Carrie and Jake find each other after Carrie's long term engagement is broken. Carrie buys a home in Manchester Maine, and hires Jake to to some repairs. During their time together, romance begins to become unavoidable. Landscaping Carrie's new Bed and Breakfast brings many surprises. This book kept me interested through out. The ending was not quite what I was hoping for, though it was good, which is why I only gave 4 stars.

Carrie is a well-developed character with a curiosity exceeded only by her passion. In her flight from the mundane (represented by her flight from Mike), she finds herself on a path that will take her into the heart of mystery and the crucible of passion. There she becomes the woman that called to her in her dreams in the heat of the night. The kitchen scene captures a most unsettling pulse-pounding moment between Carrie and Jake. The reality and precision with which the scene is described speak volumes as to the author's own life experiences. A must read for all who quest!

Lots of challenging word-search puzzles for word-search fans. The only things that kept me from giving it five stars is that it has too many of the "Tail Tag," "Loose Letter," and "Tangleword" puzzles, which I'm not all that fond of, but I do like the cube-shaped diagrams. Also, the large format of the book makes it somewhat unwieldy. All in all, though, a winner!

I just bought this book, I wanted something different than crossords and fill-in-the-blank. It's the best collection I've found yet. B Dalton Booksellers need to stock a better varieties of these kinds of books.

I always enjoy James's work for its entertaining readability and good humor; he is a scholar and a gentleman even to the opponents he slices up in his books and lectures. I did tire of the endless-seeming arguments against the rationalists who think in terms of a unified universe, however; I know that giving them a bad time was the point of James's book, but about halfway through his arguments began to seem polemical to me and I almost got bored. Nevertheless, I do recommend this, especially if you're looking into the radically empirical and pluralistic side of the philosophical house.

William James again proves himself the champion of the average man. James' Fideististic approach to religion and the nature of existence is displayed in full form here as he attacks the intellectualist foundation of modern philosophy.

The term Upanishad has been translated in many ways, "sitting near devotedly", "secret teachings", and the more elaborate, "knowledge of God." It is the knowledge of God that truly captures the essence of the Upanishads.

The 7th century scholar, Shankara, describes the Upanishads as "the knowledge of Brahman, the knowledge that destroys the bond of ignorance and leads to the supreme goal of freedom." Each Upanishad illustrates the path towards discovering this inner knowledge, thus achieving escape from samsara, or this world of suffering.

This translation contains the twelve standard Upanishads, including one of the most famous, the Brihad-aranyaka, which is the oldest and largest of these ancient scriptures.
This work embodies the mystical and esoteric aspects of ancient Hindu philosophy, and serves as an interesting and enlightening guide to knowledge of Self.

I am so glad to see this classic translation back in print. If you have ever been intimidated by the multi-volume scholarly translations of the Upanishads, then this book is for you. I still marvel at how Prabhavananda and Manchester managed to encapsulate so much of the core content and meaning of the twelve principle Upanishads in such a slim volume. Yet they did- and it works.

Of course if you truly understand these oldest of mystical scriptures then you could condense them down still further to:
Brahma is true, the world is false,
The soul is Brahma and nothing else.

Or if that is a bit wordy for you, then you can sum up the Upanishads, and all the Vedas, with: "Tat tvam asi" (Thou art that.)

Most people need to work up to the true understanding of these statements with a bit more commentary, however....

Spencer's books have always been hit or miss for me, and this one was a hit. The story was simple and the characters sometimes veered towards stereotypes, but overall I enjoyed this book quite a bit. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Tess as a friend, and I enjoyed the concert scene with the backstage action going on. I also liked the way Tess handled her fans throughout the book, it gives some perspective of what celebrities are really thinking when they meet fans.

My one small complaint is that I cannot stand the name Kenny, and I just can't believe a grown man still would be going by that name. Maybe it's a Southern thing? I'm from up north, so I really don't know.

Also thought the Judy character could have had a more sympathetic treatment, but there's usually one character in Spencer's books that gets loaded with bad traits and no redeeming characteristics. Another small point though and not that big of a detriment to the overall book.

A good light read, one of her better books.

This should definetely be rated among Ms. Spencer's best. The main character (Tess McPhail) was portrayed as fresh & funky country music superstar that is forced to take time out from her very busy schedule to go back home and take care of her ailing mother. What she bargained for is a boring stay in the too-small town and painful reminders of her less than grand past. Tess eventually becomes entangled in a heart-warming adventure into the many stages of love and gains the wisdom to realize that there is much, much more to be gained in the giving then she ever thought she'd lose. Country music fans will adore this glimpse into the life of a star. Especially delightful are the backstage views of Nashville and the lonely road to stardom. This is a story that will leave you wanting more, as every LaVyrle Spencer novel does.

