Experienced river-runner Patricia McCairen was suddenly faced with a choice when she found herself without companions for a trip through Grand Canyon. She could give up her permit and hope to get another at some point or she could go it alone. Certain she would be saved from her bravado she called the National Park Service to get special permission for a solo trip and was both surprised and terrified when permisssion was granted.

Thus did McCairen enter into a trip that would allow her to delve into the differences between solitude and loneliness and eventually come to grips with her course in life.

Canyon Solitude is more about a personal journey of the mind than a journey through Grand Canyon. Reading as she struggles with her history (with men, with her mother, with her professional goals) provides insight into how we all allow our direction to be shaped by others, only convincing ourselves that we are truly independent. As we find McCairen actually achieving independence it is easy to understand as she swings from exhileration to terror and back to exhileration, finally achieving contentment.

The book is a bit slow at times, but as with the actual river, it has periods of intense excitement that more than make up for the lulls. Perhaps without the calms between the rapids, it wouldn't be possible to really understand what has been accomplished.

This is a beautiful book, one in which the author goes beyond her river journey to do some soul-searching into her own truths. Patricia tells the story of how her adventurous side comes alive through one Grand Canyon trip, motivating her to abandon her corporate urban life in NYC for the wild rivers of the American West. The book details the pinnacle of her river experiences, a solo journey through Grand Canyon, with insight into the core of who she is and what the rivers have helped her become.

A friend gave me this book before I left for a private trip on our raft down the Grand Canyon. I did not have a chance to read it before leaving. I had been fearful of the journey ahead. Upon returning I read the book cover to cover and felt as if I was reading my own journal. Never could I have imagined going on this trip with a small group let alone attempting anything close to Patricia's solo experience. I would go back to the Colorado River in a heartbeat! By sharing her experience, Patricia's book becomes a guide book in facing your fears head on, and the empowerment that comes as a direct result of doing so. We don't all have to run rivers, but it's a fantastic way of finding ourselves. Patricia shares the journey and even though I had just been there, I felt as if I was back on my raft! Thank Patricia!

What a thrill to ride along with Bessie and Glen Hyde on their grand adventure down the Colorado River! In reimagining these real-life figures from the 1920s and their quest to run the rapids of the Grand Canyon, Michaels has written a suspenseful, exquisite novel. I was as swept away by Bessie and Glen's romance as by their heart-stopping--and ultimately, haunting--journey. I couldn't put the book down, and then I was sad for it to end. So I read it again.

Based on an intriguing premise, Grand Ambition is a novel I wanted to savor. But I couldn't, because once I started, I found myself turning the pages compulsively. This is a story that spawned it's own urban legends for more than 70 years. Newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde spend their honeymoon in 1928 shooting the rapids through the Grand Canyon on a scow designed by Glen, who has dreamed of this journey. Although Bessie has no experience, she has great enthusiasm and a willingness to take a bite out of what life has to offer her. They hope to set a record for speed, but if not that, then Bessie will be the first woman to successfully shoot the rapids. After the trip, they plan to lecture and write a book describing the adventure, using Bessie's skills as an artist to illustrate their story.

But something goes wrong. After a last sighting, the couple are never seen or heard from again. Glen's father, Hyde Sr., launches a rescue effort to discover the fate of his son and daughter-in-law, hoping to find them still alive. Mr. Hyde contacts everyone who has had contact with the young couple and religiously follows up every clue. When their scow is found floating lose with all necessary supplies still on board, the obvious becomes more and more ominous.

Michaels alternates chapters between the events as they happen to Bessie and Glen and the desperate rescue attempt by Glen's father, with a tension seesawing between hope and despair. The character of Bessie is finely tuned, her youth ultimately allowing fear to overshadow her expectations that Glen can really keep her safe on this increasingly terrifying dance over the whitecaps. Has Bessie put too much faith in Glen's strengths rather than her own? What if Glen, for all his brave posturing, is wrong?

The terrible truth is there from the beginning, but Michaels' characters, particularly Bessie and her father-in-law, are so courageous, so full of spirit, that the final pages come too soon. So little is really known about this couple and their fate that the author gives them voice and dreams, even those that shatter.

