This book is about giving hope to inmates. It tells them that
God is always there for them and that they should not lose faith.
The brief, easy to read and understand letters will give you hope and inspiration.

Inexpensively produced with black and white pictures, this book presents Cistercian/Trappist life at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. Basil Pennington's text is as clear and telling as the photos themselves. This is an excellent way to begin to understand Trappist life. The chapter called "A Greater Solitude" includes insight into how the community deals with death. The simple acceptance and rejoicing that a brother has persevered to the end and a new beginning make a startling and illuminating contrast to the American way of death. I keep this book on my coffee table so that people who don't understand efforts to combine Cistercian spirituality with daily life will have an quick and easy glimpse of the life.

I read this book while on retreat at the Abbey of Gethsemani, on a snowy January afternoon. This was an excellent selection to read there, as, of course, this was the home of Thomas Merton and also where the writer of this book was on retreat when he wrote this. An added plus was that the writer's retreat was also during the winter so this reader felt a certain kinship with him knowing he too had experienced the beautiful and complex winter landscape, of both the abbey grounds and one's soul. This is a journal of his retreat experience and is an interesting juxtaposition of the everyday matters of a retreat against the deeper spiritual ponderings one is allowed during the retreat. For instance the reader enjoys the descriptions of the author's feeding the birds and building fires, while also gleaning ideas for her own meditations. There are many good photographs included in this book, including some of Merton'a hermitage where the writer was privileged to take his retreat. This is an area off limits to general retreatants, but it felt like a good fit to be able to look at those pictures and read these words and realize one was, at least, on the same grounds as Merton and the writer.

Ron Martz and Bart Sears have constructed a cinematic tale about
a monk who becomes a reluctant warrior. Sears gritty art style fits the story's timeframe and locale. There are grand battle scenes and interseting characterizations in this tale mixed with samurai action and fantasy . A great way to jump on this ongoing title from the Crossgen Universe.

This book represents a collection of articles that review approaches and technologies useful in the analysis of global protein expression, or proteomics. An introduction to the relationship between genomics and so-called proteomics is followed by chapters devoted to genetic based methods to study protein expression, reviews of two-dimensional gel electrophroresis, mass spectrometry, image analysis, high throughput / automation and some applications. Despite the title of the book, there is little on protein function, and a major facet of proteomics, that is, quantitation is all but forgotten. Some chapters overly cite the authors own work and ignore others, some errors are also encountered. In Chapter 5 Patterson and co describe post souce decay or PSD as occuring IN the ion source and repeatedly refers to MS measurement of mass not, more correctly, mass-to-charge.

The entire idea behind "The Path" is cool, and Ron Marz is up there with Chuck Dixon as on of the best writers around but the real turn-off for "The Path" is the art. Crossgen Comics has,until now, been using artists who usually make all the books look like the're done by the same artist, but for some reason crossgen decided to fix something that isn't broken and it has floped in my eyes. The artists give no hint of a third demension and the characters look like paper dolls. The reapeted use of browns make the book dull and less appealing to the eyes. I read other comics from crossgen and will continue to do so but The path will never be one of those comics.

The Path is a very good read for avid comic fans that look beyond muscle bound super men. It's artistic approach is done with a Japanese flat style with compositions layed out like the Lone Wolf and Cub story line. I find it refreshing. I totally disagree with "zero02" comments on the art. I think they're beautiful and show a CROSS-cultural influence in the art. Keep up the good work Crossgen.

The Path- Crisis of Faith has been the first book I have read so far from the Crossgen universe. A samurai story is what motivated me to pick up and buy this book not being familiar with the artists or the writer before. But from the little knowledge I have about comics and comic art, it is delightful to see art work here that is a pleasant deviation from usual western comic art work. There are images within this book that seem inspired from Japanese comic art - especially the images of raindrops creating ripples on puddles of water distorting reflections. The comic script is also very intriguing. Feudal Japan has invoked strong visions among many artists and writers, as is also evident in The Path. Clearly, this factor is responsible for setting the tone for a wonderful manner of storytelling.

