Interesting, even thought provoking arguments--however, the dialogue between the characters is so one dimensional and flat that I was quickly turned off.

I agree with those who have reviewed this book positively. In a short book (91 pages of trialogue) Moody covers the basics in an engaging manner. Too often this issue is clouded over by easy arguments or jargon too technical for the average person. Since it is written as a discussion between three college students, it goes quickly and smoothly allowing the mind to move easily from each position. This book is thought out and is certainly recommended for people who are just getting into the subject. The main point of the book is to expose the reader to what other thinkers have thought concerning the perennial question. At the end of the book, Sophia says:

"...No one is suggesting that you throw away the tools of critical reasoning. But we have spent some time talking about the arguments for God's existence. We haven't proved that he exists, but we have learned why the arguments are at least plausible to those who are inclined by their personal religious experince to believe in God. We also have shown that belief in God isn't bizarre or delusional. We come back to tolerance again. If God can give us the space to form a rational belief in him without compulsion, maybe we can learn to do the same toward each other."

Other books of interest may include: The Brothers Karamazov by Fydor Dostoyevsky, C.S.Lewis's A Grief Observed and Miracles (anything by him is enlightening), Philosophy of Religion ed. Brian Davies, The Psalms, and The Othodox Way by Bishop Kallistos.

Moody's conversation between 3 bright students is short (96 pages, 8 chapters), fair (no one "wins"), comprehensive (most of the classic issues are present), provocative (a well-versed discussion leader should be delighted), accessible (almost none of the traditional jargon), and rigorous (the arguments, though brief, require careful attention). This is not a "teach yourself" book. Though any reasonably intelligent reader can profit from it, the careful treatment it deserves calls for guidance from someone knowledgeable in the philosophy of religion. The opportunities for such an instructor to segue from the book into additional topics are abundant and are aided by an excellent annotated reading list.

I did not find this book very diverse regarding hairstyles. It has a lot of variations of the same types of styles. Not good if you are looking for different types of braids.

The Five-Minutes Hair Stylist book gives you great tips on how to manage and maintain the health of your hair, it also gives you plenty of advice. The book takes you step by step to create a great hairstyle. I would mostly recommend it for people with long hair.

The practical yet classic hairstyles are so well illustrated, thus easy to execute. Perfect styles for working at home or an evening at the symphony. These styles play up the natural beauty of a woman's hair. Hair is too pretty in and of itself to be permed, teased and tormented. Herein lies the perfect alternative - a way to have attractive, manageable long hair without damaging the hair,rather framing the beauty of it. As the author of, Pearls of Country Wisdom, I love the simple elegance for my country existence.

A book where you wish terminally ill kids to hurry up and die? A dying kid masturbating on the monirail at Walt Disney world? What else can I say. A really disturbing bit of fluff

There's nothing quite like the experience of readiing a Stanley Elkin novel. The bizarre events, the over-the-top characters, and the sentences -- long, winding sentences filled with tangential details and parenthetical clauses, sentences which tumble and turn, drunk on themselves, but which somehow by the end all manage to add up.

The Magic Kingdom has all of the virtues of Elkin's other great books, as well as an irresistible premise: a man who mourns his dead son by taking a group of terminally ill children to Disney World. It's as unsentimental as such a story could possibly be, and though the characters all certainly have annoying qualities, by the end the children possess a nobility which is far truer than the superficial good intentions of the adults around them.

Certainly, this will not be a book for everyone. If you only want a straightforward story with sympathetic and coherent characters, look elsewhere, for The Magic Kingdom is a sort of cross between Virginia Woolf and Monty Python. If, however, you are able to keep your imagination open, appreciate wild flights of language, and don't mind moments where you aren't sure whether to laugh, cry, or throw up, then this book is for you.

If you want sentimental garbage about dying kids and them being perfect little angels, don't buy this book, watch Oprah. On the other hand, if you want a book that is totally unsentimental, yet extraordinarily heartbreaking, about dying kids who are fatally human, not angels, then get this one and quick!

I wanted to like this book. I bought it to help me work out some heart issues of my own and become more loving. But this book fails.

Elizabeth and Patricia present a non-cohesive blend of quotes from spiritual sources and peoples experiences. Right from the start the tone is all fuzzy, feely good and whatnot. Maybe that's light conversation to have with a friend over brunch but its not the kind of stuff I want to pay for.

