Canada Books

I was so happy to find this book listed in your selections. I had "worn out" my original copy of this book, and was looking for a replacement. It is perfect, and with this one now do not need any other cookbook.

My two grandmothers used this cookbook like a bible. They still have the original book, but now they're both tattered, falling apart, and some pages are even unreadable.

When one of my grannies turned 85, I bought the new cookbook for her. She was so excited. She had to hide it because all her children wanted to 'borrow' it to do their own cooking.

When my mother heard I was buying one for my granny, she wanted one too. I'm thinking of buying one for myself as well.

It's just that good!

I purchased this book for my wife because she has the original from the 70s. it is so worn out and has pages missing because it gets used so much. the recipes are the best period.

this is a really good cookbook, very basic. If you have no other cookbook, you could get along very well with just this one. A lot of historical perspective, and very basic cooking techniques.

My mother has a purity cookbook that we use for everything! I have never had pie crust so good! This has many of the same recipes in hers but now I can have my own and it was very inexpensive. I even got her one since her other one is falling apart and covered in stains. I recommend this cookbook to everyone!!

This story is every bit as poignant and masterful as most reviewers have said. This is only my 4th novel by Ms. Vine and although I thought the previous two I'd just finished were lackluster The Brimstone Wedding negates any disappointment I may have had.

I did not realize, really, how invested I was in the story of Genevieve Warner and Stella Newland until page 260 when I cried. Just very suddenly cried. I feel rather silly writing that now so I think I must explain. The sadness at that point in the story was overwhelming. It was as if I'd been right there in the midst of it; that all throughout I'd been alongside these women whose lives could not have been more different and yet so much alike. It must be a gift - when you can render your reader helpless so that he has no choice but to enmesh himself in your tale. And for this to happen so effectively that no emotion from him need be manufactured artificially. How well Ms. Rendell knows the human heart.

I make it sound melodramatic, but this novel isn't melodrama. It's a bona fide mystery. The suspense is edgy and you're constantly egged on by Stella's piecemeal revelations that you keep turning the pages and reading as fast as you can to get to your payoff. And I guarantee, the payoff is divine. Sad, yes, but divine.

What Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell) does best is make us uneasy. You can never settle right in and accept the persons and scenes quite the way they are presented. "What a lovely girl --- and yet?" is a typical reaction. In "The Brimstone Wedding" Ms. Vine is at her best, right up there with "Dark Adapted Eye." The novel is beautifully crafted, the prose spare and the atmosphere of the Fen Country in East Anglia is perfect. Because The Fens are a series of islands based in the boggy soil, the foundations are forever shifting. Nothing changes, but nothing stays exactly the same which is an excellent setting for this haunting tale.

Jenny/Genevieve Warner is a care assistant at a luxurious home for the elderly where she has built a friendship with terminally ill, exquisitely turned out Mrs. Stella Newland. Two women could not be more different on the surface. Jenny is a modern, practical, hard working country girl who has never traveled and is a product of village life and education. Stella comes from the gentry, married very well and seems so sheltered as to have come from a different age all together. Yet the sparkling Jenny's humdrum marriage is teetering because she has discovered passion in the form of a married lover. Stella has some dark secrets she has lived with for over twenty years and wants to share them with Jenny. Stella believes in nothing, but would like redemption. Jenny believes in everything: omens, charms, and every passing happenstance has psychic meaning for her. Jenny is willing to work her way to better things; Stella is passive. But why does Stella own a house that no one knows about? And why is she afraid to even ride in automobiles when she once was considered a dashing driver? Why does she refuse to sit outside in the sunshine?

The author keeps us asking these questions and sends us down some strange paths to get the answers. We know we are heading for a nameless horrific climactic event in Stella's past that will somehow impact on Jenny's present, but what can it be? Ms. Vine never falls into a Gothic romance-type of trap. Her people and events are sharp edged. Stella smokes irritably in spite of the fact she is dying of lung cancer. When Jenny finally works up her courage to leave her husband, he will not take her seriously; so what should be a grand melodramatic episode degenerates into farce. "I'm leaving you Mike"----"Well take the washer and leave the car, there's a good lass."

The author builds the tension until we are wrought up for at least a tornado strike, and she doesn't disappoint. Then when we think we have taken quite enough for one day, she adds another zinger. A great well-done page-turner.

