P Books

Both mystery and romance in an excellently paced novel. A great book to take on vacation, or to read over the course of a couple of days. Like the other reviewers, I hope there is a sequel soon.

Well done to Laughlin on creating protagonists I really rooted for, and a nemesis I could gleefully despise! I'm not usually a can't-put-it-down reader, but this one kept me turning the pages: enjoying the Chicago scene...her turns of phrase...and anxious to see what would happen. Bring back dastardly you-know-who in a next book soon!

Anne Laughlin's debut novel was impossible to put down. Sometimes Quickly has an intriguing mystery at the core and a cast of characters that are believable and interesting. I look forward to reading more from her and hope she revisits these characters in the future.

Sometimes Quickly is a compelling page-turner that kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. The characters are intelligent and complex. The relationships of the women portrayed are rich with emotion, passion, and depth. I really cared about these characters and would like to know where their paths lead next. The story is fast paced and thoroughly entertaining. The combination of romance, mystery, humor and well developed characters make this a book I will be recommending to friends. I really loved this debut novel and look forward to reading more from this exciting new author.

Sometimes Quickly is the story of five women, four of them searching for greater meaning in their lives and one who is intent on disrupting them. Peg Ryan is a recovering alcoholic and a prominent attorney, who made a mistake many years ago, but now her life has stabilized and she's ready to share it with someone. She meets Allison Mitchell, the head of a real estate firm, by accident - literally. Peg runs into the rear end of a car being driven by Camille Bardon and Allison is the passenger. The attraction between Peg and Allison is instantaneous, a fact which doesn't please Camille at all. Meanwhile, Peg's best friend Morgan, a police detective, meets Laura, the head of a company that is developing innovative software that will allow the FDA to approve drugs more quickly. Morgan is trying to establish a relationship with Laura who can only focus on the problems her company is having. Camille is the bane of all of them. She stalks Allison, launches a blackmail scheme against Peg and her company, which specializes in industrial espionage, is slowly destroying Laura's chances of receiving approval of its program by the FDA. The mystery is whether the other women will realize who is the root of all of their problems before she has a chance to destroy them.

Sometimes Quickly is an appropriate name for this book because everything happens at a rapid pace, perhaps a little too rapid. The story moves from peak to peak with very little action in between that allows the reader to digest what is happening. The result of this is a book that holds the reader's attention, but has a rushed feel to it. However, at its heart, Sometimes Quickly has a good story with strong personalities. Laughlin has mastered the skill of character development. Now she needs to work on developing her plot more fully. The end of this book indicates that there will be another one, so she should get a chance to correct the weaknesses.

Sometimes Quickly is an excellent fast read. If you're taking it on a trip with you, you're going to need to throw another book in the suitcase, but this one is worth reading.

I've tried more recipes from this book than any of my other cookbooks and have never been disappointed. The pictures are alluring, the instructions are clear, and the flavor combinations have been excellent. My favorite recipes to date are the tortilla soup and the corn fritters.

The whole series of "Beautiful Cookbooks" is first-rate.

The pictures are an added bonus to recipes that are usually easy to reproduce. I bought this for my mom for Mother's Day and she likes it very much. I use my own copy frequently, too.

The styling and recipes in this book reflect the time in which they were encapsulated, but they're still beautiful nonetheless. We keep it on the coffee table in our Southwest rental house as a primer to Southwest cooking and culture for out-of-town guests.

Not only does this book include excellent recipes, it is of coffee-table quality for its beautiful pictures and history of the southwest. Definitely try the tortilla soup, the stuffed pork roast, the fiesta shrimp, etc., etc., etc.

As with the rest of the "Beautiful Cookbook" series, this is more than a cookbook full of wonderful recipes -- it is a book of wonderful pictures of food, of the stories behind the people and of the traditions of the culture.

I collect this series because:
a) The recipes are always incredible
b) The presentation is always unique & intriguing
c) The recipes are simple for beginning to intermediate cooks
d) The stories and information makes it more than just food, but an experience.

The only "watch-out" I give is that the recipes are authentic and on occasion I have found finding some of the ingredients very difficult. However, the book usually will suggest alternatives.

Hi I'm Zoe Whilton, and Childhood Hills is an excellent book. Each poem is a masterpiece of its own. My favorite poems are, "The Lie", "The Elevator", and "Your First Day at Dolly's" (by Annemarie Mullan Whilton, aka my mother, I am the girl at preschool, my sister is the one crying). I hope that Pat Mullan continues to write poetry.

Reviewed by Diane Morgan - Editor, ... .

Pat Mullan takes us on a poetic journey through Ireland, the world and childhood. His evocative poetry creates for us lush landscapes, towering cities and weeping hearts that share the sorrow within all of us.

Relationships are key to his poetry, love, loss and remembering. I truly enjoyed his style of writing; it wasn't at all like the rhyming cliché poetry we are overburdened with as we read aspiring poets; it has a rhythm all its own; one could almost hear an Irish lilt to it.

