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A tremendously funny and sad came-of-age narrative that recalls the hearty, chaotic family fictions of Richard Russo and Ralph Lombreglia, with the cold steel screams of Thom Jones or Denis Johnson lurking in the basement. Sheppard is a pitiless observer of all the foibles that make up the wasted lives of the small among us, yet he arranges these bits of madness in graceful, unexpected forms.

"Midnight in Monaco" is a screwball Florida fairy tale. It's a frolic through a kitschy circus-flavored world where lawyers are also tarot card readers and Ninja assassins; where a red-headed dwarf shouts "Auto Zone!" every morning; and where the sun pops up over the horizon "like a banana-flavored Moon Pie."

The characters--including a grill cook philosopher insomniac, a con man who schemes to freeze his wife's head after her death so she can live in future times, and a grandmother (called "Grandmom") who is retired from the circus where she had a knife-toss-at-little-doggies-act--are so vigorously eccentric that you shake your head and ask yourself, "What the hell was that?"

I read this book before reading the other 3 in the quartet, and I absolutely loved it. It made reading the others irresistible, and yet I believe this third edition is the best. The love stories are incredibly deep and diverse, and Durrell's writing is both beautiful and inspiring.
Mountolive is an Englishman working with the Foreign Service who comes to know his Dionysian self in the humidity and turmoil of early 20th century Egypt. He falls in love with his married hostess, and this relationship leaves him capable of loving only one woman and one place. The other notable couples portray a stunning array of what drives people toward love. A desire for power drives Justine and Nessim together as it does much more subtlely in the vignette about Amaril and Semira. This book stands out on its own but leaves you dying to find out more about these rich characters.

Poor Mountolive. This is a tale of his rise to success and his parallel loss of being able to respond humanely, and his ultimate debasement. In addtion, Durrell continues to remove layers of the Alexandrian social web: Justine's motivations are different again. I worry that they will change again in the last of the series. Motivations for love continue to be explored. I wish I had started a list when I started reading these books of all the different nuances of love and various motivations. It really has made me think.

If you read the first two of the quartet, you cannot afford to miss this installment. It really helps you understand the mysteries. Of course, Durrell continues in his mastery of the language. Descriptions continue to be lush.

Mountolive is a welcome new point of view on the events, after Justine and Balthazar. It helped me put things together before I read Clea. I can even say that I found it 'refreshing'. Next time I read The Quartet (and I surely will), I might begin with this book.

I highly recommend this as a study guide for the Expert Exam. (I just took the exam this morning) The practice exams are quite similar to the real one. This book is also valuable to the professional as a reference guide; topics are covered in a straight-forward way. Oh, and the exercises on the CD are even fun!

If you want to know the essentials of Excel, not just to pass the MOUS Exam, but also for your daily use, this book should be on your library. The clear illustrations help you to quickly navigate through the lessons. Furthermore, CD-ROM is especially useful if you want to take the Exam.

I am a computer instructor at a local college. This book is a wonderful book to prepare for the MOUS and the CD is a must also!!!

You must read it if you want to know a little about the hypnosis realities. I am sure you will be surprised about what you will learn in this book

This is a excelent book for those ones that want to know some deep knowledge about hypnosis.
With this book you are not going to learn how to do hypnosis, but you will understand some of the presupositions that are known in hypnosis.

This book is a great choice. It is perhaps the best of the four volume set. Gives an excellent overview of Erickson's approach to hypnosis.

This is one of the most heart-warming books I've ever read. Similar to R.D. Lawrence, I owned a wolf/dog hybrid in the wilderness of Alaska. We had many great adventures together. I eventually had to leave Alaska, and my best friend. This is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend reading it.

