I have been very pleased with this anthology, which is absolutely for people who love good poetry in a variety of forms and styles. Great selections by Yeats, Hopkins and Blake, and many poems that you may - like me - have loved once and lost, plus some that are less familiar but great finds. Happily no Rod McKuen or Susan Polis Schulz and also, happily, no T.S. Eliot. In other words, nothing mediocre, but also nothing effete and academic. McCosker is obviously very widely read, very open-minded, and has a love for the musical, the meaningful and the memorable. The notes on the poets are very good reading. Let's hope it will inspire some good poetry writing in the next generation!

If you like to read, you will delight in the book. If you enjoy words, you will revel in this book. "A Poem A Day" should be the next book in your library!

It does not matter if you have enjoyed poetry before today, because this is a splendid collection of poems especially selected to touch and tickle you. Poems of love and nature and joy and mundane; you will find yourself in these words.

The editors, Karen McCosker & Nicholas Albery, have done a wonderful job of selecting interesting and intriguing poems. The footnotes alone make the book worth the price because they only serve to draw you into the poets life, or experiences, or work.

I do not own or write poetry. I like words and reading. I love this book.

Read 'A Poem A Day.' You will regret not having this book yesterday.

I simply LOVE this book and pick it up every day to read a poem---that's how good it is. It's turned me on to many new poets and renewed my acquaintances with the old favorites. I was happy to see this gem on page 278 by Raymond Carver:

"And did you get what--- you wanted from this life, even so?--- I did.--- And what did you want?--- To call myself beloved, to feel myself--- beloved on the earth."

The power of the words shine through: the power of words to heal, strengthen, uplift, comfort, hurt, wound, enrage, succor and rejuvenate! This book is a celebration and a joy to read.

I enjoyed reading the words to Leonard Cohen's, "Suzanne Takes You Down", a favorite song from my past.

The poem, "from Jubilate Agno" written by Christopher Smart in the 1700's while in an insane asylum (about his cat!) was awesome and a must read for EVERY cat lover.

"The Falcon to the Falconer" by Jonathan Steffen blew me away. Here's a few lines:

"Unleash me from your hand--- And I will lance the light for you--- I'll cut a swordblade on the wind--- And pennant it with flight for you--- To signal I am yours--- If you will free me to be true to you. . ."

I could go on and on! I'm so happy that I found this book and recommend it highly!

Mr. Lenzini's book is a must read! He has succeeded in blending a great story line with credible characters that take you on an exciting quest for love amidst suspense and "edge of your seat" scenes. I fell in love with his characters, especially Luke, a focused assassin and sensitive guy all rolled into one. I found myself reluctant to put this book down and anxious to be able to pick it back up again! Mr. Lenzini has made this first attempt at authoring a success in MY book and I so look forward to getting my hands on the sequel. Well done!

I really loved this wonderful, fast moving, and very interesting story. Do you want to have it all - a great plot, lively scenes, believable characters, the struggle of good versus evil, a combination of intrigue, friendship and love? - then get this book! The thing I liked best is that the hero, Luke, despite being an assassin, is just a regular guy - one with a conscience and a desire to do the right thing. He's a refreshing change from so many of the sordid and jaded 'heroes' of other contemporary mystery novels. BRAVO, Nicholas Lenzini, for a really great first book! I can't wait for the next one!

Nick Lenzini's book "Death of an Archangel" kept me engaged from beginning to end. He wove a great story of intrigue and romance that will hold his audience's attention through each twist and turn. Very unpredictable, I couldn't wait to see where Luke's adventures would take him next. This is a great effort by a new author; its strength lies in the story line and in the aggressive, take charge main character, Luke, who makes his own adventures along the way - he is driven, moral, a true American hero that we seldom see in today's literature; yet he has the ability to be cold blooded and detached when necessary to do what is required to protect his country, complete his mission and do what needs to be done for the people he cares about. An easy read - I'm expecting great things from this author in the future. Anxiously awaiting his next book!

Pose method is a great way to teach running to anyone. Harnessing gravity and minimizing contact with the ground you can actually feel like flying.
This book is very simple and does not only introduce the running method, it also gives Dr. Romanov's view of running and how learning to run is a very enjoyable experience.It contains the theory behind safe, technical running and many exercises shown in pictures to achieve a good running technique by anyone, not just the elites.

