One of my favorite memories growing up was sitting around the fire pit in my grandparent's backyard. Those summer nights with the crisp breezes would carry embers of the roaring fire my Grandfather couldn't help feeding. With every twig or twist of paper he's poke in, a story would ignite. Its those "I remember when's" that educated me, inspired me, molded me and triggered my youthful imagination.

Now, thirteen years after his passing, the embers no longer blow in the crisp breeze . . . but the "I remember when's" are continuing on. Only now, instead of embracing my Grandfather's spirited recollections and insights, it is the words of others I am capturing. William Isaac Douglas, author of the Amateur Parent, pens the words of the latest "I remember when's" and tales of insight I drank in.

These words, however, are different. Douglas intertwines lessons and pieces of nostalgic moments into bits of writing and pieces of poetry all sprinkled with wit and humor. At just the right moment, you'll find quotations from singers, writers and the like. While learning about him and his family, you can't help but learn about you and yours.

This inspirational work, comprising of 154 pages, is a relatively quick read. I wasn't able to put it down - each turn of the page unfolded a mystery both within the life of his amateur parenthood and my own. I found myself related to a lot of what he wrote and expecting to experience that which had nothing to do with me or my family. This book taught me that the journey never ends and the journey of my own parents continues.

Jennifer Hollowell -- Editor -- This Book Reviewer

WOW, this book sent me through a full spectrum of emotions. I was laughing, crying, and completely inspired by it's words. The book touched me deep in my heart.

I read it on my way to Washington DC this past week. I just got home this evening. It allowed me to view my fellow man in a new
light while I walked the countries capital.

Dr. Michael Steward, Sr.
Team USA -- Senior Coach

Bill Douglas has written a fine book about parenting, but this book is so much more. It's about learning and teaching, and mostly it's about love.

"One of the things parenthood has done for me, or "to me", is that I have been forced to see my parents with wholly new eyes -- in a way meeting them for the very first time." "I am so grateful to my children for helping me rediscover my childhood, and my parents as the real people they were, struggling to do a good job -- just like you and I are."

This understanding, that children are basically innocent, and we parents bring them out learning experiences, not meaning to teach them prejudice or anger or hostility, is Bill's revelation. "Each new generation is proof that God has not given up on us," says Bill, quoting Deepak Chopra.

The Amateur Parent gets you to look inside yourself and the journey you've made so far. And understand that respect for God-like innocence children are born with is the same respect we must share with all of humankind. After being rough on his daughter because she wouldn't listen, Bill reflected, "I think when I get home we'll have a talk, about what they need, and what I want. Then maybe we'll hold hands and walk a new path . . . a little higher than fear . . . a little farther than wrath."

The Amateur Parent is about wisdom and courage and beauty. William Isaac Douglas has discovered and now imparts the importance of loving and understanding and respecting one another. And he does it with grace and humor and timeless insight. If you can read only one more book, that book should be THE AMATEUR PARENT - A Book on Life, Death, War and Peace, and Everything Else in the Universe.

Richard Fuller -- Senior Editor -- Metaphysical Reviews

I love cerebral mysteries, so when I read this book, I was rapturous. The mysteries involve scientific principles, so as a scientist, I was pleased with that as well. As you read the thirteen short stories in the book, your brain cells are exercised, as you try to mix the clues with scientific facts to piece together the solution. The only drawback is that the stories were written before 1970, so some of the 'facts' about the planets have been shown to be inaccurate. However, that does not detract from the quality of the story, it just requires you to set aside some of the knowledge that you may have.
To many, these mysteries will be of marginal interest, in that there is no sex whatsoever, very little in the way of violence and the mildest of harsh language. I found that appealing, not out of a sense of being prudish, but because their absence forces the story to succeed without titillating distractions, and Asimov has certainly accomplished that admirable feat.

This book is a collection of 14 short stories (two of which are paired) that Issac Asimov classified as mysteries. They range from humorous stories like "Pate de Foie Gras," to actual murder mysteries such as "The Dust of Death." In the murder mysteries, the guilty person is not always caught. Victims sometimes set themselves up for the perfect crime. Two of the stories involve time travel. Some of the stories are traditional science fiction, while others are standard mysteries involving a little science, e.g., "What's in a Name." The stories are all entertaining, with some unexpected twists. Asimov had a tendency to occasionally include a horrid pun.

