Canada Books

Have you ever worked for an organization that held a launch meeting for an important new program? If so, you've probably had a hard time getting too worked up over making the shareholders richer or outselling a competitor you don't really think much of. There must be more to life and work! If you've had that thought, Going Deep is a good choice for you.

Ian Percy describes the individual and organizational journeys that can lead to creating a spiritual center for your life and that of an organization you lead. By reading about those way stations, you'll be able to better understand where you and your organization are today . . . and what's next!

The strength of this book comes in Mr. Percy's extraordinary emotional and spiritual intelligence which allow him to make interior journeys as easy to read about and understand as any travelogue about going to California for the first time. He is a natural story teller (either that or he hides his deliberations better than most) who makes reading about spiritual progress a joy.

My own experience has been that all organizations have an unstated spiritual purpose that motivates everyone to accomplish more of what matters. But this purpose is usually treated like it doesn't exist . . . or possibly even is a taboo subject. Bring that inspiration out into the open, and an emotional catharsis follows that encourages more explicit pursuit of spiritually inspired accomplishments. It's a lovely human experience to unleash all that caring and effectiveness. A lot of good things happen as well . . . both in individual lives and for the organization's stakeholders. With this book, I believe that these fundamental and essential impulses will have a better chance to move from the implicit to the explicit.

Bravo, Mr. Percy!

Powerful and compelling. It's about time someone reveals the true secrets to success in business. Highly recommended.

Beyond "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," this work is a must read for anyone seeking a perspective on how to leave the myth of "security" behind, especially when sailing into unchartered waters. Percy's shared experiences and inspiring insights are like a salve for those wounded and lost souls, who are both driven and tossed about by the uncertain currents of today's world of work. "Going Deep" compels readers to do just that, by examining their own lives for meaning and direction.

Who would have thought "Soul & Business" could be used in relationship with each other? What a visionary masterpiece "Going Deep" is.

Had the pleasure of being in attendance at one of Mr. Percy's speaking engagements and picked up the book. His 11 Commandments of business are truly inspired.

Going Deep is the "Power of Positive Thinking" for the new age of business.

Buy this book!

Going Deep, offers a thought-provoking exploration of how we create meaning and soul in our workplaces. I was privileged to review a pre-press manuscript. Highlighter in hand, I found myself circling thoughts on many pages, laughing, pondering, nodding and relishing the most sensitive yet practical leadership I've read in years. Through Ian, a provocative international consultant and facilitator, you'll get first-hand insight into what happens when individuals move through "the great shuddering" into an engagement with life through work.

I love, love, LOVE this play.

It is wrought with the same care and cleverness of the Bard Himself. It is a Cinderella story with a feminist twist, with oodles of authentic Shakespeare woven right in. It borrows from the best of Shakespeare's comedy, complete with a breeches role.

Every single character is absolutely hilarious and drawn with a deft hand.

Fabulous.

I love this play! I would love to have my students perform it, but alas there are one or two pages that are a little too suggestive for the innocents in our cohort.
I actually enjoyed this play more than I enjoyed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It is witty and clever with just enough tongue-in-cheek.

Two reviewers from HS drama clubs, and one comparison to Japanese anime. Don't let that mislead you into thinking this is some lightweight juvenile fluff. It is more in the line of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. As someone who has loved reading and watching Shakespeare's plays for over 35 years, I am delighted to see Ann-Marie MacDonald not only play with Shakespeare but do it intelligently. Amidst the linguistic and theatric whimsey there are some true and serious observations and the best explanation yet of why some characters in Shakespeare's tragedys are such idiots. Who says learning can't be great fun?

Just finished a production of this at our school - absolutely halarious. Very, very much recommended for high school theater. Absolutely great

"Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)" is the funniest play I have ever read or seen. I am currently playing Constance in a high school production of the play, and the more we go along, the more we discover about the play. Upon first reading, it is an absolutely hilarious twist of Shakespeare's "Othello" and "Romeo and Juliet." But reading it a second, and even a third time will reveal subtle innuendos and wordings (warning: LOTS of sexual innuendos in this play!) that contain so much wit and humour that your respect for Anne-Marie MacDonald will grow with every scene. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you can familiarize yourself with the plots of both "Othello" and "Romeo and Juliet" before reading or seeing the play, then your enjoyment will increase, because you will have a basic understanding of how the characters have been re-interpreted. OH MY GOODNESS -- READ THIS PLAY!

This is a remarkable and interesting book about human consciousness. Really - it is much more interesting than it sounds like it would be. This is not a New Age-y manifesto but a amusing trip through sleep and waking life.

It is written by a journalist, not a scientist or doctor, and it has a fun, quirky style with a lot of humorous comic book style diagrams.

The first, most interesting, half is about sleep. Different stages of sleep and types of dreams. The best parts are the sections about lucid dreaming and the watch. I am a person who strives to achieve lucid dreams and I liked the stories about people who are tremendously successful lucid dreamers, and ways to improve the chances of having lucid dreams.