With the release of Pose Method of Running, the rumblings of the next running revolution have begun. Just in time to rescue the boomers sidelined with injury and burnout, Pose running is the inevitable progression that will spare future generations the same fate.
Dr. Romanov shares his remarkable vision of balancing mind and body to attain the gift of true, spirited, running that Nature intended us to have all along. With Pose, the future of running looks very bright indeed. If heeded, the lessons taught in this book are sure to allow runners to make profound improvements in their performance, while recapturing the joy of running that may have faded due to repeated injury.

If someone was going to take up swimming, golf or tennis it is common to take lessons or read a book to learn the correct and most effective technique. When people take up running, this almost never happens. Usually, beginning runners jump right in using whatever running technique they used when they first ran for the school bus. When runners do buy a book it is usually about how much running they should do, how fast they should go and what do do about the injuries that inevitably follow an inefficient stride.

The Pose method of Running goes back to the beginning and breaks down the actual motions of running and describes the ideal form. It is published in multiple relatively short chapters. This helped me understand the points that were made and made it more readable. It is author's philosophy that running technique can be a learned skill that it is the most easily changeable variable that leads to far less injuries and a faster pace.

The text explains that the Pose method is the unlike the conventional running stride where you land on your heel and roll to push off. Just the opposite, the book details the method where you land on the ball of your foot, and actually pull your foot off the ground. The book contains the right amount of description and motivated me to give the method a try. It seemed impossible at first because it was difficult to maintain this form for even a quarter mile. The concept of landing and pulling off the pavement takes time to get used to. It is an unusual sensation to run like this in the beginning, you almost feel like a carton character. After three or four sessions it became easier and more coordinated. In a few weeks I was comfortable with it and found it actually easier than trying to stride out and land on your heels like I had done for years.

This book shatters convention in the field of running, it is not training book like so many others. The in depth information covered serves as a basis to implement this new technique into your own running. As I read, and later as I learned the technique, this 49 year old began to wonder what my race times would have been like in my 20's or 30's if I would have read it back then.

For all the time, effort and enthusiasm that the millions of runners from recreational to professional levels put into the sport, I would highly recommend this book and the Pose method of running in general. This is the first really new thing in running since the concept of cross training, it is sure worth a try.

So often Evangelical Christians deal with life and suffering dishonestly, superficially and mindlessly. Wolterstorff's exploration of grief is none of that. Rarely does a man who thinks so clearly allow himself to feel so deeply. The result is a powerful and personal look at his experience of tragedy. I recommend this to everyone, whether they are grieving or not.

Wolterstorff is a world-class philosopher, a professor Emeritus at Yale University. He is a rare professor: both an inspiring man and a brilliant teacher. But don't be intimidated. This book is human and accessible to everyone. One reason Wolterstorff is such a great philosopher and teacher is that he can explain deep ideas so clearly. Another reason is that he thinks authentically, he puts his soft heart as well as his sharp mind into his thought.

This book will comfort the suffering, not superficially but genuinely. And it will make us all think, teach us all how to be human more fully.

Wolterstorff has written a brief, yet poingnantly reflective book on his journey through the valley of grief. He lost his 25 year-old son to a tragic mountain climbing accident, and wrote this book as he writes in the preface "to give voice to [his] grief." He continues "Though it is intensely personal, I have decided now to publish it, in the hope that it will be of help to some of those who find themselves with us in the company of mourners."

This book is powerfully moving and brought tears to my eyes when I first read it. Wolterstorff voices many of the often unspoken feelings that mourners go through- from intense sadness to anger, to questioning, to longing for the loved one whom has died.

His reflections are powerful yet concise, and he has written the book in the style of a journal- documenting his struggle to grieve and cope with the intense anger and sadness of losing his son. Ultimately he finds his faith to be his greatest source of comfort and strength, but not before a long journey through the dark wilderness of grief.

