Montana Books

For Personal Pickup
Devil's Corner is a slow build to multiple murders and the suprising ending. The women a front an center and the dialogue crisp and accurate.

If you are from a big city, you will like her, if you are from Philly, you will LOVE her.
This book is best one I've read so far.

Scottoline steps away from Bennie Rosatto and her crew of female lawyers and takes up with a new layer - Vicki Allegretti, a 5'2" Asst. U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia. So, Scottoline remains on familiar ground with an attractve female Italian-American, young, up-and-coming attorney.

This one probably has the most potential of any of Scottoline's books of being made into a movie. Essentially, it's and odd couple female buddy book, and it works with the snappy banter back and forth between the two "buddies." The ending is a bit too saccharin, but it doesn't ruin a fun story.

A quick, fun summer read for this reviewer. I give this one a grade of "B".

I usually listen to rather than read books these days. I did enjoy this one and it kept my interest.

This has to be the DUMBEST book I've ever read - or I should say scanned. Oy - was it suppose to be a mystery? Or a bi-racial lesbian love story! Either way, it was DUMB. The heroine, Vicki was TSTL - too stupid to live! What part of "a white woman does not go into a black neighborhood to survail drug dealer do you NOT understand?" The whole plot was SO convoluted I couldn't make head or tail out of it. BUT make no mistake, Vicki thought her new friend was really, really beautiful! Hey, after the 20th time - I GOT IT! No more Scottoline for me - EVER!

After checking this book out from the library, I purchased it so I could make notes and use it as a reference along with my select few books on health and nutrition. Pages two and three bullet point interesting ideas like how certain food combinations will put a man to sleep but put a woman in the mood. Well, if that's in the book, I haven't found it yet. What I have found is endless reference to how I will feel once on the "Mars and Venus Diet and Exercise Solution." But there is no solution, just a constant reference to it.


This book disappointed me so much because I loved the book, "How to Get What You Want, and Want What You Have." The book is about removing emotional blocks that prevent you from moving forward in life. Now that I've read this diet book, with so many questionable terms like, "cold pressed aloe vera" (what does that mean?) and his ideas about chromium, I'm ready to chuck everything. The worst part of the book for me was on food combining. He just combines everything as far as I can tell. Other books will have you not combining certain foods because they cause gas and acidity when mixed together. John Gray clearly is a novice in this field and though discovered some neato stuff in his research, should not have created his own system for others.

As for me, I've been studying health and nutrition for 25 years. I haven't been over weight in 27. I don't believe in dieting to lose weight, but I do believe in proper nutrition. At a bargain rate this book isn't worth it not to mention all the time you'll waste reading and being confused.

Although the content of this book is somewhat repetitious, the suggestions for boosting metabolism and improving diet are great. I'm drinking the activated water in the morning and bouncing and shaking my way to a day with increased metabolism and energy. I'm using the Isagenix shakes in the morning as part of this program and so far so good.

The Mars/Venus Diet and Exercise solution is the missing link in my life. For 20 years, I have searched for wholeness, of mind, body and spirit. I work tirelessly to release with the emotional and spiritual pain of my past so that I may grow spiritually. I pray and meditate daily. I exercised regularly and I eat as healthy as one can in West Texas, lots of fruits and vegies, limited fried food and sugar. With all of this, I still felt fatigued, irritable and overwhelmed. After reading Dr. John Gray's book, I began using the recommended products and information in he book. I have been amazed at the results in my life the lives of my family and friends. I have since been privately trained by him as a nutritional cleansing coach so that I may help others. His information about how diet and excercise effect addiction has literly allowed me to help many people who struggle with food and alcohol addiction. The information on brain chemistry is fascinating and brings to light the differences in men and women. My marriage has come alive and my 5 year old said, "Mommy, you and my sister (hormonal 12 year old) are so much nicer now!" This book is a must read for anyone who wants to fill better and who are committed to a life change.
Here's too a healthy life filled with joy, peace and happiness.
Becky Benes, onenessoflife.isagenix.com

However, my husband twisted my arm and I was tired of him nagging me, so what the heck. We both started the Isagenix program a couple of months ago and I just finished reading Dr. Gray's book. Neither of us really needed to lose weight, but I have a history of depression and PMDD (I've been on meds now for almost seven years). So two months later, I'm eating my words of skepticism. I am completely off one med, weaning from another and going to work on my blood pressure and cholesterol meds next. I am an entirely new person. I feel good, I have a lot more energy, my marriage is much improved and an added benefit, I've lost 10 pounds and my clothes fit much better. Our son has anger and aggression issues and so we started him on some supplements mentioned in the book and he is a brand new kid. He quit junk food, soda and is no longer craving nor asking for it. He's eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and has not had a single episode of aggression since about a week after starting the supplements. I've done a lot more research beyond just the book and find agreement with other health professionals (holistic) that back up his statements. So, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Seven years of hell with depression is enough to convince me that there must be something to it.

"Without a nutritious diet, we don't have the fuel to make more endophins." ~ pg. 102

If any book can be frustrating and enlightening at the same time it is "The Mars & Venus Diet and Exercise Solution." This book is filled to the brim with interesting information on dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and endorphins. You will learn about the top forty serotonin-producing foods and how to get endorphins to release into your body. There is also a good amount of information on how to make your relationships work. There seems to be a biological basis for everything John Gray has been teaching for years. He explains why women are obsessed with giving too much and how to get men to give more. It is logical and makes complete sense. He also gives some of the real reasons marriages fail. I thought some of the information was very interesting, especially about why men may become workaholics:

"By increasing mental stress by taking on too much work (deadlines and long hours), men in particular stimulate the production of endorphins to reduce mental distress and anxieties temporarily." ~ pg. 103

While this is very helpful and intellectually exciting, I think the actual diet can be confusing. In the section on following the Mars & Venus diet I came across many frustrating things. Each morning you are supposed to drink a glass of water enriched with lemon juice, honey, trace minerals and aloe vera juice. This drink is also taken after you exercise in the morning. That means you are taking minerals twice. The problem I see with this is that you are also taking trace minerals with your morning health shake. (This drink is also recommended for fasting - should you take that many minerals in a day?)