Isaac was the first person to sucessfully blend mystery and science fiction. This book contains most of the mysteries of his best Sci-Fi Detective, Edward Urth. Dr. Urth is a exoterrologist who solves mysteries at his armschair that happened thousands of miles away. Also includes a funny one "I'm In Marsport Without Hilda", the perfect murder with a time machine "Obituary", and more! Dr. Asimov's mysteries are short, well-written, intelligent and as satisfying as a chocolate covered granola bar. A must read for all mystery fans. If you loved the Black Widowers mysteries you'll love this.

I love all works by Asimov, and meeting him in person one time was a high of a lifetime for me!!

This book is one which is informative beyond imagination, powerful towards one's understanding of the world and science at large, and so fun to read.

I miss having Asimov among us since his passing, but his genius will live on always, and this book is certainly no exception.

Isaac Asimov was one of the great popularizers for science. This Chronology of the history of science just understates that we lost one of the great writers of any era when he passed away in 1992.

This book is great. It outlines all the major and most of the minor scientific discoveries. The scientific advances that worked to give us the current world we live in. With things like nuclear weapons, global warming, etc. It is super important that politicians policy makers understand science. It is sad that most of them don't think they need to know about it.

This book helps people to understand the important role that science plays in our world.

I was a complete Asimovphile and I had read his books on science(my favorite subject)and science fiction that I could come across. The book Asimov's Chronology of Science & Discovery is probably the best book of science he's ever written. This book takes the reader on the journey in history from our human ancestors up to modern times. It has all the dates,events,and the people involed in scientific discoveries and technology. Not only does it include abstract discoveries but neat facts such as when the slide rule was invented, how negative numbers where conceived, who invented LSD, and how computers came from bulky to small. To me, Asimov knew every event with the year and the person involved. Aside of what happened in the past,he kept up with the present as well.I like his work since I know that he made complex topics understandable for the general reader. Because of him, I became a genius of science! I read every single book written by him before I started to go into other works by different authors. Aside from that, He updated his work also. To sum it all up, Asimov's Chronology of Science & Discovery is the crowning achievment of science,discovery,history, and the author who can present to the general reader.

I have a personal small "library" of scientific books. This book has to be, by far, the most well structured, well explained, systematic and exhilarating read. I would rate this book as number 1 among possibly 50 similar books that I have read. If you are technically enthusiastic, would like to know about anything and everything pertaining to science and have a jolly good read at that, I would highly recommend this book. Asimov is gifted as a writer, in that he takes the most complex concepts and explains it in such a way, that a first-time reader on the subject feels confident of his/her understanding. If you have lots of time (900 pages of size 10 text!), are a thinker and want to begin to understand the great works of genii ranging from archimedes, galileo, newton and einstein, this book is for you! Well done to a man long gone. He leaves a legacy of genius !

In my opinion, Asimov provided the most entertaining and readable scientific "texts" around, and this comprehensive volume is his best. Despite the fact that I am a layperson, and this book is nearly 1000 pages, I devoured it and longed for more. If you are not a lover of the sciences when you begin Asimov's Guide to Science, you will be when you finish! Anyone 12 years and older should read this book. It will change the way you look at the universe.

This is a great book, as it reviews near all aspects of science, from our begginings to the tiny atom.

There is no way to describe the importance of this tome. Unfortunately, extremely well thought-out and intellectually vibrant books on Tora commentary are few and far between when walking through your local Judaica store today.

Unlike many books of commentary which rely on chain logic, semantical magic tricks, or mathematical spelling tricks to try to elucidate the Biblical text, this book uses an open-minded, but exceptionally well read and researched approach to comment and discuss on the text. The writer hints at a humbling knowledge of sources; TaNaK, Talmudic, Midrashic, and perhaps a myriad of other obscure sources, most of which are completely unknown to most rabbinic scholars. I would be surprised if the writer was not also masterfully familiar with the tenets of Judaism's child relgions as well.

The carefully written text also displays a unique mastery of the English language that few scholars bother to master. Because of the complexity of some of the issues discussed, there is no other style of writing that could be appropriate -- the writer seems to have a knack for tackling immensely difficult topics with a fresh, patient mind.

For any serious Torah study (Hebrew, Aramaic, or English), this book is a necessity. Ignore it at your own peril. Those who have weak vocabularies or do not like to see new approaches need not apply.

