Richards Books

I must have read it over a dozen time (in French) since I was 15. Can't comment on the translation, but I just wanted to say the original is truly a masterpiece. I want to live and wait at the fortress, forever.

Young, rich and idle Aldo longs for something indefinable, something to break the long dreary spell of his ennui. Opting for a post as an observer at a long decaying naval base, Aldo finds a n atmosphere suitable to his solitary, poetic nature. Ruminations abound in impressionable Aldos head. Gracq's prose works its spell on you just as the old fortifications and sea and desert landscapes work their spell on Aldo. Gracq's fabled land is reminiscent of Europe before WWI but the locales remain unspecific to make the experience all the richer, all the more evocative . His words keep you in a heady state of langurous suspense, his theme nothing less than a whole civilizations collective will which in its boredom has decided to invite doom upon itself. A book for true lovers of literature, French poetry,& war fiction though it far exceeds the usual bounds of that genre.

Even in translation you can feel the lyrical intensity and beauty of this novel which creates an atmosphere of tension which no reader will forget easily: Aldo, a young nobleman, has had enough of the decadence of his native Vezzano, a fictitious republic modeled on Venice. He has himself posted to a navy base which was once built to defend Vezzano against Farghestan. The two powers are still officially at war, but nothing has actually happened for 300 years. Now, however, there is a growing tension, not just inside Aldo, who dreams of the unknown Farghestan. People in Vezzano seem to be tired of its eternal stability, they long for action...

Most of the novel's plot takes place near the old navy base, which is surrounded by a desert landscape which is described with mesmerizing intensity. Little incidents are building up towards an explosion which is only hinted at in the book. People waiting for something to happen in a more and more uncanny slience - that may remind the reader of the fact that the book was written before and during World War II. The decadence longing for action, danger and change, however, seems to me reminiscent of World War I. This is not a book of easy historical analogy. It is a unique work of art which stands completely on its own.

Julien Gracq is one of my favorite french writers. I am a French former journalist, so I have read this book under its original title "Le Rivage des Syrtes". The very strange and mysterious connection with Buzzati's "Tartares" has never been explained. Both of them, in a very different style, write a story I would describe as a no-story. Men are awaiting an event which doesn't come. The event is not important. What matters is the silence, the wait, the days and nights so empty. This books really grabs you. But it is very hard to translate, so... Let's hope for a good translation. I highly recommend it.

Civilization has grown bored with itself and so in a richly detailed account of a fabled nations collective will, Julien Gracq shows how a people can arrive at a point where destruction is preferable to ongoing decay and stagnation. If you've read Balcony in the Forest you know that Gracq knows something about anticipation and suspense but this is a journey even deeper into the interior of the psyche and is an altogether unique reading experience. Julien Gracq's prose is best read slowly and savoured, he lingers in his descriptions and elaborates each thought with ever richer examples which hone and decorate his meanings. The plot progresses organically and instinctively like a dream unfolding and revealing episode by episode the destructive inclinations of late civilzation consciousness. Dense sensual impressions abound. If French poetry appeals to you as well as the war genre this is your book, though this book far exceeds the normal bounds of war fiction.

I have this deck and i'm just starting to use it. At first, the simple cards, just with the letters elegantly drawn, didn't seem to me very interesting. I bought it mostly for the book, which IS wonderful (i don't regret the money spent on it at all)!

Then...it started calling me. The gentle simplicity of the cards attracted me, the way the cards are small (at least in the brazilian version), i can handle them perfectly. I've been putting them under my pillow when i go to sleep - not that it has been giving me any big revelation dreams, no yet, but it feels...comfortable.
As i said, i've just started using it, but i feel that i get very insightful answers in the book whenever i draw a card. Even if apparently doesn't make sense first, later i realize what exactly the letter wants to tell me.

I think many of people might not feel atracted to this oracle because of apparently 'empty' the cards. Don't do this. It's a wonderful deck, in it's own way. When reading it, since the card shows only the letter and a few numbers, i don't find myself projecting upon it anything. I let the letter take me where i'm supposed to go - it tells me a story, then it listens to me. Feels like an old friend sometimes.

