Open Books

This writer is amazing. There is a depth and connection with the universe that is apparent in this extremely well written book of poetry.
I read it and feel chills when I realize the depth of feeling and insight of this writer.
Be still and listen to what Mr Gerald says and feels.

This book is easy to read and broken into logical chapters, yet still contains a wealth of information. Mr. Wilde walks you thorough his first several years of teaching and shows how his teaching methods evolved way beyond the usual read-and-report style. He also shows how he took a subject he was not very fond of and by incorporating new ideas he not only got his students to enjoy it, he enjoys it, too! (To find out what it is, you'll have to read the book!) He is also very approachable. I reviewed this book for a graduate course, and had a couple of questions I wanted to ask him. I looked him up on the web, found his email, and he responded very quickly. A great book and a super person all in one package ~ what more could a beginning teacher want as a resource? :o)

I moderate a list for people whose dogs have died and bought this book to learn more about grief. It is well written, has clear language that is direct and easy to understand, and is filled with understanding and compassion for the person who has lost someone dear and also for those who have ambivalent feelings about the deceased. One of the most poignant observations is that the people around the griever tend to get back to their normal routines soon and don't understand that the griever cannot.It gives the outlines of what people tend to go through after a loss. I've found that not all people will read a book like this after a death, so it might be more useful to read this simply to know beforehand that this is a good resource that you can go back to when you do need help.
F. Qualls

This story is one which will capture your heart and soul. A young girl is in a wedding and as the story unfolds you become part of the event. It is a great book for a young bridesmaid and will create excitement about the wedding. The ending of the story was really quite a surprise. The author was very sensitive and insightful concerning the young bridesmaid and such life changing events. The story stays with you long after you have read it. It creates a whole new dimension to weddings with a unique blend of reality and hope, sensitivity and strength. You will not soon forget this book.

Centuries ago the British Christian, Humphry Primatt, wrote this irrefutable book. A major theme is that every act of cruelty and irreverence against an animal is an affront to the Creator. Primatt politely argued that God declared all of his creatures were and are innately good and subsequently to cause them pain and suffering is a sin. He does not completely mandate veganism but he certainly mandated that people have no right to harm animals. Primatt was a Christian and a Creationist and if his objective and compassionate creed would have resonated, the Christian Religion would be more revered than it is now. Today's Christian leaders have completely ignored the hellish plight of God's nonhuman creatures. Primatt was a benevolent visionary and it is a shame that he has been completely overlooked. He was tantamount to a Christian Mahatma Gandhi !

Another great book from Lorraine. Lots of great guest authors also.

I found the book challenging in the sequence of books presented but the thoughts and ideas behind them and why they were presented, I thought was the best part. The extra articles in the back have been very helpful. You could use this book without much else.

My favorite ideas are the premise of focusing on the Bible, God speaking to us, History, God's movement revealed to us and Nature Study, God's glory revealed through creation.

This book is a great completion to her other two volumes, which I think are almost required to go-along with in order for a more complete understanding.

Written by experienced homeschooler and mother Lorraine Curry, Easy Homeshcooling Techniques General Edition is a solid "how-to" guide to home schooling with excellence in mind. From how to effectively plan, declutter, and organize lessons, to familiarizing oneself in and teaching science, arts, math and writing, to teaching great literature, requiring quality from one's students, and much more, Easy Homeschooling Techniques General Edition is sure to prove useful to homeschoolers with students of all ages, from kindergarten to high school. "Your schedule is a tool to help you get more learning done in less time. It is not your master but your slave. Do not use it as a weapon. Have an alternate schedule for the days you need to stay in bed a little longer. That way you won't be tempted to forget schooling completely on that day. Informal learning - such as reading aloud, library trips, vacations, field trips, or other outings - can also be counted as time spent on schooling, so don't fret if you have not spent as much time on task as your schedule says you should." An invaluable resource packed cover to cover with tips, tricks, and practical advice.

This was a great book that I took with me to Costa Rica last year. Also recommended: "Costa Rica: The Last Country The Gods Made."

I found this text to be well presented and easy to read. The case for collaboration between health and social care agenncies was well put forward. The focus upon partnership between service providers and users provides a useful resources for social workers attempting to adhere to anti-discriminatory principles.

I've just finished reading this book for a second time and it's struck me even harder that its almost criminal that Crystal Spirit is not more widely known.

It has a gripping narrative that held me from first page to last, and the second half is full of memorable scenes of the Spanish Civil War.

As a specialist historian of this conflict it was clear to me that Granelli had obviously done a tremendous amount of research, which is magically brought to life on the page in near flawless detail. There is little of the polemicising that often blights other treatments of the same subject matter, but the novel is not politically inert and apologists for the Nationalist regime will find little to reassure them here.

Granelli pulls off a difficult balancing act; producing an easily readable, driving narrative that rattles along with the locomotive momentum of a Dan Brown blockbuster but with the literary intelligence of a far more accomplished writer. For me, he achieves the ultimate success of a book well-written and accessible.

For those who know little or nothing about this obscure period of European history, which in many ways sowed the seeds nurtured by subsequent conflicts in Europe and which flowered in the cold war of the sixties and seventies, Crystal Spirit could also serve as a valuable précis as the central character, David Hicks, is present of all the major battle fronts. The first section - set in a Welsh valley in the 1930's - is also sharply defined, a sort of a matured, literary version of How Green Was My Valley. Ultimately, the books moves to a very satisfying and moving climax, managing to convey great sentiment without sentimentality.

I doubt that the book has sold many copies because I only found it by accident, but it deserves far wider distribution. I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone interested in good literature.

With the current vogue for "modern political/historical" movies such as "Enemy at the Gates" it seems a shame that some enterprising mogul hasn't optioned it...