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An extremely fun book for younger children discussing dreams and nightmares, and talking about when/why dreams happen, how sometimes dreams are remembered/forgotten/partially remembered; and the great variety of dreams. A book that provides great reassurance, an incredible amount of humor, and develops understanding and acceptance.
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While this book is gerared to coaches both beginners and experienced even solo swimmers training on their own will get alot out of this book.Not full of drills or learn to swim instruction this book will aid in establishing a good mental approach and more importantly will let swimmers have a plan and sense of direction.
Written in an easy reading style most of Wright's stories or examples are about swimmers in New Zealand and not world house hold name swimmers but this doesn't lessen the relevance or meaning behind then.Wright is an old school coach and his views on training and diet are logical and refreshingly succint in this age of high tech jargonism.photographs are not in huge number but break up the text enough to keep interest high.
The book is if anything a text book on coaching and those looking for a learn to swim will be better steered to other books which deal with this topic.
Overall a good interesting read that will benefit any competitive swim coach or athlete.
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Arthur has been king of all Britain for four years now, but not everyone is willing to accept him as their king. The most dangerous among these is the North Witch, Arthur's half-sister Morgause, whose four elder sons are heading to Arthur's court -- and there is an assassin among them. (Gawain seems very loyal but might be bewitched by his mother; his brother Agravaine is almost insanely aggressive, and the twins are ditzy). What's more, the old mage Merlinnus encounters a young boy in the forest who has a mysterious past and a grudge against Gawain.
So Merlin concocts a means of solidifying Arthur's kingship -- a sword embedded in a stone, that can only be pulled by the true king. Arthur pulls it from the stone, and everyone accepts him as king. Simple, right? Except that the North Witch is still spinning her spells, and she plans to get her hands on the sword first -- no matter what.
Though there's no real connection between the two books, I felt like I was reading a sequel to Yolen's previous novel "Dragon's Boy." Perhaps it was the portrayal of Merlin and Arthur -- they have a sort of father-son bond, and even though Arthur often doesn't listen to Merlin they obviously care about each other. And Merlin, although a bit decayed physically, is still the sharpest knife in the drawer. Though this book has magic (including a homicidal dagger) and the other didn't, it felt very much like a follow-up.
Yolen's writing is quick and fast-moving, with excellent dialogue and some very good descriptions of things like the eerie May Queens. She carefully presents what was very touchy at the time, such as the unacknowledged rivalry of old religions like Mithras-worship and the newer Christianity. And she mixes in the more medieval stuff with historical details, such as the Picts.
Arthur is a likable guy here -- not perfect, but nice and friendly and honest. Gawain is similar in personality; Gawen is never less than endearing, and his secrets turn out to be... well, a lot different than anyone would suspect, especially when you consider who gets married at the end. Agrivaine seemed a little too nuts at times, but he was supposed to be that way. Merlinnus is the lovable old mage who knows how the world works; Morgause is nasty and cold-hearted, and Yolen isn't afraid to show her at work.
For an old tale told a bit differently, "Sword of the Rightful King" doesn't even falter. Expect to be surprised by quite a few aspects of this story, and to enjoy the humor and poignancy. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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For those who have never read Machen, you are in for a treat. Machen was an accomplished writer of supernatural tales with an unusually powerful and original imagination. The premise on which he based many of his most chilling tales--that of the survival of an aboriginal European population worshipping chthonic fertility deities--was later made famous as a historical thesis by Margaret Murray in "The God of the Witches". I don't know how much value this idea has as a scholarly premise, but Machen thought of it decades before Murray, and used it as the understated background in some his best stories, such as "The White People". However, Machen was much more than a purveyor of scary stories; he was a well rounded, sociable man with a strong mystical streak. These personal qualities manifest themselves in his writing through a quiet humor and muted, but powerful, sense of the numinous. Unlike many of the writers of supernatural and fantasy fiction who followed and were indebted to him, (Dunsany, Cabell, Lovecraft are but a few) Machen seems to have thought that the horrors he wrote about were only the shadow side of some more powerful and greater goodness. This strong but undogmatic faith gives Machen's work a unique feeling of wonder and mystery. Even George MacDonald's Christian fantasies lack the freshness and sense of possibility found in Machen's best work. This book, along with most of Machen's other writings, is a satisfying and complex read.
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Some of the stories in TALES OF MEAN STREETS seem sentimental today: There is no lurid sex, the cursing is subject to the "code" of Queen Victoria's day, and much of the violence takes place off stage. If you accept the givens of that day, you will enjoy Morrison; and you will see how the American detective novel and the film noir owe far more to Morrison than to Conan Doyle or anyone else. Morrison deserved to be remembered and honored.