My main question really is: "Is it necessary to take so many trace minerals?" The morning shake is made with a number of ingredients that can also be found in the Mars & Venus Superfoods Shake. In fact, you can skip mixing up the shake from scratch and just purchase the shake online. My problem with the shake is that it contains blanched almond meal and I'm allergic to nuts in general.

I looked up the Isagenix products and read the lists of ingredients. There are three products you could buy even though John Gray also says you can find other brands (he doesn't mention which ones so I'll give you that information).

The products you can buy (at the Isagenix website) include the Mars & Venus Superfoods Shake ($45), the Super Cleanse ($30) and the Super Minerals (also contains lithium - $30). So you can get the entire program for under $105.

Some options for the same types of products (Total is $131 with the optional cleanse) include "Nature's Plus Spiru-tein Tangerine Dream (Nature's Plus - Tangerine Dream Spirutein Shake 1Lb - $18)" which I've taken for years (compare ingredients to the Mars & Venus Superfoods shake) and the addition of Omega 3 Fatty Acid capsules (Nordic Naturals - Complete Omega/Lemon, 1000 mg, 60 softgels - $17). If you want to add in Yucca try Solaray - Yucca - 100 Capsule - 490 mg - $6.

This is easier than making the shake and adding in flax seeds, protein powder, yucca, enzymes etc. If price is a factor then you can see the difference in price. However, I read the ingredients on the Mars & Venus Super Cleanse and found it is not as good a product as Dr. Natura's Cleansing Product Colonix - Internal Cleansing Program (Liver, Kidney, Colon, And Parasite Cleanse) - FREE UPGRADE TO EXPEDITED SHIPPING - $90). The thing to note about the Dr. Natura program is that the "Paranil" product has wormwood. This is not good to take for an extended period of time. The "Colonix" is a good cleanse on its own.

Once you read the book you can then use these ideas to your advantage. The ingredients recommended will optimize brain chemistry and this will make you feel better. I've been taking a shake with amino acids for years now and it does make you feel more healthy. The Nature's Plus Spiru-tein Tangerine Dream (or other flavors) is an excellent product that contains most of the ingredients (just take Yucca and Omega 3 capsules as well) in the Mars & Venus Shake.

To finish the book, John Gray also briefly discusses the benefits of aromatherapy. He also talks about spirituality and how dietary changes can even cause cancer to go into remission.

Overall I think this book is very enlightening. The frustrating part can be easily solved by buying the shakes in powder form. There just doesn't seem to be enough information to make the program work when mixing up the drink at home. I found that section to be very frustrating because no exact measurements were given.

~The Rebecca Review

This was a good story but I thought it was too lengthy in the middle of the book with ongoing issues that I wasn't too interested in such as the environmental issues, etc. The beginning was good but it kind of fizzled out for me in the middle and end. Not a bad book though.

After a bit of a slow start (too much detail about the initial discovery, I think), this one is a real page-turner, and I could not put it down. I love Evans' descriptive style and his plot is rich and well-developed.

I was particularly impressed by how he got into Sarah's head in terms of her reaction to the breakup of her marriage. I've been through a similar experience, and trust me, her rage and hurt is right on the money. I was also impressed by the development of the Abbie storyline.

Wonderful book, albeit somewhat depressing. I like that he didn't completely sell out with a happy ending - rather, he left the reader with the sense that these people will eventually be all right.

How good is this novel? I absolutely loved it, devoured every page in fact. Evans writes extraordinarily well about emotions, conflict and redemption, particularly from a female point of view. It is something that has always blown me away about his books. His female characterisations are always superb and I can totally relate to them, something that puts his books several notches above many by his contemporaries.

The novel's plotline of the disintegrating marriage of wealthy Long Island couple Sarah and Ben Cooper, the fallout from their separation and its disastrous effect on their young adult daughter, Abbie, is fascinating. Fuelled partly by her searing anger at her father for leaving their family and as an in-yer-face rebellion against him, Abbie falls under the spell of the sinister Rolf, a member of the Environmental Liberation Front, a domestic eco-terrorist group. Amongst other activities, Rolf torches SUV dealerships as a protest against "bourgeois capitalist pigs". Abbie, awed by the older man and angry at the world in general, starts to accompany Rolf on his torching missions. When one in Denver goes disastrously wrong, resulting in the death of a young man, Abbie and Rolf have to go on the run as they are wanted for murder. The resulting impact on her family and friends is devastating and Evans writes about this beautifully and in a way that is so sympathetic that I felt their pain with them. Interestingly, the story is told in reverse, a plot device that is remarkably effective.

I highly recommend "The Divide" to one and all and I have awarded it five stars. The novel is a triumph, and I look forward to more novels from this gifted writer.

This is one of the best books i've ever read. I couldn't put it down.

I think this is one of my top ten books. It is fantastic. It has everything in it without the mushy stuff.

