Of the reviewers posted here, I think I am probably the only one who read Radical Hospitality, the other book by these authors, before reading Benedict's Way. I like Radical Hospitality better if only because it spoke to me about how I need to make some changes in my life. Benedict's Way is a great book for anyone who wants to go a little deeper into benedictine spirituality but isn't much into serious scholarship. My brother is a Benedictine monk and he showed me a review of the book that came out recently. It talked about how this book is written in a simple and direct style but there is an evident scholarship lurking in the backgrounds of the authors. They just don't seem to be showy about it. Which is very good news for the reader who wants depth without pretentiousness. Even if you do read Radical Hospitality first, you'll love this book.

Benedict's Way guides the reader easily into understanding God's intentions of our time here on earth. We have created a fast paced lifestyle that is self serving causing much anxiety. This is evident by the ever increaing need for lifestyle managing drugs. Our current society with all its technology and materialism has the highest rates of divorce, depression, sucide, etc., in history. It seems that all this financial wealth has done little to make us truly happy. Is it possible that God in is infinite wisdom understood this and inspired spiritual teachers like Buddha, Mother Terresa, and St. Benedict to teach us how to live?

Pratt and Homan have challenged the reader to look at their own life and reflect on it. For me personally this book has opened my eyes to my own self serving ways. Each chapter is thought provoking and one of my favorites Balance and Celebration caused me to pause and look at how I approach my family time, work time, personal time, spritual time, etc.

The format makes this an easy read with each chapter ending in a reflective prayer. Another great aspect of the book is the suggested reading section that includes web-sites to visit.

This book is a must read for anyone serious about living a simplier spirit filled life.

I'm new to Benedictine spirituality but am learning to value the simple things. I thought that made this book a good place to start my Benedictine journey. The book challenged my long-held ideas about spirituality and the nature of the universe and I came away feeling good about myself believing that maybe the universe is a good place after all. It helped me. I think that's what I really needed from a book rather than advice on Benedictine spirituality although I'm confident that is also a strength for this book. We all want balance and this really does help.

As much as I hated the title of this book (being from a northern state myself) I really enjoyed reading it. Jordy Poteet, inveterate librarian in the mythical small town of Mirabeau, Texas, returns to solve yet another murder. The book begins with some mysterious explosions, one of which injures Jordy's arm. Shortly after his injury, Jordan is surprised with the appearance of Lorna who was his girlfriend when he lived in Boston. She is presumably in town with a corporation which is attempting to buy some land for an upscale housing development. She is accompanied by her boss who is unceremoniously killed with a length of barbed-wire. Complications arise when environmentalists oppose the development and Lorna tries to seduce her old boyfriend. Jordy is caught in the middle, between Lorna and new girlfriend Candace, and frankly begins to enjoy all the attention. Things get serious when there's another murder and Jordy works to sort things out. There are a sufficient number of "red herrings" to make this an enjoyable mystery and one which is not easy to figure out. As usual, Abbott creates the perfect Texas small-town background for his well-written book.

Just hoping that we will have more Jordy Poteet books to enjoy,the man is wonderful!!!!!!!!! But,could he write a bit faster?????????

I LOVED "THE ONLY GOOD YANKEE". AT IT'S CONCLUSION, I LOOKED AT ABBOTT'S PHOTOGRAPH AND STATED ALOUD "GOOD JOB!".

Seeking God is an elegant, insightful, and extremely valuable treatment of the spirituality inherent in St. Benedict's Rule. The further into the book I read, the better I realized it was. Again and again I was impressed with the wisdom and psychological astuteness of the Rule as deWaal explained it. Benedict's way of moderation, humility, and balance, as interpreted by deWaal, seems one of the wisest and healthiest examples of Christian thinking that I have encountered. It is an excellent antidote to the regrettable tendency of some to want to separate body from soul and the material world from the spiritual world; Benedictine spirituality instead balances and integrates them!

"Seeking God" helped bring "The Rule of St. Benedict" into focus for me, enabling me to see clearly the wisdom of Benedict's vision for our day. For two other books that explore Benedictine wisdom for parents, look for "The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home" and "The Christian Family Toolbox: 52 Benedictine Activities for the Home", both by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad,2000 and 2001). Benedict still speaks relevantly and prophetically in our day!

