Roberts Books

For those who have not spent hours reading Robert's Rules or may sometimes be confused with the original, this book is simply great!! You CAN to this, you CANNOT do that, it's OK to try something else. (In plain English!) It simplified a question my group had, to the satisfaction of all involved.

Alan does a fabulous job making sense of Robert's Rules. I became a new Chairman of a committee with no experience in the Rules. After reading his book I felt confident I could run the meeting in the proper format. I now keep the book with me at all meetings as a handy reference. Thanks for a great resource. Also, I love the way he gives relevant examples of potential circumstances and how to negotiate your way through the parlimentary maze.

An excellent reference book to have on hand at club Board meetings and lunches. Simple and easy presentation of a lengthy subject.

I own the book and have even had a question answered by the author. The book is first rate. I highly recommend "Dummies." Its made me less of one!

I have purchased this book for many boards and elected officials. I find it is a great source and a learning tool for anyone participating in organized meetings. We use the philosophy even in my book club.

I am impressed by the writings of Robert Louis Wilken in this history book. He tells us that the purpose of his book is "to depict the pattern of Christian thinking as it took shape in the formative centuries of the Church's history."
His purpose leads me to believe that he understands that the Bible is the central factor that appeals to all the religious writers from the very beginning to the present time. I cannot help but to be aware that the central theme for anyone will be to understand what God has helped man to write in this great book, The Bible. Readers should come to an awareness in the introduction of this book that we need to understand the history, rituals, and the text to have the proper knowledge of Christian history in order to convey facts and thoughts to all concerned people.

This book explores Christian beliefs and practices, shown in its major Latin and Greek writers, through the first seven centuries of the church's history.

Each of the twelve chapters is devoted to a particular theme, such as worship or social ethics, but the discussion is wide ranging, and themes tend to flow into one another. "Spirit" is a good word in the title since the material isn't treated in a systematic way. At the end, the reader has less an analysis and more an aroma of early Christianity.

The book isn't a critical appraisal--it's a loving appropriation. And it's clear Wilken loves his subject matter deeply. This is a beautiful book, written with depth and style.

It is hard to believe that this book is by the same man who wrote "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them". What a difference 19 years makes.

This is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. I must have highlighted the whole book since I found almost every sentence edifying.

I had become accustomed to reading the Church Fathers from an apologetic or polemical standpoint. This book made me realize how I had overlooked the faith and piety of the Early Fathers. Prof. Wilken shows among other things how they sought to ground their all their arguments Biblically, and how little Christian doctrine actually owes to pagan thought, other than perhaps a few philosophical terms.

If you really want to understand how Christian doctrine was shaped by faith and inspiration, and not by cerebral distillations, you simply MUST read this book.

In a previous volume called The Christians as the Romans Saw Them (1984), Robert Louis Wilkin, professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia, explored the broad and deep antipathy that developed in the first five centuries toward the Christian movement, at least as that was expressed by the cultured elites. He presented the views of the pagan critics with both sympathy and understanding, devoting one chapter each to the views of Pliny the Younger, the physician Galen, Celsus, the Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, and the Roman emperor Julian. In a short epilogue, Wilkin acknowledged that Christians responded to their critics: "There was a genuine dialogue, not simply an outpouring of abuse. The credit goes as much to the Christians as to the pagans." In this present volume Wilkin explores the emergence of what eventually became a distinctly Christian view of God, the world, the self, and human history.

Although his task requires him to consider the history of theology as it developed in the early church, and its relationship with thinkers of Judaism, Greece and Rome, Wilkin warns us not to be be overly preoccupied with intellectual ideas. The Gospel, after all, does not intend to make us smart, but to transform our hearts, minds, and our very lives. Early Christianity appealed to history, reason, ritual, experience, and most of all to the Scriptures, all with the goal of authentic faith expressing itself in true love. What we seek is not barren knowledge but the very face of God (see Psalm 105:4). In his panoramic survey Wilkin describes how we know God in worship, the sacraments and the Scriptures; the struggles to define the Trinity, the nature of Christ, and creation; the relationship of faith to reason and the church to broader society; poetry and icons; and then the nature of Christian virtue and the spiritual life. From start to finish the book is a feast of the early Christian fathers, with special emphasis on Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, and Maximus the Confessor. These forbears are, as he says in the last sentence of the book, "still our teachers today."