The names in this book are boring and really quite ridiculous. We didn't like any of the names in this book.
I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to look through it, go to Barnes and Noble and browse. Not worth the $$.

While it didn't show me any names I liked that I haven't heard before, I did like the lists of what is popular, and it categorizes names in tons of ways, so it's kind of a fun way to look for a name. We still haven't chosen one yet, but we'll keep poring through the book.

I liked some of the ideas that the authors presented, but overall I found the way that they broke up the book to be confusing. The names were not listed alphabetically, and in several cases I would read one section, and have some of the same names from earlier listed in another section. I will definitely be searching for another book to help me find a better variety of names with more organization.

I am an avid Amazon shopper, and I was disappointed with this book. It's just pages of a bunch of lists of names. A lot of names are repeated in different categories. I would recommend the book, Baby Name Wizard.

This is the brand new edition of Beyond Jennifer & Jason, just published a few months ago. All the popularity lists in the books are updated and the information is guaranteed new -- and even ahead of its time! Unfortunately, it can be confusing knowing which edition is the latest one. But also know that even though styles in baby names do change, it happens gradually -- and you're choosing a name to last a lifetime, not just for a few years. Also look for our other new books Cool Names for Babies and coming in March 2007, The Baby Name Bible.

"Deadhouse Gates" continues "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" saga immediately after "Gardens of the Moon" with a darker story with scenes and insinuations not appropriate for young readers. However superb battles compliment the fine tale introducing numerous characters and exploring new locations while keeping Crokus and company as an integral part of the plot. The author appears to capture the internal and external struggles of a forced march by a tough foreign commander to save Malazan refugees.

Felisin, Ganoes Paran's youngest sister, justifies the brutal treatment by her desire for vengeance and ultimately her destiny. Mappo and Icarium, a Trell and a memory challenged half-Jaghut, are an interesting duo wandering the land seeking to unlock Icarium's past. Yet excommunicated priest Heboric Light Touch and the assassin Kalam develop into the most fascinating characters.

Many characters have unusually high skills, whether combat or magical, which unbalances the series. I find myself frustrated by unnecessary implied remarks or half-said comments but enjoyed the novel nonetheless.

A better comprehensive appendix would have been useful addressing racial characteristics, relating magical powers, and describing creatures along with catch phrases and terms.

I recommend this series to any fan of the fantasy genre.

Thank you.

A brief prelude to my review is in order. One of the things that drew me to this series were the 5 star reviews for Erikson's later works. There are two reasons why reviews can get better as a series continues. The first is that the author's writing can get better. The second is that people who aren't interested in an author's style of writing might drop out after a book or two. I'm of the firm impression that the reasons for Erikson's better reviews for later books is because he writes more confidently in later books.

I read "Gardens of the Moon" and had many of the complaints that I'd read in its reviews. The author throws scads of characters, places, races, etc at the reader without explaining much. The plot meanders. Erikson doesn't describe non-human races particularly well. However, as many readers also mentioned, the book picks up midway through and ends well.

"Deadhouse Gates" is almost a carbon copy of the above. The first thing for people thinking about starting this series, to know about this book, is that except for a small number of characters generally playing a much reduced role, there's little overlap with "Gardens of the Moon". You have to learn a whole host of new characters, places, races and politics.

The good news is that the plot is much tighter overall, and while I can't really summarize "Garden of the Moons" plot, I could do so with "Deadhouse Gates". I'd prefer to not have many spoilers here, though, so I won't. Yup, there are side plots in abundance which often feel again as though a party of D&D characters suddenly decided to do something else for a bit, but the main plot makes itself known quickly and it continues throughout to a series of almost breathtaking payoff scenes near the end. One thing that Erikson does exceptionally well is to create an almost movie quality image in the reader's mind for his epic moments, and he's gotten even better at it here.

Again, as is the case in Gardens of the Moon, most of his characters are pretty static, in that there's little character growth except what's forced upon them, but there are more memorable characters. The pace of the book actually feels a bit more plodding than "Gardens of the Moon", but whereas the former was more unfocusedly frantic, this was a more coherent read and one that I recommend.

This book is so amazing! The scope itself is huge. I see why people say it's like George RR Martin, except the area involved is bigger. You get to see every main character and supporting character's personality in many different situations, and you never know what's going to happen, to whom, and when. One minute your liking a character and BOOM! their gone! Or a bad character seems not so bad after all, and a good character suddenly deciding to do wrong! Awesome, awesome, awesome!

I'm thoroughly impressed by this series. It's sprawling, imaginative and just plain big. The plot is very even, that is, it proceeds at a breakneck pace throughout. No complaining here about how "nothing happens" in the series. The dialogue is snappy and the humor appropriately dark, to match the mood.

It still can be confusing, but not as much as if you require answers to every question and demand to know the minutia of every detail. I haven't really connected with any of the characters yet, however the finale to the chain of dogs march (and the subsequent events) had me deliriously stunned.

If Erikson devotes the time to flesh out some of the characters a little more so they actually appear to have their own voice, instead of being relegated to just another point of view to push the plot forward, this series will trump all that has come before. Truly impressive.

I gave up 100 pages into Gardens of the Moon, so can't say how good this one is. If it's as confusing as the first one, well...I guess 3 stars is about right. I couldn't turn off the star rating feature, so 5 was what I put in.

James Lee Burke is one of my favorite authors. His work is good and easy read. However, this book was not easy for me to relate to as I am not from the south, nor do I have experience with some of the lingua that was used. This did not detract me from the story which was excellent!

