Shaw Books

Having read the Lord of the Rings several times and the Silmarillion before I eagered awaited the amazon delivery of Martin Shaw's reading of the Silmarillion on CD. What I got was a beautifully unabridged recital of the whole of the creation and unfolding of the Elves and of Men. The pronounciation of the names of the Valar and the Elves alone brings the audio to life. Lord of the Rings was recently voted the best piece of fiction of all time in the UK; read The Hobbit next if you want something lighter and read The Silmarillion if you want to delve deeper; read them both and Tolkien will captivate you forever...

Martin Shaw, in a rich and resonant reading brings Tolkien's history of the Elder Days to life as if it were part of a long oral tradition. The vast canvas of the Silmarillion is vividly brought to life from the grandeur of the Music of the Ainur to the horror of the treason and fall of Numenor. Most of all, the sense of tragic beauty is fully brought out. Highly recommended.

Heather Shaw has written a quite remarkable - and certainly memorable - debut novel. Billed as "a story that gets kids and honors the epic worlds inside them," Smallfish Clover delivers all the adventure and meaning necessary to interest and fascinate older children and adults all at the same time. The fantasy games young Pace uses to entertain himself in otherwise boring surroundings are nothing compared to the life-and-death struggle he finds himself in after getting lost from his father inside a Peruvian market. Frightened and alone, unable to speak the native language, he waits in vain to be found and whisked away to the world he has always known. Then, as hope dims, he finds companionship and a measure of care among a group of street orphans overseen by Mabeareek, a man poor of means but rich of spirit (with a menagerie of animals seemingly a part of his very being) and a storyteller par excellence. While he can be inscrutable and one doesn't know exactly what to make of him early on, he is not a coercive influence upon the boys at all. If anything, he usually follows the boy's lead. In this new company of friends, Pace embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. What follows is a story full of tragedy as well as hope, one that quickly transforms Smallfish from an imaginative adolescent to a young man compelled to face maturity head on.

Pace (whose English name is converted, somewhat comically, to Smallfish) picks up Spanish rather quickly, and almost from the start he is looked upon as an up-and-coming leader of the group (which makes for some potential friction with the older, de facto leader Zeus). He impresses the other kids with magic tricks and, drawing upon his martial arts classes back home, teaches the other boys the art of fighting. Soon, the troupe has given up panhandling in order to become entertainers of sorts, staging fights and profiting from their endeavors. Of course, success breeds danger from an older gang in that part of town, so Mabeareek eventually follows Smallfish's thinking and heads his troupe north, into the jungles and their more isolated villages on the way to the Amazon River itself. Relying on Mabeareek's story-telling prowess, the kids begin staging their own dramas, yet their successes barely manage to wipe away their tragedies. Their numbers shrink over time, for various reasons (some more tragic than others), until those that remain find themselves absorbed into a larger group of youngsters being trained, although they may not realize it at the time, to become terrorists. Forced to grow up far too fast, Smallfish must ultimately choose what kind of life he will lead, a decision that requires great bravery on his part.

The little street urchins who make up Smallfish's friends and companions are an interesting lot - especially Belem, the only girl in the group. She never speaks - not at first - until compelled to do so by an emergency. Initially, only Smallfish learns why she chose to remain mute for so long, but I would say that she goes on to serve as the real heart of the entire story. Any reader will be hard pressed to forget the likes of Toma, PayPay, Fatty, Pedro, Zeus, and Horse, though.

Eschewing a fairy tale ending, Heather Shaw paints a beautiful masterpiece of a story that leaves the reader feeling proud, sad, and somewhat confused - much like Smallfish and his friends feel much of the time. This is powerful, reality-based fiction - albeit of a reality few of us know, and one which no boy should ever have to face head-on the way Smallfish does. I did find the conclusion somewhat ambiguous, but this is one case in which the destination pales in importance to the journey itself. Pace's transformation into Smallfish is fascinating, albeit sometimes heartbreaking, to watch, especially in terms of the way he balances external and internal struggles on his accelerated path to early manhood.

Perhaps there will never be another phenomenon like Harry Potter but Smallfish Clover may come very close. Through harrowing adventures offering up danger and delight, I watched Walter Pace Clover III transform from a spoiled adolescent to an engaging and wily survivor. The story--suspenseful, haunting and magical -- begins after Pace's separation from his father in a South American street market. With a passel of street urchins and a sometimes charming and sometimes menacing leader whose many gifts included storytelling, he undertakes a perilous and harrowing journey where feelings run as deep as dangers. Along the way, there are vampires, Chinese refugees and a guerilla camp. Reading Smallfish Clover, I was transposed to a world so vivid I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. This book is not just for kids - it's great for adults too and an awesome book no matter what age you are.