The section on "the watch" changed the way I looked at sleep. Our modern expectation is that we will have an Ambien night - go to bet, konk out, and wake up in the morning remembering nothing of the night while we were asleep. Historically, the author tells s, people fully expected to lie awake for a while in the middle of the night. It turns out that this is, to quote the Talking Heads, a "good place to get some thinking done."

This book has actually changed my life, in a sense, because I now no longer dread lying awake for a while in the middle of the night, but see it as a positive thing. Plus, f you no longer fear "the watch" it doesn't last as long. If I'm not afraid of being awake for a while I get back to sleep much more quickly.
The second half on waking consciousness, regrettably, was not nearly as interesting.

But seriously, I would highly recommend this book to anybody who ever sleeps (or is awake). Ha ha - sleep is a huge part of our lives, but how much do we even know about it?

The Head Trip is an excellent survey of consciousness exploration, and it reads well as both thoughtful introduction and detailed analysis. Jeff Warren approaches these interrelated subjects with a carefully balanced blend of engaging subjectivity, open scientific inquiry, honest skepticism and playful humor. The book has much to offer both to those who are new to thinking about the nature of the mind, and to those long experienced in investigating the various states of consciousness available to all of us. With roots in a long literary tradition and continuous reference to current scientific study, Warren embarks on an admirable attempt to get his head around his own head, and his thoroughly researched journeys are rich with insight and provocative potential.

The book's trajectory extends through hypnagogia, circadian rhythms, sleep and dreams, trance, hypnosis, biofeedback and meditation. Warren entertains many of the tangled philosophical quandaries that naturally arise without ever drifting into the new age fru-fru with which these subjects are so often embraced. In fact he is distinctly aware of this tendency and circumvents it by consistently introducing fresh approaches to thinking, yet at one point still manages to have an engaging conversation with an imaginary Rastafarian Buddha in the process. This book is like a user's manual for your mind, and it's a lot of fun to read. Warren writes of his own experiences with the self-effacing candor of a skilled journalist, and his personal successes and failures will be immediately and empathetically recognizable to anyone who's ever attempted to explore the mind, which, in one way or another, is all of us.

The chapters on sleep and circadian rhythms are unexpectedly insightful. The later chapters on biofeedback and meditative absorption are more technical and demand the attention of the reader, but The Head Trip is well organized, consistently grounded and totally readable from start to finish. Warren's journey carries him eventually to a confrontation with his own suffering --perhaps the deepest motivation for consciousness exploration afterall-- and one hopes that his trials are ultimately as beneficial for him as they promise to be for the reader. As the Buddha, speaking in a tranquil Rastafarian droll, might encourage, Take this trip, mon. `Tis a mighty good one, jah yes...

Books on dreams and dreaming seem to fall into one of two types. Either it's an academic study with white-coated researchers measuring brain waves and chemistry, or it's personal accounts with perhaps a bit of counselling thrown in to establish credibility. Jeff Warren has made a sincere effort to combine these two methods. He's interviewed a number of brain/consciousness researchers as well as undergoing their testing procedures. The result is a highly personalised account of dreaming research as it stands today.

Don't be put off by the "pop-psych" title. Warren makes a serious attempt to bring to the lay reader some of the issues in consciousness studies. Except that much of this work involves the periods when we're not "conscious". His mechanism is to provide readers with a breakdown of consciousness, which he depicts as a wheel. A neat dozen segments are portrayed representing the chapter subjects to follow. The topics are enhanced with images of "passports" to explain where you are going and something of what you will learn. The passport gives the name of the topic, how to go there, what you might find and a personal example. "Passport" may be misleading - it's not a trip to a physical segment of the brain you are undertaking, but a tour of a condition.

The conditions have been the subject of many studies in recent years. Although much of the narrative is a list of Warren's personal experiences, those events have been done with the assistance of brain scientists. Warren carefully recounts the various theses proposed about what the brain is doing during sleep, dreaming, in "trance" state and other periods when it's more-or-less operating on automatic pilot. Many researchers are delving into these conditions from various perspectives, offering fresh insights and conclusions, although definitive theories remain elusive. It takes a book such as this to begin synthesizing the wide spectrum of ideas and proposals to begin formulating meaningful answers.

Active conscious states are a different topic, well covered, as Warren notes, elsewhere. There is also the issue of recording "events" or impressions gained during the various sleep or semi-conscious states. "Subjective science" becomes the knee-jerk response by some, who are generally attempting to dismiss this sort of research. As Warren reminds us, however, "subjective" accounts of what goes on in the brain during sleep is all we have. Measuring brain waves and neurochemistry tells us something of where in the brain changes occur and how intense those changes are, but only the subject can tell us what they perceive. Inadequate or not, we must use the tools available, and the subject of the experiment is the best one we have.

