Authors Books

I am 20 years old and absolutely LOVED this book. For two days, I found myself making excuses to put off other things to continue reading. The characters (all of them) are so deeply developed and real. I won't say more than this is a total page-turner and a book that can change a life. After I finished, I immediately brought it to work and made some one else take it home. Needless to say, they agree. The only thing I disliked is that Monaghan has yet to write another novel! :)

I am 20 years old and absolutely LOVED this book. For two days, I found myself making excuses to put off other things to continue reading. The characters (all of them) are so deeply developed and real. I won't say more than this is a total page-turner and a book that can change a life. After I finished, I immediately brought it to work and made some one else take it home. Needless to say, they agree. The only thing I disliked is that Monaghan has yet to write another novel! :)

I couldn't get enough of this book, I couldn't put it down. It was direct to the point and moved flawlessly. I checked it out from the library but after reading it I bought the book for my collection. A very good read. Looking forward to more of Nicola Monaghan's work.

I agree with the other reviewer that once you get used to the dialect, this book is impossible to put down. I read it in less than 2 days and was totally absorbed by the characters and story. It is well written and unfolds beautifully. It has been a long time since a book has engrossed me like this one did. I hope she writes something else soon!

The novel was refreshingly original and offered a slice of Nottingham life hardly ever observed in fiction. The realistic nature of the novel and it's characters brings into focus the complexities of heroes and villains. Characters don't have to be all good or all bad. 'Kez' - is a kind of attractive anti-hero who lives her life in a dangerous and compelling way largely because of social circumstances. The book does not condone murder or drug use, but rather opens up an unknown world detailing the highs and lows of a working class estate. There is definite tranformation without a moralistic authorial voice interupting the narrative. Butterflies are introduced early on in the book as a mofit for transformation. The 'killing jar' of the title represents the rough housing estate where the narrative takes place, it's enclosed spaces and the metaphor of being trapped runs through out the book. The fumes that kill the butterfly are like the drugs that spread around the estate, and so I thought the images and motifs were highly fitting and used well. The use of local dialect and descriptions of drug use were very well done and the writing keeps the reader guessing until the very last page.

Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm about 15-20 years later than author Ben Logan, I have long since concluded that for me it was the Right Time - Right Place. Logan's living history of family values, relationships and life lessons, told in the context or rural farm life, lets me relive my life through his, and glean our mutual past for the source of our values. I just read The Land Remembers for the second time. I think I'll read it every year.

I'm biased, because I'm from Gays Mills, WI (I used to mow Leita Slayton's lawn!) - but I recently re-read it, and was surprised at how many of the anecdotes and images I remembered were actually from The Land Remembers, and not from Steinbeck or anyone else better-known. Parts of this book will stay with you for years and years. It's like going home again every time I pick it up.

This is one of those books I will always remember. My children were young when I read it and I felt that it contained many lessons on how to be a good parent. And all in the context of very enjoyable reading. The story about learning to use the horse drawn cultivator shows how a parents help their child develop self-confidence, which is something I see so many people lacking. I can't say enough good things about this gem of a book.

This book is full of humor and spends wonderful time on how a farm is run, explaining the land, the chores, the wonder of living on a farm. Ben's antics with his brothers are delightful, and his account of his evenings with his family are memorable. I read this anytime I need a lift, and share its richness with anyone who will listen.

One room school house, the changing of the seasons and the farm chores for each one...a memior of one man's boyhood experiences. I liked this book and my husband liked it even more than I did. He was born and raised in rural WI, picking rocks, milking, and going sledding with his brothers. This book is well written and reads like a time capsule...the people & chores on a family farm. I would have given it a perfect 5 stars, but there is too much about bees. Less bee watching and the author would have a classic here. Great that his story goes full circle. We learn what happens to the people we've read and cared about...which is always gratifying to us readers.

I read technical and business publications for work and enjoyment. Very rarely do I pick up fiction, but Last Call was an exception. Each story in the book kept me turning the pages and entertained me from start to finish. It's a fantastic piece of work by Blair Oliver and I recommend it highly, even to those who seldom read fiction.