He adds to the end of his book a section in memory of James Dickey that is poignant and stirring reminding us of the vast heritage we have of poets often forgotten.

Childhood Hills
by Pat Mullan

Reading this collection of poetry and writings was like holding a conversation with a very interesting person who can fascinate with a hypnotic flow of words. His muse is an old country bard who whispered secrets of the ancient days in the poet's ear. Pat Mullan has translated those secrets onto these pages.

You will be moved to joy and sorrow as you traverse the winding path over these Childhood Hills. Within these hills dwells a child who remembers the man he was, not a man dreaming over a lost youth. He still lives in the poetry contained here.

This author is a spirit freed from the fears of childhood that we all have shared, no matter what shape those fears take, what horrid dreams they inspire. If you allow him, this poet will guide you through imagery and images, familiar and strange, to a destination where understanding waits.

A poem is music of the soul that takes its inspiration from ordinary events, places, and people. It is a music you hear with your heart. I recommend you read Childhood Hills slowly and listen carefully. It will quicken the spirit that lives within.

I am the author of "THE FEELINGS AND IMAGINATION OF A BAREFOOT BOY STILL INSIDE MY HEAD!: Poems and Short Stories for Boys and Girls Ages 9 to 12," which will be available online soon! I bought Childhood Hills to read another author's poetry. In Pat's book, here are several of my favorites: THE QUARRY HOLE, WE NEVER TALKED, BICYCLE RIDE, SMALL VICTORY, GRANNY BUNTY'S BUTTON BOX, and MY CAT (this one is by Annemarie Mullan Whilton). As I read, Pat's poetry created a vivid picture in my mind. The poems about Pat's childhood were particularly moving. Great Book Pat!

It's an amazing way of painting a picture from a really interesting life and Childhood of this irish author. For me it was sometimes intellectuall demanding and sometimes easy to follow. My Favourites are: 'The turning point' and 'Granny Bunty's Button Box'

You may not want to eat striped ice cream afterwards but you will want to go swimming and eat cream cheese sandwiches afterwards and get a part time job. I would recommend this book to any one.

I read this book when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I remember going to the local library and checking this book out all the time. A few years ago I had the opportunity to read it again. It still made me cry at the end. I love the story and characters in this book. I have a ten year old daughter now and I am going to purchase this for her for Christmas. I can't wait for her to read it. I hope she enjoys as much as I did.

I remember this book so vividly! It was the first time I realized that there were children in our country whose parents couldn't give them everything they wanted! It seemed amazing to me that they worked so hard to get her something that I took for granted!
This is a must read for all kids, especially privileged children.

I read this when i was a little kid and couldn't bear to give it away when i cleaned out my room because it was such a good story. Very good read and is very entertaining!

I remember reading this for the first time at about the age of 9 and loving it. I read it many times through the years. I recently picked up a copy for my collection of childhood favorites and have re-read it several times since. The story still rings with impact and life-lessons that still apply in today's world. An enjoyable book for a young girl!

It is a nice book for the teachers and therapists on the professional side. A little bit dry, so it doesn't seem to be a book for parents.

This book is a practical guide for teaching the most essential skills in life: social skills. The book provides an extensive listing of 'tips' that one can use in applying these concepts to a social skills program or at home. One example: the authors recommend cutting out pictures from magazines that demonstrate specific emotions. In this way, the children can practice looking for these expressions and have the pictures as a reference throughout the program. Thank you for all of the great suggestions.

We have a very active 6 year old, and we feel he is active alert, his biggest issue is social interaction, since he has been around mostly adults his life. This book has common sense ideas to help a sometimes painful problem. Our son has done better in first grade. The summer using this book has helped alot! ... I am so glad I found this book!

After purchasing a number of books that promised to deliver, this is the first one that I have found that actually does. As the parent of a six year-old little-man, I have to say that I really needed this book and I honestly believe that the material inside its pages, when applied consistently, will serve to seriously improve my son's life in due course. I am truly impressed with the level of insight brought to bear by these three authors; I applaud them on a fantastic work!

(...)

I have a now 6 year old son whom is very active. (I started with the book, The Active Alert Child by Linda Budd.) This book has wonderfully simple and overlooked ideas to a uneasy problem. I had much advancement with my son over the summer. It can be done. Ist grade is going great so far! I feel this was a key to his bettering in his social world. My son has been around adults most of his life and has a hard time relating to other children. This book made a difference.

W.P. Kinsella is an excellent writer of short fiction. Many will know him as author of Shoeless Joe which became the movie Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition).

Kinsella also has written a number of short stories, relying on baseball as the theme, but with themes that are universal. This isn't the "get the big hit to win the game" story, but rather baseball as a metaphor.

With any collection, the question of best and worst short stories come up. Particulary strong is the opener "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" which deals with a prophecy that the next pennant that the Cubs win will be the last pennant that any team ever wins -- a prediction that still hasn't been tested since this piece was penned in 1984.