The author was recommended to me both by my spiritual director and by a monastic. I see why. It is written simply and directly. It does not drip religiousity nor is it so esoteric that one becomes stalled in frustration. Instead, de Waal relates the Rule of St. Benedict to life in the world today. She does not compromise the Rule nor interpose her own "doctrine"- she draws from a great knowledge of writers of the Benedictine tradition from the past to the present, couples that with her experience as a wife and mother, presenting a straight forward discussion of the Rule, how it is of help to the Christian of today, and how it may be applied in the life of the individual who is seeking a rule for his or her own life. Her tradition is Anglican but one does not sense an intrusiveness- rather a calm, rational, feet on the floor contemplative guide which opens the door to further spiritual growth.

Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice.

Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life.

This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

Benedict's Dharma is a rare find--a book on spirituality that is lovingly burnished by practice. Benedict's Rule was above all a work for practical application; what few understand is how well the Rule translates into Eastern practice. Rarely have I enjoyed a book as thoroughly as this one; I regretted reaching its final page, for the journey it provided was such a delight. Yet the greater truth is that this book is meant to be a passageway, pointing the way to greater spiritual understanding and greater self-knowledge. The truths it uncovers are applicable to anyone who is serious about leading an authentic spiritual life. This book is an exceptional treasure, offering significant and practical insights on every page.

"There is fire in the Rule of Saint Benedict" (p. 121) David Steindl-Rast, OSB, writes in the Afterward to this collection of Buddhist reflections on that Rule. Written in the sixth century, Saint Benedict's Rule is a set of guidelines governing Christian monastic life. This 137-page book is the result of a two-week "Encounter" between Buddhists and Christians, in which Norman Fischer, Joseph Goldstein, Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa were participants. Their "fresh take" (p. xiv) on Saint Benedict's Rule is followed by a new, 80-page translation of that Rule by Patrick Henry, OSB.

The Rule was written to practice "Christ's way." Christ said, "Whoever perseveres to the very end will be saved" (p. 97). For Buddhists, Benedict's Rule is about "walking the path to spiritual awakening" (p. 105). That is, both the Rule and Buddhist dharma offer "general guidelines for an inner journey" (p. 1). Judith Simmer-Brown notes that the Rule offers us insight into living a contemplative life amidst the demands of everyday life, or "anyplace you find yourself" (p. 3). From a Buddhist perspective, Benedict's Rule is about learning to live life "so it gets into your bones, under your skin" (p. 34), and about living with "a love of true life and a longing for days of real fulfillment" (p. 36), for this was "Christ's way."

It is evident from this book that "the monastery wall is always permeable" (p. 81). Benedictine monasticism is designed to lead one to spiritual riches on the path of humility (p. 95). It is possible, we're told, to practice a contemplative life outside the monastery walls. "The world is vast and wide," Norman Fischer writes. "Why put on your robe and go to the meditation hall when the bell rings?" (p. 89). Daily practice is "the common ground" for monastics of East and West (p. 124), and in his excellent Afterward, David Steindl-Rast, OSB, concludes that "lay practitioners are running away with the monastic ball" (p. 126). "Step out into the dark night," he writes, "raise your eyes to the starry sky, and you will experience what contemplation was before it had a name" (p. 126).

We find Buddhists and Christians travelling the same "ladders and bridges" in this harmonious book. Buddhist or Christian, this book will appeal to to that monk or nun cloistered in each of us, who is interested in "a life spent seeking the truth."

G. Merritt

. . .Tom Baines is a nephew of Abraham Steele, a cousin to Jacob Steele, and doesn't know it yet, but is also a cousin to someone he could not stand when he visited Riverbend, Indiana, as a teenager. In the opening of the book, Tom's back in Indiana after a beloved colleague is brutally killed in a war zone they were covering for a news service. In the process of becoming a hotshot, Pulitzer-prize-winning international journalist, Tom had lost touch with his family, his early dreams, and his heart. Uncle Abraham, who recently died, left him a farmhouse in Riverbend, and he's there hiding out from the world when Lynn Kendall crosses his path. She's the (relatively) new pastor of one of the churches in town where Tom's aunts Ruth and Rachel attend faithfully, and passionately involved in starting Meacham House, an teen outreach club for kids who are growing up without much guidance or encouragement anywhere else in their lives. Lynn and Tom are very attracted to one another, but he has a lot of emotional baggage, and she, of course, is a minister, with all the heavy demands, church politics, etc. that come with THAT role.