My experiences with this oracle are, so far, really great. I really recommend it to anyone studying the Kabbalah, the Jewish mysticism, culture and religion, the Hebrew Alphabet etc. It brings together things from different cultures and religions (like Zen and Mayan) but in a balanced way. Like the author himself said, it's no "new-age mish mash".

The Oracle of Kabbalah gives the reader an appreciation of the depth and richness of the Hebrew language. Richard Seidman gives you a guide into the mystical capacity of meditating on, and interpreting the Hebrew language. This is a journey into your mystical and spiritual capacity as you connect with the language of the Divine. The symbols are richly provided with both detailed information on the Hebrew language and its Kabbalistic interpretation. I suggest to my students to use the cards as both meditation and to delve into their current state of consciousness. Not just a divination tool but a tool to develop our own connection to the One.

Richard Seidman's Oracle of the Kabbalah is a gift for those seeking to apply traditional wisdom to their everyday lives. The ancient meanings of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are presented along with inspirational discussions that run the gamut from the humorous to the profound and draw on other wisdom traditions. The author's personal reflections help anchor the teachings to our common experiences.

Rabbi Kushner's foward and the author's introduction ground one in the history and application of these mystical letters. The book and its companion set of cards are very user friendly, providing one with an insightful and welcome perspective when seeking direction.

I'm grateful to Richard Seidman for providing me with both a compassionate form of guidance and a readily accessible introduction to these sacred letters. This is a book that I'll refer to again and again.

Usually people don't think of Jews as being mystics, but many of us are. Jewish mysticism is different from New Age mystricism in that Jewish mysticism is grounded in text -- and letters. From there, it takes flight. This book is a good start for Jews and non-Jews alike, especially if you have trouble with the conventional idea of Big-Guy-in-the-Sky God. If the idea of hidden depths in Hebrew letters intrigues you, also take a look at Larry Kushner's "The Book of Letters" ....

If you are interested in learning Hebrew letters,this is a great tool. I would recommend that you purchase this "New" rather than used.I purchased a used one and ended up with just the book and no cards.It was worth ordering again, as I use the cards as flash cards on a daily basis..Plus,the meanings are insightful.

Being involved with Programmable Logic Controllers and manufacturing, I found this book full of inspiring ideas and tips on the financing, personnel and operations of technology companies. Dick Morley invented the PLC. It is nice to be able to get it from the horse's mouth, as they say. It is an indispensable management tool. I keep this book on my desk just in case another management consulting firm comes here and tries to sell me yet another analysis and subsequent engagement. I would not need an analysis as long as I have this book as my reference.

I do have a slight problem with the prejudice that "We don't invest in a deal if the president has a Ph. D." That would have made companies like Apollo, Celeron, Cisco, Intel and Silicon Graphics non-financeable. People should be judged by their intelligence, not their degrees. Let's make a deal, Dick. If you don't hold my Princeton degrees against me, I won't hold your M.I.T. degree against you, OK?

Intriguing snapshots of the mind of Dick Morley. Each piece is a couple of pages, so they're great quick but deep reads (in the bathroom or otherwise) for the manufacturing (& innovation) professional. He packs a lot into each essay, and keeps 'em coming.

"Out of the Barn" is written by the "Harley-Guy" Dick Morley (Inventor, author, consultant, engineer and "Dad" to 37 children) he is also known as the as the inventor of the programmable controller, the floppy disk and other revolutionary and "world-changing" inventions. Dick is self-described "serial-entrepreneur" whose consistent successes in the founding of high technology companies have been demonstrated by over three decades of achievements.

Some of Dick's entrepreneurial success stories are used in the book "Winning Angels" a practical, hands-on guide to angel investing. Dick's inimitable style and character are easy to discern in this book about the fundamentals of early stage investing.