This was the best book I've read in a loooooooong time! I read alot and am quite particular that the books I read have some substance and make you think a bit. This was all that and more! The last page literally popped my jaw on the floor! What a great read.....I'm anxious to read some other books by the same author.

Driven by atmosphere and character, this novel by Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine, centers around two stories of infidelity and deception.

Genevieve, 32, a working-class caretaker at a private nursing home, confides her affair to her favorite patient, Stella, who is middle-class, educated, affluent and dying. Stella responds with the keys to a house none of her family knows she owns, a house no one has visited in 30 years. She asks Genevieve to report its condition.

Shocked that something so valuable could be simply abandoned -for whatever reason - Genevieve appropriates it as a trysting place, her curiosity only slightly piqued by the abandoned, burned car in the garage, the photographs hidden away, the food and champagne left in the refrigerator.

And so begins a story in tandem as Genevieve's stolen meetings alternate with Stella's story of her own doomed love. Character precipitates the events of the plot, and as we increasingly sympathize with Stella's shy dignity and Genevieve's fretful ardor, foreboding envelops the narrative like a London fog. Not to be missed.

Genevieve Warner, a young woman trapped in a hopeless affair and a loveless marriage, works at Middleton Hall, a home for the elderly. Most of the residents are pleasant enough, contentedly reminiscing about their lives to their carers, but Stella is different. Stella and Genevieve immediately form a bond, taking to one another, seeing little bits of their own personality and situation within the other. Unlike other residents, though, Stella is sharp, smart, and in control, and she does not share the memories of her past, so retains a definite air of mystery. But Stella is dying of lung-cancer, and now she feels a desperate need to tell someone the story of her eventful life, so that her secrets do not die with her, following her into the grave, unknown forever. Thus, she decides to tell her story to Genevieve, slowly unfolding a tale that is moving, powerful, and, ultimately, subtly horrific.

This, "The Brimstone Wedding", is yet another masterpiece of atmospheric fiction from Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell). Yet again she synthesises her twin storylines - one in the past, one in the present - brilliantly, and they eerily mirror each other down the generations. She builds the atmosphere brilliantly in both the time periods, and the suspense is continually ratcheted up, helped along by subtle and tantalising hints as to what exactly Stella's shocking secret could possibly be.

This time around, the characters are also more likeable than is the norm for a Vine novel, so it has a warmer, deceptively (and dangerously) cosy feel, which is juxtaposed with the usual chilly atmosphere and down-to-the-bones and wonderfully detached writing style. They're characters you are motivated to care deeply about, which serves to make this not only a powerful in places but also very moving. Certainly, there was one point when I even shed a few tears.

The story is told brilliantly, giving readers enough information to satisfy, but yet as little as possible, to ensure that they need continually to turn the page to find out more. It all culminates excellently with a shocking revelation about the true nature of Stella's secret. This revelation is not overblown and exaggerated, as some authors might make it, instead Vine underplays it, clearing it entirely of melodrama and simply telling things exactly as they were, which forces the reader to actually think about it, thus bringing huge power to the climax.

This, a masterpiece that is the sum of many excellent parts, is a complete triumph for Vine, matching up very equally with my previous favourite of hers, the erotic and chilling genius that is "No Night Is Too Long". Neither of these books should be passed over by any reader worth their salt.

Fireflies is, by far, the most amazing book I have ever read. I have never been so moved by words on a page as I was when I read Fireflies for the first time. Upon re-reading it, I was again moved in a way that no other book has ever been able to do. Never forget Matthew Morrell or his extraordinary family... and never stop looking for fireflies in the night.

...David Morrell's book, Fireflies, does a remarkable job of providing a little window into the lives of families dealing with such unimaginable fear...It's not an easy read. It will tear at your heart. However difficult it was to read this book, I found every page worthwhile. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is facing the loss of a child. I thank Mr. Morrell for this beautiful piece of work. I hope that it brings him some healing and comfort to know that by recording his ordeal, he has touched the lives of many others suffering from similar battles...

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I have found myself reading it several different times over the last couple of years. When I feel that I have lost all spirituality, I read this book and feel whole again. This book elegantly combines love, anger, and sorrow. The reader is able to feel the emotions that David is struggling with.

