This book contains valuable "hows" and "whys" for conducting today's funerals. It gives the philosophical framework and the practical "how-to's" that Pastors need to conduct a funeral that is honoring to the deceased and helpful to family and friends. Dan Lloyd has a tremendous amount of experience, which is evident in this book. You will find the basics you need to effectively minister in times of crisis and death. I heartily recommend this book!

In his second book Mr. Allard adds clarity to his sales principles through the hands on selling experiences he and his associates have had.

The elimination of sales myths like, "The customer is always right," "I don't have any money," or "the customers won't buy that product in this area" are a samplings of the insightfull anedotes in store for you as you study this book. Most sales books get read once but Mr.Allard's are filled with time tested principles that need to be studied and practiced in order to overcome the sales errors taught by so many.

Mr.Allard appears to be ahead of his time as a leader in the paradigm shift in motivational material from attitude adjustment to principle based living and selling.

I read, Lloyd John Ogilvie's book, "Lord of the Impossible", my freshman year of college. What really impressed me about this book was how Ogilivie was able to bring God "alive" today. Moses, Joseph, David, etc. all had difficult tasks at hand, but by allowing God to be in control the impossible became possible. Not only that, but we today, when having a difficult time can put our lives in God's loving hands and He will never fail us.

Sandelands' argument may seem off-putting at first, but he develops it well, pulling evidence from sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history to support his claims. Whether you agree or disagree with Sandelands, the book makes you think about what he has to say. I would recommend this book for any social scientist or student interested in thinking about human nature.

I used this manual during my surgical clerckship last year and found it to be extremely useful. This text deals with perioperative patient care in a concise, easily memorized and very clearly laid down manner. It is also very useful in reviewing important subjects that are usually ignored during surgical rounds such as cardiac arrhythmias and others. It is very deductive and easy to read . I recommend it to every medical student taking a surgical clerckship so that he/she may better comprehend the crucial role of good pre- and postoperative care of the patient and inhance their knowledge in different subjects of great importance in surgical theraputics.

I was lucky - I got this book when the exhibit was at the Metropolitan in NYC so I was able to see the actual miniatures. For those who couldn't or didn't see the exhibit, this book is a must have for history buffs of the medieval period.

I was very moved by the beauty of Lama Longden's telling of the story of the life of Mipam. In addition to the fine quality of the book as a pure tale, there are periodically salted throughout the book numerous brilliant passages which open up vistas in the imagination that border on a glimpse of the "far shore" or "distant land of the Buddhas". Lama Yongden is an exceptional writer and the purity of the tale will leave you with a sense of having experienced something rare and wonderful in the reading. I highly recommend it.

If you liked the book you will love this audio presentation.

In Pawel Huelle's book of short stories, Moving House, the reader finds the Polish characters experiencing odd and often fantastic happenings in their lives in an often playful manner. However, when one examines Polish history in the 20th century, these strange incidents take on a new, often tragic, meaning.

Huelle comes from a country where borders have shifted, and the land and people have been occupied by both their 'aggressor' (Germany) and their 'saviour' (Russia). In this dizzying political climate, those who were your friends one day would be enemies the next. Collective identity is more important than individual; therefore, a German or Russian becomes threatening, due to the history of occupation. Nothing is stable, or dependable in this situation; and Huelle has created a fine book of stories which reflect a Polish viewpoint of imaginative, fantastic literature.

In the story "Table", a Polish family under Communism needs a new kitchen table. However, they cannot get a table like their old one, because that year, the Comrades building tables have decreed that tables must be triangular - which does not fit their room, or their settings. Seeking to find a woodworker who can (illegally) make them a proper table, they are at first successful, but run into problems, when the woodworker keeps delaying. He finally offers them a table - with the catch that it once belonged to a German officer. The main character's mother is furious, holding a deep-set hatred for the German people, and she wants no part of a table having belonged to one. This anger is not the only thing which comes with this furniture; the main character starts seeing a German ghost in the house. The story shows a family grappling with the very real effects of a Communist system and the memories of a Nazi occupation, all through a single piece of furniture.

A disappearing village is the mystery of "Uncle Heinrich," a story in which the main character and his Uncle go on a skiing trip and lose their way. Uncle Heinrich is an adventuresome man,given to encouraging his young nephew to forsake books and explore nature at its most rugged. On their excursion, they not only lose their way, but lose the map which has been guiding them. They come across a village where they find food and shelter until the storm is gone. The kindly villagers reveal some eccentric customs when Uncle Heinrich and nephew are called upon to act as outside judges to a town election, leaving them both with a threatened feeling. Years later, Uncle Heinrich writes his nephew, detailing his efforts to again find that village - but cannot, and cannot find any map with reference to the place. This story draws a correlation to the Baltic country of Lithuania, part of Poland before World War II, and made part of the USSR when borders were redrawn after the war. When one looks at the maps chronicling Poland's border shifts, one can see how entire areas seem to "disappear" into the USSR. The story underlines ethnic tensions between Lithuanians and Poles, as well as the uncertainty that comes with such an unstable boundary. Are those Poles who lived in Lithuania Polish or Lithuanian? Is this land the same as it was before the war? And after the fall of the USSR?

Probably the strongest piece is "In Dublin's Fair City," the final story in the book. It follows the main character as he visits Dublin, and remembers his grandfather who became an eccentric character in his old age. The narrator begins his visit in a Catholic Church, where his thoughts turn to his family, and how they survived under Communist regime. Throughout this piece, he thinks of his grandfather, who left his grandmother and lived far north in the country with another woman. But this isn't the whole story. When his grandfather dies, the narrator and his father must take the trip to retrieve the body, and find more than they expected; the grandfather was alone not to have an affair, but to build a submarine, with hopes of getting out of the country under the sea. The father and son push the submarine into the water, for if discovered, they know they will be punished as his family.

While these recollections surface, the narrator meets a young woman who accidentally hits him in her chips van, and takes him under her wing, to a party held by artists after.

The Irish in the story are all looking for a way out of their own lives, whether escaping their poverty through decadent parties, their loneliness through drink, or their very identities through play-acting. While he observes the surreal events unfolding around him, he reflects on his own grandfather's attempts to escape, and on his own - he is, after all, in a Western country.

Huelle makes a sound comparison between Ireland and Poland, for both were (and Northern Ireland contintues to be) colonized states well after most countries had become independent. The piece is richly layered, the mystery of the grandfather's activities being solved very gradually, so the reader shares in the narrator's triumph when he remembers it all, and makes the connection between his grandfather's secret and his bravery. And feels the sadness for a man who died before he could see his escape plans come true.

Moving House collects richly layered stories, intricate in their structure, complex in their theme, and beautifully written. This book is a must for those interested in Polish history and fiction, and those who take the time to read between the lines will be well rewarded.

I certainly hope that other mystery buffs discover Jill McGown. Her mysteries are excellent. This particular one is extremely complex. There are two storylines that run side-by-side - one from 13 years ago and one for the present of the book. The same people are involved in both, and the reader has to read and understand both before they can grasp the mystery. This books pits Lloyd and Judy against a true criminal mastermind. There are many twists to the plot, but the main one is that the criminal gets murdered. They find themselves in the unenviable situation of having to solve that murder and an old unsolved one from 13 years before. But never fear, Judy and her trusty notebook come into play and they do end up discovering the killer in both murders. Another twist is that who really cares why the criminal was killed. We find out that he was a truly evil person! Great reading!