I have also found this book to be extremely comforting and helpful- both in coping with my personal losses, as well as for bereaved family members in the grief support group that I facilitate. This book should be required reading for ANYONE who has lost a loved one, or works with the bereaved or is close to someone who has lost a loved one. I highly recommend it.

the impact that this book has had on me. I was 25 years old this past June 16(2000), when my wife Jennifer left this life. We had just had our first child, born April 21, 8 weeks to the day that Jennifer died. Since then, I have found comfort in a few works, such as C.S. Lewis' A GRIEF OBSERVED, but no work, not one, has impacted me like this one. Many's the time I have called my folks and quoted Mr. Wolterstorff saying "See, this is what I've been trying to say!"

This work is a must have for those who've lost. The pain of loss is inexpressable, it is all-encompassing and it is unavoidable. Wolterstorff presents grief in all of its detail, and if you've lost you'll find yourself more and more amazed as you find your thoughts and emotions expressed through his words.

I also believe that this work is indispensable for those in the care of souls. Through Wolterstorff's expression of grief you will find a taste of what that person to whom you minister feels, the loneliness, the despair, and the disappointment in the God whom they trust. If you are in ministry, you MUST get this book.

God's blessings and comfort to you all in your struggle.

Santa Paws do you want to go for a ride? The Callahan's asked. Oh boy, Santa Paws loved rides. Since the Callahan's just had a few last minute gifts to pick up they thought Santa Paws would be fine in the car.
Santa Paws kept wondering why his family was taking so long. Suddenly a gray van pulled up right next to the station wagon. Two dirty looking men climbed out. They used a crow bar to pick open the car door. Santa Paws tried to hide, but they had already spotted him. All of a sudden Santa Paws had a bag over his head and was feeling very sick. When Santa Paws woke up he still felt too sick to sit up, but he was in a stranger's car, and he knew he had to escape.
Finally, Santa Paws escaped from the dog thieves, but now he was in the middle of the street and there were rushing cars all around him. When Santa Paws is eventually he makes his way now he has to trust his instincts and go north, it just feels right.
Will Santa Paws ever make it home to the Callahan's in time for Christmas? Find out in "Santa Paws Come Home" by "Nicholas Edwards".

Santa Paws is a great book for all readers. It is about a boy named Gregory and a girl named Patricia, their Uncle Steve, and their dog named Santa Paws.They are going on a trip to the mountains when their plane crashes! They are forced to go look for help without their Uncle Steve. Find out what happens next when you read the book!

Santa Paws is an amazing dog living with his new found family, the Callahans, Gregory, Patricia, and their parents. They're going up into the mountains to spend Christmas with their grandparents. But it turns out to be anything but a relaxing vacation.
When their plane crashes on the edge of a huge mountain they barely escape in time. But now they're stranded in the wilderness and snow, injured and freezing.
Gregory and Patricia are forced to leave their Uncle Steve, who is too badly hurt to come with them, in a small shelter in the mountains, and set off with nothing but a flare, a few small pocket heaters, a thin blanket, and a walkman.
Can they and Santa Paws possibly survive a fall into a freezing river, coyotes, and an avalanche?

In this beautifully illustrated book, Preston McClear takes the reader on an enchanting tale. McClear's imagery is playful and unique! Nicholas Dollak's art is mystically brilliant!

The Sailor and the Sea Witch is a romantically haunting tale; one of a feared Sea Witch who becomes captivated by a lonely sailor's seafaring journey and the comforting sound of his flute.

*This story's premise, being a romantic tale, seems appropriate for the maturing reader, age 8 and older.

A Kids Can Click Review

This is the tale of a Sea Witch who likes to capture sailors and take them deep under the sea. This one sailor, though, who liked to play the flute, seduced her with his music.

She came closer and closer to his ship each night, and she was entranced by his handsomeness and his beautiful music.

When the sailor left his seafaring life for one on the land to look for a wife, the Sea Witch became angry and sad. For she loved this sailor and would do anything to get him to notice her.

She went on the land and changed herself into a beautiful princess and went looking for the sailor. Read The Sailor and the Sea Witch to see what happens when the princess finds him and his reaction!

This is a great story! Beautiful illustrations compliment a well-told tale. Keep up the good work guys!

by Lisa, BookReviewCafe.com

Illustrated in superbly executed watercolors by Nicholas Dollak, The Sailor And The Sea Witch is a unique fairy tale by Preston McClear about a love between a mysterious sea witch and the sailor who lived for the sea. A haunting, wistful story, The Sailor And The Sea Witch is enhanced with an addendum that includes a fascinating vignette teaching young readers this picture book was made.