David Morrell is known for writing about strong characters being placed into incredible and life threatening situations. Imagine finding yourself there...imagine what it must be like to know that your son, a boy not yet 16 years old, is dying and that there is absolutely nothing you can do but watch it happen and pray that things will turn out okay. Imagine the torment, the despair, the pain. Morrell brings all of these powerful human feelings to the forefront and provides us with a breath of hope that we CAN endure such agony...his eloquent writing and deeply expressed feelings shine through like fireflies in a night sky. You don't have to be religious or spiritual to recognize what true, unconditional love is. David Morrell shows us this side of himself. Fireflies is a completely unflinching and heart-rending story of love, loss and acceptance. It will touch your heart and make you cry. By book's end, you will be in awe of this family's strength, courage and commitment to one another. READ THIS BOOK! It will remind you of what it really means to be human...it'll provide hope...it will give you reason to believe. Thank you, Mr. Morrell. You are an inspiration.

I was having a difficult time accepting the death of my son to bacterial meningitis. It was so sudden I never had a chance to say "Goodbye". I was so tired of all the people who kept telling me that I had to "get on with life". I knew this! But inside was that feeling of helplessness that you can't explain to anyone, that feeling of guilt that as a parent I had not been able to stop what had happened to him. I read this book and was so comforted because here was someone who not only understood, but put into words the "want" of every parent who loses a child. In the end you had the same results...but in your heart you keep hoping that it will change. Mr. Morrell's sharing of his sorrow gave me a sense of peace and hope...he understood how I felt. I love to watch for fireflies in the summer now and I think of my son Jason, and I think of David Morrell and thank him for allowing me to know I was not alone in wanting to turn back time and change the inevitable. I also wish him peace. Any parent who has ever lost a child will identify with the pain, but find peace, comfort, and even an occassional smile, in Mr. Morrell's story. This is a wonderful book.

We carried this guide in our trip to the Canadian Rockies and it helped us a lot. We had information of all the available hikes. It is a very highly recommendable product if you are planning to visit this area.

I'm going to the Canadian Rockies for my honeymoon, and I couldn't ask for a better guide. The author includes every detail one could want. I'm looking forward to using it on the trip. I can tell I've chosen the right place, because the author himself has chosen to live there!

Best and most useful information for trip. Well written and concise. Much better and more useful than Frommer.

We spent a week in the Canadian Rockies, using this book as our guide. The book gives excellent recommendations for accomodations and activities - we did not go wrong following them. It gives more information that is beyond the basic, "usual", details. It also includes descriptions of many hikes, from 1-hour hikes to full-day hikes, as well as description of road-accessible sites for the non-hikers.

Moon Travel's "Canadian Rockies Handbook" is packed with the practical information needed to plan a great vacation in the Canadian Rockies. In a well-organized format, the handbook covers how to get there, what to see and do, where to stay, and a nice slice of commentary on the various towns and other sites of interest. The discussion about accomodations includes a decent range of prices and facilities. The focus is on the area in and around Banff and Jasper National Parks, a stunningly beautiful area with endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, sight-seeing, and relaxation. The handbook includes maps and diagram that are sufficiently detailed to enable to visitors to get to the main points of interest. The handbook also provides information on popular hikes, golfing, and white water rafting, among other activities.
This handbook is highly recommended to anyone planning a vacation in the Canadian Rockies, even if they have visited the Rockies before. This handbook provides enough detail in a compact format that it may inform regular visitors on wonders they may have missed on prior trips.

The Hunting of the Snark is a whacky piece of poetical silliness by Lewis Caroll. Complete nonsense, no-one knows what a Snark is, or why Snark hunters hunt it, or why anyone would want to become a Snark hunter to start with. Anyway, the poem is definitely amusing at times with some of the humour he slips in.

The Hunting of the Snark seems to be a very, very short imitation of The Canterbury Tales. The first chapter (titled a fit) introduces all of the occupations of all the different people going on a journey. However, instead of going on a general pilgrimage and telling tales along the way, their trip is very specific to hunting.

The Baker actually attempts to tell a story, but the Bellman (who leads the group) says there's no time for storytelling. They have to catch the Snark before nightfall.

Along with the Bellman and Baker, a Banker, a Bonnet-maker, a Butcher, a Boots, a Billiard-maker, a Barrister, a Broker, and a Beaver tag along to hunt for the Snark. The Beaver is afraid of getting cut by the Butcher, so he puts on a dagger-proof coat and talks to the Banker about buying an insurance policy.

