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Book reviews for "Imbuga,_Francis_D." sorted by average review score:

The 13th Sign: The Zodiac Has Changed, So Have You: Find Out How and Why
Published in Paperback by 1stBooks Library (2002)
Author: Mary Francis Abbamonte
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An Absolute Must Read!
Your astrology book collection will not be complete without this book on the 13th sign. The book changes astrology completly around, it updates the way you interpert charts and do readings. Abbamonte, so simply puts it, "Your only choice is that of participating in these changes knowingly or unknowingly. Astrology has always been the roadmap, for what in happing above in the sky - is also occuring below on Earth." Come December the sun will be in the 13th Sign. Something you may want to look into! After you read this book, how could you not consider using 13 different signs?

Excellent
"The 13th Sign" is excellent and is a significant contribution to astrology. Ms.Abbamonte boldly and clearly shows a flaw in most of todays astrological readings that cannot be ignored!

Enlightening !
As a Reiki Healer, I found this book very useful.
It is filled with revolutionary and ancient
information on health and healing, as well as
astrology, masterfully woven together.
Very interesting, there is a lot of information
here and easily understood too.


5 Minute Veterinary Consult Canine and Feline
Published in Hardcover by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Publishers (1999)
Authors: Larry P. Tilley, Francis W. Smith, and Francis W.k. Smith
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Great user-friendly reference for vet students
This book is great when you just need the down and dirty on a disease, and don't want to wade through a 50-page description in the heavy-duty references. It was also very useful during second-year, when you're just trying your hand at figuring out the diseases, and need a little confirmation of your diagnosis and treatment plans. Or, when you're totally clueless and need help get started in the right direction. Fair warning, faculty usually won't accept it as 'reference' especially if you're trying to argue a point, but during a recent open-book final, I brought mine in anyway and there was practically a mob of other students rushing over to check out one thing or another.

5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline (CD-ROM for W
Tilley's 5 -Minute Veterinary Consult book has been an extremely valuable asset to my library. When the CD-Rom came out, it was even more useful in that immediate and current information can be retrieved much faster than picking up a book. It is faster since topics related to a case can be searched for and reviewed with a touch of your mouse. This information can be quickly printed and given to clients to further understand their pets diagnosed condition. This printed information alone is priceless! A client that has something in hand and can follow and confirm their veterinarian's diagnosis and treatment, helps establish the trust a client needs to have in their pets doctor.

I reach for my 5- Minute Vet Consult CD-rom more than any other resource in my library. It is very accurate and has a surprising amount of detail to assist in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of each topic. The drug search is a very helpful formulary for those quick reference needs. The most recent CD has a good number of cytology and radiographic images attached to the topics. These can be enlarged to see more closely the great detail.

In my opinion the 5-Minute Veterinary Consult CD-Rom was one of the best reference investments for my practice. It is definitely the most utilized reference I have. Time is money and this has saved me many steps and thus time and money. Every practice needs this reference without doubt!

....

Kim Phillips
My vet suggested me getting this book (I have worked for him for 6 years) and I am glad I did! It has 4 different sections in it, "Presenting Problems and Physical Findings", "Diagnostic-Laboratory Tests", "Diagnostics-Electrocardiography", and "Diseases and Clinical Syndromes". Each section has detailed information on each finding, usually two pages per each problem, which covers the Basics (definition, signalment, causes and risk factors), Diagnosis, Treatment, Medications, Follow-up and a Miscellaneous. There is plenty of information in the Appendix section of the book as well. Including a Formulary, Conversion Tables and more! I would highly recommend it to vets, students and vet techs.


Healer
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1976)
Author: Francis Paul Wilson
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The Healer
Iread this novel 22 years ago and loved it. If you love freedom
and sci-fi you've got to read this book. And if you're a gun nut
you'll love the shotgun Steve and Pard use in the ending; and the planet Flint!

Wonderful, pure escapism!
I first read this book some 20 years ago, and it has haunted me ever since. I truely wonderful bit of sci-fi spanning time, space and mortality. Whilst it was in my possession I read it many many times, but made the unfortunate mistake of lending it to someone, never to see it again. Some time later I discovered the LaNague chronicles (encapsulating "Healer") and got the book. Whilst Healer remains my all time favorite, LaNague is almost as good a read. Should anyone know of or have contact with Mr F Paul Wilson, would they extend my thanks, and plead with him on my behalf to put pen to paper (or fingers to key-board) and produce further "Steve & pard" novels, as there is far to much meat on this bone to let them off travelling the universe and time in just one book!