There is no clear explanation from the start on what is your heart, both spiritually and physically. No outline of why a strong and loving heart is important. No description of symptoms for a heart that functions properly or not. This book takes you on a smorgasboard of quotations from spritual and personal sources which never really progresses anywhere. There is no alchemy and you may loose touch with your heart as you get lost in so many words with no clear structure. And the bits here and there about...'El Moyra' and the like are out of place. She should be laying out a real workbook for heart transformation...

In the end, this book does not really help you give and recieve more love. For that I recommend spending time with the words of Mother Teresa or some of the other sources cited in this book directly. There is not much to gain here from the unclear mixture of references and experiences presented in this work.

Alchemy of the Heart gives very useful guidance on how to contact our inner teacher, to quiet the mind and to enter the peaceful, blissfull place in our heart. I would recommend this book to anyone who is searching for meaningful answers to life's questions.

I read this book several months ago, and was in tears by page seven. It was unbelievable how it reached me. The subtitle sounded too simple: "How to give and receive more Love." I figured that it might be obvious type things like "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But it was much deeper than that for me. I learned things that I have already applied in my life, and my relationships have gotten more powerful. I also love myself more, which seems strange, but Alchemy of the Heart showed me that it's not really strange, but key. What an awesome little book!

Though i occasionally felt as if i was trapped inside a bad-tempered version of a Harry Chapin song, as cab-driver/PI Moody gets involved in finding the husband of his ex-girl-friend who has Married Well, over all i greatly enjoyed this first in a proposed series.Moody's background as a Viet Nam veteran and mental patient is interesting enough and supplies enough possibilities for both complications and characterisation that i'm going to watch that aspect with interest to see if the author can actually do something with it or has been over-ambitious in setting up his series's "givens".Speaking as someone who has felt some of the same things, i can sympathise with Moody's "survivor syndrome" guilts about Viet Nam -- what made *us* special? Why did *we* deserve to come home when so many others didn't make it? That question alone has been enough to break some people of our generation, and it's only a part of what preys on Moody.On the other hand, the cab-driver PI bit, for some reason, even with only two that i know of in the current field, still seems over-crowded, and i'm not sure why. Certainly, Moody is about as different from Carlotta Carlyle as it's possible to get, but one feels right and the other seems a bit forced and i can't say why.But it's a good, solid fast read for all that, and well worth your while.

Met the author at book signing while on holiday in Scottsdale at Poisoned Pen. Very impressive background and charming speaker. No doubt it is a first novel, but it contains lots of strong moments. Mr. Oliver's discussion of where his protagonist is going (and growing) whet the appetite for more of Moody. Moody and his associates in Spokane can make you laugh and make you cry. You cannot help but care about them. Interesting plot that is fully resolved.

The sensitive, brooding, witty protagonist in an attempt to better his condition falls prey to misfortune. He gains our sympathy and we root for him. His clever sense of humor helps him survive. A believable character and plot, set in the 70's brings us back to that period with accuracy. With pleasure, I look forward to the next in the series.

The first few books in this series were so good - this one was dissappointing. I enjoyed the wholesome nature of the early books (and the last two), but this book was written entirely about the time when Ralph was lying to his family about his whereabouts and employment, hanging around with shady company and engaging in questionable activities. The author wrote about his own life, but some details about the lying and stealing could have been ommitted and made the book more consistent with the wholesome tone of the early books in the series. The book is interesting and more action-packed than most of the later books, but I would not recommend this one for family reading. The early emphasis on honesty and integrity are entirely lost in this book, with no apparant remorse over the loss. The series is often advertised as being perfect for families, but the later books are not materials I would endorse for young people. It's an entertaining book, but I don't feel I'm a better person for having read it. It does not come close to the standard set in the early books in the series.

I first read this book aloud with my family as an adolescent about 30 years ago. I read it with my own children, and now it is time to think about reading it with my grandchildren. This book tells of the great adventure of life, lived with the eternal knowledge that--though mistakes and poor judgment will be made by all of us--they can all be made right with determination, responsibility, and faith. This story of two boys facing overwhelming challenges together, and discovering that there are few problems that don't have at least one solution, and you're sure to find it if you just don't give up. Exciting, encouraging, challenging, funny, and inspiring--all can be said about this book.