In his book "Out of the Barn" Dick gives us a collection of his published articles and candid thoughts in one easy to read compilation. He brings his unique way of thinking to discuss revolutionary concepts in his own style. His humor is entertaining and his prose is educational. He will definitely make you think. He challenges you to consider the possibilities and those things that may not (yet) be possible.

Through the short stories in the book you will appreciate his wide range of thinking and find yourself scrambling to catch up, as he moves on to ponder other great thoughts. His homespun vision is full of predictions and forecasts of the future and its possibilities. This book reads just like any one-on-one conversation with Dick. Anyone who has had the pleasure can attest that a chat with Dick can range from the ridiculous to the sublime. Sometimes deep and cogent and other time's light and airy, but never dull.

Dick speaks and writes with an earthy manner that is full of provocation and prevarication you can never be exactly sure, which is half the fun. You can read this book anywhere, at any time, and you will.

Once upon a time, before "Dot-Com" and "Dot-Bomb", there was Dick Morley. This gentleman and his book hearkens back to a time when value was measured by utility, and less by flash. Mr. Morley, the inventor of the staple of industrial automation, the PLC, has touched all of our lives with his practical and creative views of the chaos within which we live.

As a renewed sense of value reemerges in our post-Dot economy, Mr. Morley's insights are again proving to be most timeless.

Get this book.

The format of this book is a series of vignettes. And not to be dis-appointed there is plenty of wisdon to be had even in a fireside chat with Dick.

I have done it several times in person and find it VERY stimulating. For those not so luck try this as a premier.

Listen to Dick and LEARN.

This collection requires a bit of scientific knowledge to read and enjoy. Like all collections, there are a few clinkers, and you may not enjoy all the subjects equally. But for dipping into, reading with understanding, going on into deeper waters in the sources -- just for the pure joy of reading about science, this fine volume is very hard to beat.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Folks often wonder where the scientists draw the energy to spend all those hours studying descriptive models and terminology about the natural world. The answer is in this book!

Personally, I believe we are all born curious investegators. why and how are facinating topics. But about some time in middle school, we enounter science out of the context of spirited, enjoyable curiosity. The education system serves us a bitter dish for this delightful subject of science. Most agree, it's hard to learn something you don't care for. People lose the care, thus losing the affinity for it and then they grow up looking at a scientist as elitist overacheivers.

This book aims to open your eyes and remind you of that spirited curiosity, that maybe science might become a bigger part of your life..because unadulterated curiosity is the key to learning science.

As one who is convinced that Spinoza's monism provides the philosophical basis for all the sciences, reading The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing and seeing Spinoza's view (that God and Nature are one and the same thing, under the dual aspects of thought and matter) confirmed over and over again was enthralling.

While reading it I repeatedly inserted markers into articles that I wished to re-read. In fact, I shall probably read the whole book again and refer to it repeatedly. What particularly fascinated me was the revelation that a quantum of energy appears to us under two aspects: as a wave or as a particle, but never both at the same time. This discovery accords perfectly with Spinoza's dual aspect theory.

My selection of five-star articles is as follows: `Life Itself', by Francis Crick; `One Self: a Meditation on the Unity of Consciousness' by Nicholas Humphrey; `The Language Instinct', by Steven Pinker; `Avoid Boring People' by James Watson; `Consciousness Explained' by Daniel Dennett; `The Fantastic Combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game "Life"' by Martin Gardner; `Computing Machinery and Intelligence' by Alan Turing; `The Goldilocks Enigma' by Paul Davies; `The Elegant Universe' by Bryan Green, and `Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid' by Douglas Hofstadter.

Having been brought up in an evangelical environment, and having had a taste of Roman Catholicism as well, I can only say that there is no contest between the brilliance, lucidity, humility and open-mindedness of the scientists quoted in this anthology and the tendentious, hubristic, convoluted, ill-founded speculations of theologians - few of whom will have the courage to read this book.