A good read
I read this book when I was young and still read it every few years to relive the magic. About a man who finds immortality unexpectantly, and then has to figure out what to do with it and how to fit in socially through time when nobody knows what he has. The climax is a bit lame, but this doesn't detract from a brilliant read.


Hey Look! The Happy Book
Published in Hardcover by Little Salamander Press (15 November, 1997)
Authors: Snip Francis and Melanie Gilbert
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A classic
This book reminds me of "Goodnight Moon" and "Guess How Much I Love You." You should add it to your collection of books.

Book is a visual delight
The Happy Book is an explosion of color and images - perfect for little kids who are visually oriented. Plus it's written like a poem which only adds to its enormous charm. Love it!

Happy reading
As a children's librarian, I see lots of books. This one recently came to my attention. I wish I'd known about it sooner - I could have shared its loving message with so many more kids. It's a favorite storytime book with my regulars. I like the big, colorful pages that even kids in the back of the group can see. They love the rhyming words, As I read the book I dramatically pause to let them shout out the rhyming word.
This is a short book, but it says so much. Kids immediately warm to it. They beg me to "Read it again, read it again!" I laminated the 8 puppets that came in the back pocket and use those during storytime, too. Depending on the size of my group, I let 8 different kids hold a puppet. When they see their puppet figure pop up on a page, they wave it excitedly. This book is happy on so many levels. If you are a librarian I encourage you to add it to your children's collection. I also encourage everyone to add it to their personal collection. It's a gem!


In Conversation with God (Set of 7 Volumes)
Published in Paperback by Scepter Publications (01 October, 1993)
Author: Francis Fernandez
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Satisfying devotional
When I converted from Protestantism to Catholicism I looked for a devotional to replace "My Utmost For His Highest." This is it and it is rich and satisfying.

Seven pocket sized volumes. Well worth the cost.

A Spiritual Treasure!
This book is one volume of seven books titled "In Conversation with God". Their contents follow the complete liturgical year, that contain daily readings following the daily (and Sunday) Masses, plus solemnities and feasts of the saints. They are updated for today's culture, still full of writings from our favorite saints, quotes from the bible, Church documents, also quotes by Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. I don't believe another series can be this good. I have been reading them for six years. They are very fruitful for anyone's spiritual life, no matter what their vocation. Priests have been known to use theses to help them with their homilies. I find them useful for answering questions people ask me or that I seek out myself, as they have a great index of both subjects and quotations. They are put out by Opus Dei and Publ. by Scepter. Buy the whole set. They are a spiritual treasure!

GREAT!
This set is a timeless classic. I'd hate to begin to describe it in words. The meditations are based on the Daily Readings from the Mass. It offers excellent insights for anyone who's serious about deepening their faith and tranforming everyday life into prayer and growing in holiness. You'll be in sync with the Church's liturgical year and you'll gain an in-depth knowlegde of Church's teaching and virtue. I've used it for 3 years now and I HIGHLY recommend it.


Land of Little Rivers: A Story in Photos of Catskill Fly Fishing
Published in Hardcover by W.W. Norton & Company (1999)
Authors: Austin McK. Francis and Enrico Ferorelli
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Color abounds. A fly fishing masterpiece.
If you fish the catskills, this book is a must. I have never seen such a great mixture of photographs and text in a fly fishing book. The books takes you through all the rivers, then presents the region's historic people, their fly tying, and their rods and reels.

Excellent Book
This is by far the most interesting book I have ever read about fishing in the Catskills. Fly Fishing in America pretty much started there and this book explains in great detail everything there is to know about the History of Fly Fishing. Beautiful pictures on every page only add to the value of this book. Coming from someone who never takes the time to read through a 240 page book, I could not put in down. This happened during fishing season.

This book has made my gift shopping a no-brainer!
As I opened the package that contained my copy of Land of Little Rivers I expected a great book. I had read Mac FrancisÕs earlier book, Catskill Rivers, twice. Within minutes I realized the word "great" was wholly insufficient to describe this exquisite volume. At first I was caught by the, near mystical beauty of Enrico FerorelliÕs photographs--by themselves, more than worth the price of the book! But it is Mac FrancisÕs words that captured my heart and imagination completely. They carried me along, hour after hour, through this absorbing, beautifully told story of the birthplace of American fly fishing.

The author ends his introduction, trying to define the almost supernatural power inherent in the Catskill fly-fishing tradition, with these words: "I believe it is this power -- call it passion, dedication, commitment, vision, love, or what you will -- that has inspired the myriad fly fishers who in small ways and large have created, fought for, and extended a great sporting tradition in a hallowed land, and I respect the honor of presenting them, their feats, and their little rivers in these pages."

