Stone Books

Book Review

Riaz Manji’s "A Handbook for the Spiritual Traveler"

In the fall of 1991, Riaz Manji looked down upon the raging river from atop a bridge in Calgary. He was a mere step away from ending his life. But something within him stopped him. This was the beginning of his spiritual journey and transformation.

For over a decade he read some 300 books that dealt with issues related to the meaning of life and spiritual search. His book captures some of the wisdom promulgated by giants in this field, including Shirley MacLaine, Edgar Cayce and Deepak Chopra.

Riaz begins by giving the reader an intimate look into his life. He begins to weave a poignant story that spans his childhood to that ill-fated day in the fall of 1991. His writing style defies any norm adopted by the majority of the best-selling authors today, giving this opening chapter a very personal and a very honest touch.

The next twenty-four chapters resemble capsules of wisdom to be reflected upon one at a time. Each chapter deals with a different subject and each subject is introduced to the reader with personal anecdotes as well as examples gathered from the innumerable sources consulted during the author’s spiritual quest.

Riaz tackles topics such as Near Death and Out of Body Experiences, Mind over Body and Meditation and Prayer. He even grapples with UFOs and of course, Suicide.

In a chapter entitled Meditation and Prayer, Riaz shares some basic concepts developed during his Yoga training. He gives personal accounts of spiritual experiences during his meditative states and implores the reader – time and time again – to seek answers to the mysteries of life from within.

The handbook is truly just that – a guide containing ten years of wisdom sparked by divine providence. It is for those who wish to awaken their inner vision through establishing a one-on-one relationship with God.

This book will not only appeal to those who have taken a personal leave from their churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples – but will also appeal to those who seek to enhance their relationship with God through their religious orders.

Where else may one find 10 years of accumulated wealth of spiritual knowledge encapsulated in bite-size chapters to rekindle the spirit within? "A Handbook for the Spiritual Traveler" takes an enormous step towards healing a soul afflicted with the pain and sorrow caused by separation from God.

Shamir S. Ladhani, Senior Specialist Engineer , Calgary Alberta.

In the fall of 1991, Riaz Manji looked down upon the raging river from atop a bridge in Calgary. He was a mere step away from ending his life. But something within him stopped him. This was the beginning of his spiritual journey and transformation.

For over a decade he read some 300 books that dealt with issues related to the meaning of life and spiritual search. His book captures some of the wisdom promulgated by giants in this field, including Shirley MacLaine, Edgar Cayce and Deepak Chopra.

Riaz begins by giving the reader an intimate look into his life. He begins to weave a poignant story that spans his childhood to that ill-fated day in the fall of 1991. His writing style defies any norm adopted by the majority of the best-selling authors today, giving this opening chapter a very personal and a very honest touch.

The next twenty-four chapters resemble capsules of wisdom to be reflected upon one at a time. Each chapter deals with a different subject and each subject is introduced to the reader with personal anecdotes as well as examples gathered from the innumerable sources consulted during the author's spiritual quest.

Riaz tackles topics such as Near Death and Out of Body Experiences, Mind over Body and Meditation and Prayer. He even grapples with UFOs and of course, Suicide.

In a chapter entitled Meditation and Prayer, Riaz shares some basic concepts developed during his Yoga training. He gives personal accounts of spiritual experiences during his meditative states and implores the reader - time and time again - to seek answers to the mysteries of life from within.

The handbook is truly just that - a guide containing ten years of wisdom sparked by divine providence. It is for those who wish to awaken their inner vision through establishing a one-on-one relationship with God.

This book will not only appeal to those who have taken a personal leave from their churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples - but will also appeal to those who seek to enhance their relationship with God through their religious orders.

Where else may one find 10 years of accumulated wealth of spiritual knowledge encapsulated in bite-size chapters to rekindle the spirit within? "A Handbook for the Spiritual Traveler" takes an enormous step towards healing a soul afflicted with the pain and sorrow caused by separation from God.

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

OMG! I have read this book 9 times(literally) and evrytime I jumped, laughed, and gasped in surprise evrytime! I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan and as soon as I read this book was when I relised how trully magical the world of Harry Potter is! I recomend this book to anyone - adults, children, anyone... Every word, paragraph and page is written with such care and security you wonder how that brilliant J.K. Rowling even imagined this! Quidditch is the best spot ever. Harry, Hermione and Ron show truly what best-friends are. This book is just...PERFECT!!

Most children know Harry Potter well. The fascination with this book is that it is in latin and shows children that latin is not an archaic language and will assist in bringing the language to modern life. Plus, it is very good value!

This is but one of the many children's classics that are translated into Latin. Naturally there are going to be people that will pick apart the book and say that is not correct form or syntax. Then again Harrius Potter has not been around that long. And pulling it apart is really part of the fun. Just remember that the translator Peter Needham taught classics at Eton for more than thirty years.

Let's face it, it is easer and more fun to read something you already know. Also it is fun to see how certain phrases and newer concepts are handled. Learning Latin this way also helps kids pass English tests in school by learning root concepts.

So all together now:
Dominus et Domina Dursley, qiu ...

Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise was a great read. KRS Edstrom shares the secrets to some of the most successful business people of recent times. This is an "A to Z" list of what helped propel these people to the top.

Wonderful fun for anyone interesting in comparing their habits to those of some of America's most successful.

