Let's face it, if you study Buddhism you probably have at least a dozen solid theoretical texts lining your bookshelves. And if there is any area in which those texts seem to be weak, it is in their approach to applying Buddhist tenets to the modern workplace. At first glance, Western capitalism and Eastern spirituality appear distinctly at oods. How is it possible to follow Buddha's Right Livelihood tenet and still succeed in the cutthroat workplace?

Mr. Richmond has been there and done that. He brings practical advice that is soundly grounded in Buddhist thought and tradition. He doesn't try to pretend that it is realistic to construct an altar at your desk, but provides reasonable ways to extend your spirituality to the workplace. Above all else, this book is a practical set of guidelines for maintaining your spirituality in America's competitive workplace. I've only just read it, but it has helped me immensely to find ways to make my worklife simply an extension of the rest of my life.

You will find something that applies to whatever kind of work day you are having. I read it as I struggled with a decision to quit or not quit; to compromise my personal beliefs or keep my job. I already knew the answers, but this book was comfortingly reassuring and supportive of the path I knew was correct for me. Now when I go back to reread, and reread sections, I always find something that helps me survive whatever work situation with which I'm dealing.

This is an excellent book. It was very easy to read, and provided lots of practical advice on all sorts of work problems ranging from stress to stagnation. It accepts the premise that emotions (such as anger) do happen at work, and provides advice on how to diffuse the negative aspects of emotions and harness the positive energy. This book was very helpful to me and probably would be helpful for many people.

At the end of this splendid autobiographical travel book, the author explains his compulsion to travel to his Brahmin companion "It's the pull of the world. I spent most of my childhood on my own, and some of it was in the mountains of Wales. I would go exploring with the idea in my head that the farther I was from home the better it would be. The next valley would always be wilder. The lake would be bottomless, and I would find a mysterious ruin, and there would be ravens instead of crows in all the trees. Now it's not just the Black Mountains of Dyfed, but the world." In this book that pull takes him to a bleak, windswept ancient fort in a bay in South West Wales where he writes; to Cuba where he meets an expatriate American official executioner, former Macy employee; to the exquisite countryside of Vietnam of the 1950's; to Bangkok and its sex industry; to Brazil and, in concert with one of the great photo-journalists in history Don McCullin, recalls their expose to the world of the genocide against tribal peoples of Brazil, and demonstrates the power of writing and the good that can come therefrom. His opinions include his opposition to the destructiveness of Protestant fundamentalist sects as missionaries and disdain for the barbarians of Essex in the 1960's riding to the local hunt willy nilly over gardens. His insights are sometimes revalatory - he analyses some speeches of Castro and finds them sprinkled with jokes and quotes from Burke, Rousseau, Juvenal, and Shakespeare and claims Castro is the greatest orator since Demosthenes. This contrasts remarkably with the impression I gained from the American press over the years who simply described his speeches as interminable and boring. What a difference an open mind can make to a perspective on the world. His travel companions included Lord Snowden who is revealed somewhat as a spoiled and moody but talented adolescent. His writing skill I would compare to Somerset Maugham but without the snobbery and sarcasm. He is one of the most graceful and skilled travel writers in the language. Pervading all is his sense of graciousness, humanity, and generosity of spirit. The World, The World is a wonderful read.

I discovered Norman Lewis through an article by that other great travel writer Pico Iyer in his "Tropical Classical" collection. "The World, the World" is an excellent introduction to an extraordinary travel writer, man whose life has to be read about to be believed. This is a man totally in tune with his times both at home and abroad (his description of his English village is as powerful as his writing on Cuba and the plight of the Amazonian Indians). There's also a great deal of humour here, particularly when Lewis describes his travels with Lord Snowden in Peru. Highly recommended.

What a treat this book was! I discovered Norman Lewis years ago --and have read most of his novels (which I will now go back and re-read). He makes travel as exciting and involving as, of course, it is and along with Pico Iyer makes everyday that I sit behind my desk or hit my computer one less day of adventure or learning. He manages to be so modest about his achievements and his innante curiousity while presenting a panorama of travel thst is as interesting as any travle writing I have ever read --and it makes you thirst for more and more detail about his experiences throughout the world..highly recommend this for anyone who has the slightest essence of wanderlust!