Blair Oliver's "Last Call" is a rare, intelligent glimpse into the psyches of complex, introspective men who ask themselves difficult questions and struggle to live with or without the answers. Reconciliation with the self is central to these stories, and it doesn't come easy. Oliver's men approach significant transitions in their lives, whether it's that first awkward date, the elusive missing component of a marriage, or a conversation with a father who prefers martinis to fly fishing, and somehow, each man falls short but not without holding himself accountable. These stories resonate, linger. The best ones, in my opinion, are "Precious Metals," "Missing Things," and "Last Call," the title story.

LAST CALL is a small book that packs a big punch. Although set in the American Rocky Mountain West, the short stories carry an Irishness, a thematic concern that colors all the tales. Oliver's writing makes me think of Joyce's "The Dead" and Doyle's "The Van" -- painful, yet honest, glimpses of a character's search for meaning in life, marriage, fatherhood, and friendship.

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (12/07)

Let me start with a confession: I am not at all a fan of short stories. I have tried over and over to be open to this genre but I can count on one hand the number of times that I have actually been able to finish a collection of short stories. Blair Oliver has restored my rapidly dwindling faith in the possibility of ever finding a short story collection I actually enjoy.

In his book "Last Call," Oliver strips away all pretenses and forces the reader to face that we are, in fact, human. We all make mistakes, and those mistakes affect not only us, but those around us. Man or woman, everyone faces the same basic themes in life (love, loss, betrayal, redemption), but how we choose to deal with those life themes is what is at the core. Do we ignore life and watch it pass by or do we choose to actively live?

Some of the actions of the men in this collection are hard to like. Starting with the boy who plans to use his father's rare coins to pay for a date and continuing with infidelity and lack of love, it would be obvious to detest these characters and place the blame on them. However, Oliver brilliantly manages to get the reader, if not to feel sorry for, to at least understand these men and the choices they make. It would be easy to judge, easy to say "how horrible," easy to say "I'd never do that," but as you are reading, it's not so easy to imagine yourself being any better than the characters.

The main theme throughout each story seems to be of disconnect, not only the disconnect from child or spouse, but the disconnect from one's self. Each of the main characters seems to be an observer rather than a participant in his own life. He finds himself married to someone whom he doesn't like. He finds himself a father to a child he has nothing in common with. He finds himself waking up each day and saying to himself "How did I get here?" without ever really seeking the answer to that question.

The stories in this collection are bleak and raw but in the end, Blair Oliver finds humor in the black hole his characters have created for themselves. He makes it possible for us to see ourselves mirrored in the depressing circumstances, yet in the safety of an outsider's opinion, find a small silver lining. I am honestly stunned by this collection and the stories in "Last Call" will stay with me for a long time to come.

These are very readable, entertaining stories about the complications of love, lust, and family. The main characters dig holes for themselves and don't just fall in -- they dive. They lie and cheat but won't look at the answer to the crossword puzzle. Somehow it's a lot of fun, reading about it.

The work of Stephen Mark Rainey has soul, depth, character, and the ability to make you care about the characters, which makes his power to terrify that much more awesome. He has his own distinct voice and beat, but some of his work--as with The Last Trumpet--is so uncannily Lovecraft that one has to wonder if Mark has some hidden talents he's not telling us about, such as channeling the untold words of the dead. To name a few favorites: 'Threnody' is a wonderful execution of a brilliant premise and 'The Fugue Devil', which has to be *THE* Stephen Mark Rainey classic-- terror and heart in perfect harmony. Unforgettable.

I'd recommend his work to anyone.

Rainey does what so many Cthulhu Mythos fans cannot - he takes the idea of unknowable horror, things that see us as nothing, and places that idea firmly in the modern day without doing a Lovecraft pastiche. His stories in this volume are all connected by locale, but range in horror from trapped heroes, doomed to a grisly fate, to a feisty futuristic heroine, fighting for survival after the stars have become right. Satisfying work, set in the Mythos, but without the standard trappings so many authors feel necessary to throw in (the million moldy volumes, rattling through the entire Old One pantheon, etc.). Highest recommendations. I've just ordered Balak, his novel, after finishing the collection, and can't wait for it to arrive!