With this book, Mac Francis does more than simply honor a great tradition; he and Land of Little Rivers become a part of it.


Enquiry
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (2000)
Author: Dick Francis
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Truth Revealed
Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield have their licenses suspended by the Oxford stewards for supposedly throwing a race. Hughes believes that they were framed and he sets out to clear their names and get the licenses restored. Who would want to ruin their careers? As the truth is revealed we hear a story of sexual deviation, blackmail, fixed evidence and attempted murder.

Francis at his best
"Yesterday I lost my licence."

That's how the book begins ... and indeed Kelly Hughes, a leading jump jockey , has been indefinitely suspended from racing after being found guilty of deliberately losing a race.

He knows that someone has rigged evidence against him, and rather than sit back and wait for the ban to be lifted , he sets out to find his secret enemy.

Hughes isn't a detective, and just as he doesn't really know how to carry out an investigation, the reader can't guess at how the plot will develop. My favourite highlight is when Hughes is driving home after a dance. At first it seems to be just a 'filler' scene, but it turns into something more dramatic - and the writing here is particularly well-crafted.

The two main characters are Hughes himself , a widower, and Roberta, the snooty daughter of his employer. Near the start of the book Roberta asks him:

" "That picture .. that's your wife isn't it?"
I nodded.
"I remember her". She said. "She was always so sweet to me. She seemed to know what I was feeling. I was really awfully sorry when she was killed"
I looked at her in surprise. The people Rosalind had been sweetest to had invariably been unhappy. She had had a knack of sensing it, and giving succour without being asked. "

Unfortunately Roberta has been brought up by her father to regard jockeys as an inferior social class, and it takes a long time for the two of them to kindle any real friendship, let alone romance.

Francis is particularly good in this book with the minor characters - such as the aristocratic Bobbie, who clearly is very fond of Roberta but can't help hinting that Hughes is a better match for her, or Derek the diffident mechanic who kept most of his brains in his fingertips.

The plot doesn't flag, the tale builds to a satisfactory climax and I only wish Hughes had appeared in another of Francis' books.

If you love rational heroes...
The primary reason I continue to seek out and read Dick Francis is that he continually creates heroes that are efficacious and rational. He avoids the common pitfalls of most modern writers, and instead invents characters who pass the ultimate test: "Would I like to meet and know this person?" If you can answer "yes" to that question then there is great potential for enjoyment in the fiction centered around that character. If you answer "no" to that question, why even bother reading further?

Dick Francis' characters almost always recieve an unreserved "YES!" Read "Enquiry," it's not the best from Francis but it's still furlongs beyond the rest.


The Finger Lakes Revisited
Published in Hardcover by Finger Lakes Photography (31 October, 1997)
Authors: John Francis McCarthy and Linda Bishop McCarthy
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Finger lakes revisited, a locals thoughts
This book does a wonderfull job of displaying many of the sights and hidden treasures of the oft overlooked finger lakes region. Many of the photos include bits of history and indian lore from long ago. The photos do not disappoint, and display the 4 seasons in all their glory. Summer sunsets are mixed with lush green spring scenes, and of course fall is represented with all it's brilliant color. Mr McCarthy's book does not forget winter as do many pictorials of the area. Instead, snowy Christmas scenes are shown along with bleak, cold January images that will have the reader craving a hot bowl of soup and a warm fire. Despite the bleak Upstate winters, Mr McCarthy finds images of beauty in the ice and snow that are hard to forget. The stars of the book... the Finger Lakes are each represented along with a brief description of their size and length. I find this to be a excellent gift to give to visitors or friends who have left the area. I have one one my coffee table and it is the first thing visitors pick up when they come in. Since the Finger Lakes encompass such a large area, many locals will remark that they have never been to the places pictured in the book, though they live only a short drive away. This would make a good gift for those who have the urge to explore the area.

Fond memories spill from every page
I was overwhelmed with joy and melancholy when I cracked open this beautiful book. I am a former resident of Central New York (having lived near Conesus, Otisco and Skaneatles Lakes, and enjyoing trips with my father on Cayuga Lake, where he kept a 24 foot cabin cruiser for 5 years). Not only are the McCarthys skilled photographers, but the area itself is worthy of such a compendium. I particularly appreciated John McCarthy's descriptions of set-ups and time of day for particular shots, as well as the commentary regarding the history of the area. I've ordered several more copies for old friends who love the area as much as I do, and new friends who will once they take a look.

Finger Lakes Resident
This is an absolutely beautiful pictorial book of our region. We gave these as thank you gifts to 16 speakers (10 were from other states) who spoke at a special anniversary conference we held this month. Since this conference is always in December, we wanted to showcase our area in all of the seasons. This book was very well received.