This story was read to me in 4th grade in a small 4 room school
house in Wyoming, just about 60 miles South of the town of Wilson in Star Valley, Wyoming. My teacher read to the class for about 1/2 hour after the lunch recess to calm us down. I have never forgotten this book and at age 60 now am recommending it to a book group of women friends, most I have know for more than 30 years. We will go from the Bay Area of California, to Wyoming near where these events actually happened and review the book. We will go to Wilson, to the little town named after the author.

The book fascinated me as a child and as I have re-read it recently, I know it stirs my imagination and wonder again about the real experiences of this young boy with incredible courage and good luck. At his age I would have loved nothing more than to have done just as he did. Knowing the experiences he had, so very well expressed, I can imagine any child or adult with an active imagination for a life in the "Old West" will dream to have been this "white" Indian Boy. I recommend it as a gift for both young girls and boys to see the past from the perspective of a boy who really did go to another culture and had an incredible adventure. I wish it could of been me!

This book is about my great uncle. Growing up in South east Idaho, it really gave me a lot of insight on my heritage and the area. It is very interesting. Most of the time history books are boring, but not in this case. This book is a real page turner. Reading it seems so real that you can actually laugh out loud and imagine yourself in the great old west! I recommend this book to everyone, not only is it real history, but a great story too!

When I was a child in elementary school, 60 plus years ago, one of my favorite teachers used to read to my class for approximately 15 minutes a day out of the book, The White Indian Boy. This only occurred, however, if we were good boys and girls and did all of our work first. It was a great incentive for all of us to do our very best. I remember vividly looking forward to that magical time with great anticipation, as did the rest of the boys and girls in my class.

It was a thrilling depiction of a boy and his adventures with the Shoshone Indians, whom he eventually grew to love. It was a revealing, wonderful story of what life was actually like living among the Indians in that day, and made them, as a people, seem far less fearful to me, as a child, than I had always been lead to believe. I remember being very happy that the young boy eventually made the decision to leave his Indian friends and return to his own family in Utah.

"Unmade Beds" cleverly uses the motif of the dating game to take a clear-eyed, penetrating look at modern neurosis and how the myriad distractions of urban life mirror our fractured sense of self. The four characters are initially quite sympathetic in their quest for love, but as the film progresses they reveal a pathological sense of self-loathing and meaninglessness, in turn making them very unattractive. It's a very entertaining and vastly underrated film, and the soundtrack is in fact very witty and contemporary. Recommended.

I found the art in this book version of the cult classic Unmade Beds to be riveting. It makes an excellent companion to the movie, of which I am a big fan.

I thought the soundtrack on this film was sensational -- and I was completely captivated by the story of these four singles lives. I highly, highly recommend you buy a copy.

Nicholas Basbanes, who lives in North Grafton, Mass., is the author of two previous works: A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes and the Eternal Passion for Books (1999), a finalist for the National Book Critics Award, and Patience & Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Cultures (2001).
Basbanes now adds a "Madness Redux" to his exploration of the world of books and to that species of human beings dubbed "the gently mad," the bibliophiles and bibliomaniacs who would sell their shirts to buy nicely bound volumes.
Among the Gently Mad is not for everyone. It is not for those who wonder why a person spends two weeks reading a book rather than watching a two-hour movie.
If, however, you delight in frequenting yard sales, flea markets, book fairs, library sales, book stores, trade shows, antique shops, and thrift stores in search of printed treasures, then you will love Basbane's work.
To be sure, serious book collecting can be frightfully expensive and often out of one's financial league, as, for example, the $6.16 million dollars that was paid for the 1623 edition of William Shakespeare's dramatic works, commonly known as the First Folio, one that bore the prior ownership signature of the poet John Dryden.
Somewhat less expensive was a first-issue copy of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone that recently sold for $15,000.
However, one does not need to own a Gutenberg Bible (1454-55), the first work printed in Europe from movable type, or the Bay Psalm Book (1639), to be an avid book collector.
Bibliophiles sometimes meet a tragic end, as related by an anecdote from chap. 9: "Homer and Langley Collyer of New York City, two reclusive brothers, quite literally died under the collapsing weight of their various hoards in 1947, with one of them remaining buried for two and a half week before firefighters could locate his body beneath what was estimated to be 150 tons [300,000 pounds!] of newspapers, magazines, books, and assorted doodads."
In a letter to John Adams (June 10, 1815), Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I cannot live without books." Basbanes subscribes to this sentiment; his work testifies to an in-depth knowledge of and experience in the world of books. He speaks with authority as one who intimately and expertly navigates his chosen field.
While Basbanes believes there is no substitute for a tactile, "hands-on" (one might even say erotic) examination of books, he shows how the Internet can be used to aid and abet one's obsession. ...
Among the Gently Mad is a virtual "Who's Who" of booksellers and book collectors. Throughtout the work, the author scatters helpful hints of do's and don'ts. Numerous vignettes illustrate the truth of the principles inculcated. Whether one is a nascent bibliophile or an incorrigible bibliomanic, this guide will prove to be a invaluable resource.
...

