Virginia Books

If you are interested in lost Virginia artchitecture, this is a must-have book. Too bad it's so hard to find, but Amazon finally came through!

Lost architecture has long been a passion of mine: there's something so humbling and bittersweet about buildings that exist now only in memory or on a few frames of precious film. After reading great works on the subject such as Constance Greiff's LOST AMERICA or Larry Millett's LOST TWIN CITIES, I had often complained, "Why isn't there a book like this for my home state?"

I can complain no more. LOST VIRGINIA is here at last!

The book is certainly everything I could have hoped for, combining clear, informative text with beautifully reproduced photos. Hundreds of lost buildings are finally given notice and recognition, from mansions like Rosewell, Barboursville and Pratt's Castle to Rockbridge County's splendid boom hotels (including my favorite long-vanished building, Goshen's Alleghany Hotel).

I can't recommend this book more highly or think of a better gift for any fan of architecture or Virginia history. And since there are many lost buildings yet to be documented, I hope there will some day be a sequel!

Loving Yourself More is a wonderful, empowering book for women -- and men with feminist tendencies. Each of the 100 meditations can be read time and again with new insights gained. This is a great book to pray with, journal with, share with friends, and carry with you wherever you go. I, as a man, like it so much, that I have given it away to several of my women friends, including my wife. You don't have to be a strong feminist to benefit from this book. My mother, who is seventy-five and definitely not a feminist, would enjoy this book. I cannot recommend this book higly enough!

To quote the jacket, "Love your neighbor as yourself. Many women today are realizing that they have kept the first part of this commandment too well and the second part too poorly. In 'Loving Yourself More' the author invites women to dwell on the most basic of all Christian truths: Gods love for us and God's call for us to love ourselves."

Each meditation begins with a short scripture and then the author ties it to a special meaning for women. She explores a variety of ways we can become more aware of God's love for us and our love for ourselves. I found it insightful and supportive. I highly recommend it.

Dear Readers: Thank you for considering this book. It is the first comprehensive scholarly history of the city and I feel it makes a lasting contribution to our understanding of East St. Louis. The story of East St. Louis is not necessarily a happy one, but we must understand the source of problems if we intend to devise lasting solutions. The book has about 250 illustrations of historic photographs and documents. It is the companion volume to the public television documentary of the same name. It was named the 2003 Best Book by a St. Louis Author by the Riverfront Times.

I think Made in USA: East St. Louis is a brilliant description of the rise and fall of an Illinois town. The explanation offered for the East St. Louis you see today is shocking but irrefutable. I love the illustrations. They really compliment the story of 100 years of East St. Louis history. The book and the companion PBS documentary are excellent sources of information for anyone interested in cities and how they operate.

This second book in McMorrow's Tuldamoran Trilogy is a gem you'll want to read again and again. In this installment, Mage Alex Keltie finds herself thrust into an exciting chain of events that reveal some fascinating truths about herself and those she loves. You can read Mage Resolution as a stand alone, but I highly recommend you read the first book, Mage Confusion, too. This series has surpassed my expectations for fantasy. It is a fast paced, heart-warming read you won't want to put down! I'm looking forward to book three!

This second book in McMorrow's Tuldamoran Trilogy equals and, if possible, betters the first. The characters have grown internally and in their interrelationships. Once again, the challenges they face are physical, moral, and emotional. The action on all fronts is fast-paced, driving the characters and being driven by them.

The conclusion is most satisfying. It is a resolution indeed and seems almost the finish of a duo rather than the middle work of a trilogy. I am looking forward to seeing that final volume in the near future.

A charming, clear guide. In less than a week, I have set up my work space, had my supplies shipped and completed my first painting session. To my surprise, from one session alone, I have gained a refreshed visual perception with a joyfully enhanced awareness of colors, shapes and patterns in everything that I see. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Mess painting, a component of the Creativity Mobilization Technique, was developed almost half a century ago by M.D. and authority on autogenic training, Wolfgang Luthe. A student of Luthe's, Virginia Barclay Goldstein has written an extremely clear and instructive how-to manual for prospective mess painters. Everything you need to know to get started painting is in this book, including a recommendation of where to get your paint. I am halfway through a 6-week mess painting class and have found it to have subtle yet profound effects. I routinely remember my dreams after a mess painting session and am enjoying a practice where no effort is required. If you enjoy colors, you will probably like mess painting. (An interest in flower (vs. vegetable) gardening is often an indicator that you will like mess painting.) While participating in a mess painting class is helpful and interesting, Goldstein's book is precise enough in its instructions that you could easily paint on your own and experience many of the beneficial effects of mess painting. For more information on autogenic therapy, see the British Autogenic Society web site.

Virginia Gaffney has brought easy reading for the historic era of the Civil War. You feel as if you were really there while it is being written. Follow Carrie, Robert and Rose, Moses along with others who could have or may have helped make our United States what it is today. Visit the prisons as they well could have been and the stuggles made to set the black people free. For the first time I understand how and why a lot of things probably happened. It is hard to lay down. I am ready for the next one.

I loved this book, and the whole series. I could not put it down. I was incredibly dissappointed when I finished it because it leaves you wanting more. Carrie is such a strong woman who puts her own wants and desires aside for what she knows is the right thing to do, and rarely makes a selfish decision. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Civil War-era books, and anyone who loves to read at all.