The collection also closes strong with "The Thrill of the Grass" dealing with the baseball strike and a populist secret revolt against artificial turf -- a methphorical return to purity.

Excellent work. Kinsella is truly a master writer.

W.P. Kinsella writes fiction that is a reflection of his true love of baseball. His devotion to his topic is evident to his readers in each of his works of fiction that often seem too realistic to be fiction. Particularly in this collection of stories, the line between fact and fiction is blurry.

"The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is the highlight of the set as other reviewers have noted. As one might guess based on the title, the plot involves the Cubs winning the pennant. Though some countries, playoff alignments, and even teams from the story no longer exist, the end of the world would seem to be the logical conclusion to a Cubs pennant victory. The swerve at the end of the story may or may not surprise some readers.

Other highlights in the set include "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record", "The Battery", and "The Thrill of the Grass". In a plot that preceded anything written by Mitch Albom, "The Night Manny Mota Tied the Record" explores the feelings after the death of Yankee catcher Thurmon Munson. Would a hardcore (non-Yankee) baseball fan give his life to save Munson's? "The Battery" takes readers to Santo Domingo where a wizard created in the vein of author Terry Pratchett sees the birth of baseball playing twins. While at least one twin excells in baseball, the wizard is the star of this story. "The Thrill of the Grass" is set during the 1981 players' strike, though the same scenario woud apply to 1994. The narrator breaks into an empty stadium as the story begins. Though he dislikes the lack of activity, he is most appalled by the artificial turf.

Though not all of the stories were gems, baseball fans are certain to enjoy this collection just as much as Kinsella's other works.

My brother told me about W.P. Kinsella in 1984 and I've been a huge fan ever since. I've read everything I can find by him, starting with "Shoeless Joe" and this might be my favorite book of his. He has written at least three collections of baseball short stories and this is easily the best.

Most of the stories are not so much about baseball, it's more a case of using baseball as a background and common thread to tie the stories all together.

These are the kind of stories you can read over and over again. One of my favorites was the story about the fans who decided to turn the latest player's strike into a chance to replace astroturf with real grass. With the stadium shut down for the strike, they came in and returned the field to a natural state. I've always thought that when the players strike they should strike to get rid of astroturf; a cause many fans could get behind.

I don't know of any baseball fan who would not enjoy these stories.

A collection of baseball stories - or rather, stories involving baseball and baseball players in some way. Kinsella is at hist best when he stays close to earth - hopeful bush leaguers, women trouble - but tends to go way over the top when he tries to involve more "magic" (in his own words) to the game and the story. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy suffered from this problem, and so do a few of the stories in this collection. But when his "stories aren't about events, they're about the people they happen to", he has a wonderful touch. Some of my favourites in this collection are "Drive me to the moon", about a Rookie leaguer and his affair in a one-horse town in Canada, "Barefoot and pregnant in Des Moines", about a big league star and his marriage. Some of these stories are true gems and fully warrant the five-star rating; others are filler, but then even the most classic games have their straightforward 6-3 groundouts.

W. P. Kinsella writes with poignance and wit, capturing both the humor and the occasional tragedy of the game. This collection displays some of his best work.

My alltime favorite among this collection is "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon." In the wake of the Cubs' collapse this fall, a work like this has real prescience and is somehow reassuring that there was a higher purpose behind it all.

Still, there are other strong stories in the mix. In one, the narrator is offered the chance to trade places with the recently-killed Yankees catcher Thurman Munson. Another, more whimsical story takes you inside the clubhouse of the 1951 Giants, as a surprisingly literate team debates whether The Greaty Gatsby is an allegory.

For me, "The Last Pennant Before Armageddon" is reason enough to buy this book. In the wake of the 2003 NLCS, I feel a dire need to read it . . . repeatedly.

A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises (A Genie in the House of Saud)

A bit arachaic in language and cultural approach, but the narrative pictures Doughty draws are fascinating; submersion into a little known cultural and time. Great for anthropological studies.

I must, grudgingly, give this monumental classic work of travel and adventure five stars, despite the fact that I don't really like the author. Doughty was probably not a very nice, friendly person; his life and opinions seem centered around a strict, almost fanatical and unforgiving, religiosity (he was a very fervent christian). Nevertheless, what he set out to do, he did with ample success and eficiency; and what he set out to do is not so simple as it seems at first sight,in my opinion, except for one of his main, but most superficial goals: to redeem the English language from the poverty and oversimplicity it had fallen into (Doughty believed the English language had fallen from grace since Spencer: I wonder, what would he think of it now?).