James Lee Burke, who is almost a neighbour (I live across the state line of the Bitterroots, in Wallace, Idaho) just gets it. He writes sentences you want to shout aloud, and draws a description you can just step right in to. This is a man who loves words and does not use them unnecessarily. Bitterroot puts the Neo-Nazi (Neocon?) cancer in a clear perspective, but the battle is not about guns. It's about souls. One minor technical point: in Wallace, we had 4 whorehouses, not just the one.

This is a first read of James Lee Burke for me in Bitterroot! It is a very powerful book told mostly in the 1st person. The characters were well drawn, I could envision them all. His bad guys were never to be forgotten and you want them gone!!!

I will certainly read some more of this books. His English is intelligent and usage is even and succinct. Wonderful read. This book makes you think! I put him right up there with my favorite authors: Dennis Lehane and Robert Crais.

I enjoy James Lee Burke. I suppose I'm a bigger fan of the Robicheaux series than BB Holland, but I'll take it. He always tells a good tale, and always with his capturing, flowing style. Sometimes he gets his characters into situations that I don't like...when Maisy goes off on her dangerous night out in the biker bar...I read quickly through that section fully expecting the author to have it end badly for her...but wait, well...read it. JLB and I are roughly the same age, so with any luck when he can no longer see to write I won't be able to see to read, and I would consider that good timing. Many more James, please.

"Bitterroot" by James Lee Burke, is another in his Billy Bob Holland series: Billy Bob being a former Texas Ranger, currently an accredited Texas attorney. After a few Texas adventures/misadventures in earlier Burke books, Billy Bob hereby begins his part of the year relocation to Montana, as did his creator. Mind you, a reader can't easily distinguish between Billy Bob, and Dave Robichaux, Burke's New Orleans detective. Only difference I see is that Billy Bob is more accepting of the supernatural. Furthermore, as a rule, I prefer the Robichaux books. Burke is a New Orleans man, and his language in describing his native turf, is frequently superb, deeply-felt. Descriptions in the Texas and Montana books, while very good, just don't rise to that level.

At any rate, Billy Bob goes to Montana to help out his old friend "Doc" Voss, who's getting himself into trouble. Of course, Billy Bob being the man he is, he helps Doc get himself into deeper trouble. Add to the stew Wyatt Dixon, just released from jail in Texas, and Montana-bound: he's got some issues with Billy Bob. Then there are some mafia types, some bikers, some environmental nutters, some pedophiles, a downbeat sheriff, an Indian or two, Billy Bob's short-term love interest. A gold mining company dumping cyanide into a river. Billy Bob's illegitimate son and private investigator, up from Texas. A famous, alcoholic writer, and his famous, beautiful, cocaine-sniffing actress wife. Also some feds, still looking for instigators of the Oklahoma City bombing of the federal Alfred P. Murrah building, and some of the militias at which the feds are looking.

Can't forget L.Q. Navarro, Billy Bob's former Texas Ranger partner, whom he accidentally gunned down while the two of them were having fun killing drug dealers in Mexico, leaving playing cards in their mouths. For a dead guy, L.Q. sure has a lot to say. So it's quite a stew, some of the ingredients being readily recognizable to regular readers of Burke; some of the ingredients being readily recognizable cliches of the genre.

Still, Burke's writing is brawny. He gives this line to Cleo Lonnegan, short-term love interest: "Pacifists in Montana get about the same respect as vegetarians and gay rights advocates." He describes the atmosphere of the state: "Montana was filled with ghosts. Those of Indians massacred on the Marias River, wagoners who died of cholera and typhus on their way to Oregon, the wandering spirits of Custer and the soldiers of the Seventh Cavalry, whose bodies were sawed apart with stone knives and left on the banks of what the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne called the Greasy Grass."

Finally, despite all the criticisms of the book that I've just leveled, Burke is able to build to a strong emotional climax. And his sucker punch knocked me out.

The book was in great condition. And I loved it! It's such a sweet story.

Alex and Casey. Not a whole bunch of depth, but a really cute book. Reader was easy to listen to and I didn't want it to end!

I don't think that Ms. Evanovich has ever written a bad book. True to her usual sense of humor, this book is a whirlwind of humor and adventure with a great ending that makes you want another hundred pages. I don't usually read in the romance genre, but I love her books!

I have read all of the Janet Evanovich books starring Stephanie Plum, but I had not realized that she wrote romance novels. I ordered all and read them all! I absolutely loved them. Within the first page or two you always knew who was going to fall in love, but that did not ruin the fun in watching get to the end of their journeys together. These are books that I will lend to all of my friends and family!

This is a comical, quirky novel about a 29yr old executive from New Jersey who's about to turn 30, and feels that her biological clock is starting to tick. She sells her $400,000 condo and resigns her high paying executive job for a beat up (she is unaware it is beat up)cabin and a hardware store in ALASKA! She is under the notion that Alaska is outnumbered by men and therefore feels that it is easier to find a husband there. From the first moment she is transporting her belongings to Al she comes across all sort of mishaps along the way. It is a lovely romantic story about how she finds true love.

This book describes the spiritual profile of "Generation X", which has loosely been defined as "those born from the early 1960s to the late 1970s". That is, it is the generation who are currently in their mid-20s to mid-40s.

Generation Xers have two key characteristics:

Firstly, they make heavy use of symbolism, and this is evident throughout the culture -- in tattoos, pop videos, fashion accessories, and many other ways. When carefully interpreted, this reveals a "constant yearning, both implicit and explicit, for the almost mystical encounter of the human and divine", and should be understood as being part of a genuine spiritual search.