Grand Ambition is a story of fact and fiction woven together masterfully into a beautiful, honest portrayal of love and adventure. Lisa Michael's captures the awesome majesty of the Grand Canyon so completely I felt that I was with Bessie and Glen Hyde as they navigated their way down the Colorado. Despite knowing that they never achieve their "Grand Ambition," I was completely engrossed in seeing the newlyweds safely through each new hurdle. I loved this book so much I bought several more copies to give as presents and have told many others about it.

Not since Roald Dahl has a writer spoken to kids with such respect and imagination. When I read this to my 4 year old she was filled with questions and ideas and that is all I need to know. Some people have an unconventional style that fits both children and adults and Maira Kalman is certainly one of those people. This book and the Max series will be included in the lives of all the children I will ever know and they will be the happier, more imaginative and more creative for it.

Author Maira Kalman takes us on a fascinating and entertaining whirlwind tour of Grand Central Station, "the busiest, fastest, biggest place there is." Meet some of the people who work there from Lenny Maglione who's in charge of the whole building, Wanda who hears complaints, Ed, the lightbulb changer, and Marino Marino who makes oyster stew at the Oyster Bar, to Audrey in the information booth who will answer your questions, Melvin Johnson who helps you find the right train and step aboard, and Frank Chidester who runs the Lost and Found. And watch the travelers, waiting, looking up and down and all around, rushing, eating, and going to work, or play, or appointments, or visits. The action never stops at Grand Central because people need to come and go all day and all night long..... Ms Kalman's creative text is full of wordplay, puns, energy, humor, and fun that will send imaginations soaring, and is only outdone by her bold, busy and engaging artwork. Kids will love poring over all the marvelous detailed illustrations and are sure to find something new and exciting each and every time they open the book. Perfect for youngsters 5 and older, Next Stop Grand Central is an innovative smorgasbord of fast-paced action and fun that transports the reader to this very "grand" place for the adventure of a lifetime. "Trains are trips. And trips are adventures. And adventures are new ideas and romance and you can't ever know what in the world will happen which is exactly why you are going." Jump aboard and enjoy!

This book rules. I work at Grand Central TERMINAL (not Station!) and Kalman captures the marevelous energy and wackiness of the building. I can think of few places that offer such a great opportunity for people watching, and "Next Stop Grand Central" portrays this in a bright and colorful way that adults and children alike can enjoy.

There are a lot of great things to say about this commentary. First of all, from reading it, it is easy to see that there are few things to do with the book of Revelation that Beale has not thought long and hard about. He is especially helpful at elucidating how much John utilizes Old Testament imagery in describing his revelatory visions. The commentary's introduction is 180 pages long and deals with the symbolism in the book of Revelation as well as the grammar and the theology and the political and cultural life setting.

But there are a number of points where the reader will definitely want to question some of Beale's conclusions. Not everyone will follow him in his interpretation of the word 'show' in Rev 1:1, or follow him in his idealistic amillennial understanding of Revelation. The reader may question Beale's reluctance to interpret literally at certain points in the commentary as well. But you can't possibly come away from a careful reading of this volume without learning something. For the educated clergyman, this is a great commentary to get, alongside the more accessible volumes of Craig Koester and Robert Mounce.

Greg Beale's contribution to the study of Revelation is no doubt one of the best ever. Easily on par with Aune (WBC), greater in detail than Mounce (NICNT), the standard Evangelical commentary.

Yet Beale is not without its flaws. One of the most serious is that Beale simply brushes of any preterist readings and more than this; often does not interact with the preterist (first century context) at all!

We still await some recent commentary that takes the first century context seriously, (D. Chilton not withstanding). Hopefully, Ken Gentry will soon fill this gap.

H.S Bultmann.

I was a Full - Preterist but now hold a view similar to Beale. I do think he has the right idea. I would add a few things, that is that Revelation is fulfilled in the firstfruits and now we must follow that same path. But Beale pretty is saying the same thing for the most part, which is Christ is the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending . . . which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.", Rev. 1 That He always will be "God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come", Rev. 4. And since Christ does not change after the cross neither shall His revelation, Rev. 1:1. So in that Beale likes to think Revelation was written in 90 AD is not a problem for me. Get his book, you will not be sorry you did!