The introductions by Richard Dawkins are excellent. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Basic Flying Instruction: A Comprehensive Introduction to Western Philosophy

A Good Boy Tomorrow: Memoirs of A Fundamentalist Upbringing

Without wishing to detract from the value of Dawkins' more polemical writings on atheism, it's good for a change to see this contribution to the understanding of science. The field is so vast that for the informed but non-academic reader (or even for the specialist in a limited science field) this compendium, with its instructive and insightful introductory comments is a real boon. Highly readable and "dippable" and thoroughly recommended.

In the simple and friendly little book entitled Richard Dawkins, How a scientist changed the way we think [Oxford University Press 2006], edited by Alan Grafen and Mark Ridley, scientists and writers heaped praise upon a brilliant and illustrious fellow scientist and writer. In The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing [Oxford University Press 2008] by Richard Dawkins, we encounter the inverse process. The Oxford guru of ungodly genetics offers us a personally-chosen digest of 83 literary variations -- one might say prose poems -- on scientific themes. And each extract is prefaced by a brilliantly terse introduction by the Master of Ceremonies, who invites us to look over his shoulder -- over his reading glasses, one might say -- to take voluptuous literary and didactic pleasure in the modern Word (logos) of Science. Dawkins is never nicer than when he talks of others: of other scientists and writers, of other bright survival machines with a zoological quill in their hands. He is a Renaissance scholar inviting us to a celebration of his scientific and artistic brethren. Dawkins and Oxford (its university, its press) are lights in the murky metaphysics of the modern world.

"Pack of Thieves" is a riveting account of man's greed coupled with a recounting of the worst crime in modern history - the Holocaust. I commend Richard Chesnoff for an insightful and beautifully written book. A must for every family library!

Chilling, captivating, terrifying express some of the emotional responses one will feel when one reads this book. The author has thoroughly researched his topic. In addition he has presented his findings in a very organized and readable fashion. The writing style makes for easy reading. The author has transformed what could have been a very mundane presentation of facts and figures into a captivating story that is impossible to put down once started. A must read for students of the Holocaust.

Pack of thieves is probably the most detailed book I have ever read about the plundering of the Jews in Europe. Throughout the book the crimes committed against the Jews is explained in horrifying detail. In my opinion, I would not suggest this book to the weak hearted as it has many awful pictures and stories of people being destroyed by the Nazis. Although it is a horrible subject to read about, the holocaust is not talked about enough. I think that people should be educated about world history so that atrocities like the mass murder of the Jews never happen again.

Chilling, captivating, terrifying express some of the emotional responses one will feel when one reads this book. The author has thoroughly researched his topic. In addition he has presented his findings in a very organized and readable fashion. The writing style makes for easy reading. The author has transformed what could have been a very mundane presentation of facts and figures into a captivating story that is impossible to put down once started. A must read for students of the Holocaust.

I literally shuddered from a combination of amazement, disgust, and anger after reading this well-written and quite readable overview of the plundering of the European Jews by Hitler and others starting in the 1930s and continuing to the present day. This book by Richard Chesnoff carefully details the scope and depth of the continuing final financial insult to those who suffered the "Final Solution" at Hitler's hand in the Second World War. Even after fifty years, the lies, dissembling, vile deceptions and equivocations continue, for literally tens of billions of dollars of gold, valuables, and money plundered as a result of the so-called "Final Solution" are still unaccounted for. For anyone old enough to have fifty such years of conscious experience in the world, it's difficult to actually be moved to disgust, to be amazed by anything people do, but the bold, shameless ways in which Europe's thugs, slugs and other lowlife cowards came slithering out of their damp and furtive hiding places to take full and open advantage of the Jews' persecution before, during and even after WWII is enough to wrench the most strong-stomached among us.

Although this line of investigation is by its very nature disturbing stuff, it is well handled by the author, and his even, professional journalistic tone is solid, seldom bitter or vengeful. Instead, his forte is his ability to systematically describe, detail, and document the multifarious ways in which the Jews were ritually stripped of anything of value by their friends, neighbors, and countrymen, and how so many of those of whom so much better should have been expected used their positions of relative advantage to exploit, extort, and even help to exterminate them. From outright expropriation of rugs, art, and valuables by the Nazis to a plethora of scams, false promises, and ultimate betrayals, the bottom line in case after case is personal enrichment at the extraordinary expense of the victims. Were I not also aware of countless stories of so many others who risked and often sacrificed themselves to save Jews, I would be ashamed to be a human being. It is difficult to understand how so many fellows human beings could continue be so cravenly covetous and so heartless as to perpetrate such a campaign of dispossession against those who were so helpless, impotent, and so needing of compassion.