This book left me feeling very torn. On the one hand, it was really a great read. On the other hand, it seemed that there was an underlying agenda that the author refused to admit (or realize). At times, it seemed a little like Bart Ehrman's book--only half the story gets told to bend the conclusion. Of course, Wilken admits that he is not telling the whole story, but he leads the reader to believe that he is being fair. Allow me a few examples. Wilken admits that Augustine is the giant of early Christian thought, and quotes him in every chapter, and on almost every subject. However, when he begins to talk about free-will, there is no talk of Augustine, and Wilken says that all the early fathers believed in free-will. While Augustine may have been in the minority, the average reader (to whom the book is written, as purported by Wilken) would have no other idea. Also, Wilken talks about the monothelite controversy. Usually, he deals with all the bishops and emporers on both sides of a debate. However, in this discussion, he fails to mention Honorius, prelate of Rome. This would be unknown to the average reader, but seems (to me) that it would be important enough to mention. There are a few other, mostly minor, examples of things like this. It all seems to be an apologetic for Roman Catholicism. While that's fine to write an apologetic for your church, telling half the story is deceitful.

That being said, the book is a good read. It flows well, and is enjoyable. Technical terms (usually Greek or Latin words) are explained and used in useful ways. The book contains a good amount of information, yet is presented in an understandable way and is made easy to remember. It isn't just another book on early church history--it traces other things like poetry, etc. Another underlying theme is that knowledge of God is not true knowledge until it is experienced. It seems simple enough, but Wilken explains it quite well. And to this end, I agree with another reviewer, that there is a devotional, not just academic, use for this book.

The negative side of this review shouldn't deter anyone from reading it. This book is a great read, but it needs to be read with discernment (of course, everything does).

We live on 10 acres and have wondered what birds make certain calls. These CDs teach you how to learn the calls and songs in a fun way. (Who knew there was a difference in a song and a call?) We found out that we had birds we didn't know we had because we had never seen them, but after learning their songs, we started looking and have seen brightly colored orioles and indigo buntings. You would think you could see a brightly colored orange bird, but knowing what to look for is a great help. The way the author teaches is with easy to remember tricks. It is a great teaching device for kids too. There are lots of hints on how to best use the CD's too. Even knowing just a few songs makes you more aware of the sounds around you. The other night I heard "who cooks for you? who cooks for you all?" I went and woke my daughter up and asked, what bird says that? She knew right off it was a Barred Owl and got up to come hear it in person. Awesome CDs. We also bought "More Birding by Ear" but haven't had time to listen to it yet. They even have a list of songs at the end so you can see if you remember what you learned. The songs are also grouped by type to help you remember them. Similar sounding songs are also placed next to each other so that it makes it easier to tell the difference between them. There was a lot of thought put into making this such a great product and it is well worth it! I am not an audio learner, but even I am getting better at ID'ing birds by their sounds.

If you're looking to learn how to recognize birds just by sounds, then this is it. These CD's are excellent. I would recommend them for both beginner and expert alike. I have been birding since High School and am now 37 and learned about a lot of birds that I had heard but hadn't seen. I finished these CD's and am now working on More birding by ear(the second set of this series). It's amazing the birds you recognize as you are just walking down the street or in the woods. To be able to hear a bird in the distance and know what it is is great feeling.

Excellent recordings and presentation make learning bird songs easy. Highly reccomend. Combined with excellent service from Amazon made this a satisfying purchase.

I'm a new birder, and I have found this series really helpful. I even recognized a few birds by sound before seeing them, thanks to this series. I also gave a copy to a friend who is visually impaired, and she's enjoying it too.

This program is logically thought out and executed unlike another disk I bought (Bird Song Ear Training Guide by John Feith). Bird calls are classed by types, e.g. the most common woodpeckers are grouped together, and then explained. After the explanation, the bird call is repeated again so one can analyze the key elements of the calls. This was not done in the Feith CD.
I live next to a park that is a large tract of land that is untouched. When a tree goes down, it stays down and rots, as would happen in nature. This is not a manicured park. There are a wealth of bird calls within the park and although I can't see them, I can certainly hear them. I wanted to identify them by their calls and I will be able to with these disks. I bought another CD that I thought would help that is mentioned above, but was sorely disappointed.
If you are like me and want to be able to recognize birds by their calls, then this is the work for you.

Like many other reviewers, I first read this book and the other Williamsburg novels in my teens. I loved them, and read them repeatedly. That these books are so beloved of teen-age girls forty years ago should give a good idea of what they're like. This one is probably the best, but all are sweet love stories with an interesting historical setting--good plots, memorably noble and heroic characters, and happy endings, both on the personal and historical level. There's little real pain and suffering, no matter how horrible the historic event described was, and few really bad guys. If you want enjoyable, G-rated escape, these are your books.