I am a BIG fan of Ms. Spencer having read most of the books, but was a little hesistant with reading the newer books. Starting with this one maybe because I was afriad it would be as "juicy" as some of the other books. The main thought which made me read it was, "This is a Lavyrle Spencer book, it has to be good." Boy was I ever correct! I enjoyed this book so much I read it in two days! The plot was wonderful, the tension (not only with Mac and Kenny--but with Mac and her sister as well), the clever writing. All these ingridients came together to creat an excellent novel. I'm not a country music person, but I learned a few things in the book about music I never would have thought about. As always Lavyrle put us inside the character to let us know their thoughts and feelings. An added plus was the funny "thoughts" that ran through both Mac and Kenny when they were apart or together. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, it makes enjoyable reading and you might find yourself chuckling when you read some of the antics told in the book. Defenitely a great read!

"Sir Gawain" is one of a number of stories that have come down to us from the Medieval period that one cannot help feeling has a wealth of hidden meaning behind it. The figure of the "Green Man" is a common although wispy character in western mythology, and his face often stares out at us from cathedral walls in Europe. The figure of Khidr in Islamic folklore, supposedly the prophet Enoch and whose very name means "green" in Arabic, makes one wish to find a Middle Eastern connection with this story, as there are in so much Medieval literature, such as Dante and Chaucer.

The story is obviously related to the ancient myths of death and regeneration in Celtic thought as well, and fits in well with the rest of the Arthurian legends. All in all, a bit of an enigma as regards its source, and worth being aware of if you're in to that kind of thing.

I have read at least four translations of Gawain, including Tolkein's, and the Brian Stone version is my favorite. It is written in understandable English. As another reviewer has pointed out, Stone's version is most like the medieval one in its structure, its use of alliteration, and the rhyme scheme of the bob and wheel. Tolkein, in an appendix to his version, gives a clear and enlightening explanation of the principles of this kind of poetry. Once you've read Tolkein's explanation, your appreciation of the poem will be greatly enhanced. Nowadays, many poets and others turn up their noses at alliteration, but I love it. So the language is one of the things that make the poem such a pleasure to read.

Another thing that makes Gawain a great read is that it is just a darn good story. When a green man riding a green horse and carrying his own green-haired head gallops into Arthur's dining hall, you know there's going to be some drama in this tale. And there is! There's some hunting and killing of animals for the sportsperson and the bloodthirsty. There's romantic temptation, and there's suspense.

One reviewer speculated on possible symbolism in the novel. The search for deeper meanings might interest some readers. For me to "get" a symbol, it has to jump out of the book and bite me on the nose.

I know that the Marie Borroff translation is much praised, but this one is far better for the undergraduate classroom. While both translations share some characteristics (both are in poetry, both try to maintain the alliteration), you need only compare/contrast the "bob and wheel" (last 5 lines of each stanza) to see that Stone has managed to maintain "the sting in the tail" so typical of the original Middle English version--wherein a significant or surprising part of the stanza often appears in the bob and wheel--start with Fitt I, stanzas 4 and 7. Stone also maintains the "alliterative signaling" oral tradition: when possible he tries to alliterate only key words (Boroff seems happy when she can alliterate anything in the line, regardless of its significance to theme or motif!). As a medievalist, I am truly sorry to see so many of my colleagues jumping on the Borroff bandwagon when this superior, alternative translation is so readily available.

William Manchester's memoir of World War II is quite good - although in my opinion there are better personal narratives of the war in the Pacific. What makes this out of the ordinary is that Manchester travels across the Pacific revisting the battle sites, re-telling their stories - and his own.

His description of Guadalcanal is the best part, which is unfortunate, as it happens in the first half of the book. Manchester's strength is as a biographer - which does Goodbye, Darkness somewhat of a disservice. He does an outstanding job of painting vivid characterizations of Vandegrift, Nimitz and MacArthur, but at the expense of weakening what could have been a more memorable memoir. Manchester does a decent job of providing an overall view of the conduct of the war; but as far as personal accounts go, Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed is by far a better read.

A wonderful and well-deserved tribute to those who gave the last full measure during the Pacific War. Certainly does not sugar-coat the realities and horrors of combat. Reads well--incredible imagery as only Manchester could write it. However, Manchester the biographer and Manchester the autobiographer are two different authors, meaning that this book is not nearly as objective as his other works. He spends no small amount of time pontificating about the moral and social decay of America's younger generation, as he basically "vents" thirty years' worth of frustration and emotion. Provides an outstanding broad overview of the entire Pacific War, not just Okinawa. Once again, he uses incredible imagery to paint vibrant word pictures of all the places he visits or re-visits, including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, New Guinea, Leyte, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, etc. He also introduces the reader to the local inhabitants of some of these places. You read this book in full color.

If one could read two accounts of the Pacific War written from the perspective of Americans this book and Sledges "With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa" would be the best that one can get. There are a lot of very good narrative history books on all aspects of the Pacific War, but the poet-gone-to-war genre is something that really the British usually do much better than the Americans. That is why when I stumbled upon Manchester's memoirs I was immediately sucked into the guts of wartime experience.