R.D.Lawrence's book "The North Runner" is quite simply magnificent. It tells the true story of one man's friendship with a savage dog/wolf hybrid that sees man as his natural enemy, especially as he has been ill-treated since puppyhood. When Lawrence takes the Hybrid into his home he finds that he has true savage on his hands, and that it will take all his skills as a naturalist to tame an animal that was more wolf than it was dog. This is not a sentimental book though Lawrence and the hybrid he names Yukon do become friends, rather it is a story about two creatures getting to know one another, in an unforgiving world. Yukon is testament to man's inability to understand the mind and soul of a wolf. Lawrence eventually realizes that Yukon will never be a "people" dog and that the remainder of his life must be spent in the wild with wolves. And so Lawrence makes the ultimate sacrifice, he lets Yukon go, giving him the freedom that should have been his from birth. This a poignant, funny, humorous and often sad book about a man and a hybrid and how they learnt to respect and love one another, yet never loose sight of which side of the fence that each belonged. For all nature lovers, especially those with a passion for dogs, wolves and hybrids, then this book is worth trying to get hold off. It's just a shame it has not been reprinted recently.

AS ALWAYS AS I AM A FAVORITE READER OF R.D. LAWRENCE HE BEFRIENDS A WILD WOLF DOG AND FALLS IN LOVE WITH THIS ANIMAL WHO RELATES SO MUCH TO HIM. MR. LAWRENCE IN HIS MOST DISCRIPTIVE WAYS AS ALWAYS TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HE TAKES THIS WILD ANIMAL FROM AN NATIVE INDIAN WHO BEATS THIS ANIMAL SHORT OF DEATH AND SHOWS HIM PASSION AND IN TURN IN TIME THIS DOG RETURNS THE FAVOR IN SAVING HIS LIFE. A TRUE BOOK AND A MUST TO READ A DOG LOVERS AND A NATURE LOVERS BEST STORY EVER

I hesitated in buying this translation of the Odyssey having grown up with verse translations, most notably that of Fitzgerald. A prose translation somehow put me off; it seemed like the very meaning of Homer's words would be rendered into something different. One day, I read about the translation that T. E. Lawrence had made and, intrigued, I decided to read it for myself. I was very glad that I did.

Lawrence made his translation with an eye for the details and color of the text. He claimed that his experiences in the war in Arabia helped him to understand the writer of the Odyssey, and I think this did aid him in his approach to his translation. The introduction to this printing of Lawrence's translation provides an interesting comparison to another widely used prose rendering of the Odyssey, and one can instantly discover how much more vivid and faithful Lawrence is to the original. So, Lawrence's Odyssey is a translation I will return to in my future reading of this classic tale.

I have read the Odyssey several times in several translations, and this one, by the famed "Lawrence of Arabia" is the best of them all. No other translation that I have read makes this classic more readable and more enjoyable. Some translations plod, and obscure the excitement of the original, this one turns it into a real page-turner. If you've never read Homer and wonder which of the many translations to read, this is the one; I can recommend no other to introduce "newbies" to the classic world of epic fantasy and adventure.

T.E. Lawrence (the English officer who brought together the various peoples of the Arabian peninsula against the Ottoman Empire during World War I; better known as Lawrence of Arabia) called the epic poem "The Odyssey" by the Greek poet Homer "the oldest book worth reading for its story, and the first novel of Europe". The tale of King Odysseus, struggling to return to his home of Ithaca and his family after the Trojan War, is one on par with the finest of contemporary fantasy. Combining as it does a sprawling saga of a ten-year adventure with such fabulous creatures as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the hideous man-devouring Scylla, and the lethally-alluring Sirens with many of the gods of the ancient Greek pantheon (Athene, Poseidon, Calypso, Hermes, and others besides), one can even today marvel at its author's imagination and ingenuity. Then too there is the rich humanity of its mortal characters; the cunning Odysseus, his virtuous wife Penelope, his stalwart son Telemachus, the boorish suitors of Penelope, Eurymachus and Antinous, the august king Menelaus, and a great many more. It is a heady mixture. Lawrence's prose translation is written with a lyrical, romantic deftness. It harkens back to the high epic stories of Sir Walter Scott. But Lawrence never minimizes the sometimes brutal craftiness of Odysseus, nor his casual unfaithfulness to his wife, nor yet his still tender yearning for her and his son. And Lawrence glories in the ancient Greek tradition of "manly tales, manfully told", both in the novel itself and in Odysseus's recounting of his journey to his benefactors. Here indeed is a true flavor of those olden times. As wild and magnificent today as it was 2,500 years ago, "The Odyssey", in whatever form it takes, is still a story by which all other tales of fantastic adventure can be measured.