The number of ways in which the Jews were exploited and extorted is numbing; from life insurance scams to funds transfer to numbered Swiss accounts to offers to help individual Jews escape to offers to hide them and spirit them to safety, the various permutations seem endless, and often quite ingenious. Yet one cannot help but be appalled by neighbors calmly expropriating clothing, cars, furniture, apartments, homes, and farms from Jews who were being systematically displaced. There are accounts of individuals coming home from the camps to find neighbors firmly ensconced in the homes, using their home goods, and totally oblivious to the possibility they would have to give it all up to the returning survivors. Many Jews returning to their former homes were threatened, scared away, beaten, or even murdered upon their return.

Of course, the most systematic exploitation was by social institutions; governments, banks, insurance companies, art museums. The degree to which these organized interests have systematically delayed, stonewalled, and denied any access to their records for all these decades is scandalous and disheartening to learn about. While the original impetus was to "Aryanize" the wealth of Germany's Jews to help finance the goals of the Third Reich, the explosion of avarice and greed soon spread throughout the Reich and beyond. What is truly disheartening is the widespread degree to which economic, social and political institutions we would otherwise consider respectable and honorable have participated in the plunder taking. This book is a most provocative reading experience, and one anyone interested in the curiosities and unintended ironies of history can play out their games should read. I highly recommend it, and hope it will be widely read and appreciated.

A sequel to Command a King's Ship, Bolitho sails his Tempest farther east into the contested fringes of the British, Spanish and French empires. Capt. Bolitho is among the the islands in the Great South Sea, which is not so Pacific as it echoes to thunderous broadsides and murderous intrigue. Mutiny is in the air again. The state-sponsored (merchantile) economy of peacetime England is rotten, royalist France is in turmoil before its revolution, and the amazing Bligh has survived the mutiny on the Bounty. We see Polynesia in a more exciting time, when traders and free booters were only just entering islands of lovely but deadly natives amid the clash of unsettled national interests and claims. Bolitho has finally met his match in the form of an utterly ruthless and clever pirate who outwits Bolitho time and again, despite the desperate courage of his lieutenants. Kent has again come up with a wonderfully evil pirate to fight, even though we hardly meet him. Is Bolitho too besotted with his love for Viola, who has returned with her husband to develop an island colony? Unfortunately Kent makes Viola's husband so wholly irredeemable there's no tension there. Into this comes a French frigate under a tyrannical captain just as news of the outbreak of the French Revolution roils the tense waters and dubious loyalties further. The effects of tropical heat are graphically displayed, and the implacable scourge of fever finally makes its appearance in the series.

Mr Kent proves once more that he is a master story teller. This book is alive with characters who face a series of dangerous adventures in the service of their king. The story has everything: brigands, upturned cannon, splintered decks, heroic struggle against the odds, friendship, romance, some terrific dialog and character developement, hostile islanders, Royal Marines, some rather bloody battles and above it, Richard Bolitho stands true to his calling. The plot and sub plots are splendidly told and fill the pages with attention to detail, a rich feel for the time period and Allday backing his captain with his broad back and gleaming cutlass.
Great stuff to read on a rainy afternoon by a crackling fire.
What is great about the Kent books is the fact that as in real life, people arrive, influence, some move on and others die. Told with flair and a bold descriptive style makes Kent's books some of my very favorite.
Enjoy

Passage to Mutiny was my first Bolitho adventure. I have read them all, but nothing captured my imagination quite as much as this one. Bolitho and his crew set out to find Eurotas, which was captured by pirates. The relationships between Bolitho and Herrick; and Bolitho and Viola; are vivid and bring out Bolitho's character to enhance the suspensful plot. The fight on the beach ending with Herrick having his back to the sea as a final desperate measure while Tempest's launch arrives just in time to save them kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't think I breathed for at least two chapters. It was one of the most satisfying reads I have ever had.