Secondly, they "are experts in superficiality and posing", and are constantly querying others as to their fidelity. It is partly for this reason that they "see right through" the mere "religious institutionalism" of many Churches. Nevertheless, "they still retain a striking fascination with Jesus", and one of their "specific marks" is "reclaiming Jesus against Christian Churches".

The author's answer to Generation X comes as something of a surprise. He suggests that they should "reappropriate tradition, which is one of my primary challenges to Xers themselves". However, bearing in mind the special characteristics of the generation, he further advises "a return to humility in ministry, a willingness to 'go virtual', and a renewal of mystical practices and spiritual disciplines".

This book is well written. However, I feel that there was a certain superficiality about it. With its heavy emphasis on symbolism, it would seem to sanitise the generation of many of the profound spiritual deadlocks that one encounters in ministry. Further, with its emphasis on the genuineness of Generation X's search, it may overlook a good deal of genuine hopelessness and evil.

I was born in 1977 and I don't go to church and can thus be seen as an example of the stereotype that labels Gen Xers as irreligious. True, the generation of the unknown quantity "X" may not be flooding the pews like my Catholic grandmother would want to see, but, as Tim Beaudoin suggests in his book "Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X," we ARE worshipping in our own way.
The cover of the book features the face of Jesus tattooed on somebody's bicep, and although some may perceive this image as part of the joke that seems to be Gen X spirituality, Beaudoin takes it seriously. He is a pioneer in his explorations of "theological interpretations of Gen X pop culture," which means in his book he puts a whole new spin on such things as music videos, fashion, and cyberspace.
The book's academic style makes it a bit tedious at points, but still Beaudoin's message is clear and worth reading: there is a spiritual revolution happening in my generation. If you listen closely and set aside stigmas about piercings and tattoos, you can see that old rituals, symbols, traditions, and icons have fertilized new philosophies and ideas. Gen Xers have internalized, reworked, and attempted-sometimes subconsciously-to apply spirituality to the culture of the everyday life they face. Beaudoin, who holds a master's degree in Theological Studies from the Harvard University School of Divinity, argues that this movement has been neither seen nor reported on. "The media's simplistic caricatures of Generation X have yet to relate something substantial about this generation to its elders, particularly in regard to Gen X's unique religiousness." In the media's defense, this subtle, sometimes twisted sense of spirituality is not easily expressed, but Beaudoin is able to give this movement a voice.
In the beginning of his book, for example, he describes his most recent religious experience, which occurred as he sat in the audience of "Rent." Attending the award-winning play-he saw it four times-had become a ritual for him. Throughout each performance, he and the people around him cried and "raised their hands in the air as if at an evangelical revival," acknowledging that what they were experiencing was both about and beyond them. That same sound that my parents call "trash," he claims is "just as important to my own sense of spirituality as any commitment to an institutional church." Beaudoin, in fact, plays in a rock band and says when he feels the deep rhythm of playing tightly with a drummer and feels the way his body and soul harmonize with the low tones of his base guitar "something happens." Ultimately, for Beaudoin and most Gen Xers, any place can be a church, any song a prayer, and any person, a priest. While Beaudoin acknowledges that his message may not sit well with many people, he explains that "impropriety has been a theme in my life and of the life of Generation X."
Religious mixing and matching is also a theme in Gen Xers' unique spiritual style. For example, someone might believe in the teachings of Jesus, but not in the Catholic Church's attitude toward women, abortion, or gays. It is in ways like this that Beaudoin says, my generation "can recycle and recombine not only the present pop culture and religious landscape but also the rich past of religious tradition," a process of "active preservation, not mindless repetition."
The Gen Xers described in Beaudoins book are acutely aware of the boredom generated by empty rituals, meaningless language, and the growing gap between institutional preaching and practice, which is a sentiment expressed in music videos such as Tori Amos's "Crucify" and R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." Therefore, one positive result of the Gen X rebellion is that it serves as "a call to humanity within religious institutions." Facing the very real prospect that they may lose their younger worshippers, religious institutions have been forced to make some changes.
Because of the barrage of unfiltered information we Gen Xers experienced growing up in a techno-world of televisions and computers, we have become cynical. The cynicism we have developed is in direct proportion to the mighty idealism of the baby boomers. As Beaudoin points out: "My generation inherited not free love but AIDS, not peace but nuclear anxiety, not cheap communal lifestyles but crushing costs of living, not free teach-ins but colleges priced for aristocracy." Thus, many of us came to the conclusion long ago that unless a serious shift occurs in our world today, the safest and most genuine place to go for spiritual guidance is within ourselves.
Ultimately, the fact that "Viritual Faith" articulates things I have kept to myself for years gives me a sense of hope. Perhaps Gen X's quest for the sacred nature of experience will eventually be honed instead of ridiculed. Informed by "Viritual Faith," the media, who depict Gen Xers as pathetic and confused, or parents, who lament the aimless rebellion of their children's generation, might reconsider their perspectives. Hopefully, they will be surprised-even better, deeply moved-by "The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X." And maybe soon a new Beaudoin will emerge and be able to explain to me what the hell is going on with Generation Y. Until then, however, I'll try to keep an open mind.

