Kari West's new book, "Dare to Trust, Dare to Hope Again," is unlike anything I've ever read and truly accomplishes for the reader what the title promises. Her format of relating a personal experience of her own or of some other REAL person in the context of various "life" topics (vulnerability, faith, aloneness, etc) grabs the reader in a very powerful way. You feel she is right there with you, although perhaps a step or two ahead, as she has worked through issues you may be still muddling through. Combined with scripture and a humorous or meaningful quotation, the whole experience of reading this book is very unique, as well as uplifting. For all who have suffered the disappointments of loss, be it divorce, death of a loved one or loss of health, this book is a must!

When life turns into a tornado, leaving us emotionally or physically wrecked, we don't
need pats on the back. What we do need is what Kari West offers in her devotional guide
for those experiencing losses of the heart, "Dare to Trust, Dare to Hope Again." People
reeling from loss have little patience or stamina for lengthy works. But West takes her
readers through twelve weeks of healing through gentle reminders of the Bible's comfort
and encouragement, tips for healthy grieving, and suggestions for "prayer pauses."
Though her personal "tornado" was an unwanted divorce, West includes stories from
people who experienced other types of losses. A helpful resource index in the back of the
book will connect readers with agencies specializing in chronic illnesses, sudden deaths,
death of a child, suicide, and grief support. The title of her last chapter, "God, grant me
courage to plant my hope in You," well summarizes her desire to plant hope among those
who have lost it. If you have experienced loss, this book is one you need to buy for
yourself. If people you love are hurting, giving them this book will communicate your
care and give them the tools to deal Biblically with their loss.

Written with artistry and compassion, Kari writes as someone who has "been there, done that". I enjoyed the format of her new book: a verse of Scripture, then a short essay with lots of real-life illustrations, a brief prayer, and finally a quote from various quotable people. At the end of each section is a place for personal journalling. The format guarantees that we'll keep coming back for refreshment and encouragement. Kari has a unique gift in being able to relate to her readers on a personal level through her writing. She doesn't give glib, pat answers to the difficult questions in life but faces them realistically, offering hope and encouragement to trust again. This book is realistic, meaningful and worth reading (1) for women coping with any kind of loss and (2) for those who want to help others going through a difficult time.

The Nickel Tour is ostensibly a pictorial tour of Disneyland's history through a presentation of every postcard the Park has ever offered. However it is so much more. Written by Walt Disney Imagineers Bruce Gordon and David Mumford, the books gives fans a glimpse behind the scenes of both Disneyland and its development wing- Imagineering. Want to know when an attraction opened? It's in there. Want to know the history of that attraction? It's in there. How about "what might have been"? Yup, it's in there too. If you are fan of Disneyland, or just Disney, you will love this book. The writing is fantastic, the images wonderful, and the inside info is priceless.

If you're a fan of Disneyland and it's history, then this book is a must! I was astounded by the scope of this work, and the attention to detail. It covers Disneyland from it's beginnings in the early 50's to the present day with individual "stories" about the different aspects of the park. Accompaning these "stories" are hundreds of rare photos and artwork along with the postcards the book is named after. This is a definite must have book for fans of the California park.

We're just glad this book is back in print for all to enjoy! With first editions now selling for over $200, it's great to see the 2nd edition just in time for Disneyland's 45th Anniversary. The story of Walt Disney and Disneyland is told through the history of Disneyland souvenir postcards from 1955 thru the present. Bruce Gordon and David Mumford are to be commended for this true labor of love. The book is jam packed with hundreds of color and black & white photos (as well as images of the original Disneyland postcards); and the accompanying text accurately tells the story of Walt Disney's creative vision for a new form of family entertainment. Beautifully bound and printed with quality materials. A fascinating read from cover to cover! Bravo!

i would just like to say that east of the sun & west of the moon is a wonderful book. i am 16 years old and i have had this book since i was in first grade. the little boy i babysit for begs me to read this book to him every time. it is a wonderful story and the art in this book is beatiful. it's definetley a book that your children will remember and love.

