This book is another of the excellent books that provides a Liturgy of the Hours that is more accessible to laity than the official texts - one need not spend time flipping pages. The prayers cover morning, midday, evening and night prayer and are based on traditional themes, psalms, scripture and prayers. The prayers are Celtic prayers - in contrast to the Latin prayer formats of the official text. What sets this volume apart is the use of litanies - in lieu of hymns and canticles. The result is a very effective communal prayer book - which encourages truly participation. However, the use of litanies makes its use as a solitary prayer less powerful. For those with a specific love of Celtic prayers or for small groups wanting a gentle way into morning/evening prayer this is an excellent volume.

I've been handing this book out like popcorn to people who are new to the discipline of the daily office--junior high kids in confirmation class, vaguely spiritual but unchurched boomers, old-fashioned evangelicals, just for example-- and everyone is loving it. It's not fussy or complicated--four offices are presented for each day of the week. The prayers are a nice blend of old and new (users learn that there's a treasure trove out there, but that they can compose their own prayers as well). There's an unchanging core, but appendices note that there can be seasonal changes--another hint of worlds to be explored. The best of its kind.

This little, easy to use prayer book has the fresh turn of phrase and love of the natural world we have come to expect from Celtic spirituality. Easy rubics lead a group or an individual through the prayers and readings selected for each day. I used David Adam's Rhythm of Life at a Celtic Day of Prayer group experience and found it a powerful part of an introduction to the Celtic way of spirituality.

Road to Riches is an enjoyable book, with a flair for western United States history mixed with a nicely woven tale of humanity. Ms. Clamp and Ms. Adams have succeeded in bringing the trials and tribulations of crossing the Rocky Mountains to life. The sources cited and historical documents provided only add to the scope of the story. A must-read for railroad enthusiasts everywhere!

This book is superb in combining historical events and the personal challenges leading to the construction of a railroad line to Aspen. An outstanding representation of the race between competing companies. The photographs from that period are very interesting and help 21st Century readers better understand some of the obstacles. I would highly recommend this book.

I have read voraciously for decades and have frequently found that an historical novel can be a great read. Such is the case, here, with Road to Riches: The Great Railroad Race to Aspen. The authors have picked a great historical topic which would have stood on its own AND they added compelling fiction to raise it to the level of a "great read."

An excellent visual coverage of the controversial exhibition of Young British Artists. Includes a few essays at the beginning of the book, and a few photo examples of each artists work. I would have liked a bit more information on the artists, under each of their names for easier reference. Overall an excellent catalogue of one of the best exhibitions of the decade. Artists included are Jake and Dinos Chapman, Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin.

Great piccies...plenty of authority types spouting about art...a key catalogue on yBa's...especially recommended for art students desperately seeking quotes from the stuffed shirts of art, on Saatchi's girls and guys...don't get hung up on the media controversy...it's only art...it can't bite you...and if you don't get it, then 'Sod You Gits!'...as Sarah Lucas says.

I went, if you didn't, buy this. Lots of love, Liz Delag xxx (young, British and an artist...shouldn't I be famous by now?)

Recommended for any serious artlover, especially those with good taste. Oh yes.

This is a very nice fantasy/adventure book, about a guy who discovers a stairway to an alternate world. I especially enjoyed all the detailed preparations for the journey, the description of all the various supplies and the realistic consequences and repercussions in the real world. That, plus the scenes about the initial discovery of the ancient shipwreck was actually much more fun than the adventure that followed, which is the more typical monsters/swords/talking animals stuff.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and it took me many years to find the sequel, "Monsters and Magicians". It is somewhat of a letdown, about the gods of the magic world summoning the hero for a quest. Yawn. But the story doesn't end there either, and the concept is nevertheless interesting enough to make me wish there was a third book to tie up the loose ends. I'm still searching for it, and I still don't know whether Adams actually wrote the third part or just abandoned the series. If anybody knows, please speak up.

I really loved this book. It makes you think about all of the conections and possibilities out there. The author is a master.

An ordinary man stumbles into a dreamlike realm of awesome sights, and awesome dangers.