The story of Obo San, and his companions - each bound by their honor and the decisions that they have made in the face of difficult choices, makes for a very intriguing story indeed. Even more intriguing is the treachery and the conniving that exists behind the facade of honor within the nobility. And as Obo San suspects, possibly within the realms of the Gods themselves. Obo San and his companions search for answers and truth behind that facade, despite the fact that they have incurred the wrath of their mysterious Emperor, and imminent war threatens their people. Whether the path they have chosen leads them to truth and discovery, or death, it promises to be a very eventful journey.

Also eventful is the comic book itself. And I use the term comic here strictly in ways only a comic book reader would understand. If anything, 'The Path' only illustrates how the medium has grown far beyond the irrelevance of being called comic. 'The Path' will leave you wanting for more about this strange journey. A superbly crafted journey that won't disappoint anyone.

This book is a good example of a completely outdated view on diet and nutrition. If you wish to know what people thought was a balanced diet and nutritious in the 1950's, then by all means buy this book. If you are looking for something a bit more contemporary, find another book that has a more healthy view on carbohydrates and sugars and preparation of healthy meals without highly refined or processed ingredients.

This book is essentail for healthy people to enrich their nutritional background. It instructs people how to select healthy foods and avoid bad nutritional habits.

Together with a calculator, I found and find this book to be absolutely indispensable in putting together and maintaining a healthy balanced diet, getting all the necessary nutrients, maintaining my weight and limiting as much as possible my intake of saturated (bad-cholesterol raising, and therefore possibly lethal as possibly heart attack/atherosclerosis/heart disease causing, if consumed in excess) fat at this time (after my cholesterol was determined by my doctor to be too high and I was advised by him to change my eating habits and improve my nutrition generally). In the beginning of the book is a short introductory chapter in which the basics of a healthy balanced diet are briefly discussed together with a graphic representation of the FDA's FOOD PYRAMID GUIDE and discussion of it, including what constitutes a portion and how many portions of the various kinds of foods comprising the pyramid one should have daily generally for one's sex, age range and activity level. One thing the author said that I liked very much and which helps me is that if one doesn't eat as healthily as one should one day, there is always the next day in which to improve. This book is the only resource of its kind which I have which lists Total Fat in grams AND SATURATED FAT IN GRAMS. I appreciate the fact that this information is included and that it is presented in this way (and not just as a percentage of the Total in the case of Saturated Fat) as this makes it as easy as possible for me to process quicky and simply. It continues to be particularly helpful to me in limiting my consumption of total fat, in general, and saturated fat, in particular, which as I said above is someting that I have been told need to do on an ongoing basis and which I do try to do. It lists a wide variety of foods and nutritional information in a format that makes it possible for an unusually large number of them to be included without their taking up a great deal of space. This makes it paricularly helpful to me in making healthy choices - getting enough of the nutrients I need without too much of anything I should not have too much of, and exercising portion control. Highly highly recommeded.I wouldn't want to be without it and I continue to refer to it for necessary nutritional information on an ongoing basis. The author is highly qualfied and has done an excellent job.

I hated reading Dickens in high school, and I was never able to get past the first chapter of any of his books, including this one. Now that I'm in my mid-30's, I want to re-visit a lot of the works that I had no patience for as a teenager, so I read Hard Times. Although there are many flaws to this book, I felt proud to have finally cleared the Dickens hurdle. Dickens is excellent at creating sympathetic (and evil) characters, even though they may be slightly cliche or wooden. The fact is, Dickens is able to hook you in with his plots and create a profound concern on behalf of the reader that the good guy (or girl) wins and the bad guy suffers. A lot of the twists in this book were a little "too convenient" and implausible to make it a crowining work of literature, but nevertheless it has motivated me to move on to Dickens' larger, more daunting works. If you are having any trepidation about tackling Dickens, Hard Times is a good place to start.