Dear Christian Literature Crusade, This is very good book as well as the author of this book is very valuable. Please make the new reprint of it, so that I could obtain this book. With Kind Regards - Verners - Awakening in Wales by Jessie Penn-Lewis ISBN: 0875089372

This is the best book covering the revival in Wales out of the ten or so on the market. It details all the fantastic happenings attributed to this turn of the century move of God from a first hand perspective because the author, Jessie Penn-Lewis, was there and was a personal friend of the main evangelist Evan Roberts. The author recounts first hand stories from the revival that resulted in bringing over 70,000 people to Faith in Jesus Chirst in the first two months. Stories such as: pubs closing because they had no customers, football teams disbanding beacuse of lack of interest in temporal things, and judges that had no cases to try because everyone was in church.

This is the best and most powerful description of the Welsh revival that I have run across. It is written by Jessie Penn-Lewis who attended the revival in person. It describes many stories and first hand experiences of the powerful move of God in Wales starting in 1904 where over 70,000 people embraced Jesus Christ in the first 2 months. The text describes how all aspects of life was altered during the revival--including judges with no cases, football teams with no fans, the closing of all the pubs, and many miraculous events that occured during the church services. It keeps your attention throughout the manuscript and will woo you towards greater intimacy with the glorious man Christ Jesus. I highly recommend the book. Buy a copy for yourself and one to give to a friend.

One of the drawbacks of diving into a lengthy manga series is that it is not always obvious where to start. In this particular case, I found myself in front of a shelf full of volumes of Hiroaki Samura's popular series without a clue to which were the first. So, totally at random, I selected this book and its sequel ('The Gathering, Part II'), guessing from the titles that they at least represented a single story. Typical reviewer's luck, I got home to discover that I had managed to start right in the middle.

Unlike novels in a series, which often feel the need to provide some background, these manga start right in. Without even knowing the characters' names, I was busy trying to pick up the details of the plot. Gradually I pieced together that Manji was an immortal swordsman who could not die until he killed 1000 villains. He travels with Rin, a young swordswoman, helping her track down the murderers of her parents.

'The Gathering' starts out in an inn where Manji and Rin are resting after a failed attempt on the life of Anotsu Kagehisa head of the Itto-ryu sword school. All they know is that Anotsu has left Edo for Kaga. Rin is determined to follow him, but there is a hitch. Travel in 18th Century Japan was severely restricted, and neither Manji nor Rin have the credentials to pass the checkpoints. Rin is so determined though that she ignores Manji's warnings and heads off on her own. Manji has no choice but to follow her. Their situation is complicated by the fact that they have been charged with murder and their sketches have been posted all over the path to Kaga.

This volume traces Manji and Rin's individual paths as they each try to acquire the coveted pass (tegata). True to their natures, Rin chooses the less violent path of subterfuge and Manji follows the swordsman's path. But neither finds progress easy. Without question, this is a two-volume problem.

The series is drawn with great elegance and style - much better than many of the manga I have seen. And once you figure out what exactly is going on, the story progresses smoothly. There is a great deal of depth to the characters coupled with a strong plot. The details of late 18th Century Japanese society are worth the price of admission on their own.

One thing I did find hard to follow was the depiction of fighting. With very little dialog other than sound effects these have a much different style from U.S. Comic violence. They are far more violent and have a disjointed style that takes more concentration to follow. However, this is just a matter of acclimatization. Taken as a whole, it is certainly no surprise that 'Blade of the Immortal' enjoys extensive popularity both in Japan and elsewhere.

(please excuse my english mistakes, i am german) If you enjoy manga, and samurais, there is nowhere else you should look (well perhaps lone wolf club....) other than Blade of the Immortal. BOTI not only has incredible art work all done in pencil and ink the story is beyond in-depth with a variety of characters and plenty of unuique battle sequences. The main character Manji, is often refered to as being one of the best main characters in both manga and anime alike. However, manji is far from the only cool character in the series....even the badguys (for the most part) are incredible...often times i find myself hating one but by the end of a battle you begin to understand the badguy and realise they may not have been as bad as you once thought. Also this series just continues to get better as it goes along rather than trail off like most mnagas i have read. As stated before if u like samurai/manga i would highly recomend this series of novels novels to you.