I read this book for a Youth and Culture class in seminary and it was by far my favorite book of the semester. Beaudoin does a good job in describing a generalized picture of Generation X's conception of Christianity, but there are two places where I feel he misses the mark somewhat.
I feel that Beaudoin could have made better choices in his selection of videos, and this is not about personal preference or taste. Soundgarden's "Outshined" or "Rusty Cage" were both more attuned, in my estimation, to the emotions, struggles, and general attitude of Generation X than "Black Hole Sun", generally speaking. Beaudoin could have also explored why a band like Pearl Jam, which is overwhelmingly non-imagistic, could still continue to have an impact despite Pearl Jam's lack of visual exposure beyond 1992. Another example: replace "Like a Prayer" with Tool's "Sober" or with Nine Inch Nails "Head Like a Hole", and you've got something. And one last musical point: where is hip-hop? Surely the amazing success of rap music in the ninties, especially gangsta rap, says something about Generation X theologically.
My second critique concerns Beaudoin's theological engagement. I simply feel that he could have gone a little deeper. I was also looking for some wrestling with the greats. I took Systematic Theology the semester before I read this book and was looking for Beaudoin to utilize Barth, Tillich, Bultmann, etc. An examination of Tillich's views of Christianity and culture would have been especially rewarding in the context of the book. It simply seemed to me that Beaudoin could have gone a tad deeper theologically.

Virtual Faith is a free flowing theological interpretation of the heart beat of modern culture. The question the author asks is "will you be there for me?" In the modern age, this question is paramount to Gen Xers. Those who grew up in one parent or no parent households. It seems that the alienation the Xer's feel is rooted in their abandonment an isolation by their elders! This is a generation without rites of passage as found in native cultures. Xer's mistrust modern forms of establishment. Tom suggests that Tradition may offer something to Xer's who in fact are quite spiritual. This is a great book! The older generation stands to learn much in its pages! My only criticism of the book is rooted in my own alienation from the tradition he speaks favorabley about. While there is a richness in traditonal forms of Christianity it is rarely exercised in modern forms of practice these days. Patriarchal forns are oppresive and mean spirited to the Souls of women and other minorities.The Pope speaks eloquently and correctly about injustice outside the Catholic Church. About injustice within the Church he is silent and culpably negligent. I give this book my highest recommendation!

I'm a little bit older than this age group discussed. Okay, I'll admit it, I'm near the advance guard of the Boomer generation! However, as someone charged with developing educational offerings for my church, I found this to be compelling reading.

The age group of 18-30, no matter what generation in recent years, has typically been absent from our pews. What makes the Gen-Xers so different, Beaudoin says, is that they WANT to be in a spiritual place, and are hungry for it. He cites evidence from music, music videos and other sources of pop culture appealing to the Gen-Xers.

One of his arguments I found especially interesting was that which states that this generation has grown up not knowing war, hard times or any of the events that tend to galvanize previous generations. His theory is that this explains the rise in popularity of self mutilation, otherwise known as body piercing and tattooing, as visible signs of the theme of "suffering servant."

Whether one buys into his theories or not, there is much here to provide food for thought for mainstream churches wanting to reach out to the Gen-Xers. He looks at those aspects of Biblical stories that have appeal to this group; he speaks of styles of worship or study that would most attract them. I don't think anyone who has looked at shelves of bookstores can disagree that there is a great spiritual hunger in our world. Beaudoin's book will certainly enocurage us to think about how that hunger could be met for this demographic group.

This book taught me a lot about my metabolism. It made me aware of mistakes I was making by how I ate and what I ate. My body just naturally shed 20 pounds over the last year or so by applying what I learned from the book. Once my metabolism returned to a healthier state, the weight was shed naturally. I bought this book as a gift for a friend who is diabetic.

Diana Schwarzbein has it down! Her books are informative and well written, easy to read and understand. She has done her homework and knows what she is talking about. I have read many "diet" books, this one holds truth.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of Schwarzbein and have been following it with good results. So, since I enjoy reading, I was very interested in reading book 2. Even for someone who enjoys reading it took a lot of willpower to get through the whole 500 page book without quitting. The first half is a great deal of technical information that is boring and extremely repetitive. (The whole book could have been condensed into 150 pages easily.) The second half of the book is about the plan itself. It was very discouraging to be following one way from her original book and then she changes a lot in the second book. Like maybe she wasn't right after all. So, to sum it up it ends up leaving you wondering whether she knows what she is talking about or not. The good news is I think that the general way of eating is great, but I have a hard time with being fully convinced in view of her changes (regarding saturated fats, amounts of grams, now having to weight proteins, etc.). I hope this helps.

Her principle is excellent, the program is fantastic, however, if you are not familiar with her system...read her book called "The Program" as your first read. It reads easiest and is the most understandable and will be a great foundational block to her other books.

With this book, Dr Schwarzbein has shown just how severe her tunnel vision is on the hormones and the endocrine system. There are falsities throughout the entire book because she completely ignores peer-reviewed research in any area that is not directly involved in the endocrine system.

For instance, she lists ADD/ADHD as a lifestyle disorder that's a result of low serotonin. I'm a young adult/adult Learning Disabilities Specialist with a background in neuropsychology. According to the peer reviewed research that has been available for over a decade, ADD/ADHD is a genetic disorder for which researchers have found several alleles that, when switched on, create the disorder. Newer research has shown that the brains of people with ADD/ADHD have as much as 15% less gray matter in specific areas in the right hemisphere that have to do with focus and attention, and this discrepancy has been imaged via MRI. And research has shown for over 3 decades that all of this leads to a decreased level of dopamine, not serotonin. Some people with ADD/ADHD do have decreased levels of serotonin but not all.