Destination Torah: Reflections On The Weekly Torah Readings by Isaac S.D. Sassoon is a "close reading" of biblical verses in a commentary that regards faith and science as symbiotic. A carefully thought out analysis that examines every word of its chosen passages, Destination Torah strives to change self-perception and one's view of the world through its view of the Torah. A singularly thought-provoking commentary, Destination Torah is a welcome and recommended addition to the study of the Torah.

This is an essential book for anyone serious about undertanding the original message of the Pentateuch.

Isaac, a blind Jewish physician, and his daughter Raquel accompany their friend and his daughter to her marriage in Perpignan (Spain), only to find adventure and danger. Arnau Marca, a Spanish nobleman has been accused of smuggling contraband weapons out of the country--a capital offense in time of war. His wife bribes Arnau's way out of prison, but he is wounded in the attempt. Now, Isaac and Raquel find themselves responsible for nursing him back to health--and incidentally uncovering the truth of the men who seek to destroy him. Raquel must also dedal with her friend, Bonafilla's marriage, threatened by a brief triste with a well-spoken man they meet on the road.

Author Caroline Roe has created a charming tale of medieval Spain a century before the expulsion of the Jews. Combining court intrigue with everyday life in the Jewish ghettos (calls) of Spain, Roe weaves a story that combines adventure with interesting characters and old-fashioned detection. The device of a blind doctor as protagonist gives Roe a fine excuse for detailed and interesting descriptions that would otherwise be seen as author intrusion but her writing moves the story along quickly enough that the reader hardly notices.

A DRAUGHT FOR A DEAD MAN is an interesting and thoughtful mystery with enough emotional impact to make it ring true and a fine set of characters.

Isaac has been invited to attend the wedding of his friend's son - an easy journey by mule - but finds in the city he visits a world of politics, deadly alliances, and danger. Set in medieval Spain, A Draught For A Dead Man provides a riveting mystery and story of a healer who must handle murder and social changes alike.

In 1354, a group of investors led by Don Aranu Marca of Perpignan chartered a ship loaded with high quality goods to sell along various ports in the Mediterranean. Some of the investors wanted to sell arms to Aragon's enemies, but Don Marea refused so the conspirators arranged for it to look like he was committing treason. He was sent to jail and was all but convicted when his clever wife arranged his escape.

During the confusion that followed the escape Don Marca was badly injured and brought to physician Jacob Bonjuhes who lives in the Jewish section of town. Isaac, a physician of Girona, is also staying at Jacob's house to attend the wedding of Jacob's brother to a woman from the visitor's hometown. Isaac heals Don Marea and sets out to prove that the man is an innocent dupe, the victim of other men's greed.

Although Isaac is blind, his other senses are heightened which enables him to successfully perform as an amateur sleuth. He is a credible and likable character that is so skilled readers will forget for long periods of time that he is sightless because he doesn't let his lack of seeing stop from being an excellent healer, sleuth, husband and father. Caroline Roe has written an excellent historical mystery that gives readers insight into an era long gone but not forgotten due to works like this.

Harriet Klausner

Definitivamente una de las mejores obras de ciencia ficcion que he leido. La complejidad del tema espacio-tiempo-dimension es absolutamente formidable y envolvente. Los que ya vieron Matrix Reloaded comprenderan que tiene un cierto paralelismo con el libro, tanto por su trama fundamental como por su historia de amor entrelazada.

es un libro, ke no termina de sorprenderte hasta el final... tiene toda la emocion, y creo ke es un libro espectacular, donde se mezcla la ciencia ficcion, en la vida del hombre, muy pero muy bien...

10 puntos

Este es uno de los libros de ficción que más ha perdurado en mi memoria, recomendado para volver a leer despues de unos años. It's one of the best fiction book I have ever read, it's recommended to read more than once.

I have owned this book for several years and it has become the most used book in my Judaica collection. It's excellent organization, conise format, and helpful drawings make it easy to use.

The How To Handbook For Jewish Living is as easy to use and straight-forward as the title would suggest. I am in the process of becoming Jewish and this is by far the easiest book I've found to get what I want. How To is to the point, you can locate prayers, rituals, dances and many other broad topics easily without sifting through voluminous chapters of prose. On each topic there are also handy lists of sources, keywords and suggestions for further reading. I only recently purchased How To but I can tell that it will be a useful source for years to come.

This book answers all the questions. The Sabbath, all Holidays, and many details are explained in easy to follow form. It takes all the "fear" out of the unknown for the "Jew by choice." I am able to teach our son and my Jewish husband with confidence. I have recommended this book to the local synagogue, Jewish federation and Temple, as a hand-out to families. I wish I would have found it 18 years ago.