Warren, in order to demonstrate that fact, puts himself as the subject of many experiments related here. It is hoped the reader can at least identify with his concerns and disappointments, but clearly not all of the "tests" are likely to be repeated by a single individual. It's also apparent that the "ground state" of each reader will differ from every other, something Warren touches on too lightly to suit this reviewer. One topic that eludes him entirely is the non-dreamer. As one who has had no more than a dozen remembered dreams since childhood, much of this book remained elusive. I simply had no idea what the author, or even many of his scientific contributors were talking about. The chapter on "lucid dreaming" - dreams in which you are conscious of dreaming - seemed the height of fantasy. What is the state of research into brains that don't appear to dream, or fail to remember any that take place?

In a couple of chapters in the book, Warren delves into a "mind-body problem". However, the "problem" is one of his own devising - how do unconscious but impressionable states cause physiological changes in the body? The chapter on hypnosis is one of these, in which the author claims that women in the US have enlarged their breasts by a "group average of 1.37 inches [3.47 centimetres]". While there have been many researchers looking into brain-body interactive pathways, Warren either ignores them or hasn't heard of them [i.e., Antonio Damasio is mentioned because one of Warren's interviewees had a copy on a shelf, but V.S. Ramachandran isn't present anywhere here]. Nonetheless, like so many works on related topics available today, Warren's book raises many issues that demand attention. Neither his book nor the work of those he relates can be ignored nor dismissed as "soft science". These are the plans and bricks needed to build the edifice we call the "mind". Understanding that is essential to our comprehension of what we are as a species. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The concepts here may not be new for those who've gone of the way to get experienced with their consciousness, but the level of detail (dig that bibliography!) and attention to recent developments in various fields -- sleep science, neurofeedback, even hypnosis -- is enough to inspire all sorts of new inquiry.

For the "layperson," however, or "non-freak," this condenses what it took your average freak ten years of living to explore and confirm on his own. Read it and save yourself the time!

There has over the past few decades been an increasing interest in something which we all take for granted: consciousness. Just how the inert molecules in the brain manage to make us conscious, or just what consciousness is, or what the different states of consciousness are, hits on huge questions within philosophy and neurology, questions that remain mysterious. To heck with all the mystery; let's just have some fun! That seems to be the attitude of Jeff Warren, a writer and broadcaster who specializes in science themes, in _The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness_ (Random House). Not to be too grandiose: in the illustrations in the book, that's the "Wheel O' Consciousness". Warren sets out to pursue consciousness, not just the waking, sleeping, and dreaming that we all go through (although his nocturnal adventures are among the most interesting), but also hypnosis and meditation and more. He does have fun throughout, and doesn't mind telling us about it in jocular, enthusiastic prose (and his own cartoon illustrations), although anyone who thinks about consciousness for a long time will wind up, well, thinking about it for a long time. There is thus a lot here to chuckle over and to contemplate.

Just dreaming is not enough. Warren has to pursue different types of dreaming, like hypnagogic dreams, the ones that last a few minutes just as you are falling into sleep. Warren writes about how to use hypnagogia for problem solving, and it produced the idea of this book, but some of the ideas he had were real lemons ("... this isn't magic, it's still your fallible human brain operating.") In a lucid dream, you know you are dreaming and you can play around in the dream world, pushing it to do what you want. But Warren himself has some difficulty with manipulating a character in a specific dream; conjuring up a dream meeting with a long-ago crush, he scoops her into his arms to find, "It was like kissing a zombie. Her head lolled to the side and her eyes were blank. Man, my characters were terrible, what the hell was wrong with me? I was disgusted with myself. No wonder I wrote nonfiction." Warren goes to investigate "The Watch", a period of wakefulness in the middle of the night that might be the natural pattern of sleeping given to us by our tribal days. He tries hypnosis, he investigates daydreaming (yes, some scientific research has been done on daydreaming), and of course he gets hooked up to a biofeedback (or more specifically neurofeedback) machine. He goes to a seven-day Buddhist meditation retreat, and reports on all the paradoxes he finds in "the experience of no experience".

Warren doesn't do drugs. Or at least none of the chapters here is devoted to any sort of illicit experimentation, but during his neurofeedback phase, "One friend remarked that I seemed more relaxed, but that may have been because I was drunk at the time." Almost all the conscious states here are available to anyone, although like Warren you might have to invest time and money to find the particular expert to bring the state on. The appeal of this funny and informative book is best when it throws light on states like sleep and dreams and daydreams, states which all of us go though and to which few of us pay as much obsessive attention as Warren has. "We can learn to direct our own states of consciousness," he insists, and he has demonstrated the truth of this astonishing fact in his researches. We might not all learn to do so, but we would be wise to attend and celebrate states with the jubilation and delight that Warren presents to us.

I don't usually like "mystery" or "suspense" novels, but this book took me by surprise and proved impossible to put down. The plot is not "overlong and overwrought". In fact, Findley builds the story meticulously. Right from the first page a sense of forboding and horror pervades the book, very much as in the model, Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" (also used by Coppola in "Apocalypse Now"). Perhaps not a "successor" to Conrad's novel, but certainly a very worthwhile development from it and one which does not owe its genius to the original. Certainly the reader will get more out of this book having read Conrad.