Richard Seidman's Oracle of the Kabbalah is a gift for those seeking to apply traditional wisdom to their everyday lives. The ancient meanings of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are presented along with inspirational discussions that run the gamut from the humorous to the profound and draw on other wisdom traditions. The author's personal reflections help anchor the teachings to our common experiences.

Rabbi Kushner's foward and the author's introduction ground one in the history and application of these mystical letters. The book and its companion set of cards are very user friendly, providing one with an insightful and welcome perspective when seeking direction.

I'm grateful to Richard Seidman for providing me with both a compassionate form of guidance and a readily accessible introduction to these sacred letters. This is a book that I'll refer to again and again.

Usually people don't think of Jews as being mystics, but many of us are. Jewish mysticism is different from New Age mystricism in that Jewish mysticism is grounded in text -- and letters. From there, it takes flight. This book is a good start for Jews and non-Jews alike, especially if you have trouble with the conventional idea of Big-Guy-in-the-Sky God. If the idea of hidden depths in Hebrew letters intrigues you, also take a look at Larry Kushner's "The Book of Letters" ....

Richard Seidman's ORACLE OF THE KABBALAH is a profound, joyful, and beautiful set of divination with accompanying text. Using the model of THE MEDINCE CARDS and others that have followed, Seidman raises the art to a new level. He illuminates the spirituality and magic of the ancient hebrew letters to engage us in the modern tasks of inner decision making and spiritual transformation in our lives for the new millienium. His take on the mystical meanings of the hebrew letters is both Jewish and not, integrating strands of thought from his own varied spiritual and philosophic explorations. THE ORACLE OF THE KABBALLAH raises the genra of divination cards to a seriously ecumenical level of mysticism, witty, touching, helpful and profound.

Although this 506 page masterpiece does not read as quick as a 196 page book,(see product details), if you have enough appreciation of Almaas' work, you will sail through this one with a deep undestanding of how to actualize our full human potential in this lifetime. What makes this particular volume stand out most, is how the essential identity of the personal aspect draws one into realizing how we CAN live a life of spiritual integrety and still function (optimally) in our society, here and now. Albeit with much devotion, hard work, and pschological hurt, as Almaas points out numerous times throughout all his books. Like most worthwhile undertakings in life, this takes much more than just reading and concepualizing to as Almaas puts it,"integrate the personality into Being". But if one is willing to go the distance to achieve this pinnacle, this book and all other Almaas works will undoubtedly start you on your journey.

The founders of NLP, following Korzybski, reminded us that "the map is not the territory." Almaas speaks of the territory - the vastness and profundity of out Being - as one who lives there. He also has produced yet another superb map, with very precise descriptions of the challenges, the obtacles, the meaning of the signs along the way, and a more workable way than we have ever had of actually geting there.

Almaas has succeded in explicating and integrating contemporary object relations theory with transpersonal development. He has articulated the development of the ego and then its transcendence in a compelling, coherent discourse. This book is of tremendous value for anyone interested in a serious inquiry into the development/realization of the Self that does not ignore the important contribution of object-relations theory to self development.

This story about Santa's little boy, Peter, teaches readers a lesson about giving. Peter tries to help the naughty children of the world and helps himself as well. This Christmas story is entertaining while it teaches an important lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. It also teaches "naughty" children everywhere that there is hope for them if they do something nice for someone!