The Last Trumpet is a bone chilling collection of short stories by Stephen Mark Rainey. All the stories though different, are inter-connected in an interesting way. A treasure worth keeping in your library. Very well written, it's true horror at it's finest. If you like all things Cthulhu as I do, you won't be disappointed. Breathes new life into the mysteries of "Avante Garde" 20th Century music.

really interesting read. rainey has a way of making something seem very fresh. his plots always seem original, even when they are not. great stories. great descriptions at times. what rainey is really master at, however, is the angle. he writes a story from a certain angle, making it very intersting. his stories are at their best the most refreshing stories i read in horror. very enjoyable

What a bore and nuiscance it is to read through the piles and piles of Lovecraft pastiches that have accumulated in the past decades. Sometimes one is left to wonder why ever H. P. L. encouraged anybody at all to contribute to his phantastic creation, forgetting too soon about some of the writers who have really done a lot to expand the mythos in its masterminds' sense, and to keep it alive through now almost 80 years, people like Fritz Leiber, Ramsey campbell -or Stephen Mark Rainey.

Not too full of hope, but impressed by the overwhelmingly positive reviews the book got, I started to read through the first story, and actually became so absorbed that I could not stop until I finished the last page. It is true, Rainey has managed something all too rare: to write explicit Cthulhu-Mythos fiction without being derivative (at least as far as it is possible), bringing in a whole lot of new -and not so new- interesting aspects and ideas with an originality and, particularly, quality of style that would have made H. P. L. proud !

Although the last of the stories seemed to me a little bit like one might imagine the multiplayer mode of the upcoming Doom III-game, it nevertheless gave me some quite unpleasant nightmares (and usually I did not get any from reading horror fiction since I read "The dreams in the witch house" by Lovecraft at age 14).

But to get to the point: Rainey's stories are all centred, in a way, around an imaginary Virginia County, surrounding the (fictious) town of Beckham, and around a couple of protagonists that are, often in a subtle way, connected to each other. But apart from that arkhamasque resemblance, the similarity to Lovecraft's imaginary Massachussetts realms ends. The southern background and the distinctly postmodern settings of the stories leave little room for comparison to Lovecraft's creations. A major influence on Rainey's book was obviously the role of SOUND in the opening of vistas into the great (and terrible) beyond, influenced (admittedly) by H. P. L.'s "The music of Erich Zann", and, certainly, some of his other, less explicit, stories & a variety of other sources. Whatever the origins, the idea is presented with overwhelming originality and a sense of weirdness that reminds of some of Ramsey Campbell's best and most disturbing stories in places. All of the stories, which Rainey published over a long period of time, are interconnected in a complex but enjoyable way, with a lot of cross-references, so that one is almost left uncertain whether this is a collection of short stories or a caleidoscopic novel.

The more playful of readers may also expect a lot of really enjoyable Mythos in-jokes that offer some relief from the partially almost unbearable darkness of the stories (be prepared e. g., to meet a certain ghoul named "Richard" under the most appropriate circumstances in a story that would have found the approvement even of Lord Dunsany himself, if he'd been in one of his most sinister moods).

Rainey manages easily to write in an almost dreamy and surrealistic Dunsanian, as well as in a realistic, dialogue-and action-based, stephenkingesque manner, but always keeps far away from merely copying these or any other writers, particularly never-ever copying H. P. L. himself. Read one of the deceased Lin Carter's stories (whose work as an editor I admire, but, frankly, not his writings) and compare it to one of Stephen Mark Rainey's best efforts as "To be like them", "Sabbath of the black goat" or "The fugue devil", and you will immediately recognize what unfathomable abyss lieth inbetween.

Highly recommended. I'm certainly up to buy anything the man has ever written.