Think it would be great to live forever? Manji, a crass ronin of eighteenth century Japan, doesn't agree. Cursed to immortal life for prior misdeeds, he must dispatch a thousand evil men to the judgment of the Buddha in order to die himself. Joining a young girl on her quest for vengeance against the rebellious Itto-Ryu sword school, Manji soon has dire need for his twelve blades as he faces a motley of hardened warriors, psychopaths, philosophers and just plain jokers. The thousand-man requiem is met by the painful stroke of give-and-take; and is told in a fashion that puts most modern epics to shame.

In The Gathering, the seventh BoTI compilation released on western shores, Hiroaki Samura continues to experiment with his storytelling style and artwork presentation. The character interactions are slower and more involved, the artwork less showy though always superb. One can see a definite maturation of style between, say, _Blood of a Thousand_ and this graphic novel: the 'death murals' are gone; the battles longer and more defined; the development of conflict more pronounced and, ultimately, more effective. But some things never change, Manji's smirk and Rin's determination among them.

This compilation contains the first half of 'The Gathering' storyline, focusing mostly on Rin's hunt for Anotsu Kagehisa, leader of the Itto-Ryu. The action doesn't really start until the last third, when Manji must duke it out with three warriors in order to procure a travel pass from one prefecture to the next. This quickly evolves into one of the most violent and desperate battles so far, though the reader will have to wait for the next compilation for a climax and conclusion to the story elements presented here.

Five stars, as always.

BOWIE IS ONE OF THE BEST FICTIONAL BIOGARPHY I'VE EVER READ. A MAGNIFICANT ACHIVEMENT OF FACT SUPPORTING FICTION TO RE-CREAT A STORY IN WORDS THAT WILL BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES AND A LUMP TO YOUR THROAT.THE AWSOME TASK OF BIOGAPHICAL NOVELIST IS TO GATHER UP THE BONES OF LONG-DEAD PEOPLE AND BEREATH LIFE BACK INTO THEM.

The author seemed so knowledgeable on the subject of Jim Bowie. I didn't know some of the stories myself. I often wondered what went on prior to The Alamo and now I know. I would like to see the same type of Book come out about Crockett and Travis.

Eickhoff and Lewis have teamed together to compose the most complete account of a complicated, often oversimplified man. As a hero of the Alamo, James Bowie has been the victim of many myths. I believe Eickhoff and Lewis succeed at erasing the myths, yet keeping the mystery and magical qualities that seemed to surround the man, who some called "El Leon", or the lion, because of his impressive mane of red hair. Lewis published an article about Bowie last year, where he gave us a taste of what was to come in this book, Bowie. I recommend it, expecially the magical telling of the forging of the infamous knife that became Bowie's trademark.

This book is a collection of essays regarding C.S. Lewis by those who were acquainted with him at various times in his life. I've returned to reread it, or parts of it, from time to time. The book fills in some gaps for those of us who won't know him personally until we join him on the other side.

This book is divided into six parts, reflecting the various ways that people knew Lewis: Earliest Perspectives (memoirs by those who knew Lewis from the 1920s - contributors include Leo Baker, Alan Bede Griffiths, O.S.B., and A.C. Harwood), Master (people who were acquainted with Lewis as Oxford don - contributors include Erik Routley, Luke Rigby O.S.B., Derek Brewer, John Wain, and Peter Payley), Colleague (fellow dons Adam Fox, Gervase Mathew O.P., and Richard W. Ladborough), Transatlantic Ties (American contributors Charles Wrong, Jane Douglass, Nathan C. Starr, and Eugene McGovern), Much More Than A Tutor (people who knew Lewis outside the classroom - contributors include Walter Hooper, Charles Gilmore, Clifford Morris, George Sayer, Roger Lancelyn Green, Dr. Robert E. Havard, and James Dundas-Grant), and The Essence That Prevails (perspectives about the influence of C.S. Lewis written by A.C. Harwood, Austin Farrer, and Walter Hooper.) Other books that are similar to C.S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table include In Search of C.S. Lewis, C.S. Lewis: Speaker and Teacher, and Light on C.S. Lewis.