My new wife and I recently moved into a new apartment in Seattle. While unpacking we came across a hard cover eddition of East of the Sun and West of The Moon. It is probably one of the most cherished books of my childhood and I can not wait to read it to children of my own. The illustrations are so unique and fantastic that we have decided to buy a paperback eddition so that I may frame some of the Illustrations. It is a shame to have such wonderful artwork confined by a cover, but a joy to flip through the pages in awe of each image.

This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I first recieved East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon when I was eight years old. The elementary school I went to had "Author's Day" once a year, and that was the year I met Mercer Mayer and fell in love with his books.
East Of The Sun combines mesmerizing artwork with intriguing story-telling, making it a great book for children who don't like to read or get bored easily. Mayer creates a world that triggers the imagination. This book actually made me want to become an artist.
I hope my children and yours will enjoy it as much as I do

In this book, Maurizio Giuliano has been able to collect material which may otherwise have been destroyed, on the secret tensions and divergencies among Cuba's political élites. It is the first time that this type of documents are published, enabling scholars and others to know more on this delicate issue. The stories of repression against Cuba's dissidents are no news, but the repression and internal purges within the élites are something very different, which can indeed tell us a lot about the prospects for change in Cuba 'from within'. This book therefore does a marvelous job. It constitutes an extremely valuable source, as well as fascinating reading with extremely astute intepretations and observations.

Even now, almost five years after the tragic purge of 1996 against the academics of the CEA (Centro de Estudios sobre América), the relevance of this book is paramount. To this day, this collection of highly sensitive documents, together with the author's able reconstruction of facts and his analysis, remains one of the best sources to understand intra-élite conflicts in contemporary Cuba. Which is, in turn, the most likely basis for future change towards democracy in the communist island. Every single document and piece of information in this book should be carefully scrutinized, in any attempt to forecast possible 'openings' towards a democratic transition 'from within' the apparatus.

This is a truly great book. By providing a detailed account of the major 'purge' of Cuba's intellectuals in the 1990s, the author examines and analyses the delicate and intricate relations between the apparatus and the island's renowned intelligentsia. Some issues (often taboo even for Western academics) are approached very directly and very balancedly, such as the blurred border-lines between research and espionage, and the relations between genuine intellectuals and Cuba's repressive apparatus - indeed, the same apparatus that occasionally purges them. The arguments contained in this book derive from genuine evidence of crucial importance, namely those would-be classified documents, which somehow leaked out of Cuba in 1998 and were published by the author, causing great embarrassment by the Cuban Government, and an uproar among intellectuals, artists and others. Over 100 pages of those documents are contained in the book itself. Altogether, this is excellent reading. It is extremely central to the study and knowledge of today's Cuba.

Inside Havana is composed of a group of the most staggeringly beautiful and insightful photographs of Havana one could imagine. I loved this book. Andrew Moore has, with sumptuous color and exquisite sensitivity, captured this place which fills so many of us with such nostalgia, longing and frustration. Moore "gets" Havana in its complexity. His photograph of an old man in an undershirt sitting in what must have been the wide second story porch of a sumptuous Hacienda captures the former grandeur the decay and with perfect pitch. Moore doesn't preach but he does he delivers profound insights into the splendor that was and shows us how to see the beauty of this extraordinary place that no amount of squalor can completely hide. His sumptuous images in amazing color have an edge, they can make you feel other's nostalgia and bring you into the life of a people, of their present condition, of where they were, and of where they might be going. Anyone who wants to understand Cuba should buy this book- each picture is worth 1000 words. I went there as a child and I revisited a few years ago and can tell you Moore is as honest as he is artistic. He has an astonishing eye for the telling image, the revealing detail. Even if you are not interested in Cuba buy it- it has some of the most ravishing photographs you will ever see

I'm purchasing this book after seeing it in a gift shop and can't wait to study it further. A photographer myself, I appreciate the work of talented photographers such as Andrew Moore. His choice of subjects and lighting make this book a joy to view. I have referred it to other photographers and I haven't even received my copy yet! Keep up the beautiful work!