Meltsner's THE MAKING OF A CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER is a powerful and timely book. It should be "required reading" for those of us who came of political age in the early sixties (that time of hope) and for all of us who now watch--helplessly and hoplessly--the corrupt, methodical erosion of those truths we hold to be self evident.

This is a first-rate read. The book is a biography no so much of a "civil rights lawyer" as of a critical period in US history--the coming of age of the Civil Rights movement. With the inside stories Meltsner provides, we see the exacting day to day (and night) work of people struggling for the rights of all of us. The bad guys are even worse than we thought--the good guys, in government, not nearly as good as we thought.

This is more than a portrait of an age. It is an important book to read at this time, when the rights these men and women--not to mention the founding fathers--so clearly articulated and fought for are under siege. As a bonus, it is very well written!

The information in this book allowed me to correct a very painful
condition and restore my mobility. What started out as a minor twinge in my low back turned into a serious problem because I thought that I could work out what I thought was a muscle cramp by walking without giving in to the discomfort. This was a big mistake as it resulted in the Psoas and Rectus Femoris muscles on one side becoming very painful and caused a sacral shear condition. This gave new meaning to my concept of pain. At this point I finally sought help from medical professionals. The sacral shear condition kept recurring until the muscle spasm was corrected, so I made multiple visits to a chiropractor and a DO. Once the muscle spasm was cleared up I was left with the original symptom. The medical professionals stated that I just had low back pain and there was nothing they could do to correct it. My fear was that if I walked any further than about 200 feet, the muscles would go into spasm again. In an effort to avoid such a severe limitation to my mobility I searched the Internet for information. In that search I had the good fortune to discover Dr Essig-Beatty's book - Manipulation at Home. The sacroiliac mobilization exercise that he describes in his book cleared up the original symptom and I have not had any muscle or joint related trouble since then. I returned to the state where I could walk for hours at a time without any discomfort. I also found some of the other stretches in his book helpful in maintaining my flexibility. The spirit of this book is a major departure from the approach to medical care that I have experienced up until now. It encourages people to actively participate in treating their condition based on structural evaluation and supervision of a professional. Prior to this experience I had no knowledge of any type of anatomy or bodywork. Getting to the point where I understood what was causing my low back pain and had learned enough to get rid of it took a great deal of time and energy devoted to research. I'm sure that I am not the only consumer of medical services who would really appreciate receiving the kind of self help information that is in this book but tailored to my needs from medical professionals.

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, causing heal pain. My foot doctor prescribed orthodics, but little else. Then, I found this wonderful book where I could heal the problem, and work on preventing, at home! much cheaper and less painful than just repeated cortisone shots. I later also used it to solve my "golfer's elbow" pain from forehand tennis, or just pushing heavy drawers closed. It is like having a physical therapist on your shelf! Written so well, clear, easy to follow, with great explanatory illustrations. Get it!
Thank you Dr. Essig-Beatty.

Prof. Howard Seeman, Professor Emeritus, Education

I had this book when I was a little girl. It is a wonderful collection of stories! I could not recommend it more highly. My daughter is also now named Mattie Mae (after her great grandmother.)

In Edna Beiler's Mattie Mae, young readers learn what life is like for an Amish girl surrounded by her many cousins and other relatives. Mattie Mae enjoys simple living, with happy and contented people working, playing, and enjoying simple pleasures together. This wonderfully charming, highly recommended collection of engaging little stories includes Here Comes Mattie Mae!; Hello, Uncle Tobe; A Box for Benjy; Something to Tell Your Children; Topsy-Turvy Day; Good-Bye, Uncle Tobe; A Present for Cousin Lizbet; Where's Alice?; Cousin Day; The Happiest Girl in the World; Chrystobel; Company for Mattie Mae; Namesakes; and The Christmas Closet.

This is a great addition to your library if you have any interest in either meditation and/or a martial art. What are the "tangible" benefits of these practices, why are they worthwhile, and what relevancy are they to modern cultures?

This is a great book that makes clear connections between the practice of martial arts, the emphasis on focus and attention in various religions, and the need for this kind of focus in the modern world. As the author put it in an interview I found online (http://www.killingthebuddha.com/oral/sp_exercises.htm):

"Anyone who does the martial arts has asked himself or herself about the investment of time. I live in a decent neighborhood. I have been mugged exactly once in my life, and I ran -- I didn't engage in any kind of martial encounter. I leave my family and spend a lot of time on practices that are not natural to me.

"As this book evolved, it became more and more a reflection on our contemporary situation living in a high-information society. I read about what these people wrote about the struggle to maintain attention in cultures so different from our own, and I ask myself, "Could they ever have conceived the world that we live in, with cable TV with 190 channels and the World Wide Web?" There is this incredible battle, backed by economic power and remarkable technologies, to capture our attention and then shape our habits and our behavior. It seems to me that there is a real struggle here. One has a limited amount of attention to invest, and the competition for it is extraordinary -- in ways that these spiritual writers could never have imagined.

"So I see these disciplines -- it doesn't have to be martial arts, but can be some other kind of meditative discipline -- as being exercises to equip a person in the 21st century to deal with this crisis. And I really believe that it is a crisis. You can see what is being invested in industries of diversion."

Fantastic stuff!