"Travels..." is an account of Doughty's two years of wandering through the Desert, in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with Hejaz and Nejd nomads. Unlike many other travellers before him (such as Sir Richard Burton), he never even tried to pretend he was a muslim, but admited to the nomads he travelled with that he was christian....and then went on, once and again for two years, to argue christianity's superiority over Islam and to explain how the fact that they were muslims excited his pity at seeing them fooled by their fraudulent Islamic beliefs. We know that traveleng in Arabia in those times was quite risky and dangerous, so it is a wonder that he was not killed by the nomads he was travelling with after they had to hear, for the hundredth time, how their faith was a fraud!!! This pious propensity, or even thirst for martyrdom (some times the provocations seem to point at that), is also quite trying for the reader.

However, if you can stomach the religious dissertations in his very special saintly style, the reading is rewarding indeed. Doughty had the (undeserved, I think with envy)luck to find the remains of the Nabataean town of Hegra, which he describes in some depth, with sketches of the tombs and copies of the inscriptions he found there. Who doesn't dream of finding the abandoned, lost, ancient town, built by a mysterious half-forgotten people? His descriptions of life with a Nomadic tribe of those times, with its unbelievable hardships, due to the famine-level subsistence usual among nomads, are an etnographic work of first rank. His report of the abuse, threats and indignities he had to suffer at the hands of the nomads because of his refusal to deny his christianity are unintentionally funny, in spite of himself.

But it is when we see that Doughty constantly compares the nomads of the desert with the Patriarchs of the Bible, and we know he can imagine himself in the company of Abraham's or Ishmael's tribes, when we learn the extent of the religious significance that this journey had for him. The ignorance and fanaticism that he finds in these nomads, he imagines in the Patriarchs of the Bible. For him Christianity, his own faith, was the light and salvation that took people out of the pitiful and primitive state these nomads live in. In fact, his journey is actually a pilgrimage to invest his religion with a significance that maybe he had been in the process of losing from sight.

And it is this, the fact that this author had set out for a journey with the intention of profoundly despising the people he was going to live with, what makes me despise him as a person, even though I see the importance of his work. Although Doughty repeats, now and then, the common, admiring expressions that were usual and fashionable to speak about the nomadic Arabs of those times -all the usal "noble savage" stuff-, we can read between lines (and later on, directly) that he thinks they are repulsive, inferior creatures. He goes to Arabia thinking he will be a superior among primitives, and he leaves Arabia, two years later, convinced that this has, indeed, been the case. In my opinion, the one who comes out the worst from the experience, is himself, although I have to thank him for recording his experiences and so, giving me the oportunity of reading between lines and learning from that.

I would like to add that this is not a complete edition of Doughty's work, which I read in the Dover two-volume edition, with an introduction by T.E.Lawrence and translations (of the Nabatean inscriptions) by Ernest Renan, and with some beautifully drawn maps.

There are few travel books that can stand up to the depredations of time - indeed, travel literature by its nature tends to be ephemeral. We may peruse the Victorian travelers, but mainly to get a sense of the exotic, from a time when it still was that way.

Fewer travel books still can claim to have had a conscious impact beyond their own genre. One thinks of Stendahl's travels in the South of France, Radishchev's journey from Petersburg to Moscow, or Stephens and Catherwood in the Yucatan. But Doughty is in a class by himself.

This remarkably eccentric man with the remarkably eccentric writing style set off into one of the last fringes of society, to a world where the art of the word was cultivated and where a man's worth was set by his speech. He is not an easy read. Yet his writing reflects the sense of a major intellect from one culture confronted by a tradition which is very old, very venerable and yet totally alien from that in which he was raised. That he sought to explain it by creating a new way of writing is perhaps not remarkable.

Many writers of the last century have been quite vocal about the debt that they owe him; one sometimes wonders if this is honored more in the breach than we would like to believe. But try him on for size, but be prepared to be patient. You will find that his style will win you over if you are.

Doughty had reflected his belief throughout his journey and I am not surprised. He decreased the Bedw traditions and tried to link it completely to the teaching of Islam. He knew from the beginning that the Bedw tradition especially in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula has nothing to do with the teaching of Islam. It was basically their culture. He did used the Bedw to serve his purpose since he wrote this book only to the western readers at that time to capture their imagination of the Arabian desert and to lay down the first step toward the colonization period that took place 30 years later.
Doughty in his book has described the Bedew life with many details that have shocked me. Since he lived with my great grandfather (Tollog) during his stay on al Harra, I was able to tell how close he was to reflect the real life of my tribe.
If we ignore his belief's reflection in his writing, we can conclude that his book is truly a masterpiece in detailing the life of one of the most isolated part of the world in 1800 century.

After reading this work detailing the 1870s [mis]adventures of the legendary Charles M. Doughty, one comes to understand much better why T.E.Lawrence so admired the Bedu and mistrusted the Arab city dweller. Doughty's "travels" really amounted to being "driven" through hostile lands occupied by "fanatics," continuously handed off from one group of outlaws and thieves to another. "I found in them an implacable fanaticism," wrote Doughty. "All their life is passed in fraud and deceipt." Sacred oaths, swearing in the name of God out of mere habit, traditional mores of protecting the fellow-traveller in one's charge honored mostly in the breach. One friendly Arab acquaintance along the tortured path tells Doughty, "I hope that your life may be preserved: but they will not suffer you to dwell amongst them! You will be driven from place to place. As many among them as have travelled, are liberal; but the rest, no." Abdullah el-Kenneyny advised Doughty, "I am even now in amazement! that in such a country, you openly avow yourself to be an Englishman; but how may you pass even one day in safety. You have lived hitherto with the Bedu; but it is otherwise in the townships."