With a happily contorted version of the Santa Claus mythos, Mr. David has made a delightful story with a great outlook on human nature. This book is a perfect antidote for those who run screaming when being force-fed the mantra that 'Polar Express' is a modern Christmas classic. It avoids cliche, makes one laugh, and has the admirable quality of having likeable characters, including the independently-minded hero.

It was the part of the Claus family job, son Peter hated most, separating the naughty kids from the nice. He knew first hand what it was like to be on the naughty list, since he was on it last year. No presents under the tree. "Does it have to be that way? Can't naughty kids get gifts too?" Santa was firm. "I didn't make the rules. More nices than naughties and you go on the nice list and get lots of presents. More naughties than nices and you go on the naughty list and get nothing. That's the way my father taught me to do it when he was Santa, and the way his dad taught him." But to Peter, it just didn't seem fair. Santa didn't even know what those poor "naughty" kids did to get themselves on the list, in the first place. So late that night, he hitched the reindeer to the big sleigh, and set off on a mission to help those naughty children before it was too late..... Lawrence David has written a delightful holiday story with a gentle message about fairness, forgiveness and saying you're sorry, that won't be lost on young readers. His simple and straightforward text is beautifully complemented by Delphine Durand's charming and humorous childlike, geometric illustrations that are bold, bright, and wonderfully expressive. Youngsters will enjoy poring over the artwork and finding all the special little details in each picture. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Peter Claus And The Naughty List is creative and original, a nice addition to your holiday picture book shelf, and a wonderful read-aloud story the entire family can share, discuss and enjoy together.

A very entertaining read about a guy who, hovering between life and death, meets the Great God Pan who intercepts his soul and helps him with the process of regaining he Godly status (which we're told we all possess.)

Though the story is very engaging, its shortcoming is the fact that everything resembling spiritual guidance in this book relies on divine intervention, with the noteworthy exception of the message that priests are never to be trusted. It seems to me that most of us are not destined to have this type of interaction with God(s.) As someone quoted above, "you don't need to pee!" well, maybe if you're Pan but i'm pretty sure those of us with bodies still do.

At one point in the book grand schemes are put into place to save the earth environmentally. There are huge obstacles that are overcome, of course, primarily by the gods who happen to be assissting. Again, without the divine intervention these grand schemes seem unable to overcome human nature.

Willows resident Lawrence R. Spencer takes up the same theme in his over-the-top satire "Pan: God of the Woods"
Spencer writes in a disclaimer that "the author and publisher assume no responsibility of any kind whatsoever for any negative influence which the material in this book may have upon the reader. ... The author accepts full responsibility for any positive effect the material in the book may have on the reader, no matter how insignificant or remote."

Derek Adapa, a software developer, sustains what proves to be a fatal wound in a hunting incident on Mt. Shasta. But Pan, representing all the pagan deities down through history, teaches Derek's disembodied spirit the truth about the godlike power of human beings. Pan plays Virgil to Adapa's Dante as he shows Derek his grieving wife Jennifer and tells him the secret of the twins being born to his mistress, Paula Cadmus (herself not what she appears to be).

The language is sometimes strong and the opinions stronger in "Pan." "There is no heaven or hell as you have been taught to think of it," Pan tells Derek. "Those are lies told by priests to make people obey them."

Eventually Pan (the fertility god of the woods) and his cohorts convert the world to environmentalism, and the military-industrial complex stops making fighter jets and starts producing greenhouses. All is well.

There is yet one more message. Pan welcomes readers to "embrace the Spirit of Playfulness. Embrace the joy of your own ability to create, my eternal friend. Pretend your own illusion, your own future, your own universe. ..."

"Be here, then be there," Pan poeticizes at the end. "You're free just to Be. / You don't have to eat or to breathe or to pee! / You are who You are. It's fun being free! / The same as You've been, and always will be!"

By DAN BARNETT - Book Columnist
Dan Barnett teaches philosophy at Butte College.

I've never seen or read a book about being a god before. This has to be the most unique, original concept for a novel in the history of western literature! Life as a god is not what I imagined it could be -- this beyond anything I would have thought possible!