When her nineteen-year-old daughter announces her pregnancy, Caroline Talbot Manning is mortified. She dreads to think her daughter Shelley is repeated her mistakes. Caroline had gotten pregnant and gotten married too young; choices that led to an irate divorce and then later to the realization she had fallen for a man who didn't want children. Disillusioned, Caroline stopped believing in love and happily-ever-after, raising her daughter with the help of extended family and a lot of hard work. Caroline had sworn Shelley would never find herself deserted and penniless by instilling a healthy respect for independence and education in her daughter. Now her daughter announces she's marrying Jake, and if Caroline doesn't support that decision, Shelley will get married without her mother's help.

Lt. Commander Matt Kearan worries that his twenty-year-old son's dreams of becoming a physician are going to change. After Matt's divorce, and his ex-wife's eventual death, Matt had come to live with him; but the time apart had instilled permanent distance. He understands Caroline and Jake's determination to make the kind of family for their child that they had never had. He also understands Carolyn's reactions. Nevertheless, despite his own feelings, Matt prefers to support his son's decisions rather that risk alienating him. With the exuberance of youth, Jake and Shelley believe they can have this child and still fulfill their dreams. He hopes if he and Carolyn support their children, then they will succeed where their parents failed. Now his job is to convince Carolyn that they can help Jake and Shelley stay together.

As a mutual attraction provides stunning undercurrents, Caroline and Matt face some of the toughest parenting situations possible in UNEXPECTED MARRIAGE. Readers may be put off by Carolyn's prickly defensiveness, but will be won over by her obvious dedication to her daughter's well being. Morning sickness, marriage plans, and the over confidence of youth lend this novel a powerful background as these unexpected grandparents become unexpectedly attracted. Wonderful secondary characters and a strong secondary love story result in a delightful read. Recommended.

Caroline Talbot Manning daughter confronts her with the words, "Mom, I'm pregnant," and Caroline's world comes crashing down. Her daughter is too young to be a mother--but there's nothing they can do about that now. But Shelly is too young to get married and compound her mistake. Caroline knows that it won't work because it's just what she did when she found out she was pregnant with Shelly and that marriage was a disastor. But Shelly won't listen. Caroline meets Shelly's boyfriend's father. Matt Kearan is gorgeous--he's also opinionated and wrong when he backs the kids plans to marry. But everywhere she turns, Caroline's forced to spend time with him, and the more time she spends, the more she comes to rely on Matt, and she knows from past experience that relying on a man is nothing but trouble.

Matt doesn't know what to do with his son's future mother-in-law. He finds that he's drawn to her. Their situation doesn't need any more complications and getting involved with Caroline would be nothing but a big complication...but Matt finds he's willing to take the risk. Can he convince Caroline to?

Anna Adams crafts a wonderful sequel to her debut novel, Unexpected Babies, taking readers right back into the middle of the crazy, delightful Talbot family!

Caroline Talbot Manning is upset when her teenage daughter Shelly announces her unplanned pregnancy. To top that off Shelly tells her mother she will be marring her boyfriend as soon as possible. Caroline has been there and done that and in the end wound up raising her child alone. Therefore seeing her daughter in the same situation is a big pill for Caroline to swallow.

Caroline's family the Talbots were always there for her and she knows that family matters most. Matt, the father of the groom, helps Caroline comes to terms with her daughter's plans for her future.

Along the way sparks between Caroline and Matt. Eventually leading Caroline to realize that family does matter - but need not stand in the way of true happiness. The story takes you into the hearts and souls of a wonderful quirky southern family. Their idiosyncrasies add to the spice of the story. Matt and his son both finally find true happiness and true family ties to last a lifetime inside the Talbot family.

The book is well written, taking you in and out of the plot and sub-plots with easy allowing you to enjoy the full array of this wonderful family.

I have been waiting for this book for several months, and was a little disappointed when I finally got it. It features 8 party ideas, such as Bongo Beat Bash and Island Luau. Each of these sections features several interesting cocktail and appetizer recepies, as well as related Shag artwork. All of this is OK but more than a bit sketchy. Except for a bare-bones introduction at the front of the book, there is nothing from the writer on how to throw these parties; even some basic fashion, decorating or organizational suggestions would have been good. I can plan a tiki party with the best of them, but it's still nice to consider other ideas.
Not bad overall, but also not a shining example of retro chic either.

