the "Cycle of Collapse" by women, their attraction to bad men, and expounds on why "Relationships are a test about the structure of reality that men cannot pass." He says: "The BAD Dudes want the test dumbed down so even clueless Dudes can pretend they have a relationship." Freitas believes that both men and women will enjoy this unique book. It began as an "Attempt to join an already on-going humorous dialog between men and women, and became a plea for sanity."

Very well written and will be most helpful in helping me restore my reed organ.

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (1/07)

"The Return of the Fertilizer King and Other Tales," by Mark U. Sturges, is a different sort of poetry book. Not your flowery poetry with tales of deep love or darkest moods, no, this is a poetry book written by a man who believes strongly in man's relationship with the insect world and their place together in it. Written in a lighthearted manner with references to everyday life, this book covers subjects known to the author such as "The Bottle Collector" a unique soul who dashes through busy traffic, a feat he seems to have replayed from somewhere in his youth, to gently lay by his collection of bottles and cans a dead raccoon. Within this poem we see a tenderness that belies his bottle collecting activities and one that gives hint of the man he is inside. In this poem we see in a few words, what otherwise might never be known about this man.

Throughout this book we read many other descriptive poems which reach beyond the ordinary to show a side of the subject at hand that others might miss had it not been for this poet. One piece that haunts me still is a poem entitled, "Under the Purple Plum Tree," where the poet wakes in the night hearing a cougar's cry, and finds himself for an instant wondering if his beloved chocolate lab is safe. Too soon he remembers with a pang that the lab is not in harms way but is buried under the same purple plum tree that he tried to eat fruit from just yesterday. I found myself feeling the empty sadness of the poet echoed in the cry of the cougar and knowing that were I in his shoes, I would not find sleep coming easily either after this cry.

Though this poet is not a mainstream poet, and does not address the popular subjects of poetry today, there is something about his poetry that sticks in ones mind and comes back time and time again to apply itself within everyday life. Perhaps it is the common subjects the poet uses and perhaps it is the basic, easy to relate to, language, but whatever it is, it works to draw the reader into the poetry and want to read more.

Coming from a small rural community, I can see all too well the men I grew up knowing in this poetry. The frank honest subjects and the simple unaffected language make for poetry that can touch many ages and backgrounds of readers, from the Midwestern no nonsense mentality to a city dweller that has never seen a pitchfork, much less used one to spread manure.

I would recommend "The Return of the Fertilizer King and Other Tales" for those who are looking for a taste of simple poetry with a flavor of a man who knows what it means to get his hands dirty with good honest work in the soil. This book was a refreshing change from standard rhyme schemes and in it's honesty it will appeal to many who might not otherwise choose this type of poetry. Mark U. Sturges is a breath of fresh air with his poetry, and with his approach to life...something every reader can appreciate from time to time.

Well here I go again, running off at the mouth over another beautiful ribbon book, but boy, it's another winner.

First off, when I locked my eyes on the cover of this book online, I had to immediately enlarge it - thanks for that privilege Amazon! After staring at the beautiful antique piece on the cover, I found my fingers typing in all the necessary spaces to buy this book.

Well I wasn't dissappointed (although I could have pondered over an additional 150 projects myself!) Yes, it's a bit different from others that show excusively new projects, but there are items in here that I still cannot tell if they are antique pieces or new projects in vintage fabrics/ribbons. Whatever....the instructions are colorized pictures of the stitches involved - quite clear to me, along with list of supplies needed. About the only thing missing is a supplier's list, possibly because this book originated in England - but hey we can by now access most of our supplies fairly easily today. So let's storm the flea markets, etc. for the vintage fabrics, go online for the rest of our supplies and watch the silk flowers bloom!

Traces the life of aviation pioneer Richard Pearse from the very beginning to the very end, as well as backgrounding him firmly in his rather odd family and the cultural situation of the times in which he worked. Thorough, well-documented, detailed, and accompanied by drawings, sketches and photographs, this book is far more complete than Rodliffe's _Wings Over Waitohi_ and even though it's a little older, seems to have far more information of value in it.

I was told there was a book about the woolshed, the wooyeo woolshed. I didn't believe them because I could find no such reference in the national library. My mother found someone in the local nursing home who had a copy and provided all the details. I expected to find some small reference to the Wooyeo Woolshed in Lake Cargelligo, but instead I discovered that is was this woolshed that had inspired the journey of James Cowan along the Lachlan River in search of this legendary woolshed, immortalised in the bush song The Euabalong Ball. The photographs are stunning and the journal style writing documenting the trip put you right in the passenger seat as you are taken along for the ride.