The Beaver is involved in a hilarious scene with the Butcher later, when the two attempt to compute sums. But perhaps the funniest scene of the entire book is in the Barrister's dream when the Snark declares sentence on a pig, only to find out the pig has been dead long before the trial even began.

I'd highly recommend this short poem for Carroll fans, even though it's not big enough to contain but a small portion of what's to be found in the Alice books.

I have read a great deal of nonsense in the past, but this was by far the best nonsense that I have ever read. There is no point, no meaning, no sense, and no boringness. It is a delightful poem (which is well written and very fun to read aloud) about a crew on a ship hunting a snark. The crew includes a captain who only rings a bell, a beaver, a cook who only cooks beavers (the beaver and the cook did not get along well), a man afraid that the snark would turn into a boojum and make him disappear, etc. As you can tell, this makes for an insanely silly poem. The subtitle is rather fitting, as my sides were definitely hurting from laughter when I was done. Well done Mr. Carroll.

Overall grade: A+

Nonsense poems can easily miss the mark
Yet, this masterpiece has that spark.

"How do you kill a _____?", you ask
To find the answer was the hunters' task.

"What was their fate?", you wonder
Did they ever catch their elusive plunder?

A paragon of haunting Carollian lore
Be in no doubt that you'll finish wanting more.

This poem is just great!

First, this one of the most delightful pieces of writing that ever appeared in (more or less) English. It succeeds as a sustained exercise in illogic. I am sure that only a mathematical logician like Dodgson could possibly have pulled it off - only someone with such deep understanding of reason could master unreason so completely.

Second, Martin Gardner's commentary adds depth and background to the reading. Gardner explains terms that are now obsolete, but also adds his own analysis and a rich history of the Snark phenomenon. It should be no surprise that Gardner is still best known as the long-time editor of Scientific American's column on Mathematical Games, a mathematician himself.

I can't add much to the scholarship or praise that already surrounds this incredible poem. I would like to point out, however, that most non-native English speakers are unfamiliar with this poem. Many of them have only ever seen the serious side of the English language, and have never seen English at play. I consider this short work to be the ideal introduction to the very best of English-language nonsense.

//wiredweird

Engrossing, amazing historical analyses. Well written, more book than I imagined. An outstanding job of picking out inconsistencies and omissions from evolutionary science. Taylor raises many questions on the scientific data for evolution without being arrogant.

Ian discusses the early philosophical influences and later scientists who paved the way and laid the seed for Darwinian evolution. Is "evolution the cause of the ills of the world, and the secular humanism that so dominates our culture? Is the church bringing in this thought into their doctrines?

He claims Christianity and monotheism actually spur scientific thought. During the dark ages there was a loss of science. We had to rediscover the future. "How can astute scientists be so easily deceived", along with deceiving so many? "Scientists too are subject to the normal human failings." "To think rationally and fairly is a simplistic myth." There is a short biography on Darwin. The voyage on the "Beagle" helped transform him from creationist to evolutionist. There are many problems with evolution, which Taylor makes clear. "This will be defined by who sees the pseudo science for what it is." Is this the murder of God?

Evolution is a theory based on time and chance. The evolution proponents are willing to make discoveries fit this premise. Many are proven false as once truths. Some have still persisted for over a hundred years. Catastrophe can be the only explanation for the fossils. The fossil indexing to geological age is based on circular reasoning, not science. We will see variations in kind (species) but there are limits. The author goes in depth on carbon dating. Some still use radio metric dating. He explains dating is problematic and inconsistent. It is based on a rate of decay that has been constant. We will discover that creation makes more sense.

"Evolutionist need to hold to a uniformatism"

The rhetoric of the evolutionists can sometimes cause one to doubt his faith. Anyone who is experiencing this should read this book, and all doubts will be removed. Be sure to give a copy to your atheist and agnostic friends as well.

I've had the good fortune of observing the author, Ian T. Taylor, debate the topic of evolution verses creation with a local college professor in my area. I even got to have a discussion with both of the scholars. I share this in the hope that it gives a clue as to the level of consistency with which Taylor wrote this book.

With Ian Taylor's knowledge, he has no lack of logic in his defense of creation I can find. His opponent however had enough of a lack in logic that my "if that's so, then how come...?" questions eventually left him without rational answers and with embarrassment compelling him to excuse his presence. The information in this book provides a more firm stand behind creation and it's harmony helps to reveal how irrational evolution is.