Dawn's Early Light, the first book in the Elswyth Thane Williamsburg series, is a delightful read with memorable characters and an accurate rendering of Williamsburg's Colonial days leading up to and through the Revolution. Here we see the beginnings of two families: the Days and the Spragues as well as the beginning of our nation. From the first moment when Julian Day steps off the boat from England and is met on the wharf by St.John Sprague, Thane's story captured this reader who read it for the first time in the 60's and has just finished reading it again. The characters and their stories, their loves and heartaches in the midst of this tumultuous Revolutionary period have become a part of my own story. What better way to learn history than through the eyes of those who lived it. Kudos to Thane for a well-researched account and for the portrayal of flesh and blood characters who captured the heart. It is wonderful book. Enjoy! Ann Westerman

My grandmother passed the Williamsburg novels on to me when I was 16. I devoured all of them that summer. I always wanted to read them again, and yesterday on a whim I decided to do just that. It has been 16 years since I last read the series, and I'm enjoying Dawn's Early Light with a new appreciation.

Thanks to the Internet, I now know more about the author. Elswyth Thane (1900-1981, American) was a romance writer in her time. She wrote several books, but the Williamsburg series are her most popular.

I'd say while these novels have a healthy dose of history -- historical characters like Jefferson and Washington interact with our fictional characters in "Dawn's" -- they are first and foremost romance novels. Therefore, female readers might enjoy them more, which seems to be the case from the comments posted here!

This is the beginning book in a series of books called the Williamsburg novels. I have been reading and re-reading this series of 7 books for over 50 years. They are my all time favorite books. Each book deals with a war or pre-war action (except the war of 1812) in which the US has taken part from the Revolutionary War (Dawn's Early Light) to the Civil War (Yankee Stranger) to the Homing with is the last of the series and the 4th book which deals with WWI and WWII and the years in between. They are a great source of history. Ms Thane (widow of the explorer Dr. William Beebe) has done an excellent job of research for each of the books. I hope others find them as wonderful, and as entertaining as I do. I have read my old copies until they are falling apart. I was very excited to find they had been reprinted and purchased them immediately.

The advice is--- don't make the same mistake I did. Upon reading all the glowing reviews, this series of books sounded like just what I love to read--- long,interesting books, interesting characters. So- instead of buying them one at a time, I bought the whole darned Williamsburg Series, plus a few more by the same author, "Queen's Folly", the "Tudor Wench" and "Tryst". What a disappointment. Since this review is about "Dawn's Early Light", I won't mention how boring the other books were, but I've got to say-- "Dawn" was the best of the lot. However, I could hardly bring myself to finish it, but I did. The other books were just as boring--- if all the references to war had been left out, they would have been pamphlets, but much more interesting. Ladies, these are men's books-- unless you like to read of ambushes, guns, dead horses. I think Elswyth Thane had seen "Gone With The Wind" and was trying to emulate it in her work. She failed miserably. I should have bought one book to see her writing style, and I would have saved some cash, because I wouldn't have wasted my money on the rest.

I love all the books by Robert Sabuda. My grandchildren are fascinated by his pop-ups. They are beyond anything I've seen in any other pop up books. My grandsons ages 13 to 7 love to look at the beasts as well as the dinosaurs in his last book. They also love all his other books on various subjects. The "Wizard of Oz" was a real favorite. Don't hesitate to start a library of his books. The kids look at them over and over again.

My little boy (6 years old) is such a huge fan of these beautiful books. Even I love looking at all the details and wondering how anyone could design such intricate pop-ups. If you have a child at home who loves beasts and monsters get this book. There is also lots of facts and trivia to keep your child interested as they get older.

This book and the other two Encyclopedia Prehistorica volumes are interactive and fascinating. While technically pop-up books I would consider them to be more art than craft. They are definitely geared toward older children and need to be handled carefully. Highly recommended to anyone 8 and up with an interest in unique books.

Another winning book from the Sabuda/Reinhart collaboration. Imaginative and well made. A creative work of art! Perect for any child who loves beasts and monsters.

My 6 yr old son received this as a Christmas gift. We all fell in love with it - even my 2 yr old! Being an Encyclopedia it is filled with information and the pop out pictures are fantastic, plus they grab the children's interest easily. I was amazed at the detail and quality of the pop outs. There are tiny books within the pages that also have tiny detailed pop outs. These books are going to be kept for a long time!