Richard Bolitho's new command is the Tempest, a 36-gun frigate, built in India of teak. a fifth class like his last command. But teak is a very heavy, dense wood; much heavier than the English oak usually used in the construction of ships of the Royal Navy, and therefor less maneuverable--but exceptionally strong.

The Tempest is picked up in the story entering the harbor at Sydney, the main port of the prison colony of Botany Bay (now known as Australia.)

The Commodore to whom he reports is an old friend with whom he served when they were both lieutenants. But another old acquaintance was also arriving soon from England: the government advisor, James Raymond and his wife Viola, with whom Bolitho had fallen in love on the last occasion of their company, five years previously.

The story continues through attacks by the pirate Mathias Tuke, broadsides, shore parties, a long sea episode in an open boat, hostile savages, and the loss of many good friends and crew members in battler and from fever, and the near loss of Bolito's own life.

This is a fine novel, as is typical of Alexander Kent, and the seventh in the Bolitho series. I have ordered the next three in the series, so taken by the stories am I.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN(Ret)

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Passage to Mutiny is the fourth Kent novel set outside of an actual war and the fourth that deals with pirates. In the past Richard Bolitho has ultimately enjoyed great success against pirates while Kent has had mixed success writing about it. This time Kent gets it right in a nail biting, blood and thunder epic. Perhaps Kent's Bolitho adventures reached their peak in the mid-70s and Passage to Mutiny is an example of the writer in top form.

Five years after Command a King's Ship Bolitho is off to Botany Bay. The spectre of two famous captains, Cook and Bligh, hangs over the voyage. Cook explored much of the region and was ultimately killed in the Pacific and Bligh has just lost his ship to mutiny. While he may have fears of mutiny, Kent's Bolitho has both the leadership abilities and humanity of Cook and the seafaring ability of Bligh. His crews will stand with him to the death.

Bolitho's paramour and nemesis from Command a King's Ship are both back to complete the story that Kent started in the earlier novel. While reading Command a King's Ship I was thinking that Bolitho should back off from having a relationship with a married woman no matter what her husband is like, Kent had me thinking that Bolitho should go for it and squeeze whatever happiness he could out of the opportunity that he had.

However, Passage to Mutiny is really about broadsides, thwarting pirates and a great sailing epic. The romance is just a little fluff along the way while manly men do manly things. The story is exciting and succeeds on that level. I did have a few problems with it though. Kent is not always clear on details such as how the wind is blowing, what direction the shore is and the way ports face. He really should include maps or provide additional details so that the reader can visualize what's happening accurately. One can't always figure out why Bolitho is so brilliant if one doesn't know which way the wind is blowing and which direction the ship is sailing.

Still and all I was wrapped up in this one and I look forward to the next Bolitho adventure.

Indiana Jones gets a new female counterpart, but young archaeologist Tess Swift is lucky she didn't try to steal the Ark of the Covenant from the first Indy movie. Tess is spiritually disconnected from just about everything---family, husband, relationships, God---except for a mysterious recurring dream about discovering an ancient scroll. The dream never included any advice for Tess to steal the relic...or did it? tess gets more than she bargained for when she discovers a history of the early Christian Church and the unforgettable love story of Christ's disciples, Aquila and Prisca. Prisca's destiny intertwines with Tess's in Richard Soule's plausible, inventive finale. Soule's work will undoubtedly provoke thought, debate, and soul-searching.

"Peculiar People" is in reality three books, any one of which could be a best seller. One concerns the life and the spiritual conversion of Theresa "Tess" Swift, an archeologist. Another details the lives of Aquila and Prisca, first century converts to Christianity. The third book is a combination of the two. It is 585 pages of historical fact and religious belief entwined with a fictionalized heroine.