Donald James Perry

Others have noted that Desaulniers is a master of marketing, and it's true--but his recipes WORK and make absolutely stunning presentations. If you need a special occasion dessert--perhaps one to propose by? perhaps one to celebrate the birth of a child?--you can't go wrong choosing one of Desaulniers' desserts from "Desserts to Die For."

Desaulniers encourages "mise en place" (the French culinary term for "everything in its place," or setting out all ingredients before ever beginning the recipe), which I admire, and he instructs his readers--kindly, politely, but firmly--to read each recipe through from start to finish before beginning. This is good advice in any cooking situation, but it makes strong sense with Desaulniers' recipes, which tend to be extremely detailed. Some cooks might find this annoying, but there are others--myself among them--who understand that this concentration on every little tiny thing means that Desaulniers recognizes the difference between a pretty good dessert and a great one. And he wants you to prepare nothing but great ones!

Desaulniers' personal dessert philosophy may be best expressed by the W. Somerset Maugham quotation with which he heads the introduction: "Excess on occasion is exhilarating; it keeps moderation from becoming a habit." And are these recipes excessive in nearly every way! Desaulniers wisely avoids giving calorie counts, fat content, etc. for each recipe, and concentrates instead on seducing his readers into wanting to make each and every dessert so sumptuously photographed by Michael Grand. The names are rich and evocative as the dishes themselves--Tuxedo Truffle Torte, Chocolate Voodoo Cake, Mocha Almond Praline Snap, Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Damnation, Trick or Treat Ice Cream, "24" Carrot Cake, Wild Orchid, Chocolate Exquisite Pain (yikes!), Chocolate Resurrection, and White Chocolate Lullaby are but a few of the many tempting offerings herein.

There are many non-chocolate desserts in this book, but it's clear that Desaulniers is most excited by chocolate anything--it sets his heart to soaring, his brain to feverish activity, and his hands to creating something wonderful for all of us to try.

This book has many dessert recipes that your friends will rave about for weeks to come. The Cranberry recipe is to die for.

I have made 5 recipes in this book, and each time I have had great successes! I would recommend that you have some time on your hands to prepare these great recipes, and get a Kitchen Aid heavy duty mixer! With these elements you'll be on your way to creating great desserts that your freinds and family will enjoy!

This may be a great book for summer Yellowstone adventurers, but there is nothing mentioned about the beauty of Yellowstone during the winter. So, basically it was worthless and a waste of $$. We just got back from a winter snowmobiling tour, and it was amazing. I would suggest the Moon Handbooks - Yellowstone - Grand Teton National Parks...

Lots of good information in this book really helped prepare us for our trip to Yellowstone. Hike information was great and even pointed out when certain trails opened. This was very helpful in planning since we were traveling in May before many trails were open.

I purchased this book and several others for my trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. This book was very informative on lodging, trails, sightseeing and travel. This guide was a time saver as well giving me ideas of the trails and difficulty and estimated time. Many things to do and lots of recommendations for children but its so much more. Definately a keeper and will use next time im planning a vacation to the area. Oh by the way, i do recommend a trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. The tetons were breathtaking and definately do the trip accross Jenny Lake. Yellowstone, WOW the gysers, wildlife, fishing it was terrific. Have Fun. Jeff

I seldom keep any of the many books I read, but this one is an exception. I first read this book at least 15 years ago and I still pull it out once in a while to reread. It is one of those stories that remain timeless in capturing small town America and the characters that make these small towns interesting. The story is told through the eyes of 12 year old Brendan, moving to a new town when his mom and dad took over a defunct grocery store. As Brendan and his family struggle to adjust, they meet people along the way that will change their lives. The writing is rich and draws you in to each character. I'm very surprised this hasn't been made into a movie, done right it would be a great one.

This book is a wonderful bit of Hassler storytelling. If you like a book that envelopes you in the characters and their lives to the point where you hate to leave, then you will enjoy this Hassler. A heart-wrenching, middle of America, nostalgic book with a wonderful, cohesive story. It has been two years since I read it, and I still think of the characters from time to time. My favorite Hassler (second only to STAGGERFORD)

I would have to say that this is one of my favorite books that I've read the whole year in my Honors AM. Lit. class. My friend Megan says that it reminds her of Charles Dickins. But what I really love about this book is the characters and how they interact together in this tightly knited community. The ending was definitely surprising and I was kind of disappointed by it. However, over all the story has a great plot and I really enjoyed it.