How did different people think of C.S. Lewis, the famous radio broadcaster, Oxford tutor, lecturer, and author? This collection of narratives from those who knew the man gives a strong flavoring of his personality and characteristics. Easy to read, organized, and candid, I enjoyed a leisurely reading experience with this book.

No C.S. Lewis fan can possibly live a meaningful life without this book.
When I greedily approached "C.S. Lewis: Mere Christian" I was no stranger to the world and writings of C.S. Lewis. I've been studying his work for over a decade. But Lindskoog's book opened up realms of understanding about the man and his thought that I could not possibly have held together and formulated on my own. Her knowledge of each area of Lewis' thought is not only the knowledge of a well-read enthusiast (as mine may perhaps be), but here in her work one gets the sense of a profound scholar who has actually met the man. (And she did, by the way). She speaks with such authority that each summary dazzles the reader, awakening an important point hitherto unrealized. Here you will not find a boring half-hearted amalgam of foot-noted facts, but a living and cohesive story worthy of the depth and consistency of C.S. Lewis himself.
For instance, in my favorite chapter, entitled "Prayer" the author cites Lewis' marvelous poem of the same name, and comments that "he warned readers not to take the last line too seriously." This, I realized much later, is an allusion to Lewis' own comments in a book of his own, entitled "Prayer: Letters To Malcolm". Not many of us are blessed with such a concordance-like Lindskoogian grasp of Lewis' thought. And truly, that is the beauty of her achievement here. As you are gripped by her easy flowing writing style, you almost forget that you are getting a Ph.D. in Lewisology. Reading this book is like cramming forty topically-arranged C.S. Lewis books into your head with the ease and delight of sipping a cup of coffee.
And this brings me to my vacation.
When I took "Mere Christian" along with me to Vancouver Island one fine summer, I found that instead of enjoying the ocean as much as I should have, I was more likely to be found tucked away in some coffee shop... taking notes on napkins, looking up only long enough to see that the sun had gone down.
This book makes you crazy like that.
C.S. Lewis died thirteen days before I was born. I have often wished, and wished sincerely, that I could have talked with this man who has meant so much to me in my life. I look forward to doing so in heaven. This book is the closest I have come to doing so on earth.

Getting inside the mind of Lewis is the great accomplishment of Kathryn Lindskoog. She does a wonderful job summarizing the thinking of CS Lewis. Those who are fascinated with Lewis, a man who I believe was quite mysterious in his private world but fairly public with his writing, will devour this book. Here you will learn about Lewis' thoughts on smoking and drinking (he knew smoking was a bad idea, but he was not a teetotaler); that next to Christianity, dualism makes the most sense (interesting!); and the fact that Lewis gave 2/3rds of his money to charity--and why.

This gives you an idea of the information available to us through the good biographer Lindskoog. She does not fail to support herself with endnotes, and one of the 5 appendices gives a calendar of how you could read a Lewis book every month during the year (with suggestions based on the season). I might have to try it myself, though I've already read most of what is suggested. (Nothing wrong with rereading Lewis!) To fully cover a man who authored more than 50 books, Lindskoog has done a wonderful service by writing this book.

First of all, let me qualify my comments by saying that I am an ARDENT and DEVOTED C.S. Lewis fan. I have two shelves in one of my six sagging bookcases exclusively devoted to C.S. Lewis' works alone. Long ago, I committed myself to reading at least one book by Lewis each month of the year, and I have faithfully kept up this practice for many years now. I say all of this only to introduce myself as a somewhat enlightened Lewis-monger. When I greedily approached the book "C.S. Lewis: Mere Christian" I was no stranger to the world and writings of C.S. Lewis. But this book by Kathryn Lindskoog opened up realms (literal "realms") of understanding about the man and his thought that I could not possibly have held together and formulated on my own. Her knowledge of each area of Lewis' thought is not only the knowledge of a well-read enthusiast (as mine may perhaps be), but here in her work one gets the sense of a profound scholar who has actually met the man. She speaks with such authority that each summary dazzles the reader, awakening an important point hitherto unrealized. Here you will not find a boring half-hearted amalgam of foot-noted facts, but a living and cohesive STORY worthy of the depth and consistency of C.S. Lewis. For instance, in my favorite chapter, entitled "Prayer" the author cites Lewis' marvelous poem of the same name, and comments that "he warned readers not to take the last line too seriously." This is an allusion to Lewis' own comments in a later book of his own, entitled "Prayer: Letters To Malcolm". Not many of us are blessed with such a concordance-like Lindskoogian grasp of Lewis' thought. And truly, that is the beauty of her achievement here. As you are gripped by her easy flowing writing style, you almost forget that you are getting a Ph.D. in Lewisology. Reading this book is like cramming forty topically-arranged C.S. Lewis books into your head with the ease and delight of sipping a cup of coffee. And this brings me to my vacation. When I took "Mere Christian" along with me to Vancouver Island one fine summer, I found that instead of enjoying the ocean as much as I should have... too often I was rather tucked away in some coffee shop... taking notes on napkins, looking up only long enough to see that the sun had gone down. C.S. Lewis died thirteen days before I was born. I have often wished, and wished sincerely, that I could have talked with this man who has meant so much to me in my life. I look forward to doing so in heaven. This book is the closest I have come to doing so on earth.