If you love Shag's art like I do you may buy this book just for that. Let me tell you there is so much more. I had a party this weekend and made three appetizers from this book and there were no leftovers! Jalapeno poppers made with corn flakes!!! CRAZY! If you are adventurous and love to make your guests happy this is a great book to get! Also get Shag's Tiki drinks...the Horny Monkey is a crowd pleaser as well!!

I love Shag's bold style and bright colors. This is a great book to just toss on a coffee table. All my friends pick it up just to flip through the art. It's a real eye catcher and conversation starter. I bought his last book, Tiki Drinks, too, and both make a nice little collection to have on display.

I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this book actually is! While somewhat put off by the rather cheesy cover-art, I took a chance and was well rewarded.

This book has excellent character development, well-written and interesting battle-scenes and everyone's very much "in character". Gustav Fiers is a villain of such moral emptiness, so vilely unlikable and so hateful that regular Spidey villains such as Dr. Octopus and Electro almost come off as the guys next door by comparison. The books' main flaw was that after all was said and done, an ending of such unbelievable tackiness and cheesiness was pasted on as to almost defy rationality. It's really bad, folks. Really, really BAD.

That said, I hope we see more about the Spider-Man mythos from this author. I'd recommend this to anyone the least bit interested in or familar with the Marvel universe.

The Sinister Six are still following the directives of the Gentleman, but they are getting restless to resolve his plan. Especially those who are rebelling against his authority, Doctor Octopus mainly.

Spider-Man is still besieged by doubt over the origin of Pity, the newest Six member. Implications from the previous novel in the trilogy pointed to her being his sister, but there are still considerations to support the contrary.

The story moves along very fast, and is the first among the Marvel novels really to have some graphic violence. But it is not too gratuitous, keeping in character with the murderers it is related to. Sometimes the story might seem a bit disjointed due to the narrative style of going back several minutes in time to describe what was happening off-stage, as it were. There are some twists near the end, but they are not too surprising. There is good resolution and updating with regard to the comics, as Castro fills in a bit on what the future holds for our villains after this novel occurs. The very end gives us some revelations that, to me at least, seemed tacked on. A certain character appears to provide these new insights. The only part of this interaction that I liked was the reactions of Peter and Mary Jane to finding this person in their home. Now THAT was funny.

I liked this book, as it really kept to the comic book perceptions of the characters. However, there were an atrocious number of typos, grammar errors, and just poor editing, even for a first edition like this. It really detracted from the reading experience, so my advice is to wait for a later edition; hopefully this issue will be rectified. Spidey fans should definitely like this one.

Mr. Troy-Castro has bested himself in this book. I loved the way he portrayed both Electro and Mysterio, Mysterio especially, with his illness and him being so defensive about it. But the only thing I din not like about this book is that Spidey doesn't get ... beat enough! (Come on, the bad guy should be able to get some glory once in a while!)

I went to see the movie TITANIC, but regretted it. I didn't like all the sexuality that was portrayed in it, and when I heard about Moody Adams' book, The Titanic's Last Hero, I knew that I had to get it. I wanted to see how a person could be there to help change lives, instead of just having only the pleasures of life. John Harper was such a spiritual man, and he led many people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ even before going on that ill-fated journey on the Titanic. The narratives of people saved with the promise of going to their heavenly kingdom when the Titanic went down, that's a better story to remember and to think about.

If you are looking for a book as fast paced as the movie, you will be disappointed. This is a collection of memories of people close to John Harper. What the book will give you is a deep look into a man who faced near death by drowning three times before his death due to the Titanic's sinking. It inspired me to look at my own faith more critically. It presents the flip side of all those passengers who so lacked compassion that they put their own needs ahead of others who were dying in the water.

If you want to get to know about a real person that sailed on the Titanic, this book is for you. It is about an extraordinary Baptist minister, Rev. John Harper, who deeply touched so many who considered it a privileged to have known him. The book contains memories of fellow ministers, personal friends, and testimonies of individuals whose lives where changed forever under his ministry.