This installment in the Riverbend series is as real and readable as the first two were--especially Birthright, where a lead character struggled to deal with the issue of his parentage and its implications. Here, Tom is trying to reach out to his own kids after years of neglecting them for his career, while at the same time coming to terms with his own gifts and passions, AND helping Lynn launch Meacham House successfully, AND, because she's a minister, control his growing attraction to her. Whew, that's a boatload:)

This book hails back to the old Harlequins of the 1960s in that the main characters do not sleep together. Much of that is probably due to Lynn's vocation and her commitment to it. I would love to have seen this book end with their getting married and having a glorious wedding night, but oh, well. This was only the third book in the series. . .it could happen in a later installment:)

I loved Meacham House and the kids who went there. They were beautifully characterized and it's very obvious that Laura Abbot loves teenagers and understands how they think and why. I finished this book thinking about what a great cause Meacham House would be to support--and then I realized, "it's a fictional place." But if I find a real-life version of it, you'd better believe I'll find a way to support it!

In Ireland, tired Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Tom Baines and his photographer partner Gordy Maxwell are bored by what appears to be a routine assignment. Having worked together for eight years, the internationally regarded team have become close friends. The routine job turns ugly when a terrorist tosses a bomb near a group of school children. Gordy reacts by throwing his body on top a lad, but dies in his heroic rescue.

Already weary, a grieving Tom returns to his hometown of Riverbend, Indiana for rest and recuperation. Even more important than personal healing to Tom is the deep need to patch up his estranged relationship with his two teenage children. The last thing Tom expected was to find a woman he desired, but that occurs when he meets town visitor Lynn Kendall over her broken bicycle. As Tom struggles with relationships, he and Lynn fall in love, but he knows he must first find his real self before he can offer anything meaningful to his beloved.

The latest "River Rats" tales, HOMECOMING continues with the tradition of romance in small town Middle America. The story line is touching as Tom tries to regain control of his domestic life after spending years as an international superstar. Lynn is a brave "Red Riding Hood" who falls in love with the "Wolf" and is willing to do whatever to help him heal. With the return of some townsfolk from the previous books, the audience will feel a sense of HOMECOMING after reading this warm contemporary romance.

Harriet Klausner

After losing his partner and best friend in a terrorist bombing, foreign correspondent, Tom Baines arrives in Riverbend, Indiana unsure of what he plans to do with the rest of his life. All he knows is that his loss renders him unable to detach himself from the violence that was once so easily reported about. What he hopes to do is reconcile with his estranged children and to contemplate writing once again. Tom finds himself wavering on the brink of rejoining Riverbend society or committing to the hermitage he has made of the farmhouse his uncle Abraham left him in his will. In stark contrast, Reverend Lynn Kendall knows exactly what she is doing with her life. She long ago accepted the call from God to do his work and to love his children. She is looked upon as a higher being for it but Lynn knows that she is all too human. As a minister, she is looked to for guidance, counseling, assistance, and reassurance. She is thought of as having all the answers. But as a woman, who can she turn to? Every man she has dated has been intimidated by her calling and has been unable to accept the long hours, the impromptu calls for help and assurance. When she meets Tom, Lynn senses that he has a need for her that encompasses both the minister and the woman inside of her. In the face of her serenity and capable manner, Tom feels superfluous. But he slowly comes to realize that as much as Riverbend needs her, Lynn has a need for him as well.

This is a spiritually uplifting story that really emphasizes Riverbend as a community working together. Laura Abbot has created an extraordinary character in Lynn Kendall who has a good understanding of her own self. She understands that it would take a great man to accept her both as a minister as well as a woman. She feels she has found that man in Tom and she gives them room for love to develop between the two of them. Tom is a cynical character whose bitter outlook is at odds with his hopes. Lynn helps him to see that his pessimism is what holds him back from achieving the level of trust and affection with his children that he hopes to attain. Abbot also implements the use of Meacham House, which is a sanctuary for teenagers. It succeeds in bringing not only Lynn and Tom together, but the entire community of Riverbend. I really enjoyed experiencing Homecoming. It is a wonderful continuation of a five-part mini-series.

As the now definitive scholarly work on Buibert of Nogent, Rubenstein's delightful insight into Nogent's life is a well-written and thoroughly researched book that deserves a place on any scholar's bookshelf.