This book should please suspense readers as well as those after something a little more substantial. I am very surprised the book is not better known and am curious to read more by Timothy Findley.

Findley updates the distrubing images and symbolism of Conrad's classic Heart of Darkness, in this riveting epic. The character development is incredibly precise and leaves the reader with a true sense of being invloved with the characters. It is much easier to comprehend if you have read and studied Conrad's book, but a must for anyone who enjoyed the classic. Headhunter is book that will stay with you for the ages.

The Headhunter was good. I laughed, I was amazed, I was scared, I was glad. What more could you ask for. Good job Timothy Findley. Keep up the good work.

This is a superb literary thriller, the thinking person's antidote to hip, but mind-numbing, pop culture referencing. It helps to have some stored up memories of Heart of Darkness, as well as other works such as The Great Gatsby, but its chills do not extend only to the bookish. Warning: This book reveals what "the horror, the horror" means to a late 20th c. audience. It's not for the squeamish, but it is worthy of attention

Headhunter is a complex novel which combines images from Conrad's Heart of Darkness (the escape of Mr. Kurtz) and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Jay Gatz, the lady in white) into a superb psycological novel. Findley is a master of the screw-with-your-head type of novel, and he has proved it with Headhunter.

The novel has countless dimensions that cannot be revealed through one reading. I look forward to reading it again (when I get it back from the last person I told "You HAVE to read this!").

It's lengthy, but definitly worth the time. Enjoy the book!

This is a nice read for history books. A lot of information. This is also good for someone who is studying American Literature because it is a good background source.

I was required to read this book for a seminary class and instead of being intimidated or turned off by its over 500 pages, I found the book to be an extremely enjoyable read.

Noll describes the spread of Christianity from the Roman Catholicism of the 1500s to today's pluralism. Particulary enjoyable were the chapters on: the Puritans, The Great Awakenings, Churches in the American Revolution, Evangelical America during the Civil War, Intellectual Challenges to the Christian Faith in the Early 1900s, certain personalities (Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Fulton Sheen), and the Southern Baptist Convention.

A very interesting read, I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the history of Christianity in America!

Read and enjoy and do not be turned off by the size of the book!

This is a very good book for Church History. It is a single volume that is written on a fairly east-to-read level. If you've not read a Church History reference before, this would be a good choice with which to start.

Mark Noll's works are always good.

This book helps us to remember the Christian Heritage of our country. By studying the Christian Heritage of our country we can see how the secular history has played out too and how they go hand in hand. This book by Mark A. Noll helps to bring this rich history in an easy to read format. This book is also a great resource for research and to help with illustrations for sermons and Sunday School lessons.

This excellent, detailed history shows what was new about Christianity in the New World. It portrays the dramatic contrasts between official colonial churches and various refugee sects, with their different visions of how they might relate to each other. Where the first colonies, provinces or states usually had official state churches, Noll documents the issues of church relations on the borders or frontiers between these domains. Into these zones, dissidents of all stripes fled from state-backed religion. And in areas where no religious group had a majority, Noll records how people learned to meet their community needs and get along: "The result was a degree of interdenominational tolerance probably unknown anywhere else in the world at that time". (p. 89) Noll's statement may overlook the religious diversity of India or China, but for the Christian world it applied.

Of course Noll's book holds far more, and is of interest to people of every denomination in Canada and the USA. I was just most impressed by the explanation of how religion in North America escaped state control.

--author of "Different Visions of Love"

This was a very practical, down to earth guide to preparing and using herbal medicines. Seldom do you find such a straightforward easy to follow handbook on the proper preparation, storage and usage of both homegrown and purchased herbs. An extremely valuable tool to minister to the health of the whole family, young and old. Attractive full color photos and easy to follow descriptions make for a very pleasant reading experience. Fun and interesting, Ms. Ody includes instructions and cautions to ensure correct usage of these herbs, and avoid unpleasant side effects or complications of existing health conditions. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in herbal medicine for the home.

Dorling Kindersley's Home Herbal is a lovely book containing information on 60 commonly used herbs and how to use them in health remedies. The book outlines common health problems encountered at various stages of the life cycle from babies to teenagers to pregnant women to old age. The herbs are presented with beautiful photos and easy-to-understand instructions how to prepare remedies such as decoctions and poultices. There is also an alphabetical list of health problems, including what herbs to use and how to treat those problems. Another winning book from DK.

This is a very good book for beginers and people who want to make their own herbal remedies. The pictures are clear and beautifuly done. The instructions make it very understandable for everyone. Also included are treatments for a mixture of common ailments and a good "How To" instruction on the preparation of remedies. There is alot of very helpful info. in this book.