In Life Lines, Anthony Edey draws upon his experiences with Parkinson's Disease and Cancer to craft a poetry which is both serious and hilarious at the same time. Enhanced with line drawn illustrations by Iris Edey and a section of black & white photographs, the poetry comprising this slender volume is as unique as it is memorable. The Final Cure: I hear that I ought to tart smoking,/Just try a medicinal pack./Inhale all the nice levadopa/My little gray cells seem to lack.//I hear that the feeling-good factor/Is just what I'm missing of late./A packet of Gaulloise should fix it,/I'd happily asphyxiate.//It's really a strange contradiction/That smoking could see this thing off./Instead of a long life of shaking/I'd die nice and slow of a cough!//On balance it seems quite apparent,/The treatment is worse than the cure./Through Parkinson's may not be perfect,/It's better than smoking, for sure.

We think that the book is a real light that shines on the fundamental questions of life that many of us manage to ignore.

Life Lines, especially the poem about Sam, made us think again about what is important in our own lives.

Edey captures his feelings and shares his personal revelations with wit and humility as he goes through his acceptance of the diseases that have attacked his body....the art work that accompanies each poem was lovingly brought to life by his wife, a gifted artist. The book is a joy to read and upon which to reflect.

Anthony Edey has written a wonderful book to be appreciated by all, but particularly by those facing serious illness. The book shares humor and sensitivity, and demonstrates how keeping a positive perspective has allowed him to find hope for the future and cherish the simple blessings of everyday life. Parkinson's disease and cancer are tough challenges for anyone. The lesson Anthony teaches with this book is that they can readily be faced with the best medicines: positive thoughts, the love and support of friends and family, a fighting attitude and humor. Bravo, and thank you, Anthony!

Life Lines was meant as a double-entendre by Edey -- "life lines" as throwing them out to save someone drowning in adversity, and lines by the words used by this man who charismatically wrote about his experiences in being treated for skin cancer and Parkinson's Disease. We've heard actor Michael J. Fox talk publicly about his life with PD, and like Fox, Edey provides a service to those who read his words. In Life Lines, Edey takes a "that's life" attitude with his health issues, and makes us chuckle in the face of reality.

I had the great fortune to be one of the contributing authors of this award-winning anthology. Never have I been given such an incredible gift. This picture of the journey of women is inspiring, empowering and endearing. I've read it over many times and whether I am reading about "shoulders" that can take it all or the challenge of raising children, I see myself and applaud my growth. A must read for all women, of all ages.

As a contributor to this powerfully written anthology about the lessons learned from living by women of color, I was not only honored to be a part of this work, but humbled by the raw honesty of each story. The healing nature of each story, brings with it a balm for the broken-hearted and wounded spirit, while allowing those of us who have triumphed "through it all" to celebrate together! "Life's Spices" gives women the permission to speak, to no longer live in silence and to embrace a circle of women that allows us to stand strong.

Sometimes you pick-up a book and wonder from the title if there is really anything inside the cover that will interest you. Such was my experience with a book titled "Life's Spices From Seasoned Sistahs: A collection of life stories from mature women of color". The title gave me no insight on why a 61-year-old white man might enjoy reading this anthology of stories from women. What a most pleasant surprise awaited me once I opened it and began pouring over the pages and discovering that people are people regardless of gender or race.

Editor Vicki Ward did an excellent job of pulling diverse people and backgrounds into a mix that makes exploring between the covers a real joy. This book is not just for women of color; it is for all readers. I found inspiration from the life experiences shared in this book and feel that wisdom was gained by my reading it. There are not many books that you can say that about any more.

I fully recommend this book for all readers. It gets the American Authors Association's top book rating of FIVE STARS. It also gets my personal recommendation.