Another instance where she completely ignores the research is when it comes to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which she all but dismisses out of hand. Research to date has shown that there is a genetic tendency towards CFS, that it is a central nervous system disorder that can have disasterous effects (a woman in England died from it summer of 2006 and the autopsy showed her spinal cord, brain stem and areas in the brain to be highly inflammed), that the majority of people who have this CNS disorder have smaller than average adrenal glands (imaged with CT and MRI), which may make it impossible for them to absorb all of the daily stressors that come our way, and that onset almost always occurs after a significant trauma (death of a loved one, accident, severe illness, etc). According to some leading researchers in the field, CFS is akin to an electrical overload hitting the circuit breaker box in your house and shutting down all the systems. It hits the hypothalamus in the brain, which controls all the systems in the body, and they all drop low. Lifestyle doesn't do that, folks. Something far more intense is required to create such a destructive onset.

Less well known but highly important research in the field of immunotoxicology has shown in the last 5-10 years that what a pregnant woman is exposed to in the last trimester of pregnancy can damage a fetus' immune system making it difficult at best for the child's immune system to mature once it is born. If an individual goes through life with an immature immune system, that person is unable to mount an adequate immune defense against disease, their immune system often doesn't know the difference between an external invader and their own tissue so they develop auto-immune disorders, and their immune system may be on such high rev that they're hypersensitive to much in their environment, hence multiple chemical sensitivities, allergies and asthma. In fact, the data is so overwhelming that the EPA and FDA are currently developing new guidelines for drug and chemical testing that would address prenatal exposure.

While I find that Dr. Schwarzbein's message to balance out the diet and eat whole foods as opposed to processed foods to be the standard message at this time (think Dr Hyman's book Ultrametabolism) and probably the most prudent form of diet to follow, much of the information she presents in her book is out and out false and needs to be seriously challenged.

Sit back and let Frazier lead you through a compendium of European myths and Classical cultures. It's fascinating for a while, but it's one of the few books I've tried repeatedly to finish.

Why is anyone buying this particular edition? The one listed as a "Board Book" with ISBN 0020955707 is IDENTICAL in text and covers, it just has a different publisher name. And it's significantly cheaper, if purchased used.

nothing really extraordinary here. lots of slandering dark-skinned peoples with the word "savages" thereby excusing genocidal and land-grabbing actions by the more "civilized" Xtian believing "aryans" who of course have evolved beyond all that superstition by emblazoning their one true god on their only appropriate place of worship--dollar bills.

This book is veritable attic full of folklore and ritual. But, like an attic, it is sometimes dusty and overstuffed. First published in 1922 and hardly out of print since, the author states it began as a study of a curious practice in a grove near Nemi, Italy in classical times of the killing of a local divine wood king/priest by his successor. His studies lead him to research one thing after another, which eventually became a multi-volume treatise on many of the ritual and folk practices of the world, especially in regards to gods of trees, vegetation and grain, and other resurrection myths.

At times it is a difficult read as the author does not have the current sense of treating other cultures as different, rather than "lesser", than ours, but despite repeated references to "savages" he presents practices and customs rather fairly and non-judgementally. It's only fault lies in it's length, perhaps, though this may be attributed to modern short attention spans, though it does seem to provide so many examples of a practice that I often thought five examples would have sufficed where he used twenty or more.

A curious thing, when I read this any shred of belief I might have had left in the Christ mythos was shattered with the detailed descriptions of other gods of resurrection. Undoubtedly without meaning to, Frazer presents such a clear picture of the rites and myths concerning Adonis, Attis, Osiris, among others, that you realize how little of the Christ myth (if anything) is original. This, of course, is not to disparage Christian believers, as my gods come as much out of myth as theirs, and so it is just as valid, but even when one has been a pagan as long as I have, there still remains some shred, I think, of a person that wonders if the original religion of our childhood might not be valid.

In any case, this is a long and interesting read. I originally picked it up after encountering numerous references in other pagan texts over the years to "Frazer's theory of the Divine King", etc., and finally wanted to read the work for myself. I don't regret it, and I don't think you will either, if you approach this book with patience when you have some time to devote to it.

_The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion_, originally published in 1922 and republished here by Collier Books, is an abridged one volume edition of the classic study of Sir James George Frazer on magic and religion. Sir J. G. Frazer (1854 - 1941) was a Scottish social anthropologist whose works have proven to be classics in the fields of comparative religion and mythology. _The Golden Bough_ is perhaps his most famous work detailing the magical practices from a wide variety of ancient and primitive cultures. The extensive research undertaken to complete this volume makes the study worthy to be read alone, in that it reveals much of the folklore from around the globe which has been important to providing understanding of primitive religious and magical practices. _The Golden Bough_ maintains that magic developed into primitive religion which eventually developed into modern science in an evolutionary perspective on the history of comparative religions. Further, this work offers a study of the various beliefs of "primitive" peoples maintaining that the ancient religions were fertility cults that revolved around the worship and sacrifice of the priest-king. Frazer maintains that this gave rise to the "dying gods" motif in which the king is sacrificed and then returns to life found throughout the world's religious traditions. In particular, Frazer points to the pre-Roman priest-king at the fane of Nemi who was ritually murdered by his successor. This book gained attention because it included Christianity within its comparative study and thus scandalized its reading public. Further, Frazer has been criticized for maintaining a rationalist bias and for denigrating the beliefs and folklore of allegedly "primitive" cultures and peoples. Nevertheless, despite this bias, Frazer's study has proven extremely important in that it collects an enormous amount of information and his "dying gods" thesis remains influential. Indeed, the plethora of "dying gods" throughout ancient cultures may be seen as an important precursor to the Christian faith. Frazer also provides an excellent study of magic, in which he distinguishes between homeopathic magic (based on the Law of Similarity) and contagious magic (based on the Law of Contact) under the heading of sympathetic magic (based on the Law of Sympathy). Frazer further divides magic into theoretical magic (or magic as a pseudo-science) and practical magic (or magic as a pseudo-art) noting the difference between positive magic or sorcery and negative magic or taboo under practical magic. However, Frazer ultimately will compare magic to science and will champion science and an evolutionary viewpoint of science in relationship to the supposed progression from magic to religion to science. The term "the Golden Bough" refers to both Turner's picture of the "Golden Bough" and the mistletoe seen in the life of Balder. This book has been enormously influential not only in the study of comparative religion but also was very popular amongst certain Twentieth century writers and poets who frequently quoted from and made use of it. While Frazer's thesis may be fundamentally flawed, it nevertheless offers an astounding collection of information and folklore as well as an interesting understanding of the myth of the "dying god".