What impresses me the most with this book is how well it demonstrates the impact that influential men in history, with their beliefs, have upon the way society develops. Never underestimate the power of words. "In the Minds of Men: Darwin and the New World Order" assisted to change my husband's erroneous thoughts he once had on creation.

This book is a must for anyone who wants to think seriously about the issue of origins. It comes with numberous illustrations. Taylor covers the historical and scientific issues very well and delves into the social consequences of darwinism. It may seem expensive, but it's well worth it.

Finally a book that approaches science scientifically! I hated biology when I was a kid because it always presupposed evolution into every single facet of biological studies. Then when we learned evolution I learned it was just a theory, and a very sketchy theory at best. As a result, science lost a lot of credibility with me. I hated the subject because it was bias, tainted with sketchy presuppositions, and ruthlessly demanding that we all believe it or else.

Ian has done a very fair and balanced study of evolution in this book and using true scientific approaches.I finally learned some science, 33 years later than I was supposed too, but hey maybe we can get an education in America after all!

I recently read this book for my economics class. This books gives a new dimension to what happened during the gold rushes. This book focuses on the Klondike, one of the last great gold rushes. It gives great details into the way people lived and survived in the destructive climate that is the Klondike. It gives the reader an opportunity to read about the many people who "made it" and the many people who "failed". From poor factory workers who find thousands of dollars in gold to the people that were standing upon a fortune and didn't even know it. You will learn about the rise and fall of the "dictator" of Skagway. It gives you a glimpse into the mindset of a person going off to find his or her fortune. Overall I think it was a very well written book. I found many parts interesting. There was one thing that I didn't like though. This was the fact there were so many little stories mixed in with the bigger picture. I felt that at the end of the book I didn't really remember the people mentioned in the beginning of the book. I give this book a four. Hats off to Mr. Pierre Berton

This is an amazing book containing thrilling stories based on the "last great gold rush". Berton tells these stories in so much detail, that you'd think that you were traveling the Klondike, looking for treasure. It makes you realize that these prospectors were playing a real-life game of "hot or cold" when they got so close to a strike and left to search somewhere else. A must read for anyone who likes adventure stories.

For those of us whose knowledge of the Klondike Gold Rush comes mostly from the 1950s radio drama, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" this is a fine book to read. (Trivia question: What was the name of Sergeant Preston's preternaturally intelligent huskie?) Originally published in 1958, "Klondike Fever" has proven to be a minor classic. (See note below concerning a new edition of the book.)

This Gold Rush, named after the Klondike River in the Yukon territory of Canada, was the last great scramble for gold in the old West. One hundred thousand persons, mostly from the U.S., set out for the Klondike in 1897, 30,000 or 40,000 got there, after an arduous journey through killing winter snows, and a few hundred found gold. The stories of the long, hard journey into this Arctic wilderness are often horrific. In one party of 19 men, 15 died or were killed along the route and the other four had eyes damaged by snow blindness. The gold seekers included author Jack London, Wyatt Earp, and poet Joaquin Miller.

The author tells a compelling tale of the men and women who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. It was indeed a fever. The characters in this book include crusty old miners who suddenly became rich beyond their wildest dreams, stalwart, incorruptible Canadian Mounties, conmen like Soapy Smith -- who in the dramatic tradition of the West receives his just deserts -- prostitutes, madams, gamblers, angels of mercy, last-chance losers, rich adventurers, Indians, and missionaries. It's a fascinating read, based on research that included interviews with many of the oldtimers who lived to talk to the author in the 1950s. The author's standard of truth telling is high; he identifies a tall tale or an unlikely exaggeration when he finds them.

The maps could be better and the text would be enhanced if there were photographs, but I doubt you'll find a better book about the Klondike Gold Rush. However, "Klondike Fever" was revised in 2001 and the newer edition, called "Klondike" embodies new information and interpretations of the events that once took place in the land of the Northern Lights. All in all, I'd buy "Klondike" rather than "Klondike Fever."

Oh, yes, Sergeant Preston's dog was named "Yukon King."

Smallchief

This is the book I bought in Skagway, Alaska that I wish I had read BEFORE I visited gold rush country. So many times when reading it I thought to myself "I wish I had known this a week ago when I was standing there where it happened!" It's a facinating read. So before you take that Alaska cruise, read this book!