LIFE'S SPICES FROM SEASONED SISTAHS, edited by Vicki Ward, is a wonderful collection of short stories, essays, and poems by mature women of all races. The collection is divided into the following themes: Sistahs' Joys and Struggle with Family, Sistahs' Joys...Life's Pain, Love, Humility, and Other Spices that Flavor Relationships, Mothers Use Love, Forgiveness, Compassion, Wisdom..., Seasonings for Self-Esteem, Sistahs' Survivin' and Working It Out, Death Can Be an Awakening, and The Spirit...Always Present.

Within each theme are related stories of joy, pain, happiness, and sorrow. As each woman puts pen to paper to tell their account, as no one else can, you will find them captivating and filled with wisdom. Each poem is also overflowing with strength and weakness and finally some with acceptance of the hand the authors' have been dealt and the power to forge ahead.

The editor has done an outstanding job selecting the contributors to tell their stories along with providing interesting author biographies and resources for women in all States and some provinces. The writing is exemplary and each narrative is distinct. The tantalizing epigraph and forward provide the how and the why. This collection can serve as an excellent gift for a special woman in your life and once read, can serve as a great conversation piece. We are more alike than we believe but at the same time different in our experiences and responses. Nonetheless, women are the corner stone of the world, as these stories will demonstrate.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Life's Spices From Seasoned Sistahs, is a collection of stories by different women from all walks of life. From African American, to Asian, to Mexican women, all of the sistahs have a story to tell. Each piece is uplifting, wisdom-filled, and presented with just enough seasoning to add to life's gumbo of joys, sorrows, and heartbreaks.

I found this book to be an excellent read. Each woman shared experiences that helped to mold them into strong, proud and wise women. In most cases, the stories were no longer than two are three pages, but each was packed with lessons to aid the reader in this journey we call life.

If you are into nonfiction and enjoy reading how people triumph over life's snares, you'll love Life's Spices From Seasoned Sistahs.

T. RHYTHM KNIGHT
APOOO BookClub

This is a remarkable collection. "Lyon" is a subtle, lowkey story that captures the horror of the Holocaust in a single incident. The characters in this book ultimately provide a moving portrait of a Jewish family in the 1960s and thereafter.

I WAS A STUDENT IN A WRITING WORKSHOP WITH THE DIRECTIOIN OF E.H. HE CHANGED MY PROSE STYLE AS WELL AS THE WAY I READ AND WRITE. HE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE NEW, CONPT. FICTION WRITERS ALONG WITH JOHN SMOLENS, KATE MYERS HANSON, AND FLAN O'CONNER. (NOT IN AGE ORDER--FLAN DIED YEARS AGO; JOHN AND KATE AND EHUD ARE STILL WORKING AND PRODUCING GREAT WORKS)

read all all the above, and also ANDRE DUBUSE.

There are some books that reinvest faith in the state of contemporary literature. This is one such book. Confronts the difficulty of faith in contemporary America as intelligently as Flannery O'Connor or Seamus Heaney. The story, "The Street You Live On" is a perfect portrayal of urban alienation and loneliness. Buy it immediately.

I thought these stories were very nearly perfect. The language is so subtle and controlled, and the story's ultimate meanings are sometimes surprising but inevitable. I know people like these characters - people who are complicated and imperfect but actually just fine. Read Leah, the longest story in the book, it's amazing. I would have to say the Lyon story and the final one (8 rabbis on the roof?) add the least to the book, but certainly don't detract from it. PS: Yes, he is Jewish, and yes, that's his real name.

With only two collections out, Havazelet has quickly earned a place in my mind as a must read author. This series of related stories paints a painfully clear picture of a sometimes sad, sometimes humorous but always spectacular world of one 3 generations of a Jewish family. An accurate portrait of the struggles of culture and assimilation in America. The characters are so real you can feel their breath when you read.

What can I say? It was funny. I dig funny books. Pick it up, why don't you.

I loved this book by Lani Diane Rich. This is by far her best book! Dialogue was very witty. Read this book in one day it was so good. I hope she will continue with Jess and Dig's story.