Never before have I read a book that captures the desperation of love so eloquently. Elizabeth Smart is able to avoke such vivid images of pain that this novel left me breathless. The whole book is one major work of lyrical prose put together so magnificently that I simply had to read the whole thing out loud.

The ultimate in purple passionate prose by a love-sick woman. It might be too purple and passionate for some. A lot of agonizing guilt over the fact that her lover was married (in fact the real life George Barker was married many times so she might have been in doubt which wife to have the agonizing guilt about).
The basic story is of her meeting the British poet George Barker in California (where he was trying to stay to sit out the Second World War) and travelling across America to New York with him. He gets into jail and hospital and eventually has to return to England.
It becomes more coherent if you read Rosemary Sullivan's "By Heart" which is a biography of Elizabeth Smart. It's interesting to read of her later friendly contacts with Barker and his last wife. There's also a biography of George Barker by Robert Fraser which I haven't seen yet.

I read this wonderful book 4 summers ago, (and still re-read it now and then)while vacationing in the Georgian Bay Islands, north of Toronto, Ontario, not far from where Elizabeth Smart originated from. From the first page, I was entwined with the lyrical prose and the all too real characters. I found myself re-living/remembering a form of love so intense, so passionate and all consuming...but to have it all encapsulated in this little gem of a book, so rich in colorful prose form, only illuminated something so rare and precious, that I for one, was once fortunate to have had in my lifetime. If you are one of the few that has ever experienced this form of love, you will find yourself re-living a part of yourself that you may have forgotten about...Or, if you're one of the many that has yet to experience that degree of powerful, yet uncontrollable, most ardent passion (that many believe only happens in the movies)...then read this unique book and experience first-hand the gut wrenching, heart stopping delirium of love, in it's most sincere, magical, sometimes painful, yet always, primal form.

This book follows the actual journey of Waitley and his friends from Vancouver to the southern tip of Africa. Embarked on a wild ride, they face a host of challenges from money shortages to sunstrokes. From each of those experiences, Dennis Waitely lists a lesson learned and to be followed.

I think, overall, the book does a good job of translating real-life experiences into words to be remembered.

However, one really feels cheated at the end, when Waitley doesn't cover his entire journey till South Africa. Instead you are given just teasers of how the border force was after the group - but to take his word that they made it!

For what IS in the book, I think it's a nice job. But I would have really liked to know about the rest of the journey. I'd be interested if the author delivers another book detailing the remaining portion of the trip.

This audio presentation was very well done. It offers the listener both an entertaining story and a "best of Brian Tracy" all in one. Good gift idea for someone who you think may be interested in personal devlopment. The story and success key points are direct and fast paced- the listener never gets bogged down. Listening to the tape has helped me stay motivated in the midst of some very difficult business setbacks. Thank you Brian Tracy.

This is one of Brian Tracy's best literary achievements! Based on his real life experiences, "Success is a Journey" is an often harrowing story of triumph over adversity on the road to goal achievement. As Brian says, you can have most anything you want in life if you focus on it as a goal and are willing to pay the price to get it. This book demonstrates vividly that most goals in life are attainable and if we deem them to be out of our reach, we are often engaging a condition of mindset, not based in reality. Once this simple fact is fully understood, you can rise to almost any challenge. This is a tremendously uplifiting piece of work that I would heartily recommend to anyone with a dream. Brian Tracy has certainly been a source of inspiration for me.

Richard Baughman Author, "The Friendly Banker"

Paula Volsky is an excellent writer, and all of her books are worth reading. However, after reaching a high point with Illusion, her more recent novels have seemed to grow less nuanced in character development and plot -- using the formula of Illusion (borrowing the basic outline of a historical event like the French Revolution and and spicing it up with all kinds of magical proceedings) without reaching its level of complexity and sophistication.