I doubt that many of Nicholas Basbanes' readers will have the resources to emulate some of the collectors he describes in Among the Gently Mad (and in his earlier works A Gentle Madness and Patience and Fortitude.) I know I certainly won't be buying a Shakespeare First Folio, but nevertheless I value Among the Gently Mad for the perspective it gives me on my fellow bibliophiles. I enjoy reading about the book fairs and the lengths to which some collectors go to add to their libraries. Most of all I enjoy the tips Basbanes and his subjects give me about adding to my own collection. An absolutely essential addition to any gentle mad person's library.

Nicholas Basbanes has been a source of enjoyment for bibliophiles since publication of what is arguably the most enjoyable treatise on the book collecting culture, _A Gentle Madness_. In that book the heady heights of high-end collecting and the depraved depths of obsessive biblio-theft are expertly profiled. Equally delightful, his recent _Patience and Fortitude_ has a place of honor on my 'books-on-books' shelf.

While I have enjoyed many hours reading these books, which allowed me to circulate vicariously in book circles currently beyond my reach, I always wondered when Mr. Basbanes would write a book focusing on the everyman collector.

With the publication of _Among the Gently Mad_ my question has been answered, and the validity of the adage. "...be careful what you wish for..." has been affirmed for me. In a departure from his previous two works, the author not only provides delightful anecdotes on book culture, he has also constructed the most practical and up to date guide on the nuts and bolts of collecting available today. In the process he has laid bare nearly every trick and technique of collecting that I have picked up over the past several years.

The internet has, in many ways, revolutionized book collecting. Mr. Basbanes describes in what ways, and provides helpful pointers on how to maximize the 'net's usefulness, including mentioning specific web sites of interest. This material is useful not only for the new collector, but the established collector as well. Additionally, traditional book collecting via catalogue, auction and scouting are not neglected - and testimonials of collecting technique from collectors and dealers abound.

In short, if I were to begin book collecting today this is the first book I would buy, hands down. As a collector, it is one I have found very useful - and it goes without saying - entertaining. The only down side of the publication of this book is that those informed by its pages will create stiffer competition for the good books out there!

I can't help but wonder who the target audience is/was intended for this book. At times it read very smoothly; other times I felt like it was written in an uncreative/predictable manner. It made a lot of good points; I valued a lot of the lessons and advice. I just felt like the whole story about David, the presence of his sister's spirit, etc could have been left out and it would have been just as good. I learned quite a bit; I just wasn't awed. I think there are better motivational books out there besides Wokini.

When my grandmother died I had to go through her things, and I found not one but two copies of this book. Out of curiosity I read it, and was very moved and at the same time felt enlightened. I really wish that I could talk to her about this story, and regret that I didn't know her well enough, because anyone who appreciates this story is on the right path as far as I'm concerned. I am a Christian and I am not Native American, but those things really don't matter as the only thing you need to have when reading this is your desire to search, to learn more of yourself and the world. You will get out of this book much more than you spend on it!

By chance, I found this book in my local library, read it and had a life change. Today while looking up Nicholas Sparks I find that Wokini is in print once again. Life is good! This book will change your whole attitude and outlook on life. It begins by breaking down the old ideas (lies) about what happiness is and is not. It follows with a day by day path on how to achieve true happiness. A great book to give and to keep!