Stone Books

I love the Harry Potter series, but I was unsure of the audiobooks. Jim Dale really brings J.K. Rowling's books to life. He doesn't read--he performs. I would recommend them to anyone!

The first time I picked up this book, the first in the Harry Potter series, it was with great hesitation. Firstly, it had been a few years since I had done much reading for pleasure, so I was out of practice. Secondly, and more importantly, I had heard a great deal of hype about the series in the media, which automatically made me feel that the books were probably overrated--and I didn't want to be disappointed. In the end, around the same time the film version of this book was released, two of my close friends convinced me to give the series a try, and lent me the first book, which I read shortly thereafter.

Within a week, I had purchased and read the rest of the series (at the time, books 1-4), and was itching with anticipation for book 5. I have since purchased and read the entire series, and just recently decided to reread them all in one go.

So what makes Harry Potter so magical? For me, it was the bare simplicity of the central premise of the series that drew me in instantly. Who hasn't dreamed of having some magical powers to spice up life a bit? Not that magical powers are unique to Harry Potter; far from it, in fact. But it's much harder to really relate to grand tales of epic battles in faraway, long ago kingdoms like Tolkein's Middle Earth or so many others that have followed. What Harry Potter touches is that little daydreaming part inside of us that believes that maybe magic could be real... that it might exist right alongside us in our own "real" world.

Book 1 (The Sorcerer's Stone) will always have a special place in my heart, as it really was the book that brought me back to reading (as stated above). It is imaginative, fun, and has splashes of humor throughout. It introduces many lovable characters who will be with us throughout the series, and does a brilliant job of setting up our journey. It has a comparatively light feel (the later books get progressively darker, without question), but still keeps the reader engaged with elements of mystery and rivalry to generate conflict. And, unlike some of the later books, it is a quick read.

There are, I admit, a few times when one must employ the willing suspension of disbelief (lest the grown witches and wizards of the story seem horribly inept), but otherwise, it is a charming story and a great introduction to the journey ahead. I give it 5 stars, even though it is not my favorite in the series, mostly because this one drew me in so effectively and made me want to read the rest.

What is there to say about this book. All of the books in the series were very good. Unfortunately, I loaned this one to a "friend". Had to replace it as I have them all in hardback.

Writing a review on the first Harry Potter book seems superfluous, as it must surely be one of the most reviewed books in the history of literature.

I will therefore refrain (more or less) from summarizing the story, and instead compare my first reading to my recent re-reading of the book.

In my first reading, I met a boy called Harry, who was the quintessential "uncool kid." He grew up at his aunt and uncle's because his parents were supposedly killed in a car crash when he was a baby. That was at least what Aunt and Uncle Dursley told him. Harry was the uncool kid both at home and at school, hence constantly jumping from the frying pan into the fire. At home, "the Dursleys often spoke about Harry (...) as though he wasn't there--or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug." Their spoiled son, Dudley, also did his best to bully Harry around. And at school, "Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang."

Hence, when Hogwarts' half-giant gamekeeper told Harry that he was a wizard, he could hardly believe it. And when Harry stepped through the Leaky Cauldron onto Diagon Alley, everything was new and exciting. He had not had the slightest clue that such a world existed; accordingly he saw everything through the eyes of an amazed and hungry learner.

And since I as the reader always walked by Harry's side, I, too, had this "sense of awe." Together with Harry, I marveled at Gringotts Bank and its goblins, the power of the magic wands, the magic broomsticks, Platform 9 ¾ and the steaming Hogwarts Express, the gigantic school castle, the meeting hall with its enchanted ceiling, the moving staircases, the "living" paintings, the ghosts, the owl post, and numerous other things.

Harry became like a two-year old toddler again who is excited about discovering the world, and as the reader I was a toddler with him. This is Fantasy at its best. The fact that J.K. Rowling made Harry an "outsider" to the world of magic is of great importance to the experience of the reader. Otherwise I would not have been nearly as astonished about the details of Mrs Rowling's world as I was. It also prevented the technological aspects of the Harry-Potter magic from totally disenchanting her world.

Now to my re-reading of the "Philosopher's Stone" (I still like the original British title better than the "Sorcerer's Stone").

I read the story again shortly after I finished the seventh book. Knowing where the story and characters are headed, many scenes now took on new significance. It was fascinating to read a particular passage and think: "Ah! Now I know why she put that in there." I have to complement J.K. Rowling on having planned the seven books so well.