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if that were an option. I enjoyed it from almost the start. I had a little problem getting into the beginning. I thought the angel part was a little hokey, but after the initial I was hooked. I loved the story and fell hook line and sinker. What a great story. The story between EJ and her Mother was amazing. Throw in the story of a left lover and Jess the angel, what could be better. This is a great story with just enough emotion and realism to make it all work. What a great fun summer read. Don't miss this one you won't be sorry.

I couldn't put it down. It's fun and funny and warm and sweet but not sappy. Now I want the next book.

Ever since I had my first baby I've been reading nothing but fun, easy, chick-lit. Unfortunately, even though it's all my tired brain can handle, it always seems to leave me only half-satisfied. I expected that same lukewarm satisfaction from this book. Imagine my shock when my expectations were shattered. Chick-lit? Yes. Easy read? Yes. Trite? Heck No! I laughed out loud and cried too! I liked this book so much that the day after I finished it, I started it all over again. I am truly impressed, and will pass this book around to my friends and relatives. This, in my world, is the best compliment I can give a book. Enjoy!

"Little Savage" is that rare specimen of contemporary poetry; it is a debut collection by a young poet who has already mastered her craft and not only takes her writing seriously but has something serious to say with her writing.

Her poetry utilizes Ancient Greek Myth, classical music, and occasional glimpses of the young poet's childhood to construct an elegantly haunted house where a ghostly echo for the truth of recollection howls. From my perspective not one poem in the entirety of this 67 page incantation strikes a false note, no pun intended.

Most awards given to youthful/aspiring poets nowadays are given out of desperation for new material, the ceremonial backscratching between the old and young that must go in the arts for them to continue existing,
and the desire for critical blurbs in which more accomplished poets can flex their verbal muscles with false praise. Emily Fragos is a violin found in a haystack of twisted musical cords, you might say. Exciting, energetic and haunting work.

What is most remarkable about Emily Fragos' poetry is the clear emotional throughline in each poem. Fragos guides the reader into a field of feeling that unfolds with increasing intensity. For example,

With a stick I drew stick faces in the hardened
ground, touching my people
with the long, cold finger,
rubbing the lines so they turned to crust
and weathered away like the oak
outside my window.
(Solstice)

The poems explore a variety of emotional registers, from contemplative to jaunty, but whatever the mood, they are transportation to a unique world of sensibility offering glimplses of paintings by Velasquez, Vermeer, Brueghel, the music of Gould, Callas, Scarlatti, the whimsy of personified of Sorrow & the quotidian sublimity of an overdue library book or a cat show. All thngs become magical in Fragos' hands.

Emily Fragos is our ambassador from the world of close, close attention being paid. Too often we rush by the best and worst of our human-ness, which is where the really interesting stuff is hidden. Poems like these remind us of what poetry is for--every line is under intense psychic pressure, there is not a shred of sentimentality, and not a word is wasted. "Severe" is not usually a word used as praise, but here it is very apt. "Little Savage" is wonderful.

Emily Fragos has long had a kind of underground fame in New York City. Finally her first collection has arrived... and it fulfills every expectation: artful, revealing, soulful, and full of empathy and passion. This is what happens when a heart that cares about the broken things of the world pumps ink onto the page. No stylish chicanery or pyrotechnics. Not fanciful spelling or self indulgence. Just heartful revelation and empathy for the world. In a world where posers fill shelves, Fragos is the real thing: From "Host," my favorite poem: "There are two worlds I know of: the vast illumined and the place where I am. I need the other the way a virus needs a host...And my body inhabited suffers and wonders: Whose hands are these? Whose hair?" A book of top drawer poems by a top drawer poet.

Emily Fragos' wonderous "Little Savage" is the best argument I've ever read not to rush out a first book. It's clearly the work of a poet who's honed her ideas and art over time. The poems arrive as perfectly polished as stones shaped by a river.

LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE is a commentary on the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. This was a life-changing book for me in 1986. My whole life had literally collapsed right in front of my eyes. And I also had a nervous breakdown all in the pursuit of success and graduate school. This book seems to advocate living the "Simple Life", knowing God, having a wife and kids, not overdoing work or success. I have received alot of abuse the past 20 years about why I don't go back to graduate school; and the wisdom of this book is part of the reason. I had written to Radio Havana Cuba once and had said that this is a religious book that even Fidel Castro could appreciate! I hear that since then he invited to Pope to come to Cuba to visit.
We do live in an insane money-hungry society that has no values, no philosophy, no religion but the pursuit of the "Almight Dollar"! This ia a major reaqon for why we see American society disintegrating right before out eyes!
It is not deliberate, but I think I see myself as living in the 60's because of circumstances beyone my control. People in authority try to make my life as miserble as they can so as to pressure me into going back to college-this is called persecution.
The amazing thing about our secular achievements is that when we die, we do not get any reward in Heaven for them. Both Solomon in Ecclesiastes and Jesus Christ in the New Testament say that we get no reward in the next life for being a successful doctor, lawyer or businessman. Jesus said to lay up treasure in heaven-good works like charity towards the poor.
Also I noticed that it is God who gives man the ability to enjoy life. And contrary to religious tradition in puritalical America, I have found on my electronic Bible the advice to "eat, drink and be merry"{within moderation, of course.) the phrase occured five times in Ecclesiatstes. God gives the common man and the man who pleases him the ability to enjoy life. The life of the success driven rich man is so full of stress that he may have a fancy meal, yet he cannot taste the food he is eating! You can only live in one house at a time. You can only drive one car at a time. You can only spend so much money in this life because when you die, you won't have it any longer. You can have a house full of adult toys and possessions; yet you are unable to enjoy any of them. I would focus on having a couple of things and being able to use them to the full.
Solomon spoke from experience. He was the richest man in ancient Israel as he was the king. He had all the education a man could want. He had sexual pleasure-a harem of 500 wives like the Sultan of Brunei. He had more horses that he could ride. He had more achievement than he knew what to do with. Yet he couldn't find satisfaction. His advice was to fear God, obey his commandments and enjoy the simple pleasure of life. He found out that sometimes more is less.
In an exotic fashion, I had found out about INSIGHT FOR LIVING while monitoring Trans World Radio broadcasting from the island Monaco to England in 1986. They sent me a magazine promoting the book. I bought it and the study guilde and used them both. I have read LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE three times since them. This is obviously a message that God wants me to get into my spirit. And this is actually good advice for all of materialistic, worldly America!
Another afterthought is this. I don't think that joining the Army is the place to go to find God. But I had managed to get away from my home, family, church and social influences in Toledo. I read the Bible independantly and did not often attend church. I had found Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament; yet the message seemed to offend and irritate me at age 17. I think that you may have to go through a few things in life, have a few misfortunes and find a need to look to God for answers in the Bible to really appreciate this book and Ecclesiastes! Ecclesiastes is a book of godly philosphy! Philosophy=the study of wisdom!
This book's teaching is completely compatable with the New Testament and Christianity. St. Paul himelf had once written "Godliness with contentment is great gain"

I read this book about 10 years ago - when I was younger, single, and worked like crazy. It made me reconsider my life and realize that life without God and His purpose is pointless. Even if you choose to deny there is a God and choose to believe in nothing- you can not deny the truths about the purposeless of life and the "race of the rats". No peace or satisfaction at the end of the day. It is funny at times and even may seem depressive and dark too. But there's a lot of light at the end of the tunnel -as you read on.
I loved this book so much that I want to give a copy of it to both of my children (ages 1 and 2) as wisdom or advice for when they come of age. I hope it can impact them as much as it impacted me and will have some insight as to the "race of the rats".

Quick. Name the author who wrote the famous lines, "Vanity, vanity! All is vanity!"

If you said Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, you'd be right. It's the opening refrain from Ecclesiastes, uttered after Solomon goes on the ultimate road trip, searching the world for meaning and happiness. He goes on to describe his journeys and offers observations including, "A human being is no better off than an animal because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place --- the dust." And, "In this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be ... If you love money you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed." For the most part, the book is a downer.