Early on, the strange language seemed humorous and distracting, but it soon grows on you. "Give me a hand" becomes "Lend me a grip of thy five." Robbed, stripped, insulted, the intrepid Doughty gives the evil-doers the back of his hand as often as he dared, many times with his hand on a revolver hidden under his robes. One bluff carried off successfully against fellow travellers, who were sworn, of course, to defend him -- "By the life of Him who created us, in what instant you show me a gun's mouth, I will lay dead your carcasses upon this earth."

Occasionally some paragraph seems to be the obvious inspiration for a like passage in Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," an exquisitely detailed description of how a camel comes to a halt and lies down being one of the most obvious examples.

A major feature of this work is the great care taken by the author to use and then explain the Arabic vocabulary for places and things unique to the Arab culture. Each and every page is peppered with these terms. There is a fine glossary, praise God, the Merciful One!

The first half of this collection of selected passages from the massive original work will give readers warm feelings for the Bedouin and sweet dreams of wandering amongst them at peace with God and nature. The second half will likely wipe out any such urge. Civilizations still clash, 130 years later. Extremists rear their ugly heads on both sides of a vast chasm. Will the next 130 years bring much fundamental change?

There are two books in English based on translations of Zen Master Bankei teachings, both pusblished in 1984. "Bankei Zen" is the title of the book written by Peter Haskel who behaved both as translator and editor under the supervision of his teacher Yoshito Hakeda. Haskel assisted the reader organizing the text and adding headings here and there to paragraphs, dialogues, anecdotes, poems. Also he added technical notes highlighting biographical and historical circumstances. These headings focus the attention of readers in their efforts to find their way throughout Bankei teachings. "The unborn" is the title of the book written by Norman Waddell, just a translator. His book becomes the forest of words. One Dharma Talk after the other and, here and there, also some highly interesting biographical and historical notes. However, Waddell produced a revised version in 2000 and included only minor changes to translations to very specific paragraphs. However no mention is made to Haskel's book on the same subject and author, similar texts. Under section III, other works in the bibliography section this reference to Hakei's book is conspicuously absent. Within the community of scholars the standard is mentioning books written by other authors on the same subject and basic source. This is not the case of Prof. Waddell at Otani University in Kyoto. His approach is below standards; competitors in the field must be mentioned after what is acceptable and recommended within the scientific and academic community. Haskel's translation has been tailored to readers making their best to find out their way around a genial and easygoing Japanese Zen Master of the 17th century. Bankei is the antidote for those suffering an overdose of Dogen and Hakuin teachings and comments.

I had the good fortune to attend a number of Alan Watts' live talks in the Monterey-Big Sur area during the sixties. Some 35 years later his body of work continues to stimulate my growth and understanding. While Watts never proclaimed any one person as his teacher or guru, the 17th century Zen master Bankei (1622-1693) appears to have been a major influence.

As early as 1950 Watts specifically identifies Bankei as a resource in an article he wrote for the journal of the Buddhist Lodge in England. He quotes Bankei even more profusely in his 1957 opus The Way of Zen. Finally, in his autobiography In My Own Way, published a year before his death in 1973, Watts reveals having spent many hours studying Bankei and elevates him to a representative of "Zen at its best." He said that he referred people to Bankei's observations whenever they accused him of misinterpreting Zen.

I am delighted to find that the teachings of this Zen iconoclast par excellence are available once again in the revised edition of The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei, translated by Norman Waddell. Highly recommended with one caveat: if your feet are firmly planted in orthodoxy, anticipate the appearance of major cracks in your foundation. A retrofit will not necessarily be an option.

A great gem of a book for any seeker. Master Bankei's teachings revolved around the principal that we are all a part of the Unborn-here and now and that once we abide in that no other knowledge or practice is really necessary. His teachings mainly point this out from many angles based on peoples questions and issues at the time. After many years of his own struggle as a seeker he came to the realization that since everything arises from the Unborn we are all Buddhas once we really abide in the Unborn, which is possible NOW without any other knowledge. He felt that seekers distanced themselves from this very direct teaching by doing too many things like working on koans or spending a lot of time reading religious Buddhist texts, all the while missing the Unborn Buddha Mind right now that is always present. It seems hard to believe but Master Bankei very profoundly and intelligently makes a great case for this teaching in this wonderful book. I strongly recommend it. It is along the lines of the teachings of Papaji,Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj and more recently Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now & Stillness Speaks).