Furthermore, reading the first book from the retrospective view of the whole series also makes a difference for the moral custodians among us. If you only read the first book, you might come away thinking that Harry Potter tries to justify the means by the end a little too much. Harry's magic is at first set into motion when he is "upset and angry", the toffee-nosed know-it-all Hermione turns likable by lying on Harry's behalf, and one of Harry's chief character traits is that of a rule breaker.

Aside from the point that novels--including juvenile ones--don't have to portray their main characters as saints, the series has, in fact, turned out to be of great moral depth. Given Harry's final moral choices at the end of Book VII, Book I can now be seen as the beginning of a "Bildungsroman." That is, a Coming Of Age Story in which Harry goes through all the stages of childhood and adolescence, to finally arrive at moral, social, and psychological maturity.

If that is not an ideal way of making teenagers aware of their own journey to maturity, I don't know what is.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

Well, This book and the whole Harry Potter Series is excelent, I love them. I'm currently thinking if I want to get the last Audio Books before the movies. I love the movies but books will always be better (although the first three movies I think are almost as good as the books). I did not give this 5 stars because I've heard the Audio Books by Stephen Fry (not sure if the spelling is right ;-P ). I have to say, in my humble opinion, Fry's voice is more grown up as a narrator and his character voices are excellent. His voice sounds over all more respectfull and apropiate. Jim Dale has done his version for the american audience which doesn't mean it's bad, but I like things in their original state. If a movie is made in the US, England, Mexico, or Spain, I usualy prefer it as it came out first. But that is my opinion. Listen to a sample of the Audio Book by each of the readers before you buy.

except for the Bible, this is the best.
It is the full and undiluted version from the first english translation.
read it, learn it,live it.
j

The book is excelent reading but please get a different version.
This version only has 580 or so pages where as other versions have over 1,300 pages. That means that this version is only half the story.
So much gets lost in translation already don't cheat yourself even more.

Although the story is well known to me, the editing of this audio book was so confusing. I absolutely could not follow it. Too much is cut out.

Story has good twists, but there are too many French places and people which makes the audio confusing.

This book is long out of copyright and so is available free for your Kindle elsewhere on the net.

(Great book though!)

I purchased this series, having read it a long time ago as a young teen, and found it to be every bit as good as I remembered. My only complaint is that this boxed set version has some truly terrible CGI art on the cover. I remember the edition I read as a child was very mysterious and ancient-looking. It's too bad that that much superior artwork was not used for this edition. That's the only thing that stands between this set, and my 5th star.

I remember reading this series years ago and since then I have always thought that it would make a great movie and guess what someone else thought so as well. IMDB is reporting that this movie is in production and will be released in October 2007. I am very excited about this and I am really wishing and hoping that they translate it well to the big screen. I have since lost my books but I have just purchased this set to read all the books again and relive my youth again.

I can't even begin to describe this series and I won't try to. I'm afraid I'd only do it a disservice! Susan Cooper says SO much in so few eloquent words that her books are rather like listening to fine music. I rank this easily with the Narnia series as well as Lord of the Rings. And while I adore the Harry Potter books and think JK is a fabulous writer, I truly feel that even they cannot live up to the quiet serious intensity of these books.

Every year I read this series again. I love it more and more with each read.

Recently many illiterate folks have called these books 'boring' and 'flat'. Those same modern day readers often have to be babied through text & dazzled with fancy action scenes. It has also become a fad to bash things that have won awards or recommendations.

This is a story told with very deep and quiet emotions and if you give it a chance then I can promise you, you won't be disappointed. :)

The series as a whole is great. if you have never read them before but enjoy other great fantasy such as Harry Potter, the Forgotten Realms, or even the Lord Of The Rings these are a must read. they have been great books for the last 35 years or so and will continue to be great books 50 years from now.

This series is my son's absolute FAVORITE. He's 8 and I recently decided to introduce him to the books, and he ate them up. He said he likes how the bad people aren't always perfect, and he likes the way the Drew siblings work together in OVER SEA, UNDER STONE and again in GREENWICH and SILVER ON THE TREE. I'm pretty sure that he didn't understand all the symbolism in THE DARK IS RISING, though he liked it and made up his own belt of rings as a result.

This series is really wonderful, and I agree with other reviewers - it should be better known. It's mythical elements mix well with the action scenes. Plus, it's very well written and edited - creating really unique and interesting characters.

I'm sort of judicious with my 5 star ratings, but this one definitely deserved it. Pick them up - you won't be disappointed.