Berton is one great writer! It was SOOOO entertaining to read the stories of all the different characters involved in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. This book NEVER GETS BORING!!! Read it for pure enjoyment or for writing a college history paper. This book is one of the greatest history books I've ever read! Check out "Ordeal by Hunger" by George R. Stewart too if you like miner/pioneer/gold rush history. It's fascinating too.

MY STORY HOW I ACQUIRED THIS BOOK:
I was in Skagway, AK (it was a port stop for the vacation cruise I was on) and I had been touring the area (ie, White Pass Train, car, etc.). I had this tour guide who was REALLY knowledgable of Yukon & Alaska history. I thought his storytelling was fascinating and asked him what ONE book would be the one to read concerning the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. This was the one he suggested. (He also said Pierre Berton was an excellent writer...I must agree this tour guide was telling the truth!) I almost forgot to purchase it! I had to run back to the bookstore in downtown Skagway and buy it so I could enjoy it for the rest of the cruise. I swear I was the last one on the boat! I started reading this book right when I got to my cabin and I was finished with it before the cruise was over!

i couldn't put this book down. it makes you be greatful for the little things in life. recommend highly!

This is the most moving book I have read in some time. It sums up what courage and faith are all about. The personal flavor of the writing made it impossible for me to put down once I started it. While it is written from a Zen Buddhist perspective, it doesn't matter what your faith is. Anyone can relate to this story. I read it shortly before my mother died and it gave me the courage to face the ordeal of her passing away. For that I am eternally grateful to Mr. Bedard. Thank you for such a wonderful, uplifitng story in this day and age.

One of the poems quoted in this book, which begins the Ninth Chapter, goes in part as follows: "All night long / I cannot sleep. / Rising and sitting, / I think a thousand thoughts... / Only by observing / the state where there is no birth / can I remove these teardrops / from the wet sleeves of my robe." These eight simple lines form the essence of the message of this book, based upon the 1995 experiences of a Canadian Zen practitioner, Jim Bedard, who was diagonosed with acute myeloide leukemia (AML) and given ten days to live. It is the story of how he used his Zen practice to bring himself into full contact with the inevitability of his own death while at the same time having to deal with painful medical treatments which included a bone marrow transplant and life taxing chemotherapy.

While the experiences written about in this book explain how this one man used his exposure and grounding in the spiritual practice of Zen Buddhism to help him get through his unthinkable physical ordeal, the alert reader will notice that spiritual practice, whatever it may by, can not only help us transcend such trials in our lives, but also help us to understand and experience our practice in a deeper and more profound way such that it becomes a life transforming event in itself.

What Jim Bedard's experience of fighting AML taught him and what he struggled to understand were the very truths he had worked with in Zen, only this time in a life-threatening, three dimensional way. At one point he admits that, "Each of us had to do the work of awakening to our true Mind by ourselves; no one was going to do it for us."

He was in essence put up against a solid wall, his own mortality, and asked to look inside himself for the key to his release. The possibility of death has a way of focusing the mind that no other circumstance in life can match. And Jim Bedard succeeded. He found his strength in the source of his survival, and lived to tell the tale so that others might also find that same strength within themselves. You don't have to be a Buddhist or know anything in particular about Zen to enjoy and learn something from this book. Its lessons transcend specific religion. Though if you are Buddhist it should definitely enhance your practice.

There are many moments of insight provided in this account, which seems to move along at a fairly brisk pace despite it morbid subject matter. One of the more telling moments came little more than two weeks into Jim's ordeal when he writes, "With serious illness one is quickly stripped naked for all to see. The different masks we hide behind dissolve. All I identified with as my self was breaking up and dispersing. I was experiencing the truth of the Buddha's teaching of impermanence firsthand....I had no guarantee of a future, my past identity had been eradicated, and the present was demanding one hundred percent of my attention." These experiences Jim writes about of facing a terminal illness are universal in their nature and accessible by anyone who is human.

As he struggled with the distracting aspects of his illness, Jim, in his intense examination of his own mind in search of mental relief from the physical strain, inevitably came upon an epiphany. "The leukemia was there, I felt, to heal another, much deeper sickness that I would never have recognized without its help: the sickness of pain-producing behavior and habit patterns stemming from seeds that were planted lifetimes ago. The reason for this illness was not a mystery to me. Like all Buddhists, I clearly understood the answer to the question, What did I do to deserve this? It was obvious: my own karma brought me to this point."