Manchester writes with passion borne from desperation and experience of long times in the firing line. He waxes from the lyrical experiences of a fireside chat on the battle-line with a student of philosophy (himself?) regalling the troops with an exposition on the nature of time. One is left with the images of hard worn veterans from small American towns, experiencing the wonder of ideas for the first time on the eve of battle. Their far off, empty stares as the philosopher marine finishes his exposition in sheer silence is something that one can almost feel. That very same night they cut up a large Banzai charge on Guam --- one can cut the atmosphere of the book with a knife.

Manchester can then go on an describe his visceral uncomfortable feelings of being close to the Japanese today. Their inability to admit to former attrocities is something that Manchester admits, planted the seed of dislike deeply inside him. Try as he might he cannot shake it and we are at least amazed with his honesty. This contrasts with the cerebral, fair-minded Manchester we all know from his biographies.

I have read more than 200 narrative histories and memoirs of the Pacific War, British, American, Japanese, Indian and Chinese, Australian, Canadian ... and this is one of the best. Like all good books, it stays with you for a long time....

I would have hated to have been Jeff Noon confronted with the task of following-up Vurt. How do you write a book that'll grab the interest of the legions of fans you found with Vurt but not rehash the Vurt story? Pollen is the answer. Set again in Manchester (now on my must-see list when I next travel to Britain, solely due to Noon's novels), Pollen tells a strange, seductive tale of genetic engineering gone very awry, where man, dog and plant all begin to merge and ghost-cops chase and dead things hitch rides in netherzones and it all makes wonderful nonsense. Noon is really the Lewis Carroll of our time--and for that reason alone, he is very worth reading. Vurt first, then Pollen, then Needle in the Groove. A trip very worth taking.

I read Vurt and loved it and then made a beeline for Pollen, which I loved for a while but then I got tired of it. I think it lost my attention & I stopped reading 30 pages from the end. Jeff Noon is a master at repurposing pop (Sweet Wanita?) andz got an imagination like no one else writing today, its too bad the book fell apart

AH...This is the book that changed minds. Many people who loved Vurt were disapointed by Pollen. I for one find it hard to choose which is better. To me they are impossible to compare. They have a different veiw on the world of Vurt. One from a Flyer (a vurt person like Scrib) one from a DoDo (a non-Flyer). For those who don't like it, I am sorry. For those who have yet to read it, go into it with an open mind, don't expect another Vurt. Jeff Noon was wise to change the view points, after all, who wants to read the same book but with different words? Now and then it isn't too bad, but one risks the chance of ruining the orriginal concept. I say, READ THIS BOOK, take a chance, you have nothing to loose and have everything to gain. Keep in mind the old exchange rate, if you don't put in much, you can't get much out. So put in as much as you can so you will get the maximum enjoyment out of this book. So keep up the Reading. Enjoy! -BRAZIL Vista, CA

Mary Barton is the first novel of Elizabeth Gaskell, a female writer who left her influence upon other English writers of the 19th century, like, for instance, Charles Dickens. The book is only an average view about Manchester life in the 19th century, focusing its attentions over the extreme poverty of the working class, the first labor conflicts in the pre-dawn of the Industrial Revolution, all this connected with a tender love story between the young Mary Barton and his old time friend Jem Wilson.
In fact, the murder of the young mill owner, Mr. Henry Carson - he too an admirer of Miss Barton - is not well developed and is not the central point of the novel because the reader knows all the time who is the real murderer. So, it's not a surprise at all the ending of the trial and the revelation of the real murderer in the last chapters.
Miss Gaskell has a simple and an almost näive vision of the social problems that harassed the working class in England when the Industrial Revolution started. Even though, we must recognize that she made a good work trying to denounce the insensibility of the English government about the problems of the workers and their families and the inflexibility of the mill owners and other high economic classes to negociate with their subordinates.
Mary Barton is a book that will hold the attencion of the readers, men or women, because Miss Gaskell has an elegant style and really knows how to tell a good story. Another great vintage of this novel are some great characters portrayed with flavour and undeniable charm, like the old and friendly Mr. Job Legh and the hard and anger John Barton, Mary's father.

Gaskell wrote one of the most vivid descriptions of the gap between rich and poor in this novel of the Manchester 'hungry forties'. The plot is driven by the device of a murder of young factory owner's son, but this story line is more an excuse to present the story as a novel (and to serve the demands and expectations of the novel form as it was understood at the time) than it really is the center of the book. The romance and the mystery (although still well-written) are cursory in comparison to the loving detail that Gaskell lavishes on Alice Wilson, the temptation of Esther and all the little points of life in deep poverty.

Worth reading, particularly if you're a fan of the novel (or history) of the period.

Actually I read this book in three days' time (it can be even faster if I don't have to go to school). Anyway, Mrs. Gaskell's depiction of the working class people in Manchester during the 19th century was so vivid that you can just *see* and *feel* how the rich and the poor's lives were like back then by turning the pages. I believe no one who had read this book will not to some extent feel pity for the tragic hero, John Barton, in the story. But aside from this formal social theme being presented in the novel, there is also a very strong sense of religious/moral theme in it (espeically near the end of the story), as well as some drama and romance in it. Definitely worth a read, especially to those who are interested in Victorian Literature.