We got this book for my daughter when she was a baby, and it became a family favorite almost immediately, especially when I imitated Grover's voice and read it to her. "Read it again, Daddy" was the inevitable response I would get after finishing the book, and there were times where "Grover" would read it 3-4 times a night. We gave the book away years ago, but my daughter -- who is now 18 -- said she always remembered me reading that book to her in Grover's voice. A couple of years ago, I surprised her with a miniature version of the book as a Christmas present, and we substituted the traditional family reading of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" and sat down and read the book -- in Grover's voice. Her two younger cousins, who weren't around when I read this to my daughter, laughed with their older cousin as their uncle used Grover's voice to read the story. There are so many great memories my family has of this book, and it's a fun read -- even if you can't do Grover's voice.

My kids loved this book so I purchased multiple copies for friends Kids. Great if your kids are having questions/fears about monsters. The more dramatic your reading style, the more they'll love it

I bought this for my 20 month old and he just isn't that interested yet. He doesn't get the humor or the anticipation yet. I will hand on to it until he is older.

This book allows the reader to have fun with the story too.
A great book.

This book was bought for our children because it was a favorite of my wife's childhood.

The storyline is simple, suitable for younger children, and has a cute "twist" at the end that younger children will enjoy.

I highly recommend reading (on a regular basis, the more the better!) to your children from very young ages. This book is a good one for this age group.

I read this book many years ago and have never forgot it. I am buying a
copy and reading it again. I want to see if I still have the same reaction to it as I did than. If not I feel it is me that has changed
and the book is still wonderfu.

I read over 200 books a year and without a doubt, FIVE SMOOTH STONES is my all time favorite. I read it over 20 years ago and have not topped it yet.

I can't tell you the first time I read this book. I can tell you that I re-read it every couple of years because it touches my heart so. I was born in 1950 so I can remember a lot of the civil rights movement. I began looking for a copy of this book around 1995 and it was already out of print. However a dear friend of mine located a paper back copy in a used book store and gave it to me for Christmas in either 1995 or 1996. It is the best Christmas gift I have ever received (and probably the least expensive) as it gives me the opportunity to read it again whenever I want! (I was also later given a hard-back copy by someone whose mother had two copies of it.) I treasure both copies.

When I read this book more than 30 years ago as a young adult, it touched my heart in places I never knew existed.The trials deep seeded prejudice presents to a family should never again be experienced by anyone. My son is of a beautiful biracial union and we strive everyday to demonstrate the love, faith and solidarity that was part of David's life. Thank you Ann Fairbairn.

I read this book in college 30 years ago. It was the turbulent 60's, and I was keenly aware of everything wrong in our society. This book stuck with me as somehow hopeful. I'm starting my own Book Group now, as a retired teacher. I'm going to reread this to see if I'm still as moved by it now and if it's book-group worthy.

My wife and I got this as a gift and we liked it so much we bought it for a friend who recently found out she was pregnant.

This is such a great pregnancy book. It has everything from planning on getting pregnant to what you should do after the baby arrives. Very descriptive and lots of pictures. I also got the book in the mail very quickly.

The information was perfect..easy to read, the pictures are nice as well....I am reading lots of books during this pregnancy but this one i found was the best.....

I'm looking to get pregnant and this book has given me such ease about getting there. It explains step by step what the process is from week to week. It breaks down what's happening to you in terms you can understand. Also, it addresses a lot of concerns that you may have. Highly recommended for new Mommies-to-be or looking to be a Mommy (like me)!

What initially attracted me to this book was that it has colour photos, not diagrams. Seriously, we are all adults and know how babies are made and can cope with photos which are much more informative than diagrams! This is consistent with the book's informative, factual content, nothing soppy or humerous.
I wanted to write a review with the book in front of me so I could outline it's topics but it has been 6mths and I haven't gotten around to it yet so I'm reviewing now from memory.

Firstly a small thing: I do not like the title. I think it makes the book sound flippant, less good than it really is. It has no need to talk itself up using 'bible' in the title because it is a really good book.

I found that this is a good reference book but you do need to look elsewhere for more detailed info. For example when I caught a cold I wanted to check the ingredients in cold medications to see what, if anything, I could take. This book did not have any info but The Mother of All Pregnancy Books has a list. (I do not refer to that book as much as this one). I looked up a list of high mercury fish online.