There is quite a bit of information about the Society of Friends (Quakers) out there, but none as in a more unlikely location as Judith Moffett's "Penterra". The information she provides about the Quaker's stand on non violence, sexual mores and dealing with an entirely different lifestyle are fascinating. The book moves quickly along the lives of George Quinlan, his son Danny, the Hrossa who are allowing the Quakers to set up their colony " Swarthmore" and the new group on the planet " The Sixers". (named for the ship they arrived in on Pennterra)

Danny reaching puberty is handled well, although I blushed at some of the more "graphic" parts of this section, and I'm no prude! That Danny becomes a integral part of the next step in the Quaker/Hrossa world is only fitting to the process.

Ms. Moffett is a gifted author and her many and varied works show this.

As for the Asimov opening..I started to read it, but found it too ponderous. Judith Moffett said pretty much the same thing as Asimov, and FAR more entertaining!

A group of Quakers reach a distant planet, encounter the sentient hrossa, and work out a way to live in peace with these beings. Then they must deal with a second group of humans arriving (non-Quakers) who do not have the same penchant for peaceful co-existance. I found the study of Quaker process in an alien place a delightful unearthing of the human spirit. The hrossa are a sexy lot, and their effect on humans is fun to observe. My favorite part, however, is the unfolding of a new, dynamic, and (not so) alien theory of evolution. If peace and cooperation are your thing, you'll enjoy participating in the world of Penterra.

I agree with the first reviewer, except that I found the Quaker issues fascinating - what non-violence toward other sentient beings than humans really means, for example.

I also found the presentation of sex and society issues worthy of the best science fiction: clear yet not heavy-handed.

I recommend this book strongly to anyone who likes science fiction that makes them think.

Since the advent of German rationalism, it has been fashionable in the academic world to poo-poo the biblical account of the Exodus (and most of the rest of the Bible as well) as not having really happened, or a sort of fantasy version of the mundane beginnings of the people of Israel. The plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the great miracles associated with them were merely literary embellishments conjured up by the religious figures of ancient Israel to agrandize their existence and to allow them to exercise control over the people, we are told. The premise that there is no evidence in Egyptian history of the existence of Israel in Egypt is mostly due to the fact that the scholars are looking for evidence in the wrong time period - in the so-called New Kingdom Period, rather than when it actually occurred.

But this will all be a thing of the past if author James D. Long has his way. The Riddle of The Exodus systematically debunks the house of cards that has long been the foundation of such intellectual amblyopia. Jim challenges the established mind set that pervades archeology and theology to show that there is indeed ample evidence to be seen in Egyptian history, if we look at the right time period - the Old Kingdom period.

This book is a refreshing breath of air for those who are looking for real answers.

Is the current theophobic version of Egyptian history built on quicksand? Has a bigoted view of the Biblical record hamstrung this important field lo these many years?

The author's thesis seems to be on quite solid ground ... you will feel chills down your spine when you compare the written records of the "wrong" Dynasty alongside the Exodus account. Unless there is some serious mistranslation going on, the parallels are eerie and unmistakable. "The King is carried off by poor men ... the river is blood ..." (or something quite like it) and so on. Seems a good theory to account for the sudden collapse of this great Dynasty - something orthodox Egyptology cannot provide.

I watched the video of this material last week and just finished reading the book. While I am Jewish and have always personally believed the story of the Exodus, I find that my faith has been increased many-fold by the extraordinary documentation in Riddle of the Exodus. I cannot imagine subject matter that could be any more relevant to concretizing the religious beliefs of both Jews and Christians - and my guess would be that a very large percentage of both of these groups currently believe that the story of the Exodus is mythical.

A year ago, a Rabbi in Los Angeles told his congregation (during Passover) that there was not a shred of evidence to prove the historical reality of the Exodus - which is the cornerstone for Judaism. Jim Long has found more than enough evidence from both Egyptian and Jewish sources - and their comparative data, to satisfy hard-core skeptics! While there is no lack of Jewish
Scholarship in the world and while one would imagine that proving the historicity of the Exodus would be a high piority for the academic community - it is interesting to me that this extraordinary documentation has been done by a non-Jew and a self-taught archeologist! The book is simply written, but the material is powerful enough to start a spiritual revolution.