From babies to the elderly Penelope Ody addresses the seven stages of life and how to care for ourselves at each one. Her emphasis is on taking charge of one's own day to day health. She teaches us how to make and use syrups, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, tonic wines, capsules, compresses, poultices, hot and cold infused oils, massage oils, ointments, creams, lotions, emulsions, eyewashes, mouthwashes and more. There are full color photos of how she makes these as well as of the plants she uses. There is a remedies for common aliments section that lists the herbs used for specific problems and which way of using it is preferable. I am sure when Shakespeare wrote of the seven ages of man he had no idea how stressful life would be in the 21st century and how necessary health maintenance would be. Penelope Ody has it figured out though. Thank Goodness.

The highlight of this book for me was the wonderful section on making herbal remedies: full color descriptions for crafting syrups, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, tonic wines, capsules, pessaries, compresses, poultices, infused oils, massage oils, ointments, creams, lotions, emulsions, and washes ... the beginning herbalist can feel comfortable knowing she is crafting safely and correctly ... and the A-Z of herbs helps make sure you're using the right plant!

This very funny take on fatherhood by Mr. Eddy should have a place of honour on every new parent's bookshelf-right alongside whichever overly earnest new authority is the current guru on childrearing.Dead-on in its insights into parenting and family life,it's the perfect antidote to the notion that marriage and babies is the end to life as we know it.

Housebroken is a book about parenting for people who aren�t interested in books about parenting. Finally, a witty, playful AND philosophical take on the biggest decision of your life, by one of the funniest authors of our day.

Eddie�s new book is a fresh break from the slightly bitter, bleary eyed assessments of this ancient art: You don�t get any sleep? You don�t say! Instead of whining about scraping applesauce off the walls for 10 pages, Housebroken explores new ground with the kind of details you�ve always want to know, especially for lads: Is it possible to still be cool as a Dad? What happens to your mojo? Your sex life? What REALLY changes? What do you actually need to know to be a Dad?

It�s all here in Housebroken for the anxious Dad-to-be. Think About A Boy meets Bukowski and you�re getting warm. Eddie�s transition from Cad to Dad is the story for every man who is taking the leap or even just thinking about it. That mysterious gap between the single life and fatherhood is traversed with enough insight and original humor to give the nervous newcomer a very clear idea of what to expect.

Still, it�s not a dude book exclusively. For all those girls out there wondering about that tormented clown expression on your man�s face whenever the subject of children comes up � read this!

Whether you�re a parent in waiting, just flirting with the idea or sure you�re not going to breed, Housebroken is a hilarious and inspiring read, the first of it�s kind on the topic of domestic Dads.

Start with one part humorous self-criticism, add two rounds of the battle of the sexes, season with sleeplessness, stir-in references to unsuccessful careers and the writing process, baste with challenging child care, season with memorable one-liners and smooth writing, wrap in love, and cover with household chores and frustrations. That's the recipe for Housebroken, a survival manual for any man who's about to become a stay-at-home in-charge-of-it-all Dad of a little one and humorous relief for Moms everywhere.

Mr. Eddie's writing and perspective remind me very much of Erma Bombek and her descriptions of how your children drive you crazy. The main differences are that Mr. Eddie is a better writer and uses fewer one-liners. The ones he does use are priceless though: "Dressing small children is not as easy as you might think. First buy an octopus and a string bag . . . ."

Here are the chapter titles:

1. A Square Peg

2. "She's Perfect"

3. A Cad's Fear of Kids

4. "I'm a Househusband."

5. The Advent of Nicholas

6. Our Horrible Honeymoon

7. The Hong Kong Handover

8. The Politics of Drudgery

9. How to Cook

10. Towards a Possible Redefinition of Machismo

11. "What Do You Do All Day?"

12. How to Dad

The book recounts how Mr. Eddie transitioned from being adrift in his own urban world of freelance writing, messy digs and chasing available women to fathering a son, marrying, and becoming the primary care-giver for that child in the suburbs while his "perfect" wife returned to her high-paying career in television news. In the process, he steals a few moments to nap and reflect (and occasionally to write). All writers will love and appreciate his fascination with old, cheap typewriters (so there's always one nearby where he can peck out notes for a writing idea no matter where he is in the house). He's certainly not Super Dad . . . more like Improving, Loving Dad.

Although the book is played primarily for laughs, it switches somewhere midway through into a mostly reflective book on sexual roles and the love and care that a Father is capable of providing for his children. The reflection part played well with me because I've had several friends who have operated as single, stay-at-home fathers. Interestingly, each of them is a writer and has an outstanding sense of humor. I felt like deja vu as I read this fine book, from that perspective. Mr. Eddie's reflections exactly matched those of my friends.

Does being a writer create your destiny as a father? I hope not. The only male writer I knew when I was growing up was a hopeless alcoholic who passed out soon after finishing his writing quota for the day. His family walked around quietly until the next morning lest he be roused in an angry mood. But then again, Mr. Eddie does suggest that liquor makes the whole process more bearable. Hmmm. There's drink for reflection . . . er, I mean, food for thought.