The two parts of this book I refer to every week, describe:
(1) (with photos) the baby's week by week development ie skeleton, lungs, brain, hearing etc. There is a paragraph of info per week and the approx length and weight are listed. It is very informative and straightforward.
(2) A timeline, in weeks, of changes to my body. This is really only a few words per week mentioning darkening nipples, digestion slowing or feeling warmer than usual. It is brief but tells you some things you may or may not experience around this time.
A nice touch to this part are that there are several side-on photos of a naked woman so you see her belly growing as the timeline progresses. Later in the labor section she is pictured with her newborn which is nice.

There is a section on labor & delivery and a section on caring for your newborn but I have not read them yet.

Also covered are the biology of the conception process, healthy eating and foods to avoid, exercising, travel, keeping up appearances, taking care of yourself. Sorry, without it in front of me I don't remember as I do not refer to these sections (except the food and exercise sections when I am trying to motivate myself to do the right thing!). There is a chapter for Dads but my hubby has his own book (The Expectant Father) which is excellent.

I highly recommend this book as a no-nonsense, easy to read reference book. The info is straight forward, non-judgemental and the author is not trying to be your friend or make jokes. It is pleasing to read.

Awesome quick sale, product was just as stated. thanks for the sale ~ God bless ; )

This story will make you marvel at the way God used Bruce Olson in the jungles of the Amazon. I marveled at his story about his conversion and about the time he told his Lutheran pastor about it. His pastor was stunned, to say the least. His pastor had prayed over Bruce at his confirmation and did not see the need for "Conversion".

I had to marvel as Bruce tells how he learned the language of the Motilone people. He used the old fake trick of pulling his thumb off. He did not initially think much of it, but he noticed that they loved to watch him do this. They would laugh each time he did it. Bruce did this trick so many times that he started figuring out what some of their words were. As they watched, they would say "He is going to pull his thumb off", "Now he is going to put it back on". Over and over again, Bruce slowly picked up some of their language and verb tenses.

The other interesting story is about how he told the gospel to them so that they could understand. The native Indians he lived with had formed their houses into one large circle, with a big opening in the middle. Looking down from above, it resembled the shape of an ant hill. According to Indian legend, they learned how to do this from the ants. It seems one day one of the ants became a man and told them to build their homes in this fashion - like the ants do. When you look at an ant hill that is what you see - a hole with dirt all around it. Bruce used this illustration to tell how another Person wanted to tell us about God. And in order to do this, He became a man, told them the story of salvation, died for their sins, etc. What is so neat about the story is that Bruce realized that in order to relate the Gospel to them, he had to tell it in a way they could understand. This was the perfect illustration, the ant that became a man, so he could tell them about how to build their homes.

This story has many events that are just too incredible. I still cannot imagine the Yuko drink that they made and then drank it!!! This story is incredible from beginning to end.

It is truly one of the best missionary stories I have ever read. I have read this book twice now and used it in Sunday School lessons.

This is an exceptionally true story of how God used a young 19 year old man to transform a tribe of South American natives to Christians. Bruce Olson later became an interpretor to the United Nations representing these natives when Exxon oil was discovered in their land.

An amazing story that illustrates to a believer how wonderful God is and how often we miss seeing Him work because we don't step out in faith. Its a great book because its about a Great God.

Truly a wonderful book. Full of courage, selflessness, love and sacrifice. I've never read a better book outside the Bible. Unforgettable.

My son and I really enjoyed this story, and we have the paperback at home. His first grade teacher had been looking in bookstores for this book and couldn't find it, so we ordered it for her. We ordered the library binding, which is sturdier for all the little hands it will be held by! This book has good historical value, and the basic content is accurate, without scaring the children. It's the best "Jack and Annie" book!

I purchased this book in order to replace a damaged one. The transaction was smooth and the price was great!

Magic Tree House has done it again!! Jack and Annie are in for the adventure of their lives when they climb aboard the Titanic!! An unsinkable ship that hits an iceberg. What will Jack and Annie do when they dicover that the Titanic needed twice as many life boats as it had on deck?Jack and Annie find themselves just as sad as so many passengers when they realize that people could have survived if the people who planned the voyage had thought ahead. This is an amazing story that I couldn't stop reading! Women and children were put into the lifeboats first becuase men were brave and cared about their lives. More than 1,500 people lost their lives. Everything was explained clearly so that you don't get confused. After this tragedy, laws were made so that all ships would have enough life boats for all of its passengers and an INternational Ice Patrol was formed so that ships could be warned about severe ice conditions. In 1985 a scienctist named Dr. Robert Ballard discovered the ship under water. I reccommend this book to everyone that I know!!