Here is a stunning indictment of soot-covered early Victorian England. Its relevance today though should not be underestimated. Parallels abound both here at home and the world over. Hard Times is brilliant and multifaceted. Dickens is both dreadfully serious and stingingly witty. And yes, a thorough Marxist reading is certainly possible. Dickens cared deeply about the world in which he lived and his humanity shines through in every line. This book, and all that Dickens wrote, is worthwhile if only for the beauty of the prose. Those forced to read it in school are unlikely to see its value as anyone forced to do anything against the will is going to be resentful and rejecting. Be deeply suspicious though of the reader from Madison Wisconsin, Hitler, or anyone who advises the literal trashing of books.

Dickens creates a novel that virtually revolutionizes literature of the 1800's. At a time where most writers wrote in a stuffy prose full of unrealities and a jaded outlook, Dickens dares to tell with honesty what he sees through his window.

Hard Times has yet a misleading title. It gives one ideas of harshness, depression, poverty, and social decline--although the actual reality of then-London, still not something you would choose to read. However, Hard Times has as much depression and poverty as any of Dickens' other works. It is just in this case that Dickens chooses to remind the world that in the deepest despair there is beauty yet to be seen.

Dickens was a strange author. In his supposedly inspiring books, you get an overdose of sadness, and in his depressing books, you find beauty. It is this case with Hard Times.

It is a poor, honest man's search for justice in a world where only the rich have merit. It is a girl's search for true love while battling the arranged marriage for money. And lastly, a woman's search for recognition against her favored, yet dishonest brother. It is these searches that at last come together and become fufilled. And, while at the same time telling a captivating story, it comments on the then--and still now--presence of greed and total dishonesty one has to go through for money.

The title of this review sums up Hard Times. Its beauty comes from the pure searches for truth, the sorrow comes from the evil the characters most overcome to get there, and the honesty is both the truth with which Dickens portrays life and the the overwhelming truth that these protaganists create.

Holly Burke, PhD.

Clinical Psychologist, Abnormal Psych. Professor

Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins Inst.

This book seemed promising at first, but got worse as the chapters went by. A poorly constructed plot with bland characters made it hard to stay interested. The seperate parts were not well connected, and it was hard to lose interest. Even the mystery was not intriguing, and hardly made me want to find out what happened. There was no action, and it mostly consisted of interveiws and dialogue with no real point. However, there were some clever lines that showed Colin Dexter has some talent. This was my first book by this author, and it will probably be my last.

If you are tired of American detective stories that contain so much violence and gore, you will find this British detective story very refreshing. The characters Morse and his side-kick are so well written, so real that they almost jumped out of the pages. It doesn't matter even if this is the first Morse story you read. Morse, unlike some of the "supercop" characters in American novels, uses his wit instead of muscle, logic instead of guns to solve crimes. His personality is less than perfect, he makes mistakes from time to time, but that's exactly what makes his character so likeable and so believable. Ah, and he's got that British sense of humor too! I have to tip my hat to Dexter for his such fine writing and I'll certainly look for more of his books. If you like clever, entertaining detective stories, you will like this one. If you want to learn how to write good detective stories, you will need this one. If you enjoy British humor, don't miss this one!

A good read, but this mystery is not up to the author's standards. The dialogue was not as humorous and imaginative, especially between Morse and Lewis, as it was in previous novels. For some reason the characters come off a little flat in this book. The plot suffers a little as well - just not the usual Dexter potboiler.

I came across this in a used book store and recognized it immediately for what it was: a Morse mystery that I had never read. As Inspector Morse stories go, this one is good but not exceptional. It is always good to be in the presence of the cranky Inspector, especially since he is so clearly personified by the late, great John Thaw, and this story has some very unique elements in the telling of a good story, but it relies a little too much on coincidence for its final resolution. It was a necessary device in this case, but if Morse hadn't been in that particular pub at that particular time... Oh, well. I think we read these as much for the enjoyment of Morse's cognitive processes and his relationship with Lewis, his long-suffering sergeant. And there are far worse ways to spend and evening! (I don't want this back.)