Jeffrey Hatcher's play, which is based on George Bernard Shaw's novel _The Unsociable Socialist_ is a wonderfully funny play, with some delightful one-liners: the opening line "Hetty, I'm leaving you" is bound to catch the audience's attention. It also has a well mixed class of good roles for both men and women. A great alternative for those looking to do a period turn-of-the-century piece but are tired of doing yet another production of Oscar Wilde's _The Importance of Being Earnest_. Shaw purists beware, though, it is not totally faithful to the novel, there are some significant departures.

SMASH is a wonderful play about a young socialist who leaves his wife after only having been married for one hour so that he can try to make England a socialist country by first taking over a girls college. There are many obstacles which he must first overcome before obtaining the ultimate prize. SMASH is a gloriously humorous and an excellent choice for any small theater as well as any that aren't so small; not only because of any crowd it might draw, but is fun for anyone in the production staff as well. I would recommend it to anyone, even as just something to pick up and read for a good laugh.

This book is the first truly honest, godly expression of the single life I have read. The author does not deny, wish away, or candy-coat the single experience, but instead shifts the focus to the love that God has for us in any type of suffering - whether our trial be singleness or any other type of difficulty. She is authentic in that she has lived the single life and learned to find joy in Christ and the relationships she does have, and shares her struggles candidly. God used this book greatly to give me encouragement and to direct my gratitude toward Him.

This book is amazing! (God used this book in my life in a wonderful way, so you'll have to forgive me if I gush.) Margaret Clarkson has such a deep love for the Lord Jesus and she wrote this book to share her heart with single Christians. What sets this book apart from most "single Christian" books is that her goal is to show you through her own experience that yes, God is enough to satisfy your heart all the days of your life, even without a spouse. This book doesn't have any "just wait until your life is perfect, then your spouse will show up" advice (but don't worry, there are plenty of those books around). Instead, Ms. Clarkson's offers us an infectious enthusiasm for her Lord, and as you read, you can't help but want such fellowship with God yourself. The most valuable thing I got out of reading "So You're Single!" was a better sense of God's sovereignity. God is in charge - and His plan for you is perfect, no matter how you feel. That is such an encouragement to anyone, regardless of marital status. Margaret Clarkson's book is such a blessing to any Christian single who struggles with understanding why God's plan for them doesn't include marriage or children. By far the best gift Ms. Clarkson gives her readers is in shifting the focus away from what we don't have and onto what we do have - the wonderful fellowship of an all-loving God.

I recommend this book to all persons interested in lions in the America's. It will appeal to and educate people with diverse opinions on the management of this wonderful species of cat. Mr. Shaw is not only a good biologist, he also tells it like it is, and in a well written way. I especially hope that North America's wildlife decision makers will read and heed Mr. Shaw's conclusions about lion management. This book is for the biologist, the rancher, the lion hunter, and the preservationist.

We bought this book to learn more about lions in general, and increase my rancher/lion hunter husband's understanding of issues surrounding them. We were a little concerned that the angle might lean one way or another but were gratified by the balance. Well crafted and very informative. Highly recommend to any one interested in mountain lions.

I loved the title song the first time I heard it! This is a great CD! Arrived promptly, carefully packaged and sounds great. Thank you......

From the inviting hearth on the cover to the warm stories on the inside, this is a holiday keepsake. A collection of some of my very favorite authors - including Jan Karon, Liz Higgs and Max Lucado - coupled with some yummy recipes...wow! A must have for any Southern home or would-be Southern family!!

Lloyd-Jones has beautifully used the Scriptures and history to discern the right way in practicing the gifts of the Spirit. He encourages the use of the gifts as not ceasing with the completed canon of scriptures, gives us a balance between being quick to reject the supernatural ("do not despise prophecy") and our responsibility to be skeptical ("test the spirits"), and gives sound teaching on the gifts of prophecy and tongues, teaching that prophecy, by nature, is infallible and that both prophecy and tongues are not initiated by the "gifted" but rather by the Spirit. This book serves as some of the clearest teaching you will ever read on the topic and is a must for anyone questioning cessation of the gifts as well as confused charismatic souls like me. He also shows the problems with some Charismatic teaching that is still prevalent today. This book helped me in that I knew that much of the charismatic teaching on the gifts I had received growing up did not line up with Scripture but Lloyd-Jones showed what the Scriptures do teach. If you are confused about these things, or just want a greater knowledge of the Bible and the history of the Church, then this book will profit you much. It is worth hunting down as well as its previous companion, "Joy Unspeakable!"