The book made me delighted that my hard-working wife put me in charge of the outdoors while she does the heavy lifting indoors and with our wonderful teenage daughter. They're both napping now while I'm writing.

After you finish having fun with Housebroken, think about where your ideas of what Moms and Dads do is getting in the way of you and your children having a better relationship. Then, change what you do accordingly (after warning all involved so they don't think you're starting a new mid-life crisis). That's the ultimate reward from this book. Enjoy your parenting!

Housebroken is a book about parenting for people who aren�t interested in books about parenting. Finally, a witty, playful AND philosophical take on the biggest decision of your life, by one of the funniest authors of our day.

Eddie�s new book is a fresh break from the slightly bitter, bleary eyed assessments of this ancient art: You don�t get any sleep? You don�t say! Instead of whining about scraping applesauce off the walls for 10 pages, Housebroken explores new ground with the kind of details you�ve always want to know, especially for lads: Is it possible to still be cool as a Dad? What happens to your mojo? Your sex life? What REALLY changes? What do you actually need to know to be a Dad?

It�s all here in Housebroken for the anxious Dad-to-be. Think About A Boy meets Bukowski and you�re getting warm. Eddie�s transition from Cad to Dad is the story for every man who is taking the leap or even just thinking about it. That mysterious gap between the single life and fatherhood is traversed with enough insight and original humor to give the nervous newcomer a very clear idea of what to expect.

Still, it�s not a dude book exclusively. For all those girls out there wondering about that tormented clown expression on your man�s face whenever the subject of children comes up � read this!

Whether you�re a parent in waiting, just flirting with the idea or sure you�re not going to breed, Housebroken is a hilarious and inspiring read, the first of it�s kind on the topic of domestic Dads.

This book is absolutely hilarious! It is warm, funny, smart, and should be read by dads AND moms alike. Ladies, don't let the title sway you from picking this up.
David Eddie details his days as a bachelor wonderfully, complete with descriptions of his apartment such as putting food out on his "trunk/coffee table in his living/dining/bedroom/study area". He leaves this swinging lifestyle for Pam, "Ms.Right", and they purchase a home across from a mental health center. The irony of raising a child, (a job that can be mentally stressful at times as any parent knows), across from an actual mental health center was just too funny for me!
David Eddie and Pam married when she was 5 months pregnant with their son, and due to several lay offs for David and Pam's growing career, he ultimately becomes the stay-at-home parent to their little boy Nicholas. He talks about middle of the night wake ups, people making unsolicited comments on his parenting in public, and finding adventure in his neighborhood. He gives advice on methods of child rearing that have come to work for him, and commiserates on topics that any parent can appreciate, such as "Nap Time: Your Window to Sanity".
I love this book because it's a real life account of a 'househusband', but it's just as touching and funny for me as a woman and mother. I was touched and amused by a father's point of view on his child coming into the world; as he put it, "he felt anxiety and protectiveness toward him and hoped he would always be warm and dry in the world and find happiness". His stories about the birth experience, his relationship with Pam before and after baby, vacationing, all ring true and made me laugh out loud. It's great that he takes over what is usually considered a 'mother/female role', and keeps his masculinity in tact. He manages to be nuturing and 'just one of the guys' at the same time.
Kudos to David Eddie, personally AND professionally!!

A neighbor invites you to a Seder; what should you bring? Your Hindi coworkers are getting married; what's an appropriate wedding present? You're visiting a new church with family; how much should you put in the offering plate? The mosque in your neighborhood is having an open house during Ramadan; is it OK to wear a crucifix?

All these mundane issues related with being a polite and gracious visitor in other people's homes and places of worship are covered in this handy reference book. When my son was very young, my husband and I agreed he could visit any church he liked, as long as I accomanied him. I got this book so that, no matter what kind of church we attend, we are always respectful of the worshippers there. It turned out to be useful for more than that, though, because they do not just explain the standard worship services. Customs for birth initiations (infant baptisms, naming ritutals), coming of age initiations (bar mitzvahs and adult baptism), weddings, funerals, and interments are all presented to help a visitor understand his hosts better.

Various Christian denominations and non-Christian faiths are presented, along with the basic tenets of their faiths (this is NOT intended to be a primer on theology, just a heads-up on what to expect), proper dress code for any kind of service, and an understanding of what constitutes polite in various religions. The authors are sensitive both to the guests and the hosts in their descriptions of everything from marriage customs and wedding ceremonies to whether or not a woman's hem needs to fall below her knees. Concepts about why these customs exist are not presented, so there is no judgment even implied about what is an acceptable custom. It is never suggested that a visitor must do something that is against their religious beliefs. In fact, the authors go so far as to explain what foods may be served and whether or not wine is served at meals and communions so the visitor won't be breaking any of his own doctrinal rules.

This is not intended to be a book read from cover-to-cover, as it repeats itself often. However, it is good to at least skim ahead of time so you are prepared when meeting someone from a new (to you) faith. One note, this books is only interested in organized faiths that are generally opened to outsiders, have large-ish populations, and that have set times and places to meet. They also do not dwell on the differences between sects of Judaism and Islam. Again, they are not explaining the tenets of faith in depth, just the outward polite practices.