It would be tempting to skip over Ecclesiastes. To not delve into its hopelessness and wrestle with why it's part of Scripture. But as renowned bible teacher Charles Swindoll points out in his book, LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE, Ecclesiastes is as true and relevant and important today as it was thousands of years ago.

"Ecclesiastes has today's world woven through the fabric of every page. Whether or not we are willing to admit it, deep within most of us there is this restless, irresponsible, adventuresome itch. Deadlines and responsibilities grate at us. We find ourselves ready to run --- to escape into the back road of our memories, to travel down the blue highways of life under the sun. 'Surely, there I will find what it takes to fill the void.' Before we are able to crank up the car Solomon's advice brings us back to reality: 'Don't bother, it's a pipe dream, empty as a puff of smoke, lacking in substance. It may look like it's worth the effort, but don't bother, life without God under the sun is despair personified.'''

And that's the catch; life without God is worthless.

Still, Swindoll doesn't blithely skip to that part, spouting platitudes about God's goodness along the way. He doesn't pull any punches in describing the world we live in and his take on life is refreshingly honest as he describes the dissatisfaction, discouragement, and despair so many people feel. We are all living on the ragged edge, as he puts it, and ignoring that fact doesn't make us better Christians.

This book, however, does have insight that can make the Christian life more vibrant and authentic.

"The good life --- the one that truly satisfies --- exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is, rather than longing for what might be. The itch for things, the lust for more --- so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them --- is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment. Have you noticed? A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough.

"Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and say, 'This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Lord.'"

Swindoll is an excellent teacher from the pulpit, in front of a classroom, on the radio, and through his many books (this is one of his best). LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE has the potential to be an important wake-up call and reminder for all of us, urging us to seek God's wisdom rather than the wisdom of the world and to embrace the mystery and messiness of life on the raged edge. The edge can be uncomfortable, but the view is amazing.

--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel

It seems as if there exists no shortage of people that struggle through life believing that they alone have recognized the futility of life. Some wander though life seeking to quell the unquenchable thirst of lasting contentment through any and every means available while others concede to a life of unhappiness or death itself. It might amaze these same tired souls that it has been almost three thousand years since one of the few individuals that actually possessed the resources to explore the possibility of contentment through almost every means imaginable attempted the task and came to the conclusion that temporal existence is indeed futile. This journal documenting the futility of a merely temporal existence is known today as Ecclesiastes, and it presents the only source of lasting contentment. Those that feel alone in their grief and anguish at the reality of a meaningless existence should be comforted by the fact that they are not alone in this realization and that the answer to this dilemma existed prior to the beginning of time itself.

Living on the Ragged Edge presents the book of Ecclesiastes through a lens which might allow modern readers to fully appreciate its message. Swindoll also applies his own life's worth of understanding and knowledge to drawing out what might otherwise remain unnoticed points critical to the essence of Solomon's work. The book of Ecclesiastes is the catalyst of many conversions and Swindoll's contribution might very well add to its potency. The only difficulty that some may have with this work may reside in the thought that it seems to become mildly repetitive as it attempts to tackle Ecclesiastes in its entirety without combining reoccurring themes. This is a great book to pass on to anyone that might feel bogged down by the fast paced, pressure laden world in which we live, as well as to those who have a hard time seeing the point of life at all.

While many Christian books encourage thoughts about God's love and kindness, it's also good to see life as it really is in this world. Swindoll pulls no punches as he describes the emptiness of living to please self instead of God.

Among the many excellent points Swindoll covers are:

1. People focus on the external appearances while God focuses on the heart.
2. God can work through you in mighty ways if you let Him.
3. Wise counsel for those under pressure.
4. The world's movers and shakers are also often the most lonely people on earth.
5. Different world-views and their weaknesses.
6. How to handle the mysteries of life.
7. Excellent counsel on how to get the most out of life.
8. What keeps us from pursuing happiness.

An excellent and highly recommended book, be encouraged and challenged to seek God's wisdom instead of the wisdom of the world!