The book includes the following contents:

"The King of the Wood" - mentioning Diana and Verbius as well as Artemis and Hyppolytus,
"Priestly Kings",
"Sympathetic Magic" - mentioning the principles of magic, the types of magic, and the magician's progress,
"Magic and Religion",
"The Magical Control of the Weather" - mentioning the public magician and magical control of the rain, sun, and wind,
"Magicians as Kings",
"Incarnate Human Gods",
"Departmental Kings of Nature",
"The Worship of Trees" - mentioning tree-spirits,
"Relics of Tree Worship in Modern Europe",
"The Influences of the Sexes on Vegetation",
"The Sacred Marriage" - mentioning Diana,
"The Kings of Rome and Alba" - mentioning Numa and Egeria and Jupiter,
"The Succession to the Kingdom in Ancient Latium",
"The Worship of the Oak",
"The Burden of the Royalty" - mentioning priestly taboos,
"The Perils of the Soul" - mentioning the soul as a manikin,
"Tabooed Acts",
"Tabooed Persons",
"Tabooed Things",
"Tabooed Words",
"Our Debt to the Savage",
"The Killing of the Divine King",
"Temporary Kings",
"The Killing of the King's Son",
"Succession of the Soul",
"The Killing of the Tree-Spirit" - mentioning the "death",
"The Myth of Adonis",
"Adonis in Syria",
"Adonis in Cyprus",
"The Ritual of Adonis",
"The Gardens of Adonis",
"The Myth and Ritual of Attis",
"Attis as a God of Vegetation",
"Human Representatives of Attis",
"Oriental Religions in the West",
"The Myth of Osiris",
"The Ritual of Osiris",
"The Nature of Osiris",
"Isis",
"Osiris and the Sun",
"Dionysus",
"Demeter and Persephone",
"The Corn-Mother and the Corn-Maiden in Northern Europe",
"The Corn-Mother in Many Lands",
"Lyterses" - mentioning human sacrifice for the crops,
"The Corn-Spirit as an Animal",
"Ancient Dieties of Vegetation as Animals",
"Eating the God" - mentioning the "first-fruits" and the practice of eating the god amongst the Aztecs,
"Homeopathic Magic of a Flesh Diet",
"Killing the Divine Animal",
"The Propitiation of Wild Animals by Hunters",
"Types of Animal Sacrament",
"The Transference of Evil",
"The Public Expulsion of Evil",
"Public Scapegoats",
"Human Scapegoats in Classical Antiquity",
"Killing the God in Mexico",
"Between Heaven and Earth" - mentioning taboos concerning puberty,
"The Myth of Balder",
"The Fire-Festivals of Europe",
"The Interpretation of the Fire-Festivals",
"The Burning of Human Beings in the Fires",
"Balder and the Mistletoe",
"The External Soul in Folk-Tales",
"The External Soul in Folk-Custom",
"The Golden Bough",
"Farewell to Nemi".

In sum, this book represents a great anthropological classic that reveals much about the folk practices and customs of our ancient forebears. It is highly important as a work in comparative religion and maintains a central place amongst the most famous studies of the Twentieth Century. It is also greatly enjoyable to read and includes an enormous amount of material of interest concerning a wide range of ancient folk belief.

This book is a seminal work because it had a crucial influence on four important works of the twentieth century: T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius.

Sir James George Frazer's book written in 1922 was a groundbreaking work on ancient religion, paganism, and roots of early Christianity. Frazer does an in-depth examination of the sacrificial killing of god-kings to ensure bountiful harvests, which Frazer traces through several cultures, including in his elaborations the myths of Adonis, Osiris, and Balder.

Frazer spent his life writing fifteen volumes of history of myth and religion. This book sums up his theory of magic and its connections to paganism, as well as fusing ideas from Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance and Gnostic texts that serve as a link to early Christianity's influence from ancient nature cults. His chapter titles say much about where his work goes and why it is so influential on iconic twentieth century works. The King of the Wood explains the original nature of the task imposed upon the hero, it undoubtedly influenced both Campbell's and Coppola's works. The Myths of Adonis, Attis, and Osiris looks to establish a chain of descent connecting early Aryan and Babylonian ritual with classic, Medieval and modern forms of nature worship. Our Debt to the Savage explains the role of the Medicine Man or doctor in fertility ritual. The Killing of the Devine King analyzes how this title is prevalent in so many of humankind's legends, and was a definite influence on Coppola's Colonel Kurtz character. Sacrifice of the King's Son regarded as an object of awe certainly influenced The Da Vinci Code.

Frazer's book is interesting and fun to read. I especially became interested in it from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. Weston's book is one of three on the nightstand. The other two are Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which the film is based on. The other book is Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual To Romance. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla were trying to tell their audience need to read these three books!

As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.