Excellent reference. I use it often. It is not religious. It is about learning to respect customs & etiquette for multi-ethnic understanding in social situations. I have referred to it for community fund raising, business meetings, scheduling meetings, how to do what when and what to wear to funerals, batisms, weddings, etc.

Very useful reference to be used over and over as our world becomes smaller. It just isn't sensitive to assume that other people's religious practices are the same as your own. This book helps you to understand what to do when you come into contact with the diversity of religions and cultures that mark postmodern society.

Deftly edited by Stuart M. Matlins and Arthur J. Magida, How To Be A Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook is an outstanding compendium and documentation of what is ultimately the religions of the world. Inclusive of a great detailing of the African American Methodist Churches, Assemblies of God, Bahai, Baptist, Buddhist, Christian Church, Christian Science, Churches of Christ, Episcopalian and Anglican, Hindu, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jewish, Lutheran, Mennonite/Amish, Methodist, Mormon, Native American/First Nations, Orthodox Churches, Penticostal Church of God, Presbyterian, Quaker, Reformed Church in America/Canada, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Canada, and the United Church of Christ, How To Be A Perfect Stranger acts as a reference and well researched guide to a significant understanding of many of today's religions and their progression from historical backgrounds. How To Be A Perfect Stranger is very strongly recommended to all students of religion, those searching for a religion which may righteously favor their beliefs, or those merely seeking a greater understanding of societal religious perspectives.

Not only is this an invaluable reference book that provides reassuring guidance on how to act, what to wear, what to expect from the liturgical services of virtually all world religions, it also gives a concise, handy detailing of exactly what each of the religions believes in, teaches, and how and when it got its start. Handy for when you're about to attend a wedding or other life-cycle event within a faith with which you're unfamiliar, or if you're simply going to be a guest at a religion's worship service. A well-written, informative study done in plain, everyday language.

It truly boggles my mind why this is not a more popular program in the U.S. for it is such fun and creative way to learn to read. My dd was 5 when we started it, in a few weeks she was reading simple CVC words and now a month later she is reading Dr. Seuss and sentences out of "The Boxcar Children."

The Handbook, the Finger phonics books and the Phonics workbook make up the gist of the program. But the videos are extremely helpful in reinforcing the letters and sounds through cute characters, and the teaching video is helpful to start off the "nervous" parent who may not be confident in teaching a child how to read.

A special favorite is the wall frieze which hangs up in my dd's bedroom as a wall border, and for weeks, with no prodding from mom, she would go over the sounds with their "motions" before she would sleep at night. She was having so much fun she never thought she was learning.

This program does not have the feel of "sit down and plod through a boring workbook" as there are so many activities, via audiotory, visual and tactile that not once has my dd said let's stop because I am bored.
I cannot image a parent being bored either or frustrated because a child "just cannot get the sounds" because of the creative and innovative methods the authors have developed.

*If your child is having problems with writing, you may want to skip the writing portion and teach just the letter sounds and then move on. The Sassoon type face is a nice font to learn and my dd loved putting "tails" on her letters.

I feel so fortunate that I found this program first and did not have to sift through program after program to find "that right one" for my child. In the end this was very cost effective and seeing my dd really enjoy reading is worth every penny.

Jolly Phonics deserves 10 stars or more, but as five is the highest in this system, I'm giving it five plus. After watching these tapes for just about a month, my daughter learned to read--and she's only two and a half years old. She loves the adventures of Inky and friends, and she likes to repeat after them, thus learning phonics in the process. A great set of books, tapes, magnets, and stencils! Inventive, effective, and just right for 2 1/2 - 5 yr. olds.

You will not regret buying this program!! We are Americans who lived in England for 6 years. My older 3 were very fortunate to go through several years of primary school there and learned to read with Jolly Phonics, which is now part of the UK's National Curriculum. I can't say enough great things about this program, and only wish it were widely used in schools here! It was introduced in preschool, my children all started school the year they turned 5 (they were actually 4 1/2 when they started), and by the end of their first year they were all fairly fluent readers. Not only is it effective, it is FUN. Kids learn BEST when they are having fun in the process. I saw the program in action in the classroom as a parent volunteer, and was so completely sold - you should have seen the smiles on those children's faces, and the pride in themselves they showed when I would listen to them read individually. I couldn't believe how advanced those children in that school were in reading and spelling compared to here in the USA. My kids went on to be very avid readers, always having their noses in books of all sorts. I will definitely be buying this program for my youngest two, who are now preschoolers, and using it at home.

We were introduced to Jolly Phonics while living in England. This phonics program is heads above the crowd in teaching phonics. The multi-level approach to teaching the basic sounds of the English language are successful and fun. The student workbooks, puzzles, stencils and videos make learning fun. The teacher workbook has loads of reproducibles and additional activities to reinforce and encourage reading and writing. I continue to be amazed at the results I have seen in my daughter and other children using this approach.