I have had the opportunity to travel in Cuba on more than one occasion and am profoundly drawn to the people and the environment. Though I often times feel that photographic books do not adequately capture the essence of "real" places, I have found this book to be descriptive beyond words. The photographs tell a story of collapse and revival -- of time lost -- of hope -- of battle -- of corrosion -- of endurance.... Havana is alluring and repulsive in the same glance. Few photographers can capture such complexity in a single image. This book is amazing.

I am anxiously awaiting this book! It's about time that someone wrote information about people, places and businesses that I so desperately am always looking for. Every place of employment in Los Angeles should have "FIRST CLASS LOS ANGELES" on their shelf!

I've worked as a personal assistant for over 15 years and this book contains exactly the information that has taken me 15 years to compile AND MORE! Anyone who works for people who expect the best should buy this book and impress their boss by having all the best resources! This will save any assistant years of research and the added benefit of the peace of mind in knowing that everyone listed in this book are competent of delivering on their promise.

This is a wonderful compilation of shops and services that celebrities have patronized. Ms. Elias has done a wonderful job putting together her career experience with Hollywood stars by divulging their little secrets on where they shop for toys, where they dine, where and who does their hair and other goods and services that they take advantage of.

You'd be surprised at some of the places tehy go. You may just run into these stars buying Barbies or getting a bikini wax next to you. Can you imagine a hairstylist using the same pair of scissors that were used on Bette Midler to cut your own hair? Or Bette Midler's mermaid tail brushing up against your dinner jacket at the dry cleaners?

Even if you don't use the book for needed services, it's a fun peek into the lives of your favorite celebrities. Buy this book!

It isn't very often that I get time to read fiction anymore, but when I read a good book I feel a certain responsibility to let people know about it. I'm James Drury, and I've played in plenty of Western shows myself. For those of you who don't know me I portrayed The Virginian on NBC television for many years. So I hope that qualifies me to leave a review on a Western book. Of course I could say the same thing about any Elmore Leonard book I've had the pleasure of reading, but the Bounty Hunters was great. It was short and to the point, but Leonard has this way of giving you such a great feel for the country and old West settings it just makes the book pleasant. He excels at making us see what he does in very few words. I have read all of the Western novels of Kirby Jonas on audio, and while I of course think he is my favorite author of Westerns, I have to say I have never read a bad Elmore Leonard book, and The Bounty Hunters is no exception. I don't know Leonard's history as far as how he does his research. I know Kirby Jonas lived in southeast Arizona when he was working on his first books, however, and it seems to me that Leonard has done a large amount of work in getting the facts about the Arizona and Mexico country down pat. I guess I've gotten into the habit of comparing every Western author not to Louis L'Amour but to Kirby Jonas, and although I would never put Leonard above Jonas I would sure say his books would "do to ride the river," with Jonas', so to speak. Give the Bounty Hunters a try. Right now I'm starting into Escape from Five Shadows, and it already holds great promise!

Since I was given three of Elmore Leonards westerns by a good friend of mine I have been buying and reading them often. As yet I have not read a bad one. So far they are ALL GOOD.

Forty Lashes Less One is a great story. Two prisoners, Chiricahua Raymond San Carlos and a black man Harold Jackson are in Yuma prison for murder. At first they are bitter enemies but the warden puts them in an experiment to see if a training routine of long distance running can be used for rehabilatation. And then the warden sends them after 5 mean dangerous men. The trail is rough and bloody but they are sucessfull. As soon as they bring these men in they tell the warden to kiss !!! . A great story, you'll love it.

Do you recall which books had a profound effect on you and still look for the other one yet to come which might still open another crack in the cocoon engulfing you? This can be the one but you will have to be already on the Path on Meditations and Inner work to be able to go through and through clearing the emotions has they come up. definately it's not for the ordinary reader who wants Instant Enlightment ; this book is very detailed as how to Integrate level of feelings one by one until the climax of Integration comes..which needs a super level of awareness for that.I would definately love to do this step one by one integration with John Ruskan in his classes ,but not reading about it. Iam an ordinary reader who has been transformed by books like by Sanaya Roman ,Krishnarmurti,and lately Margaret Paul.