KRS Edstrom reveals the secrets of success, the foundation of performance, of America's very top executives.

A personal guide to achievement according to the very highest achievers.

A textbook of how to beat the competition.

Sidney Cornman

I liked this story because it took place in New Hampshire and I live in NH. I've never read a book that takes place in NH so i was curious to see how it was going to be. It was a tender love story that i thoroughly enjoyed and would read the book again.

Can her devoted love conque his fierce independence?? Brock Canfield is a fiery, self-willed man, determined to have his own way. Stephanie too is determiend - to have Brock. His staunch independence hurts her. He wants to travel, to move from one glamorous city to the next, and to have his woman waiting when he picks up the phone. She wants a settled home and a loving husband who does not disappear to distant lands whenever business calls. She loves him - but can she accept his terms??

This is a great book!! It has many suprises throughout the book that make it very interesting. This is a great, action-packed book!!

This book was quite a thrilling ride! The reader goes through sorrow, surprise, and anger. It leans toward a mystery, but it has a enough suspense to keep you reading. You just can't put it down!!!!!!

A reality check for those of us who were brought up to think that mathematics is dry and esoteric.

This luscious book amply attests to the affinity between art and mathematics, and does so in an unusual and striking way. Bertrand Russel once wrote: "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty---a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture." Russell's beauty is that of intangibles, as when mathematicians speak of an elegant proof, a beautiful theory. Ferguson imbues mathematics with another kind of beauty, accessible to everyone.

Ferguson's sculptures are attractive both in their shape and in their materials. This lavishly illustrated book exhibits them to advantage. The artist's comments on each piece, at the end of the book, are quite valuable; in spite of the mathematical nature of some of them, they convey a sense of personal intimacy.

I.f Stone presents a very well documented case much of what most people know about the Korean War is false. A must read.

A must read. Published during the war, I.F. Stone exposes US military communiques on the criminal bombing of North Korea which killed 2 million civilians, one-quarter of the population, as well as the use of millions of gallons of napalm on the civilian population.

If a higher rating were available, I would give it to this book. This is an illustrated history of human creativity with its primary focus on several hundred inventions. The range of inventions discussed extends from "stone axes to silicon chips." The book is lavishly, abundantly illustrated. Vivid and compelling graphics include artists' renderings, photographs, maps, and time lines of various eras, from "The Beginning of Civilization" (Chapter 1) until "The Shrinking Earth" (Chapter 35). The concluding chapter, "Into the Future", examines three driving forces: convergence, communication, and collaboration. The reader is then provided with an immensely useful Biographical Dictionary and Bibliography to pursue in greater detail subjects of special interest.

Without the illustrations, this book would still be a magnificent scholarly achievement. Lest you be deterred, I hasten to add that its narrative frequently reminded me of a novel such as Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. What I have is a "Revised Edition" of a work first published in 1987. For me, as already implied, this is one of the most entertaining as well as one of the most informative books I have read in recent years. Trevor I. Williams is identified as the author; William E. Schaaf, Jr. with Arianne E. Burnette are credited wth the updating and revising of Williams' original material. For purposes of convenience, I shall refer to them as "the collaborators" and hope that no one takes offense.

The collaborators examine those inventions which had especially great impact on the societies in which they were introduced. These were inventions which, thousands of years ago, created new industries (eg agriculture, construction, and transportation) or transformed basic human activities (eg education, communication, and war). Indeed, the term "revolution" is especially appropriate when we consider the impact of cereals, the domestication of animals, irrigation, writing and the calendar, and farming implements during what the collaborators refer to as "The Agricultural Revolution." With regard to the first half of the twentieth century, the collaborators examine the impact of military technology during the First World War, new sources of energy, new channels of communication, the emergence of travel by road and air, new building techniques, and the rise of the chemical industry. No brief commentary of mine can possibly do full justice to a book such as this. It provides a feast for the mind as well as for the eyes. Bon appetit!

I am very impressed by the usability of this book. The cross referencing footnotes really helped when flipping to different subjects or time periods. The index and biographical information really work well for me.

The organization of subjects is wonderful, inventions are arranged linearly within the subject chapter.

The information is concise and interesting. The illustrations, timelines and photographs were extremely helpful. This book is a great way to familiarize oneself with man-made technological progress.

This short, but ancient and valuable little book is a Japanese classic.
Anyone into japanese tea ceremony, haiku poetry, etc. will love this book.
I'm SOOOO glad I bought it!

This is the most poetic book of prose I have ever seen. Kamo-no-Chomei starts the book with recollections of a series of disasters that struck Kyoto in the late twelfth century: fire, plague, famine, and more. The descriptions are personal and vivid. The near-poetic form of the writing puts intense feeling behind the words. Although Chomei wrote many years after the events, his grief and horror came through as very fresh.

The second part of the book describes Chomei's gradual withdrawal into solitary monasticism. The string of successively less grand homes ends in his famous 'ten square foot hut.' He was not strictly a hermit, but seemed mostly content with a small and simple kind of life. I was especially moved by his descriptions of time spent with a small boy. It brought to mind the end of Hesse's Glass Bead Game.

It would be easy to write a review longer than the work itself, so let me finish with a few words about the translation. The text is readable, elegant, and unaffected, quite an achievement for a book of this sort. The historical footnotes add real insight to the text, they are not just academic filler. It won't take long to read this book, but I promise time well spent to the thinking reader.