Our daughter's teacher in England had been teaching 4-5 year olds for 20 years when she was introduced to Jolly Phonics. She too feels it is the best program she has ever seen, and as head of Key Stage One at the local primary school, she has really seen positive results. Studies in England have shown Jolly Phonics to be successful with children at all learning levels. A study done in our local county showed children learned 450% more using Jolly Phonics than children who used the traditional county phonics curriculum.

This program would be a runaway hit on this side of the Atlantic if more people knew about it. The program introduces the 42 sounds of the English language in sets of 6 sounds. At the end of each workbook, a child is already able to write and sound out words. The price of the boxed set is an incredible value for the money. As you can see, I love Jolly Phonics and only wish I had known about it in time for all my children to use.

This is the best phonics program out there. Jolly phonics is amazing!! I researched several programs and this one made the most sense. It teaches on several levels. For each phonic sound there is an action to go along and this helps them jog their memory. For each page in the books there is a recessed letter that you can "trace" with your finger to help children form letters correctly. The video will help you employ all the ways to teach. Also, the type setting the program uses is Sassoon Infant and with a couple extra strokes will enable them to learn cursive. You are encouraged to teach your child a new sound every day. Believe it or not, my very active four year old boy has no problem keeping up. (We did have to take a couple extra days on the letter T.) Because they learn the sounds so fast, they are reading words like: spin, tip, is, pat, sat, etc. in the first WEEK!!
The teaching aid handbook provides great "rules" to memorize, such as: When two vowels go walking, the first does the talking. This is very useful in the majority of double vowel words such as, goat, boat, pie, tie, train, snail, etc.

There are a series of workbooks included in the box. They are by far my sons favorite books (except for the dinosaur books) and he sits on his own and reads them all the time. He is only 4 years and 4 months old and I am astounded at the words he is reading. Right now we are on book 4 and he hounds me day and night to move to the next book, he always wants to learn more than one sound a day and I have to force him to slow down.

My schedule:
Introduce new sound using finger phonics book:
10-15 minutes to discuss sounds, action and pictures
5 minutes to cut out new letter and paste into his "sound book"
3 minutes to practice writing new letter (my son tires of this quickly and I try to keep him interested but my rule is: Stop before it's not fun anymore.
later in day,
5 minutes of showing Daddy what he learned (practice)in the evening.

He loves to watch the videos and that reinforces what he learns. This is a wonderful program. Engaging and colorful. Because this program utilizes actions for each sound, you can practice anywhere. I will silently act out the action for a small word and my son will "read" the word. Then he tries to "act" out a word, too, with some funny results. We do this in the car, during dinner, while I am nursing our new baby- it is a wonderful tool. I don't know why other programs haven't used this terrific method. This program is worth every penny and much, much, more. Look no further, and start reading!!
-Homeschooling Mommy of three boys

David Richards truly expresses the beauty and subtlety of fly fishing magnificenly. Whether a fly fisherman or not, this book truly is an enjoyable read. Through detailed and off-beat decriptions of his life and his love of the river, he reminds me why I love to read!

I read this book and every fishing trip I have ever been on came rushing back. As I read I could feel the weight of the fly vest on my shoulders and smell the campfire. No one other than a down home salmon fisherman could have written this book. While he fished the Mirimichi I fished the Restigouche and once had the privilidge of meeting his Uncle, Richard Adams, on the Matepedia.
I know the beauty of the land and the feeling of a line tighten under a heavy fish, Everything is so real, from the sound of the water and the singing of a reel being stripped of its line down to the irritating buzzing of the bugs. He speaks of the friendships on the river so accurately one knows it is not fiction.
A wonderful read that I tore through and will sit down again to read it again to savour anything I may have missed.
My only regret is there were only 5 stars to give it.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about a baby who does want to go to bed and so with a "vrruum-chugga-chug" zooms off in his little car awy from "the Mother" - he meets a sleepy tiger, dreaming soldiers, a resting train, and drowsy musicians until his little car itself falls asleep, not even the Moon will play - then he's rescued by the Mother and goes to bed - my little ones love it (and are usually asleep before the end!!)

This book is a joy to read. Richards tells his stories of the Miramichi as if you're around the campfire with him, and spins fish tales, one after another, not really connected but somehow all connected, till when you finish you feel you've somehow received wisdom. David Adams Richards is a master ---- I believe he's one of this era's great writers. Summary: The book is like Walden, but more interesting.

My neighbor lent this book to me when I was having trouble getting my 2 year old to go to bed and go to sleep with it being light out at bedtime during the summer. She loved the book and would ask for me to read it again every night. It is one of her favorite books. The action words really invite her to get involved in the story. Words like "vrrruuum-chugga-chug", roaring tigers, parading soldiers,resting not racing trains, musicians playing a lullaby, a sighing drowsy moon, and a yawning baby who doesn't want to stay up all night after his adventures. This could be a classic book.