Having come to this insight was only the beginning of his journey in overcoming the illness that was wracking his once fine body. From this point he was put into the position, as he put it, of having to walk a tightrope between life and certain death. It wasn't an easy walk, and it was this walk that the remainder of the book describes in great detail. For anyone who is going through such an experience or for those who are in a position to support another who is, this book will be a comfort and source of inspiration.

The book endeavors to provide answers to the tough questions that come to the mind of the sufferer in such a situation, while at the same time showing one way in which such hardships in life can be successfully faced and overcome. For Jim Bedard his saving grace can be summed up in one section where he writes, "For me each time fear would raise its head, I would face it straight on and ask myself again and again, 'Who is aware of this fear? Who am I really?' It was this constant looking into Mind that was my saving grace. The penetrating and liberating practice of introspection allowed me refuge from the maelstrom around me." Such introspection is at the heart of the way of all true religious practice.

How each of us faces our individual life challenges varies for we are as individual as our ventures. This is the story of one man's unanticipated journey into and through an unexpected illness, namely leukemia and the hidden treasures of his experience. The rollercoaster of mental, emotional, physical and spiritual change called for his attention all at once.

The indignations of procedures and reactions are vividly recalled. He tells of the everyday back and forth torment of his inner dialogue from his human state of suffering, feelings, thoughts and sensations, etc. to the divine acceptance of taking refuge in his Zen practices. The reader is riveted with attention as he weaves back and forth ackowledging the human suffering and then expanding to other realms of existence where he gained new insights from the perspective of the ill and the divine.

His continuing responsibilities and concerns about his family along with their daily adjustments and his brother's ultimate gift in the form of a bone marrow transplant are part of this engaging story. Their watch at his bedside and his mother's strong faith became anchors of strength along with the stoic presence of his father and other siblings.

His illness becomes his spiritual practice while he continues to touch lives from his hospital bed. Encounters with the terminally ill and their families and his extending of unconditional love to them by example is evident as they are allowed glimpses into the life of a devoted buddhist practitioner. He sets up his own altar in his hospital room as his spiritual practices sustain him. He engages the bodhisattvic vows which culminate in his gradual transition from the hell realms back into the world transformed in the midst of his critical illness.

The love of Zensei and the author's dharma brothers and sisters is a continuing thread and power felt throughout his sojourn. We see how the networking around the world at Zen centres helped culminate in aiding the ignition of healing along with the power of prayer from his family and many friends. In the end we see his dream of discipleship to Sensei Sunyana Graef become a well merited realization. But this is just the beginning.

The author tells us that he use to give short talks at Zen retreats regarding the matter of birth and death and not to waste a moment. He now finds words to be one thing and experience another. Life takes on new meaning as he births new awareness with each moment seeing the continual dying into life in our earthly existence. Simple pleasures like a blue sky and the everyday beauty that surrounds us take on new meaning and dimension.

The reader will find in his hands an immeasureable gift of the heart. As we enter the Age of Enlightenment millions are awakening to the Knowledge and Wisdom we have gathered by living our truth. This is one man's story and testimony that continues into the "afterward" and yet another dimension. Highly recommended.

I am at 15 year old homschooled girl in Maryland. I have been researching buddhism for the past few months. I stumbled across this book in the library while doing a research project. I havent stoped reading it since. This book touched me in a religious and emotional way. My entire family is suffering from a number of illnesses and operations of our family memebers. This book gave me a better idea of what it is like for my relatives in this rough time. Plus i learned alot about Zen Buddhism and a little bit of medical info. I sudjested this book to everyone in my house so that they too can be more accepting of our families diffuculites.

Cooper's first two novels (Amnesia and Delirium) are amazing books and deal with very subtle corners of human mind; they left me nightmarish for days, and they are not terror novels, they are just extremely disturbing. I love them both: they are intelligent and strange and rich in every sense.

I ordered Milrose Munce as soon as I realized it was published, and was not dissapointed. It is written by the same witty and inteligent author, although in his playful side...and he certainly has one. If you want to check that out, look into his web page, dysmedia.com.

I'm extremely happy that this book exists, and hope to see it translated into many languages soon.