An impressive work of erudition. Rubenstein has written the definitive work on Guibert of Nogent. I would recommend this work to specialists and non-specialists alike.

please please PLEASE reprint this book, after reading so many great reviews I decided that I must have it!! And through much searching I found it at icon book store. I was so happy. I mean, to be honest I LOVE meat, however, I'm vegetarian for religious and health reasons. So when I saw someone say that they showed you how to make fake meat. I jumped at the chance!! This book is excellent!! No more spending lots of money on already processed veggie meats. I'm so happy. I love this book!!! If u find it GRAB IT QUICK. If you became a vegetarian because you hate meat, then don't even bother with this book. Because the stuff tastes real. Now I can have my fried UNchicken, and be happy and healthy. Beef, chicken, sausage, bacon, ham, fish, scallops, shrimp, cheese. You name it, this book tells you how to fake it. I'm so glad I have found this book.

Like I said, this is the best book for meat lovers who have gone vegetarian. I love my vegetables and all, but it's a good change from eating tofu all the time (even though I'm a tofu fanatic). With the techniques in this book, you can make almost any dish from other cookbooks. I love it!!

Anyway, I'm through rating and raving.
Peaces
:-)

This cookbook tends to be difficult to find, but if you want to prepare vegan faux-meat meals, there's simply no better cookbook. Burke's marinades are clever and obviously honed, and really live up to his promises.

Beyond his gluten techniques, all the other sections are great, too, and quite a few of the recipes are very simple and fast to prepare, which for me is a very important factor in purchasing a cookbook.

One important distinction is that while some vegan cookbooks embrace the view that vegan cuisine is fundamentally different from omnivorous cuisine, this cookbook is something of the opposite. Much of its focus is on using vegan foods to emulate meat, dairy, and eggs.

That's great, and I'm often in just the mood for the BBQ gluten (which is a spot-on match for good barbeque, incidentally) or any of his other great meat substitutes. But it's kind of a novelty, at some point, and so it's not one of those cookbooks for which I could say, "This is the only cookbook I ever use!" or such.

Still, that's not much of a detraction. Sure, sometimes I have to turn to another cookbook for what I want, but *Simply Heavenly* covers many areas, and it's the superlative for all of them. Put another way: I have never been disappointed with a recipe from this cookbook.

If you can find a copy of this, snatch it up quickly. It's inexpensive, contains great information, and fills what would otherwise be a very notable gap in my cookbook collection.

I've been a vegan for 7 years. When I started out, I bought a ton of cookbooks. Now, this is the ONLY one I need. The recipes are easy and things I actually like to eat! Most vegan/vegetarian cookbooks are composed entirely of things with ingredients like avocado, eggplant, weird stuff I've never heard of, and always whole wheat everything, with a major lack of flavor and many recipes that don't even turn out! This book, on the other hand, has EVERYTHING, from interesting new exotic stuff, to (what most new vegans REALLY want), ways to make all your old favorites vegan and still just as good or BETTER! There are literally 1,400 recipes in this thing, and every single one I've tried is good. Want to make barbecue chicken? It's here. Eggplant parmesan? Yup. Vegan pizza that actually tastes like real pizza, with "cheez" and everything! Of course. Every imaginable style of cakes, cookies, pies, and puddings? You bet! And tons of delicious yummy vegetable dishes, fake meat dishes, soups, salads ... and random stuff like pancakes, biscuits, vegan fudge ... Basically, this book has EVERYTHING (and it's all 100% vegan). :)

I was introduced to An Old-Fashioned Girl when I was in fourth grade, and I must have read it hundreds of times since. Now that I am in college, I've read Plato, Aristotle, Dante, and other famous authors. But none of these authors have impacted me as much as this classic by Louisa May Alcott. This book gave me the confidence I needed to hold true to my values, and whenever I am tempted to give in to peer pressure, I just think about Polly and her bronze boots. I love this book, and I'm sure I will continue rereading it until the time I die. A definite classic that leaves you feeling warm inside!