It's rare to come upon literature with a pulse and a heartbeat on every page. This is one of those precious gems that I will read once a year for the rest of my days.

God's blessing in print. Hope again. Hope anew. Hope for you. Buy it. Read it. Live it.

Thank you Archbishop TUTU

Bill Dahl
Author, Creator, Editor
The Porpoise Diving Life

What an eloquent writer! Bishop Tutu writes so beautifully, especially when he describes the Love of God. The concept of transfiguration is explained in a passage about the cross which truly brought me closer to my Lord. Dear Christian brothers and sisters: read this book and be prepared to have your prejudices and fears about other people shattered by the Love of God.

I am leading a group study at St. John's Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida using this beautiful book of meditations by Bishop Tutu. There are discussion question after each chapter.

The book came in in a short amount of time, and was in great condition.

Desmond Tutu is a man of morals and conscience with the courage of his convictions. This book should be required reading for every school student. Better yet, invite him to talk -- he is outstanding!

This book is full of fun information and it actually makes learning about a lot school subjects fun! Good for all ages that can read! Subjects about modern times and historic times. Science to math. Fun facts to colorful pages to fun myths. You'll never be bored and you'll always want to pick up Pick Me Up

This book is fabulous!!! I literally just 'picked it up' off the library shelf where it was being displayed as a new book. WOW is right. Promptly checked it out and soon bought a copy for my son who is 15. He goes back to it on a regular basis. I've started to buy it as a birthday gift for every kid I know!! I love cool kid books and this is definitely in my to 10.

Fun and Fascinating read that takes you all over the place. It is, as one review said, like surfing the web. Great resource for information you won't find in the encyclopedia

Our librarian intoduced us to this one and it's a hit for all age groups. Everyone who "picks it up" becomes engrossed. The format is different & takes a little getting used to but worth every penny! Many catagories, neat facts & trivia, nice artwork, pictures, diagrams, etc. Highly recommeded to encourage reading.

I think it's fair to say that this hip British encyclopedia is an unquestionably 21st century book. Its intricate layout is geared to engage minds acclimated to Internet hot links and lots and lots of graphics. If PICK ME UP had come out twenty years ago, its continual cross-referencing and graphic density might have made it indecipherable. But for today's Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder reader (young or old), the title says it all: Once this fascinating volume is picked up, it will not be set down anytime soon.

PICK ME UP's writers have seen to it that the book has absolutely stellar content. And I was pleased to see that they shirked no delicate issue, choosing to engagingly explain topics that public school teachers in the States would only tackle with a parental permission slip. Not that the book is prurient; rather, it turns its sensible gaze upon all aspects of behavior and history in such an astute, clearheaded way, one is inclined to turn its pages again and again.

Bravo!

You have to keep going. It's a way of living, a way of proving you're alive. A perfect life can change in the blink of an eye. You don't forget, but you don't shut down. You keep going.

In Susan Haley's Rainy Day People, Amber's story is about life. The highs and the lows happen; the promises of life are lived then withdrawn. And out of this, Amber learns to let go of the past and discover a new life and a new love.

After the death of her husband, Amber finds herself settled in a quiet, solitary life on the Florida coast. Much of the story that follows is about meeting Ben. Amber and Ben are drawn to each other, but these complex, rainy day people have much to consider.

To me, Amber's story shows the kind of courage that we often need as we go through life. At the same time it helps if we keep our perspective, enjoying the small things. Amber loves rainbows, nature, and driving fast in her convertible. She's a tiny, feisty, sometimes fun and always interesting heroine, someone that I wanted to know.

Above all, what Rainy Day People has going for it is truth. People who are rebuilding their lives have more than attraction to consider in new relationships. But then, let's not be too quick to discount attraction.

This is a rich story that kept me constantly involved. I highly recommend Rainy Day People.

Michael Durr
Author: My Brain, My Future

When viewing a Chuck Close canvas, one needs to step back a bit to appreciate it full essence. Such is the case with the power of this wonderful novel. A riveting story is only part of what makes Rainy Day People such a success. The artistry involved in crafting this work enticed me to move from audio to hard copy, then back to audio once again. Through these dual modalities of sight and sound, I was flooded with the very emotions this author's words were meant to evoke. All sensibilities were heightened: sight, sound, touch . . . but foremost, the all-to-human feelings surrounding the experiences of love and vulnerability. Susan Haley is one talented writer. Keep an eye on her. I know I will.