I grew up in the Charismatic movement in many Charismatic churches in different states. When I became a senior in High School I became involved in a Baptist Church (my parents had been raised Baptist) and continued on into college. I have gone from one side of the issue to the other and have never been sure of this subject (cessation of the gifts vs. the gifts for today and the issue of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and when it occurs). Lloyd-Jones is unbelievable! His exposition and arguments have been used by the Lord (serious illumination) to help me in defining my beliefs and working out my doctrine. Things are more clear than ever now. I find it much easier to discern between the false and true experiences. I have seen and experienced some strange stuff being a charismatic (real and fake--from being "slain in the Spirit" and making up my own "spiritual language or tongue" (these weren't real but people were considering them real and so was I) to a most marvelous and glorious baptism with the Holy Spirit (it was real!)) and now I know it is okay and expected of me to question and "test the spirits" but to still be ready to believe a "suprising work of the Spirit of God" as Edwards put it. Many have criticized this book's theological conclusions and application but they are the most biblically solid. I believe that Lloyd-Jones can't be described as a Pentecostal/Charismatic or just simply an Evangelical (all though I'm sure he'd lean more towards saying he was an evangelical). I think he is truly unique. In this day when the Spirit is being quenched by the unjustifiable doctrine of cessation and the Spirit being discredited because of false experience and chaos within the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, we need the teaching of this book! Historic, biblical, balanced, uncompromising, and a great understanding of the truth. This man rightly handles the word of truth.

I loved "Spiritual Spandex." Jeanne combines her amazing wit, strong Bible teaching, and helpful application to help the reader sort through those things in life that challenge us--annoying people, busyness, physical needs, pain, and so on. Through her careful leading she redirects the reader to see the positive application for those things that could otherwise be viewed as problems and to grasp how God can use those people and situations in our lives to make us stronger. I recommend the book highly for those who've been feeling a little complacent in faith and for those who desire to be stretched a lot by God.

"This book is a must read for those os us who are stretched by the abundance life has to offer. Yes, even life to give too much...stretch too far...demand...demand...demand. But Jeanne Zornes is a master at applying biblical truths to these often frustrating circumstances we find ourselves in. Like baby oil on stretch marks, Spiritual Spandex... will soothe the reader and help eliminate the scars."

Isobel Kuhn speaks of stones of fire as almost an oxymoron. Stones are hard and cold, and fire is hot and passionate. She describes people as stones of fire, people with fiery passion held rock solid by principle. Opals, stones with broken hearts made beautiful by the light that sparkles through them, are used as a physical example of a stone of fire. The book is written of just such a fiery stone.

The story of Mary begins when her name was still Third Sister in a small Lisu village in the highlands of China. We see her introduction to the missionaries John and Isobel Kuhn, her understanding of the Gospel, and her attraction to Lu-Seng. The reality of her faith and trust in God is tested throughout the book, and she proves to be a `stone of fire'.

The book is written in a very easy to read style, and readers will be drawn into Mary's life, as she encounters so many trials and hardships. We read of her family and her marriage, the communist occupation and political turmoils of their village, and the physical problems that eventually led to her death at the ripe old age of... 25 years old. Through it all, she manifested such a sweet patience, so unlike Third Sister's feisty temper, that was rooted in her trust in the One Who redeemed her from her sins. Mary is such an example of a passionate woman who learns to let the Lord channel her passion to serve Him instead of herself. I felt ashamed of myself at times when reading of her love and trust, and awed once again by the power of Jesus Christ to change lives, even mine. If I could rate this book with more than five stars, I would. It is to be highly recommended.

This is my favorite of all Isobel Kuhn' books. She likens the Lisu tribe people to opals, the stone of fire. As Christians, it is only through brokenness that we can reflect Christ's light as an opal shows the fire in crevices and imperfections of the stone.

Elsie Larson was to be my instructor, through Long Ridge Writer's Group. My interest in her as an instructor led me to purchase this book. It was life changing because I was struggling with fear. The fear grip, had taken hold and God used this book to set me free. Helping care for someone that was depressed was even harder than I had imagined. I found myself depressed and it smothered by ability to write. Now, that I have been delivered from this evil, thanks to God and Elsie's book; I have prepared to write again. The book specifically focused on the fear of our emotions towards those we care for and those trying to support us. Trying to encourage a depressed person, was as much a challenge as caring for someone maybe with cancer. The struggle is with the mind. I've since, been able to release many frustrations and I'm grateful. What I enjoyed most about the book, was the fact that each writer concluded their passage with a scripture and a special thanks to God. Elsie, if you are reading this comment, I know you were chosen by God to write. Your writing is so inspiring and I'm sorry that I did not have the opportunity to have you as my instructor. Nevertheless, I will always consider you my first instructor,because God used you to give me the courage to go on with my calling. Thanks for the lesson in overcoming fear. Thank you so much! Excellent job!

Earlene

Each of these authors knows the pain of being a caregiver. As I read, I thought, "I could have written that." It showed exactly how I have felt at different times. It also shows that God is good and He does give me the strength I need to carry on each day.