The Story of the Stone is one of those books I picked up because I thought I would have some free time. No big deal, right? WRONG. It turned out that this novel is also one of those books it is IMPOSSIBLE to put down. No, the character development is not stunning. No, the writing is not awe-inspiring. This is not Hemingway or Thoreau or Maxine Hong Kingston. But the book has two great assets: a plot more complicated, addictive, and exciting than a first kiss, and a style of writing more engaging than a first marriage. A novel inspired by a combination of Chinese Mythology and the Hardy Boys, it truly takes mystery, suspense, and surprise to new heights. I recommend this book to everyone ready to ignore their friends for a few hours, because after the first few pages, that phone will be off the hook. Definately worth your time! Tickle your imagination and READ THIS BOOK.

I have read many English versions of the Story of the Stone, yet David Hawke's translation is by far the best. If you have decided to read this great novel in English, this is the one you want to choose.

Benz does an incredible job of presenting suiseki in a lovely format with loads of pictures of beautiful suiseki. He also provides the aesthetic and practical levels of the ancient art; right down to the tools need and the frame of mind needed to explore this art. Whether you are a beginner or long time collector, you will find this book a worthy addition to your library. I read the book today and I'm on my way out to the mountains to find a new stone tomorrow.

For such an imaginative poet, Dr. Thelma Hall has a realistic perspective on life. Some days we feel we are pressed against hard, cold, unmoving stone, and some days we burst into sunlight and happiness. Hall's beautiful book of poetry, Sunlight and Stones, takes us both to the stone-cold (Auschwitz, the devestation of nuclear warfare) and the exquisitely warm (the love between a mother and daughter). Dr. Hall tells us that the best place is the "center place" - neither filled with too much sunlight nor dampened by too much sorrow. It is from this center place that Dr. Hall's writing really shines. When she tells us of bartering in an Oriental marketplace, using only her hands to communicate, we are truly there, watching her hands flutter as little birds. Oh, how I loved this book...and hope to see more of Hall's writing in the future! In the meantime, I plan to re-read this one, curled up in my armchair with a glass of wine, in my own center place.

Swallowing The Golden Stone: Stories And Essays by Walter Wangerin, Jr. is a superbly presented selection of fanciful and fascinating fairy tales and poems suitable for reading to children and by young adults. Enhancing this wondrous collection are some very thoughtful essays and comments upon these treasured classic stories. Swallowing The Golden Stone is comparable to the best of the Brothers Grimm, the tales of Hans Christian Anderson, the stories of C.S. Lewis, or the writings of Frank L. Baum and very highly recommended for family, school, and community fairytale and folktale collections.

Great book! Stories range from funny to sad and every emotion in between. Each one touched my heart. Great stories from those who have been there. Highly recommend it.

I have been a fan of this group since '65 and this is one of the best books written on the band. Unfortunately, it does not cover the group's entire career--rather it leaves off in the mid-80s. However, it does cover the Brian Jones time period (which is the most pertinent since this is when their best work was done in my opinion). Facinating reading and extreemly informative--great for learning of the beginings of the Stones and what drove them to be the greatest rock and roll band in the world! If I can recommend a few of my favorites along with this book it is Stone Alone (who better to tell the story than an insider), Our Own True Story by The Rolling Stones (if you can find it--it was published in '65 and out of print for over 30 years), Dancing With the Devil by Stanley Booth and (of course) A Life on the Road.

This book compares five major groups of texts of the same pseudepigraphal book. This book is not appropriate for someone who has not read previous works containing or discussing the Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament.

This book does not contain any discussion of the textual problems with the work or discussion of how the work fits into Jewish or Christian literature. This book is purely intended to be source material, from which the reader can choose to draw his or her own conclusions about the work. This synopsis contains Greek, Latin, Armenian, Georgian, and Slavonic manuscripts of the book. There are major textual differences between these, coming from the book having passed through many hands, many of which had their own ideas to share. Additionally, there are differences within each group; the Latin texts are in four subgroups, and differences among them are marked in the book.

The Greek and Latin texts are presented in the original tounge; the Armenian in an English translation; the Georgian in a French translation; and the Slavonic in a German translation. The commentary is entirely in English. Yes, if you do not have a reading knowledge of Fr., Ger., Lat., or Gr., then you miss some of the variant texts. This fact means that this synopsis is not for the casual reader.

It was fascinating, however, to see the problems that a serious scholar of ancient texts must face. It gave me a new understanding of the little footnotes on textual differences that one finds in a modern Bible.

This book successfully does what it sets out to do (give the naked texts with bibliographic references to other studies that do analysis). The fact that this was not what I had expected when I bought it is not the author's fault. I did find that the notations used in the text -- to show differences within a particular language group of texts -- were not always clear and not fully explained. It may well be that they would have been clear for the scholars who are this book's intended audience.

Great Book. Carol Thomas really jumps behind the topic of abortion. Breaking down the walls built by years of the media only touching on the surface of this painfull subject.

Not only did I gain a personal understanding of Post Abortion Syndrome [PAS], but my eyes were opened to the deep scars that we all carry. As the main character, Karen, reminds us throughout the book - God is there with His healing hand.

I hope this books finds its way into your collection.

An engrossing apocalyptic tale that begins in White Horse, GA when sacred stones are stolen from a pair of vagrant "Keepers". This simple misstep drives the Taker of the stones on a harrowing journey to S.Dakota to return them before evil Belial and his minions catch up. Riveting action and quick pace drive the plot forward to its satisfying closure. Biblical overtones and verse structure the tale. Author's best and most inspired work so far. I couldn't put it down. Encore, girl!