All of the Ralph Moody books are great. Check out Little Britches and continue on the path. These books are full of Great Values like hard work and honesty. Kids love them as do adults. Great for family reading time.

This book is not for the first time jewelry-maker. Some of the projects require power tools and have long materials lists. On the positive side, there are step-by-step instructions with pictures. Also, a wide variety of jewelry techniques and types of beads are shown. The "Treasures for Free" section is a good idea that I haven't seen in any other jewelry-making book. So, the benefit of this book will depend upon how experienced you are and how well-equiped your workshop is. Therefore, I think this book is best as a secondary source for most people.

I'm Elise Mann, you can see in the back of this book that I designed and made six of the big projects - I also did several of the little quick ideas. Just to say if anyone has questions about anything in my work, they can contact me.

This book was assigned to one of my MBA classes. The book itself was a good source of reference not only for my business law class but also to other two classes. The book's language is simple and easy to understand. The only flaw I found about this this book was that some cases were complex and I had to refer to actual law books and regulations. Overall, I recommend this book.

This book is a textbook useful for a stand-alone course in Law & Ethics. The strength of the book to me was the comprehensive listing of court cases and internet sites.

Perfect Circles brings back Will Ross, Greg Moody's hero from Two Wheels. I enjoyed this book, it was a great summer read but it is not as good as the first book. If you have never read any cycling mysteries, read Two Wheels or the Yellow Jersey instead. The first half of the book is well written, the second half tends to get a bit goofy...

This is more of a recommendation than a review. As a road cyclist, I thoroughly enjoyed both of Moody's books and consider them must reads for those looking for entertainment who have an interest in cycling - real page turners. Sure, they're a bit tongue-in-cheek, bullets flying, comic book-esque and not Pulitzer prize material. But I loved them nonetheless.

I've never been to France. The only bike race I ever saw I cursed because it closed the streets I wanted to use at that particular moment. But after reading Moody's book, I had the urge to dig out the ten speed from the back of the garage and book a flight on the Concord. The story flashes from scene to scene so fast I got a blister on my page turning finger! The way this guy writes puts you in the middle of the action with such vivid detail you believe you're actually the one peddling the bike. Moody's wit and humor will have you re-reading some passages wishing YOU'D said that. The book taught me a lot about road racing and what might go on behind the scenes. If the thought of Groucho Marx on a bike tickles you, read this book!

It's been a long time since I have picked up a book to read for fun but ended up learning so much. Skye Moody delivers all of this in a very humorous mystery that made me laugh so much I couldn't put it down. The main character of Rain Dance, Venus Diamond, reminds herself of Peter Pan and children think she is possibly a freak. Her family is enough to drive anyone insane and she has to deal with malaria. These aspects just make her a stronger and more outgoing person that everyone will grow to love. The Pacific Northwest is always a favorite backdrop for mysterious happenings but Moody is unique for picking the coast. This is a must-read for mystery lovers.

Skye Moody has assembled a cast of quirky and offbeat characters - the type you never believe really exist until you actually meet them - in a mystery that holds your attention from beginning to end. The twists and turns were delightful, and basing the story on the real-life issues of an endangered species added a real timeliness to the plot. I am not a "tree-hugger," but the threat to bears became very real to me. The main character, Venus Diamond, is wonderful. She is full of all the insecurities and self-doubt that most of us suffer, but is still driven to achieve her own goals on her own terms, regardless of the differing opinions of her movie star mother. She is dynamic, sardonic and combative - in other words, totally intriguing to me and I'd love to meet her. I very much look forward to finding out more about her in succeeding books.

Skye Kathleen Moody's first novel in the Venus Diamond, Fish and Wildlife agent, is exciting and suspenseful. Venus, recovering from malaria, is recalled from Bangkok in order to investigate the murder of Madge Leroux in Ozone Beach, a Puget Sound resort town. Venus is an intelligent, dynamic, humorous detective who quickly discovers a connection between the black market activities she had been investigation in Bangkok and Leroux's murder. The power of this novel resides in Moody's combination of action with interesting, believable characters. Her research into the issues surrounding poaching, endangered species, and the black market provides a depth to the novel, making it more than merely a terrific mystery.