. . .this remarkable bit of literary detection by Mrs. Lindskoog.

Informed hobbits have known for quite some time that there have been serious issues of legitimacy and integrity surrounding the writings and literary legacy of CS Lewis, close friend and fellow Inkling of our own great Professor. In this volume, Mrs. Lindskoog traces the history and lineage of Lewis' literary legacy and demonstrates that there has, in all likelyhood, been a great deal of fraud and deceit practiced upon lovers of Lewis by a number of individuals who should have known better.

This hobbit can only hope that Mrs. Lindskoog's book quickly returns to print and is widely read and disseminated among those of our fellows who truly loved Mr. Lewis and respected his legitimate work.

All true lovers of the writings and person of C.S. Lewis, and all academics interested in Lewis from a literary standpoint will benefit greatly from this book.

Lindskoog pins down, through incredible academic detective work, what many of us suspected for some time, but were unable to voice or prove, namely, that Lewis's "literary executors" have tried (and in many cases succeeded) in pulling the wool over our eyes!

Lindskoog has demonstrated that many of the quaint little stories about bonfires, lost manuscripts, personal secretaries, etc. have, in many cases, been outright fabrications foisted on an unsuspecting public. It's a shame that in the confusion following Lewis's death, a better executor could not have been found; perhaps, if this had been the case, much trouble would have been averted.

Well, it's all water under the bridge now. The truth is out there, and real Lewis scholars know what it is. Dr. Hooper and his cronies have been thoroughly discredited. Now if only he would quit writing introductions. . .

Lord Acton said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. St. Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil. These two principles have combined in the C. S. Lewis literary estate. As one of the many economically foolish things CSL did in his life, he left the management of his literary estate to two friends who did not have the experience or time to manage it. At the first opportunity his friends unloaded the management upon the first person handy, a student from America who was keenly interested in Lewis' books and occasionally visited him in the last summer of his life.

Predictable results occurred. This person wielded power over publishers who made huge profits from the books. He had the power to say which academics had access to certain Lewis archives and which got permission to quote Lewis. The publishers had to include this person's book introductions in which he rewrote himself in a favorable light into history. Ambitious specialists needed to agree with the claims. One such claim was that this person was Lewis' live in, full time, private secretary for several years. This person also "discovered" many unknown Lewis literary works and revisions of existing works that were significantly lower in literary quality than the original, known Lewis literature and in some cases contained religious and ethical themes that were the exact opposite of Lewis' adamantly held views.

In this book Kathryn Lindskoog does a thorough job of investigative journalism in deflating much of the rewritten history and "new" Lewis works with documentary evidence and eye witness accounts. This book reads much like a Chapman Pincher espionage expose. This book attracted much attention, and further eye witness accounts and leads to more documentary evidence and was followed by a second book, "Light in the Shadow Lands," five years later.

TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY is a great romantic comdey filled with hot scenes that scorch the pages! Ten years ago Dustin and Erica have an unsatisfying encounter in the back seat of his pickup truck. Now they have a chance to prove to each other (and themselves) that much has improved over the years. They truly find heat in that back seat once again. Definitely one for the "keeper" shelf.

Can I say that I was so turned on while reading this book? well whatever it was great...men has their [adult films]...us women has books like this. ok I told the truth.