You will read about Rev. Harper's last moments in his losing battle for life in the icy Atlantic, and the effect on the last person struggling in the water with him that survived. You will also be painted a vivid picture of his informative years by his brother and the story about his wife, lost six years earlier. This book also contains a gripping message delivered the Sunday after the sinking, to his grieving church in England, by his Associate Pastor. There is also a message from Rev. Harper himself.

Don't miss this book, it will make you think, touch your very soul, and could change your life too. This book is great to read again and again, as you will get something new out of it every time.

There is also another book ("Titanic" by Leo Marriott) that contains a photograph of a hand written letter written by John Harper to a friend, nine days before he sailed, about how he came to take the Titanic.

With "Hellfire & Brimstone," Volume 4 of the trade paperbacks collecting issues of "Ultimate X-Men" (#21-25) I find myself painfully aware of all the opportunities writer Mark Millar is throwing away in revisiting the secret of the Hellfire Club. Although that is part of the title of this collection, it is but one of several major plot threads running through these issues, including the arrival of Kitty Pryde, the emergence of Phoenix, and the set-up for the next big encounter with the Brotherhood of Mutants and their leader. Obviously one of the rules of thumb in the Ultimate books is that you cannot duplicate the past; there must be all sorts of twists that should resonate those who read the original "Uncanny X-Men" of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in the Sixties and the second generation "X-Men" of Chris Claremont and John Byrne. But one of the strengths of the Ultimate series has been that instead of the original one issue/one villain/one fight format they have been providing multi-arc stories that are suited to being collected in these trade paperbacks. The result is the confrontation with Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club is not an epic, but a quickie.

The idea is that after the death of Xavier's son David and the Professor's crisis of confidence over what he has done with Magneto, the X-Men return home to Winchester trying to return to normal and opening their school to students once more. This means the arrival of Kitty Pryde, whose mother most decidedly does not want her mutant daughter running around the world as a superhero (as Cyclops points out at one point, they are all a little scare of Mrs. Pryde), which contrast with Bobby Drake who is out of his coma and being pressured by his parents to support a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Xavier, Inc. But before Kitty's education can proceed Jean Grey's mental barriers start breaking down and she is beset by strange visions of a giant bird composed entirely of flames (Asparagus people of the galaxy beware) and Cyclops and Wolverine are dispatched to the Savage Land to find out what happened to a detachment of Marines sent to ransack Magneto's complex for technology.

There is a lot of juggling of plotlines here and they do not really fit together in a way that the sum is greater than the parts. Shaw's manipulations of Jean seem to be intended as nothing more than a way of invoking the Phoenix without Marvel Girl having to apparently lose her life in the process. I did like the subplot that had the Blob, one of the truly uninspired villains of the original X-Men, pretending to be an anorexic model playing mind games with Hank McCoy on the Internet, especially once the joke turned deadly serious and upped the ante big time. But this time around the Hellfire Club has nothing like the style and flair it exhibited the first time around and there is a sense in which Millar is not really trying to come up with anything comparable. Shaw has sent Phoenix in motion and his deep pockets underwrite the X-Men and that is all there is to it.

Overall, "Hellfire & Brimstone" is the weakest collection of issues to date, and despite the interesting contrast between the artwork of Adam Kubert and Kaare Andrews, the overall effect is that the characters are treading water. Millar and company are setting up a big story with the next collection (which will come in Volume 6 because the next collection is of "Ultimate War" #1-4, where the X-Men take on the Ultimates), and that is going to either make or break this reinterpretation of the Marvel universe. It could go either way.

I really enjoy the Ultimate X-Men books, but I thought this one was the worst so far for two primary reasons:
One Kaare Andrews should stick to doing Disney cartoons and quit the comics buisness. The third and fourth parts to this book look like rejected cells from Atlantis: the Lost Empire.
Two, they try to do too much in the fith section, introducing both the Helfire Club (something I feel the series could probably have done without anyway) and the dark phoenix, as well as ressurecting Magneto all in one issue.
That being said this is still a great comic, infact the whole series is really inspired. I liked the second and fifth books the best (I thought Wolverine switched sides way too fast in the first book and proteus as a plotline is kind of blah).

this is a great buy. This volume shows the apperance of pheonix and shadowcat. it has the return of magneto and the lawsuit of ice-man against the school. Wolverine and cyclops go to the savage land to defeat a killer batch of cyborgs. read this book.