The Grand Ellipse continues in this pattern, but it avoids some of the faults most obviously on display in The White Tribunal. Taking place in a quasi-pre-World War I or World War II setting, the plot follows the contestants in a race across Volsky's imaginary world, allowing her to modernize the settings of many of her previous novels. This results in a fascinating parade of exotic locations for her characters to tramp through (although sometimes the parallels between her world and actual historical nations seem a little too unimaginatively exact). The stucture of the novel does not allow for any overly complex plot-lines, but the pace is quick and the main character of Luzelle is an engaging companion (after an interminable conversation with her poorly-drawn father that occupies most of Chapter One). After the race is over, the novel quickly loses steam, hurrying through some assasinations and a major war towards its happy ending.

Amid all the ponderous proceedings, it would be nice if Volsky could recapture some of the light-hearted charm evident in some of her earlier, simpler novels like The Luck of Relian Cru. Still, The Grand Ellipse does a good job in creating a marvelous world occupied with characters who respond to their surroundings in richly developed, human fashion.

From the inventive imagination of Paula Volsky comes "The Grand Ellipse", a science fiction novel set in a near-Earth in a timeframe equivalent to the early Victorian period, with steamships, railroads, and hot air balloons figuring amongst the modes of travel. Magic, never apparently too prevalent, still exists but is fading in importance. However, a clever mage has discovered Sentient Fire, and many rival countries are striving to possess its secret.

Why should this be? Well, essentially the events of World War II are being played out, with Grewzland (read: Nazi Germany) ruthlessly expanding across the known world. And Sentient Fire is basically the atomic bomb, albeit under the control of a whimsical monarch in the mold of Ludwig II of Bavaria, a ruler who controls the stand-in for neutral Switzerland. Given his country's heritage, he has no intention of getting involved in any conflict, and doesn't want to turn over the Sentient Fire to any combatant. Fortunately for all concerned, this same king is sponsoring a mammoth race, the Grand Ellipse of the title (he was going to call it the Big Oval, but thought better of it), and one of the prizes is a chance to personally meet with him. Hence, a few of the racers are competing for the chance to use the audience to advance their country's plea for the powerful weapon, the only hope of stopping the Grewzians.

Chief amongst the competitors are Luzelle Devaire and Girays v'Alisante, both from Vonahr (a combination of post-Revolutionary France and pre-WWII England), and Karsler Stornzof, an acclaimed officer of the Grewzian army. Luzelle and Girays were formerly engaged, but their relationship foundered in the clash between his high-bred conservatism and her need for independence and adventure. Now, circumstances bring them back together, and Luzelle, the main protagonist, finds herself alternately attracted to her former suitor and to the dashing and noble Karsler.

In the mad dash across exotic locales, the novel is naturally reminiscent of Jules Vernes' "Around The World In Eighty Days". Part of the fun comes from figuring out which fictional country is meant to represent which real-Earth nation. There are counterparts for Russia, India, and the Middle East, along with others. And the resourceful racers have recourse to myriad means of travel, including hang-gliders, rickshaws, bicycles, carriages, and zombie-borne palanquins.

Along with other nice touches, Volsky ably provides characters major and minor with interesting differences in speech patterns and dialects, showing the difficulty of stumbling across a globe riddled with various languages and customs. She also makes certain that Luzelle confronts her fair share of obstacles that are thrown in her way simply on account of her gender, especially in the more repressive countries. Luzelle also encounters again and again the repression of the conquering Grewzian forces, awakening in her a desire to win the race for more than just personal reasons.

On the whole, this is a well-crafted and clever novel with often witty dialogue. However, the last chapters sag rather badly, with an unsatisfying conclusion which renders the tribulations of preceding pages somewhat moot. After all of the previous adventures, this stumble at the end is a bit disconcerting. Nevertheless, "The Grand Ellipse" remains a journey worth undertaking.

After I read Illusion I found the other books by Paula Volsky to be missing the strength and depth of that book that so engrossed me when I read it.
But now with the Grand Ellipse she has finally done it again!
What I like the most is that in this book not only does she give you some info as to where the land in Illusion has gone but we also read about the countries from Wolf in winter, The White Tribunal etc....
It was lovely to finally see all these lands contected as they have never been contected before.
The characters are engaging and well done, and I feel I could have read another 200 pages of their adventures during the race.
Hurrah for Paula Volsky! Now my hope is she can continue with her next book and not lose her way as she did somewhat with the books that followed Illusion.