Tess, who is estranged from her husband and her family, discovers an ancient scroll while working at an archaeological dig for the National Geographic. Instead of turning over her spectacular find to the association, she hides it, thinking that its potential value could be her answer to financial independence for the rest of her life.

She spirits the scroll out of Turkey into Italy, where she starts to decipher the parchment in a squalid flat in Rome. She discovers that the document recounts the lives of Aquila and his wife Prisca. Aquila had been present in Jerusalem during the crucifixion of Jesus and became an ardent convert to the Christian faith. Prisca was the daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant, who, because of duplicity and amazing bad fortune ends up a slave to a vicious Roman master. Aquila had known and loved Prisca before disaster befell her and her family, and is reunited with her after she escapes her vile master.

Aquila baptizes Prisca and the rest of their story revolves around their travels throughout the ancient world, spreading the word of their new God and meeting and working with the likes of St. Peter, St. Paul, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. As Tess works her way through the translation, she experiences a change of character so dramatic that it almost explodes in the conclusion of the novel.

This is a very well written story of early Christianity that is revealing, inspiring and entertaining. Richard Soule does a remarkable job in weaving this fascinating tapestry of life and legend. A must read for anyone.

As one studies the history of the early Christian church recorded in the New Testament, several names become familiar. Two of these names are Aquila and Priscilla, the married couple that worked along side the apostle Paul. Richard Soule cleverly writes a historical fiction novel with this couple at the forefront. Spanning from A.D. 28 to A.D. 78, Soule brings the early Christian movement alive in truly a unique way.

Archeologist Tess Swift illegally swipes an ancient scroll with the hopes of selling it to the highest bidder. Once she unravels the scroll, her life becomes intertwined with the contents of the scroll. Aquila and Priscilla have carefully recorded their experiences. Readers will become so emersed in the rich historical storyline you almost forget that you are reading this along with Tess. While fictional, Soule sticks very close to details such as the visitation of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), Paul's Damascus road experience and his work with Gentiles, the persecutions, the great fire in Rome, etc. Expect to meet Peter, John, Timothy, and host of other names mentioned in the book of Acts.

Some of the interesting highlights are how Aquila and Priscilla come together as a couple. There love is truly an example for all married couples! It is also a great joy to see how the early Christians banded together to worship and support one another.

Soule pulls Tess away from the scroll from time to time. Each time Tess examines her life --- past and present --- the written lives of the individuals included in the scroll influence her in ways she never imagined. The last portion of this book is very emotional as horrible persecutions are witnessed via the pages of this book and at the same time a young woman draws closer to Christ.

The experience from reading this book will definitely remain with you long after the last page has been read. Soule encourages us all to stretch our imaginations and read the bible with new eyes. These people were REAL, even more importantly the God they served and worshipped is REAL and LIVES today!

--- reviewed by Tyora Moody for Christian Bookshelf

This amazing creation of historically accurate fiction immersed within a human tale written in gripping detail is extremely entertaining and envokes a cinemagraphic experience for the reader of immense proportion. A memorable and enjoyable journey of life in tumultuous times , its unique positioning of stories from modern day and the first century in perfect harmony expertly educates in an experience of visiting the lives of real and interesting people is full of drama, comedy,passion, tragedy and sweetness characteristic of our lives. It is a layering of stories of lives in transition and the world immediately after the beginning of the greatest story ever told.