Of all the ancient masters-Bankei seems to speak the loudest to us in modern times. The Unborn makes this clear due mostly to the wonderfully natural translation Norman Waddell has given us. Bankei had an interesting background in Chinese thought, as most youth of his day, he started out early on reading the Confucian texts. But to Bankei Yotaku, Confucianism wasn't adding up, and so he turned to Zen Buddhism. While his style is primarily that of the Rinzai, he also incorporated Soto ideology as well into his teachings.

Sadly, at Bankei's time, being a Zen priest all too often became a "rank one wears" in society, more for the aristocratic society than for the common layperson. He was a bright beacon and a simple master who spoke to the people, not just the "upper class." This book is essentially a compilation of Dharma talks between Buddhist monks and priests, and himself. People from all over China would come to hear him speak of the Unborn Buddha-mind, which he instructs is always there yet while many don't know of it. It to me speaks of cutting your roots, of realizing though you were bore by your mother, there is also a part of you that remains unborn. Every moment, from moment to moment-you are being born as the Buddha. Zen master Thich Man Giac of modern times held a ceremony in which he handed out flowers to participants. He asked them to place a red flower on their lapel if their mother is still alive, and a white one on if she is dead. Jakusho Kwong -roshi recalls Thich wore a red flower. This he found funny, because Man Giac at this time was very old. So he asked him later how is mother is still alive, and Man Giac answered, "My mother is Kannon Bosatsu." That is essence, is the unborn Buddha-mind.

I hope you enjoy this book!:)

The Unborn: The Life And Teachings Of Zen Master Bankei, 1622-1693 is here presented in a significantly revised and expanded edition containing many talks and dialogues with monks and priests not included when it was first published in 1984. Ably translated for an English speaking readership by Norman Waddell, this superbly presented compendium of illuminative Buddhist wisdom is highly recommended for personal, temple, academic, and community library Buddhist studies collections and reading lists.

What is there to say? The guy is funny. He cannot write a bad sentance or a bad book. This is a favorite of mine dealing with Uncle Fred. Let the car note be a little shy this month and enjoy a true master at his art.

I loved the Jeeves & Wooster books so I was sad when I read the last one. Then I decided to move on to other Wodehouse books and have read a few since. I have to say this is one of my favorites! It definitely compares to the hilarity of the Jeeves/Wooster books. Uncle Fred or the Fifth Earl of Ickenham is one of my favorite Wodehouse characters. He always seems to be dragging his nephew Pongo Twistleton (occasionally mentioned as a fellow Drones club member in the Wooster books) into trouble but always seems to get through it as is typical in the Wodehouse books. Anyway, it is a great read, a good laugh, and a lot of fun. On a side note, if you like Wodehouse, the dvd series of Jeeves and Wooster (starring Hugh Laurie from the tv show House) is also very funny. You will see many of your favorite Jeeves story lines in them and they are very true to Wodehouse.

Professors of literature are fond of writing that the three greatest novelists of the twentieth century are Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, and James Joyce. In this, they could hardly be more in error. The only contender for the title of the greatest novelist of the twentieth or any other century is P.G. Wodehouse, farceur supreme, or, in plain English, an extraordinarily funny writer.

Wodehouse wrote novels and stories that can be easily classified into several series: there are the Bertie and Jeeves novels and stories, the Blandings Castle novels and stories, the Mr. Mulliner stories, the Uncle Fred novels, etc. The characters from one series rarely appear in another. This novel is an exception. Uncle Fred appears at Blandings Castle, where he poses as Sir Roderick Glossop, normally seen in the Bertie and Jeeves novels (and one story); indeed, he encounters Sir Roderick while traveling to Blandings Castle. Uncle Fred, properly, Frederick Altamont Cornwallis Twistleton, fifth Earl of Ickenham, is a man who "together with a juvenile waistline, . . . still retained the bright enthusiasms and the fresh, unspoiled outlook of a slightly inebriated undergraduate" at the age of sixty or so. It is he who sets in motion the events that enable young lovers to marry and his nephew Pongo to settle his gambling debts. In general, his role is that normally played by Lord Emsworth's younger brother Galahad.

Of course, any reader of Wodehouse novels knows at the start that things will turn out all right for any sundered hearts or frustrated lovers, as he knows that, any time the efficient Baxter appears, he will be discredited despite being thoroughly correct. The fun is in discovering just how it happens.

And what fun it is. Wodehouse's mastery of the English language is unrivaled. He succeeds in producing prose that not only is enjoyable in its own right but also moves events ahead at a pace that is nigh exhausting. In the Bertie and Jeeves novels and stories, it is Bertie's narration that does this. In this novel, it is the dialogue as much as the narration that moves events ahead, establishes the characters, and gives the reader immense pleasure.