Do read it!

f you're bored of reading what everybody else is reading then you're
going to be a happy girl when you pick this book up. It's the most
unboring thing I've read this year, actually that's an insult, it's
GUT RIOT HILARIOUS and actually really smart. Thisis the kind of book
Emily the Strange would write if she wrote books, or she'd at least
want someone to write this book about her. Actually there are a lot
of characters which remind me of Emily the Strange, so if you like
that whole thing, or love it like I do you should definitely
DEFINITELY read MM.

Lad, I regret to inform you that your book is wonderful; sweet and weird and irreverent, absurdly light on its feet -- and infectious in timbre. I'm not particularly inclined to be so supportive -- leastways not 'til you come across with a little quid pro quo -- but the goofy good mood engendered by
the book so demands. Consider me a reluctant convert. I'll buy plenty.

Eh, I don't buy much other than graphic novels these days. Not because I'm illiterate, but because they're just BETTER, for the most part. I was pressured to buy Milrose Munce, because a friend of mine - brilliant cartoonist - is in love with the cover. So I bought it, and read it, and... Damn. The novel's EXCELLENT, it's hilarious. (So's the cover, btw - this SHOULD be a graphic novel.) If you haven't heard about it yet, it's an ridiculously wacky Young Adult novel - more like a spoof of YA, for kids who are too self-consciously ironic to read the really sappy stuff. It has THE weirdest love story I've ever encountered (and I've seen some strange ones). Buy it. And frame the cover. Do it now.

A cunningly subversive young-adult novel from one of the only living writers of English who knows how to craft a sentence.

Nearly every sentence in this book is elegantly fashioned. Some examples:

"Milrose did sometimes wonder whether his school produced more dead students than the average."

"No, he had never been the sort of boy to laugh at his own shortcomings, and when the pellets he dramatically swallowed turned out to be not Vitamin C but instead expensive first-class rat poison, he was deeply annoyed."

"Being late for Math was something Milrose occasionally enjoyed, and yesterday had felt like the right kind of day to be irresponsible."

"The dear decayed on the third floor were nothing like the dull dead on the floors below."

"Kelvin bent to sit down, and immediately shattered into ice cubes, which melted mournfully all over the floor."

"On a tedious Monday a few months back Kelvin had been particularly inspired."

"The gigglers became squealers as the skeleton whirled daintily in their direction."

"Mr. Loosten, who affected an insincere, jocular informality with the students, sat partially on the desk, with one foot on the floor and the other swinging."

"She was wearing faded crushed velvet, once something like violet: a dress far too long for her, and whose worn fringe trailed behind her like the train of a weird wedding gown."

"It was a game of chicken, but slow and infinitely strange."

"The hallway itself turned that way, and all they had to do was follow it."

"The words _comfortable_ and _cozy_ seemed to vie with each other for status as the bigger whopping lie with respect to Massimo Natica's den."

"Displayed in various places around the den were singular objects, some propped against the walls, others in glass vitrines---possessions that were clearly dear to the den's proprietor."

"Although he wasn't entirely keen to, Milrose opened one of the drawers. The drawer was clearly teasing him."

"Each had a tiny bulb above the drawer's metal-framed label, and these bulbs all seemed on the verge of winking out completely."

Dennis Anthony Cooper may be his generation's Nabokov.

---Joseph Suglia, the author of WATCH OUT

This book gave me mant great ideas on what to do to make my own garden look as nice as the ones in the pictures. They were all so colorful and beautiful. Anyone who is a gardener like myself would enjoy the book as much as i did.

I recently had to do a project on different types of plants and gardens, for my biology class. This book was very helpful, and allowed me to complete my project. The photographs were beautiful, and enjoyable to look at. I would very enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening. It was a great book!

Mary, Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. The gardens Mary Zuazua describe grow not with silver bells or cockle shells but with a super profusion of color and form. All of us have a garden somewhere buried back down deep in their souls. Like the taste of Proust's madeleine soaked in lime flowers conjured up images of the past,these photos conjure up images of past gardens, real or idealized. Mine a Spanish garden,once lush and verdant,to another an English garden formal, ordered and sterile. But such is the power of these images if one has dreams to dream.

"Small enough to travel with and detailed enough to learn from, this book is a must for the garden loving traveler". THE AMERICAN GARDENER

I have visited hundreds of gardens on four continents and, at a national level, this guide is the most pleasing to the eye and has the best general descriptions of gardens and their histories that I have used. It is a powerful incentive to travel, and a most useful guide for finding the best public gardens on one's route.