Here is a summery of this book. There is two kids and they were playing in the woods when they found a tree house. So the kids decided to see in side. So read this book to find out what happens to the kids. The way I found out about this book is because my mom told me to read a book when I was in 5th grade. So I heard about this wonderful series of books. I would love to recommend you to read this book. Who can read this book you ask! Anybody can read this book. If they like to explore then you should read this book.

What did I like this book you ask! The thing I liked was the characters because they are young and they don't know what was going on. They are always getting in trouble and they don't know why they are in trouble. I also like the action in this book. There are so many parts. I don't know how to explain. There are some parts I don't like is the length of the book. It is to short.

I loved this book a lot because it is nice and cool. I really think you should read this book. So read this book.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

My boyfriend's father convinced me that, as an art history major, I needed to read this book. I was a little hesitant, but after the first chapter I was completely hooked.

This was a truly powerful book. No matter that it is not a true biography, it was beautifully written and moving. I would recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in art.

Amazing book and so very well written as all of Stone's other books are...I have always been mesmerised by Van Gogh's paintings, especially when I saw an exhibit of his in London.The colours were so wonderful that I just stood there infront of those pieces of art like a zombie ! I loved this book !

I loved this book. For someone like me, with just a passing knowledge of art and art history, it was pretty amazing to learn about Van Gogh's development as an artist and the Impressionist art movement. In addition, I think that its two major themes of expression and immortality are going to have a lasting effect on me.

By expression, I mean that Van Gogh put all his time and energy into expressing himself in a way that he felt was making the best use of his skills. For him, his calling was a new form of art, and he stuck with it despite receiving no recognition or profit for his work during his lifetime. By immortality, I mean that although Van Gogh was not successful in his lifetime, his work lives on and is hung in the most important museums in the world.

Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful novel about a beautiful human being. If you love Van Gogh's paintings (he is my personal favorite of all painters) then by all means, you need to read this wonderful book. In his prose, Stone is able to paint a vivid, vibrant, illuminating portrait of an amazing artist. I was truly blown away and completely consumed from the first chapter on. I actually read this fine story after visiting the Musee d'Orsay (Museum Orsay) in Paris and seeing first hand the magnificent works of this illustrious Impressionist. Of all the great many paintings presented at the Louvre and d'Orsay, it was the Van Gogh's that captivated me more than all the others (which is saying a lot, because the whole place is captivating!). I couldn't believe some of his self-portraits. What really fascinated me the most was the despondency in those steel blue eyes of his. This is what led me to read this story. I wanted to know where all that pain and suffering came from. Irving Stone answered all of my questions and then some. He is a brilliant and insightful writer and I will be looking forward to reading his novel "The Agony and the Ecstasy" which is based on the life of another favorite artist of mine - Michelangelo.

Anyone who is struggling to become an artist needs to read this! Talk about sacrifice and desire and heart and passion... this man Van Gogh was a true original. A man like no other before or since.

"...for by sadness the countenance of the heart is made better."

I can't recommend this one enough.

I should have read this biography sooner. I used to be in love with his paintings, and even fantasized that IF I were to travel back in time, I would've married him -- all this BEFORE I read this book. After I read it I found out that there was one such infatuated woman (Margot), and also a tragic unrequited love story that led him to religion and then to painting. Anyone who is creative will sympathize with the extent to which pain can be transformed into the strength to create. The creative path is not always materially rewarding, and even if it is all an artist has, it will continuously change others' lives. I absorbed every word of this book and was hooked until the very end. Poverty and disinterest is ephemeral... belief in oneself is revolutionary.

I have found the insight and information contained in this book tremendously valuable in learning and gaining a little understanding into the Torah. Each year as I go through it I glean a little more knowledge. So much stuff, I will be learning from it as long as I read it.

The Chumash is a wonderful book to have for those learning the Hebrew language or the biblical culture, the rabitic commentaries are very intriguing but all in all i would recommend this to any one and everyone

I wish I had purchased this product months ago also. Very easy reading the notes are very informative. They give understanding as to what was meant and being said. If any student of the Bible wants to truly understand what God was saying and is saying to us then they need to add this product to their library along with other Jewish books. The good news is truly of the Jew. Very much worth the money.

This is a must for any Jewish home. Almost every Orthodox Shul (excluding the Chasidishe Shuls in Brooklyn and Kiryas Yoel) in America has numerous copies for the Torah readings. This Chumash is also a required purchase for any potential convert (the vast majority of Orthodox Rabbis require this for conversion).

Item was like brand new condition bu at a used price. Dealer sent out immediatly.