I marvel that John Ruskan's book has not received the attention that it deserves. This book was exactly what I was searching for when it first came out. It is a powerful synthesis of western psychotherapy and eastern energy work, and his self-therapy technique is brilliant. It really works, but it is definitely not for the squeamish. I would highly recommend working with a therapist while you do this work, as it can result in some profound psychic releases. Mr. Ruskan clearly understands the limitation of psychotherapy in its almost exclusive attention to the mental plane. He rightly proposes that it is the body memory that needs to released from traumatic events, and not the mental memory. If you are a Castaneda follower, you will find Ruskan's technique very similar to the Toltec practice of recapitulation. Both will bring about real change in your life, and I assure you that your life will never be boring again.

Having read many self-help books, one tends to become jaded after a while--after all, it seems to work for the writer, but doesn't really work for the reader, right? Not this book. "Emotional Clearing" is the most life-changing book I have ever read to date. The author, John Ruskan, writes in simple terms which, at the same time, seem so important, how can they be this simple? Yet, this book works, his writing works, his method works. Surprise! And, even better, the methods he teaches the reader are easy to do, understand, and continue long after you finish it. That is what sets this book apart from others: the extended use of its methods to accomplish real life change. Warning: After reading this book, never again can the reader in all honesty blame others or even him/herself again! And please don't read it unless you want real change in your life, and don't recommend it to anyone else you don't want to see change. Just keep going along the way you are now and forget this book! I'm glad I didn't

Deadlands provides the players a change of the usual fantasy world of Role-Playing. They can recreate events in the mid-1800s acting like cowboys and indians. They can recreate their own western movie. The Deadlands world also includes a colorful cast of creatures and its own, personlized form of history. A must for role-players with a need for a change of pace. The game does have problems. Most notibaly in the combat sequences. However, character creation is fun.

This system is a must for roleplayers who have either become jaded with their existing system or just want to try something new. It provides a comprehensive story-line and time-line and gives the characters a whole new lease on development. The lay-out the book is easily read-able and engaging and provides the reader with an understanding of just how much is left to the players and Marshal. When I bought this book, I just had to show it to my roleplayign buddies, and they now are totally hook as I am sure you will be. If you wish to know more contact me or the Deadlands list serve. Marshal Psycho.

After reading Deadlands, I just thought I had to share this with my players. Now, when I happen to say 'I may marshall a Deadlands next week', I just happen to have too many players.

It is the first time a Western Game has been good. And it will be hard to ever do better.

The French tinhorn with a Great name

Larson's gripping story of the loss of innocence is a shocking insight into the motivation of a very young girl who puts herself on the precipice of disaster time after time in her thirst for love and affirmation. We are captivated with the incredible events during her escape from a stern mother who beats her and a father whose affection is limited to a grunt when she offers to wash his feet. Although the girl walks through miles of desert, untouched by scorpions and snakes she is victimized by lecherous men, drug addicts and criminals. With the kindness of a musician, and her perseverence, she finds the strength to triumph. Larson paints the desert landscape she lives in with beauty and richness, tainted only by the blood and fluids of human weakness. We want more about how she evolved to become a successful teacher and author.

An interesting story of casual, unthinking neglect of children by the honest working class. The odd contrast between the often wise words of advice given by the mother in this story, and her absolute blindness to the real life of her children is the crux of the book.

The book ends somewhat abruptly. I wonder if the author is planning a continuation of some sort. As it is, we have little knowledge of how or why the young girl in the book changes the direction of her life.

Truly the book chronicles a time when children had more freedom, but clearly things were not as safe as parents believed.

A truely compelling story of survival and the reality of being a young girl alone and unprotected in an era we thought was a time of "innocence". Ms. Larson has unflinchingly shared her life experiences with honesty and without self-pity. Her courage is an inspiration. Her prose is as pure and honest as the desert. I could not put Flying Sparks down. I eagerly look forward to her next book.