This is a touching book that shows girls simple lives are the best kind of lives. A girl named Polly visits her cousins' at the city. Polly is modest and simple looking girl, compared to Fanny who flirts with all boys and receives flowers from them,and Polly, detests and is ashamed of flirting. Polly isa kind-hearted girl who is always trying to help others including Tom who tries to madden her every second, but Polly manages to find a weak spot in his heart. As Louisa May Alcott always has a twist at the end of the book, this one is no exception. You will be touched to the core of your heart when you read this book , it makes iron into water and steel into liquid. Hope you enjoy it! Cheers! : )

Polly, a poor, old-fashioned girl from the country, comes up tothe city for a long visit with her friend Fanny. Over the basicframework of country mouse/city mouse, Alcott embroiders extensively, adding the themes of peer pressure, societal pressure, riches and their relation to happiness, the rights and proper roles of women, love, 'proper' behaviour vs. right behaviour, and vice-versa. But the story reads like a story, not a dissertation on philosophy. Polly is very human, and her family, though less-well drawn, is collectively a very human family. Tom, Fanny's brother, is the star of the book. "An Old-Fashioned Girl" is filled with humourous incidents, the number of which increases as one grows older. I first read this book when I was seven. I loved it then, when I only got a small part of it. I love it even more now. Those readers who dislike Alcott's moralizing will not love this book, but they will find it better than, say, "Little Men." Ignore the character of Grandma, through whom Alcott voices most of her morals, and concentrate on Polly and Tom, and even the most cantankerous reader would surely, if grudgingly, admit that this book isn't half bad.

This book really is a MUST-HAVE for anyone suffering from panic attacks/anxiety.

Dr. Granoff explains what panic attacks are, why they happen, every kind of anxiety disorder, and what must be done to treat them. This book is refreshing: Dr. Granoff doesn't throw medical jargon at the readers - he explains in simple and concise terms everything you need to know.

I was relieved to read this book and to talk to Dr. Granoff - I suffered from panic attacks and anxiety for almost a year and never knew what was happening to me. I was fortunate to finally find his book - it explained everything and gave me all the answers I'd been looking for. He helped me understand that I'm not losing my mind! He zeroed in one the exact problem and treated me immediately. I HIGHLY recommend this book! If you suffer from panic & anxiety, you probably think you'll never feel better - Read this book and you will.

Not only have I read Dr. Granoff's book, I was privileged to be one of the case histories in his book. I applaud Dr. Granoff for having the courage to write this book. So many people that I talk to are completely uninformed about anxiety and panic disorder. I refer all of them to Dr. Granoff and his book.

....

I also had the opportunity to read Dr. Granoff's manuscript prior to publication and to make comments and suggestions that might be helpful from the patient standpoint. Dr. Granoff's book explains anxiety and panic in layman terms that can be easily understood by anyone.

I encourage anyone who thinks they may suffer from either anxiety or panic disorder to read this book and to get help soon from a qualified professional. There is no need to suffer from this condition as I did for 11 years before finding a doctor who can help. Thank you, Dr. Granoff! ...

Dr. Granoff's book HELP! I THINK I'M DYING! on panic attacks and phobias is concise, easy to read and understand. I now fully understand my illness and am seeking treatment for it thanks to the information in the book. I'm not in full remission yet, but I am about 80% functional, whereas before treatment I was only 30 to 40% functional. His book helped me to get the proper treatment because before reading the book, I felt alone and helpless and worthless and didn't know where to turn. When friends or family asked me to go somewhere or do something that I couldn't do, they just didn't understand why I couldn't. I have passed the book on to several of them and they are now very supportive and understand that I have an illness that I couldn't "treat myself." I do hope that anyone who is suffering from anxiety or panic attacks will read Dr. Granoff's book so they too can get their life back.

I received this book as a gift recently. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. The title of the book implies that it is a novel about St. Benedict, but he is actually just one of many characters in this historical novel. DeWohl does a wonderful job describing the Roman world at the time of St. Benedict, making it come to life.
If you are a fan of historical fiction, read this book. If you are a fan of Louis DeWohl, read this book.

Until I read this gem by de Wohl, all I knew about St Benedict was that he founded a Catholic order of priests now known at the Benedictines. He certainly was close to God, and God must have inspired him to write his rules for living together. After 1,500 years, the Order of St Benedict is still operating.

The book got me interested in Theodoric, the Ostrogoths, and Boethius, and it's been fun reading about them on the Internet and seeing how well de Wohl knew his history.

The novel Citadel of God is one of the finest works I have read about St.Benedict. While keeping St.Benedict as the main subject of the book, de Wohl also includes the chaotic war between the Goths and Byzantium. In doing this de Wohl unites the almost opposite "plots" through wicked Peter's visit to Monte Cassino and conversation with St.Benedict at Cassino while also remaining historically accurate.

In all this book is a must read for those who are interested in history and most importantly for a look at one man's journey to God.