Dustin Ramsey has never forgotten that night, ten years ago, in the back of his Mustang one warm April. Embarrassed by his abysmal performance, Dustin had slunk away and not called again. Now he has hired a private investigator to find Erica Mann, the girl he could not forget. She now publishes a highly successful newsletter that provides an opportunity for them to meet again. But what he really wants, more than her writing skills, is an opportunity to make up for a teen's impatient backseat mistakes.

Erica still remembers that night in high school when she had been virginal and fumbling. With a bit more knowledge, she might have turned quick on the trigger into a treasured memory. So when Dustin calls with a business proposition, Erica is floored. She had started Dateline: Dallas on a dare and only intended to publish until her dream job as an investigative reporter appears. But Dustin's reappear in her life threatens her priorities, her desires, and her heart.

The first of the Truelood, Texas continuity, TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY sizzles with sexual tension and erotic love scenes that truly satisfy. Erica and Dustin struggle to reconcile the memories of the past with their desires of the present. Their evocative struggles demonstrate the author's understanding of powerful motivation and fear of vulnerability. With TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY, Vicki Lewis Thompson once again demonstrates her dazzling gift for creating sensual romance and extraordinary passion that readers have come to expect from this talented author. Very highly recommended.

The Truth About Sacagawea has a wonderful story to tell about Sacagawea. Kenneth Thomasma worked very hard on it. This story is adventurous and it makes you want to keep on reading on and on. You always need to believe in yourself like Sacagawea, Lewis, and Clark did when they were going through tough times. Sacagawea was very brave to go on an expedition with her young child. Sacagawea went on this expedition because she was hired as an interpreter and guide person. Lewis and Clark went up the Missisippi River and then traveled on the Snake River.

While this book is a bit short (96 pages) it is also filled with fact, as written by Lewis and Clark themselves. This is a testament to the value of Sacajawea to the expedition. A crucial part of the success of the exploration of the Louisanna Purchase.

Sacajawea proved very valuable in finding food, acting as an interpreter for the exploring party and guiding them through lands that she remembered from her younger days. She was a Shoshoni girl who was captured at age 11 and married to another tribe.

This book serves as a good introduction (it was mine) to a fascinating woman who's place in history, while assured, probably is not as esteemed as it actually should be. She is too often overlooked in the school books or her contributions minimized. I barely remember anything (other than her name) from my days of learning history in school. And I was astonished to find that William Clark was the guardian of her two children after her death (before the choice of her husband).

On oversight this is a good book for a history buff or for someone interested in Native American History. It is also easy to understand and read and would benefit children from, say, 12 and up.

As Lewis and Clark began their journey to the Pacific Ocean, the two captains found it necessary to find a guide in order to pass over the mountains and to communicate with the Natives. As Thomasma says, "The hiring of Charbonneau and his young Shoshoni wife would prove to be a stroke of good fortune and good judgement."(p.15) As the reader progresses through the book, he or she may discover that the good luck wasn't referring to Charbonneau. In fact, the journal entries prove just the opposite. Throughout the book, it is very interesting to find the irony of hiring Charbonneau. As it turned out, this French-Canadian Trapper was nothing but a nuisance to the party. The irony shows when Sacajawea essentially becomes the guide, when she wasn't even hired, but brought on for sympathy reasons. In this view of the Charbonneau family, Charbonneau and his wife (although they are considered one with the other) are foils of one another. This biography well describes the voyage with the young mother and her husband, and their trials and helpful guidance given along the full voyage.

Those who are into history should read this book without any hesitation. This book falls into different categories of history, including American History, Native American Heritage, etc. This very informative narrative would easily be liked by history fans, as well as other ordinary people. Personally, I have never been a fan of history, but this book was very fascinating to me. The structure of this account "allows readers to experience what the explorers wrote about Sacajawea." (P. 11) Thomasma presents summaries of journal entries, along with a description of the points made out by that entry. In between each entry is a summary of the other events between the respecting passages. This structure gives a very effective way of helping the reader understand Sacajawea's importance and value along the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I highly recommend this 92 page narrative not only for the historical aspect, but also for the great story line it gives to the reader, and for the respect developed by reading this account of Sacajawea, the young mother who set a good example for all people.