This is my very favorite book, and I have been reading it about once a year for the past 15 years or so. I still laugh out loud at every reading. The very complex plot deals with Pongo Twistleton and his Uncle Fred, who visit Blandings Castle as imposters (Sir Roderick Glossip and his secretary, to be exact) in an effort to prevent the Duke of Dunstable from stealing the Empress of Blandings, Lord Emsworth's prize pig, and to keep him from smashing the drawing room furniture with the fireplace poker. Polly Pott (daughter of private investigator Mustard Pott) is also in attendance, pretending to be Sir Roderick's daughter. The story also involves the Duke's two nephews and their romantic problems: It seems Horace Davenport has hired a private investigator (none other than Mustard Pott) to tail his fiancee Valerie (Pongo's sister) and she has called off the engagement as a result, and Ricky's jealousy of his fiancee's attention to cousin Horace has landed him in the onion soup. Money won and lost at Persian Monarchs, the slipping of mickey's into people's drinks, and a Duke who throws eggs at people who whistle The Bonny Bonny Banks of Lock Lomand outside his window add to the hilarity. Of course, Mr. Wodehouse's unique turn-of-phrase doesn't disappoint in this delightful novel. I recommend this book to anyone who seeks diversion from reality. A must-read.

A complete Wodehouse fanatic, I would have trouble giving less that five stars to anything I have read so far. Uncle Fred is a particularly good one to add to the guest room bookshelf----incredibly funny and nice light reading for a few days away from home.

All that and much more can be found in this delightful little book. Broken down into chapters focusing on different geographic regions, Dr. Karl Shuker takes the reader on a wonderful tour of the strange, mysterious and sometimes down right bizarre. Some of the material is thought provoking, other stuff Dr. Shuker openly admits to be hoaxes. Still, this book can provide fun reading for both adults and children, particularly those interested in the paranormal. All the usual things you'd expect are here... ghosts, sea serpents, bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, Atlantis, crop circles, spontaneous human cumbustion. But there are also plenty of lesser known gems to pick through as well.

The first chapter is focused on Ireland and the British Isles, showing the region's rich heritage of hauntings, alongside the Loch Ness monster, black dogs, spring heeled Jack, alien big cats, stonehenge and stranger things. Next, we delve into historical mysteries of continental Europe, continental Europe like Kasper Hauser, Austria's tatzelwurm, alchemy, the Comte St. Germain, Leonardo da Vinci and the Voynich manuscript. A chapter on Africa and the Middle East explores both Biblical mysteries like the Ark of the Covenant, King Solomon's mines and Noah's ark beside more primal mysteries of the Dark Continent such as dinosaurs in the Congo, man-eating trees in Madagascar, pygmy elephants and strange snakes.

A chapter on Asia explores the mystics and occult lore of the east, such as the Himalayan yeti, fakir magic in India, the Tunguska enigma, the lost city of Shambhala, and Mongolia's death worm. Moving on to Latin America, we get treated to the mysteries of the Aztecs and Inca, Puerto Rico's chupacabra, giant anacondas lurking the Amazon, Voodoo and the crystal skulls of doom. Closer to home, a chapter on North America covers such infamous American phenomena as the Minnesota ice man, thunderbirds, the Marfa lights, Edgar Cayce, the Jersey Devil and alien abductions. A final chapter focuses on Australia and the Pacific, examining sea serpents, Uluru, the Aboriginal Dreamtime, the lost continent of Mu and the survival of the Thylacine.

This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. The book covers so much other stuff that I don't have time or space to get into here. More obscure stuff that you rarely see in other books, including several photographs which I believe are unique to this book. If your interested in the paranormal, you should probably get this book.

I have more than my share of cryptozoology and paranormal (pity that those two are so often lumped together) texts among my multi-thousand-volume library. Shuker's stands out as a beacon light amid an ocean of foolishness, for his are the words of an objective scientist to truly employs the scientific method and is open to being amazed, not jaded against progress. (By way of contrast, promulgators of the "scientific method" such as CSICOP's Joe Nickell seem utterly unable to approach any mystery with an open mind, declaring it non-mysterious a priori and carefully working backward to those subsets of "the facts" that support their theses.) Shuker weaves a handsome panorama that covers a broad swath of mysteries--ranging from cryptozoological to spectral to religious to geokinetic (I just coined that, but I refer [hopefully obviously] to rocks that move by themselves and that sort of thing)--and does so in a unique and refreshing continent-by-continent basis, giving the feel of a gazetteer with frequent, detailed sidebars. Bravo, Dr. Shuker, for a job well conceived and expertly realized. I shall treasure your balanced portrayal for years to come.

All that and much more can be found in this delightful little book. Broken down into chapters focusing on different geographic regions, Dr. Karl Shuker takes the reader on a wonderful tour of the strange, mysterious and sometimes down right bizarre. Some of the material is thought provoking, other stuff Dr. Shuker openly admits to be hoaxes. Still, this book can provide fun reading for both adults and children, particularly those interested in the paranormal. All the usual things you'd expect are here... ghosts, sea serpents, bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, Atlantis, crop circles, spontaneous human cumbustion. But there are also plenty of lesser known gems to pick through as well.