Because I am a fellow author with the same publisher, I was drawn to this book for that reason. Also, I have visions of writing a sequel to my own novel, which is on the life of Jesus. That sequel will, like Peculiar People, involve the story of the early church. I took my time with Richard Soule's large book and enjoyed it. As other reviewers have noted, this is like two books in one. This modern story of a young archaeologist, an unbeliever, but with a "calling" on her life, uncovers the ancient story that recounts the beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ. In places, I was so moved that I shed tears. The book is quite long--the opposite of what publishers are looking for these days. Christian publishers say busy people want little books, quick reads. I don't think quick reads are usually good reads. You get what you pay for -- and, I believe, our investment of time works the same way. What a shame people are too busy to read literature with depth! Richard Soule's story certainly won me over, and I was happy to give it the time it deserves. I think he did good job, considering the book didn't have the benefit of a professional, seasoned book editor. That's all that was lacking, and not by much. There are phrases and pieces that probably should have been changed. But, in general, I was truly captured by this book. The insightful ideas presented about the challenges the early Church faced, and the believable characterizations of Peter, Paul, Timothy, Aquila and Pricilla, and others, are still memorable for me. (I finished the book weeks ago.) My takeaway from Peculiar People has stayed with me. That's a sign of a good read. The Jewish culture of the first Church, and its struggles,confusion, plus the persecution the believers faced, has been dramatically and accurately described. I felt as though I was there and am thankful to this author for his obedience to the Holy Spirit, which certainly inspired him in this endeavor. Richard Soule is a wonderful storyteller.

I just ordered the downloadable (electronic) version of this book and it is truly amazing. I have never read a book about personal finances that was so dense with good advice all in such an entertaining format. If you're trying to get out of debt or just want to better manage your money, I would definitely reccomend this!

This is a great book to help the average Joe or Jane to understand money, finances, and how to groom your credit. It is in a wonderful easy to understand story format, it is free of the boring pages and pages of numbers and statistics, unlike other finance books I've read.

This is a must read. You will learn a lot of information that other finance books of this type fail to cover. I found the information about credit extremely helpful. The manner in which this book was written (in a story format) made it real easy to learn. I would recommend it to everyone!

It is clear that Heward understands his topic, relates his points clearly and accurately, and gives the reader every opportunity to understand how to get his financial house in order.

This book will give you tons of information about how to get your financial house in order. It is easy to read and understand. I believe readers can better understand financial principles taught because this book is very entertaining to read. I would recommend it to all my friends and family.

I really enjoyed the layout and study guide supplied by this book. The study guide is really easy and works very well.

This book has been very useful in my college class. I think that it is written well and it makes the information easy to understand.

this book has helped very much in studying for my class. It hit alot of the main points that I get tested on.

Where was this book at the beginning of nursing school?? The first textbook I had for pharmacology was a nightmare!! And the instructor made it worse. I searched high and low for a pharmacology textbook that I can understand, and now, in my third semester, I find this goldmine! I suggest this for anyone for the quick and easy way to study the drugs, and now, I feel better about entering into med-surg 2, and then the boards. Thanks, Mosby! You've done it again!

product in good condition, delivery was quick. product was as advertised. thank you

Stirring, compassionate, profound. One of my favorite books of all time. One of the most poetic books of photographs ever created. Best wishes to Mr. Gere.

This book is really special. The cover, first of all, feels so wonderful. The pages are on incredible quality paper. And the photographs are incredible. It's really a wonderful book.

This book was exactly what I expected from such a sensitive and intelligent man. Thank you, Mr. Gere. We need our hearts broken now and then.

Richard has access to places most people do not. Take, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness is not accessable to you and I on the level that Richard has. Richard shares private photos, such as plate 63 where His Holiness is in meditation. The photo alone portrays a depth of intensity that the experience offers. Richard also has a true sense of the tragedy of the Tibetan people and can deliver that in a light that few people can ever grasp, even after several trips to the region. Richard is the Pilgrim and we are fortunate to be able to see things in a way he does. Very few photographers can say that of their work. Perhaps it is due to his experience in film, perhaps as a result of his practice as a buddhist, maybe just because the openness of his sharing is felt in his work, regardless of the medium. Thank you my friend for sharing your life with us and a wonderful book.

I cannot look at this book without crying. It is very beautiful yet pierces my heart with sadness, I believe that the plight of Tibet is the canary of our planet. This book is about an amazing and gentle people and my hope and prayer is that it will generate more compassion . The text is very direct and simple and is not next to the photos but at the back. One quote stuck in my mind, "It's all ego." You can see these photos with your heart and they will melt it, if you are open.