This book was one of my favorites when I was a little girl. Now that my daughter and I have read it together, it is one of hers too. We read it before she moved into her own room and the story made the room remodel even more fun!

'The Sacraments in Religious Education and Liturgy: An Ecumenical Model' by Robert L. Browning and Roy A. Reed is a book we have used at my seminary for liturgy and Christian education classes. It is well-written and thorough in its approach to giving basic history of practice, current theory, and possible future approaches to sacramental practice in churches, with a particular emphasis on how the congregations can be educated about what they are doing, and why they are doing it.

Perhaps given my vocation, it would come as no surprise that my favourite chapter deals with the sacrament of ordination.

`Priests are ordained precisely in order to reveal to each vocation its priestly essence.' (p. 224)

In reading Browning and Reed, with particular emphasis on the chapter concerning ordination, I was impressed by arguments that more clearly stated that which I had been striving to articulate for some time. I emphasised on my application to seminary that I saw the role of the ordained ministry as that which empowers all the people of the church, to be a teacher and servant as much as anything else, to bring out the gifts of ministry of the rest of the church.

I particularly appreciated the emphasis on the mutuality of the ordained office, and the inclusivity of the vision of ministry. `Ordained, full-time clergy need clearer self-understandings and a stronger sense of identity mutually agreed upon in the faith community.' (p. 225) While I resist Browning and Reed's use of the term `consecration' for the recognising and charging of lay ministers within and beyond the church (for that term has other connotations for my tradition), I agree with their view that the ministries of the laity are of equal importance with that of the ordained, differing more in terms of function than in merit.

In the course of their discussion of ordination, they discuss Max Thurian's idea of repeatable sacraments like confirmation. Thus, as the nature of vocation changes or strengthens for an individual, a new commitment to the church and the ministry to which all are called through baptism can be celebrated. This could underscore the importance of the ministry of all, if all are invited to recognise and celebrate their own ministry being reflected in the ordination, consecration, or reaffirmation.

One problem that can arise (indeed, did arise in my case) is also discussed, and that is the all-too-human tendency toward selfishness and mistrust. `Clergy are sometimes threatened by active, knowledgable, questioning laity. Often laity like to think they are paying the clergy to perform the ministry and mission of the church.' (p. 228) When the clergy are insecure in their own knowledge or position, a strengthening of the laity becomes a threat. Likewise, where the laity have not been educated about the importance of their own ministry, a mistrust can arise, whereby they might think the clergy are being lazy or shirking of their responsibilities by encouraging the laity.

Perhaps more than any other sacrament, the recognition of vocation to ministry provides opportunities for education in the congregation, both for the particular individuals being trained and for the wider congregation who should be helpful in discernment, support, and co-workers with those being recognised for special ministry, because of the specific courses of study and times of reflection and evaluation that should be part of any such process.

Browing and Reed are clear that they do not see ordination as an ontological shift in character or nature for the ordained. When first seeking seminaries, I visited General Theological Seminary in New York; part of a student discussion taking place at the dinner table was talk of a pregnant classmate of theirs who would likely be ordained before giving birth - did the `ontological shift' carry forward to the unborn child? No one seemed to have a problem with the idea of the ontological change in itself. Perhaps that was the moment I decided that I should look elsewhere for seminary training.

Browning and Reed's views on ordination reflect their views of sacraments expressed in the first chapter, getting away from narrow and confining definitions toward broader, more inclusive, and more empowering ways of looking at sacraments and their impact on our lives.

Other sacraments they explore include the standard sacraments like baptism, communion, marriage, etc., but they also explore different avenues of expression of sacramental times and ideas for the sake of the church and congregation. Regardless of denomination, there are insights to be gained from the treatment of regular and not-so-regular church practices by Browning and Reed.

This book will be useful for ministers, Christian educators, and indeed anyone who wants to learn more about her or his own practice in church and ministry settings.

There are many good Christian books on marriage, and A Sacred Foundation takes its place among them. The authors share an alternating discussion of his needs and her needs. The wife needs her husband's leadership, gentleness, compassion, protection, provision, praise and support. The husband needs his wife's allegiance, affection, beauty, companionship, and mature love. While this is true in all marriages (particularly for those who desire to follow Christ), these needs effect the homeschool marriage even more. Homeschooling is a worthwhile, dedicated, challenging, and exhausting commitment. The marriage relationship is vital to it's survival, but can too easily be back-burnered with the demands of the life style. This book is a great guide and help for both successful and hurting marriages, as parents team up to provide a home education for their children.