The first chapter is focused on Ireland and the British Isles, showing the region's rich heritage of hauntings, alongside the Loch Ness monster, black dogs, spring heeled Jack, alien big cats, stonehenge and stranger things. Next, we delve into historical mysteries of continental Europe, continental Europe like Kasper Hauser, Austria's tatzelwurm, alchemy, the Comte St. Germain, Leonardo da Vinci and the Voynich manuscript. A chapter on Africa and the Middle East explores both Biblical mysteries like the Ark of the Covenant, King Solomon's mines and Noah's ark beside more primal mysteries of the Dark Continent such as dinosaurs in the Congo, man-eating trees in Madagascar, pygmy elephants and strange snakes.

A chapter on Asia explores the mystics and occult lore of the east, such as the Himalayan yeti, fakir magic in India, the Tunguska enigma, the lost city of Shambhala, and Mongolia's death worm. Moving on to Latin America, we get treated to the mysteries of the Aztecs and Inca, Puerto Rico's chupacabra, giant anacondas lurking the Amazon, Voodoo and the crystal skulls of doom. Closer to home, a chapter on North America covers such infamous American phenomena as the Minnesota ice man, thunderbirds, the Marfa lights, Edgar Cayce, the Jersey Devil and alien abductions. A final chapter focuses on Australia and the Pacific, examining sea serpents, Uluru, the Aboriginal Dreamtime, the lost continent of Mu and the survival of the Thylacine.

This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. The book covers so much other stuff that I don't have time or space to get into here. More obscure stuff that you rarely see in other books, including several photographs which I believe are unique to this book. If your interested in the paranormal, you should probably get this book.

All that and much more can be found in this delightful little book. Broken down into chapters focusing on different geographic regions, Dr. Karl Shuker takes the reader on a wonderful tour of the strange, mysterious and sometimes down right bizarre. Some of the material is thought provoking, other stuff Dr. Shuker openly admits to be hoaxes. Still, this book can provide fun reading for both adults and children, particularly those interested in the paranormal. All the usual things you'd expect are here... ghosts, sea serpents, bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, Atlantis, crop circles, spontaneous human cumbustion. But there are also plenty of lesser known gems to pick through as well.

The first chapter is focused on Ireland and the British Isles, showing the region's rich heritage of hauntings, alongside the Loch Ness monster, black dogs, spring heeled Jack, alien big cats, stonehenge and stranger things. Next, we delve into historical mysteries of continental Europe, continental Europe like Kasper Hauser, Austria's tatzelwurm, alchemy, the Comte St. Germain, Leonardo da Vinci and the Voynich manuscript. A chapter on Africa and the Middle East explores both Biblical mysteries like the Ark of the Covenant, King Solomon's mines and Noah's ark beside more primal mysteries of the Dark Continent such as dinosaurs in the Congo, man-eating trees in Madagascar, pygmy elephants and strange snakes.

A chapter on Asia explores the mystics and occult lore of the east, such as the Himalayan yeti, fakir magic in India, the Tunguska enigma, the lost city of Shambhala, and Mongolia's death worm. Moving on to Latin America, we get treated to the mysteries of the Aztecs and Inca, Puerto Rico's chupacabra, giant anacondas lurking the Amazon, Voodoo and the crystal skulls of doom. Closer to home, a chapter on North America covers such infamous American phenomena as the Minnesota ice man, thunderbirds, the Marfa lights, Edgar Cayce, the Jersey Devil and alien abductions. A final chapter focuses on Australia and the Pacific, examining sea serpents, Uluru, the Aboriginal Dreamtime, the lost continent of Mu and the survival of the Thylacine.

This stuff is just the tip of the iceberg. The book covers so much other stuff that I don't have time or space to get into here. More obscure stuff that you rarely see in other books, including several photographs which I believe are unique to this book. If your interested in the paranormal, you should probably get this book.

Let me cut to the chase. If the reader is sceptical of the paranormal, this book is a good place to start. Karl Shuker, who actually has a Ph.D. in zooloogy, dissects many of the popular and forgotten mysteries from places all over the world, and from magazines like the dubious Fate and the more credible Fortean Times. He takes the cases, lays out the facts and comes to conclusions by graciously mentioning the scientific evidence and comparing it against what has been said elsewhere and what he witnessed. And if the explanations are too abstruse, then he will entertain with his mordant wit. A competent book in a normally incompetent field.

( If this book appeals to your tastes, I would further recommend Karl Shuker's other books, especially "From Flying Toads to Snakes with Wings" which specializes in mysterious animals, the works of Bernard Heuyvelmans, the father of cryptozoology, Ivan T. Sanderson, and Janet and Colin Bord. Most of the other people in the field are really amateurish tin horns (e.g. Budd Hopkins and Whitley Striebert) who are convinced they are doing the work of God. The aforementioned authors are cool and objective in an area rife with hoaxes and misinformation.)