Lois W. STern
Author of SEX, LIES AND COSMETIC SURGERY

The writer understands the meaning of life and how we are all connected and how to put that meaning into print to touch a person soul. This is a must read even if the author is currently maybe unknown will some day be a great author. After reading this book you become hungry for a new novel by this author. We read the book and listend to the audio and both were great. The book lets you stop and reflect on a certain part but the audio lets you paint a true picture in your mind. The narrator was excellent and a true story teller. I know that you will love it and you to will find your rainbow.

Although Rainy Day People comes under the genre of fiction, this story is based on real-life happenstance. Susan Haley transports her readers on an incredible journey that runs the gauntlet of life's emotions and it does not stop until the story ends. Ms. Haley's love of the ocean and the majestic beauty of the land, her love of animals, whether it's a wild bear, a snake, or a six-week-old kitten is manifested in the persona of Amber, the main character. Very briefly, Amber, a widow, meets Ben Riley. Together they embark on a journey which takes them from the warm waters of Florida to the bone-chlling nights of Maine. Amber's love for Ben sustains him as he is dying from cancer, which is unbeknown to Amber. This heart-warming love story ends like a thriller novel. I strongly recommend it.

This heartwarming story of love for all things living was like a hug from my mother. She was a horse whisper and introduced me to nature spirits many years ago. I identified with the magic of this story. When you open your eyes to what is really around you, you will see miracles every day. Ashley in the book claims that there are no coincidences. By the end of the book you realize that what she means is that they are really just God's little miracles.
Rainbows are signs of love and hope in this fantastic book. I saw a completely round rainbow. I happened to look straight up to the sky and there it was, above my head. It was so far away that it was a small circle but all the colors were clearly visible. It too gave me comfort as I was adjusting to widowhood.
Susan Haley is an outstanding writer. Her ability to capture you made the book one of those you can't set down. The clever way she wrote and wove the ending shows why this is an award-winning book. This love story is based on her life experiences. It touched my very soul. I look forward to reading this book again so I can take the time to reflect on the spiritual insights expressed in the conversations between Ashley and Ben.
I recommend this book of courage, love, and of being in touch with all that is. It's like a spiritual awakening.

If you want to know more about your subc.I heartily recommend these CDs

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
The Master Key System
Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World
The Science of Getting Rich
The Science of Mind
Think and Grow Rich: Original Version

I highly recommend the MP3 AUDIOBOOK version of this book: The Secret of the Ages

After reading "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne over a year ago, I got more and more interested in the Law of Attraction and how to put it to use in my life. I am still learning how to 'attract' what I want, but of the dozen or more books I've read on the subject, I found this one to be the most inspiring. I described it as feeling like a fast moving train and I was hoping that all obstacles would get out of my way.... or I was going to run them over! For the words to be over 70 years in print, they resonate just as intensely as if they were written today. Motivation at its finest!

I think this book is great. It gives very informative information to the background of the powers of the mind. It gives many examples of this power. The author quotes very well known people whom also know of this power. I was very informed and so intrigued that I bought more books on the law of attraction. However, that said, some of the wording does not make sense or go into the sentence. I believe in my opinion what happened was that it was revised from the older version which spoke one way and was interpreted into today's language, however, it should have not been revised word for word, but rather sentence for sentence. Sometimes a word translates into something that makes no sense in the context of the sentence. I do recommend the book and believe it is a great way to get started on your journey to the law of attraction.

This may be one of the best books you will ever read. Absolutely phenomenal, practical and actionable information. Forget all of the modern psycho-babble. This book is truly THE classic book on success.

Once again I am enchanted by Robert Sabuda's imagination and genius. This is a lovely collectors book to enjoy at Christmas, or any time.

I already had this book myself, but I purchased multiple copies to give as Christmas gifts this year. I think they were very well received. I have all of Sabuda's pop up books and this one fits in nicely. If you like Sabuda's books, you'll love this one. If you don't have any of his books yet, this is a nice one to start with.

If you are "into" pop-up books this is another to add to your collection. If want to sit and look and read with kids another great book. I would not give the book to the kids, as with all pop-up books this one is fragile

This is a great book to share for all ages. Kids and adults are fascinated by the ingenius pop-ups. A great low tech reminder of the wide-eyed wonder that makes Christmas fun.

makes you feel like a child again..finding a childish fasination
in each pop up..It makes my face light up and puts a smile on
my face with the realization how much work goes into these pop ups