Hung by the Tongue
Published in Paperback by Harrison House, Incorporated (1996)
Author: Francis P. Martin
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Very spiritual and lifting quick read.
Hung by the tongue deplicts the rise and fall of a person just by the words they speak. By taking quotes from the bible and putting them into perspective,Martin shows that success and defeat is born in the mind. We as humans tend to speak what we believe. Martin shows that what we speak can bring on failure or victory. Very inspirational read.

"Like It Or Not ... The Facts Speak For Themselves!"
Simply, James Allen outlined this when he wrote: "As A Man Thinketh". Mr. Martin, however, drives it home, because, thoughts create what we say, and then, what we do.

Put it to the test yourself - I convinced myself that this is not mere idle chat, and, chances are YOU will, too.

A must read for the Christian
Excellent book...one that should be read by every Christian today. There is Power in the words we speak, I was not aware of how powerful until I read this book


The Kalevala: Or Poems of the Kaleva District
Published in Paperback by Harvard Univ Pr (1985)
Authors: Elias Lonnrot and Francis P. Magoun
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Pessimistic epic
There's a lot less bloodletting in this epic than in many mythic-legendary works. But -- what a lot of frustration, inhospitality, and breakage! Boats jam, people lie, an heroic expedition to the North is a flop. You won't find any great romances here, but a number of maidens who would druther not leave home (especially undesirable if the prospective husband is a "nook-haunter" -- an old man). A suitor might perform all the tasks the girl's mother demands, and after doing the impossible, he doesn't get to marry her even so. Heroes arrive in a village to be sent on from one house to the next in an unfriendly manner. A quest for fire leads to calamitous accidental conflagrations. Quests don't end in dazzling triumphs; the great quest-object for this epic ends up plopping into the sea and being broken. This is indeed the epic of the "luckless lands of the North."

Especially powerful are the cantos about that scary young punk Kullervo. Where else in traditional literature is there such a portrait of a kid born to make everyone miserable before he takes his own life?

It's not all dour stuff, to be sure. There are a number of passages in which the words practically writhe off the page as the lines describe tingling, squirming magical growing. There's some humor.

The work is suffused with an earthy quality. It's not ambrosia and nectar we have here, but fish to eat, home-brewed beer to drink, and plain bread -- sometimes bulked up with bark -- to chew. People wear wool, navigate fogs, get up early to light fires and milk the cows.

It was one of a select few works that C. S. Lewis cited, in his essay "On Science Fiction," as works that provide additions to life. Other things that made the list were Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, parts of the Odyssey and of Malory's Morte d'Arthur, Peake's Titus Groan, etc.

Interesting list!

This translation seemed to me quite readable.

Shamanic Epic of the North
The Kalevala is one of the greatest (and yet largely unknown) epic poems of all times. Although relatively young when compared to the works of Homer and so forth, this Finnish epic draws deep into Finland's Shamanic heritage and is indeed based off these old myths and legends. It concerns the adventures of Vainamoinen the wise Shaman, his companion Ilmarinen the smith and the bold, young Lemminkainen. Those who have studied Shamanism will already see a Shamanic aspect in the association between Vainamoien and Ilmarinen, for in many cultures smiths and Shamans are linked together. There are many more Shamanic archetypes and beliefs found throughout this book, such as a bear sacrifice which is startlingly similar to that observed amongst the Ainu and Lapps of recent times. This book, perhaps the only real direct source of Finnish mythology and religion, explores an oft neglected culture. After all, any school child can tell you of the myths of the Greeks, Romans or Germanic peoples, yet the mythology and heroes of Finland have remained largely unknown. A real pity as this epic is filled with deciet, trechery and heroism which easily could stand beside the works of Homer, Virgil or Valmiki. This translation, perhaps the best available, both for the price and in terms of being generally accessable, is certainly worth owning. Whether you are interested in mythology, history, anthropology, Finland or just like a good story, there is bound to be something in this book which appeals to you.

The Finnish Illiad
This sister to the Norse Sagas is the masterwork of Finnish mythology.

In it we follow the three main heroes - the elderly Vainamoinen, wise in everything except love; his brother Ilmarinen, the presumably middle-aged master smith; and Lemminkainen, the reckless young lothario who causes his wife and mother endless headaches but who we like enough anyway that we worry about him when he gets into trouble.

In some ways, it's a product of it's time. This was written in a time when women had no say in who they married; they had no recourse if their husbands were abusive; and they were virtually their mother-in-law's slaves until their younger brother-in-laws or sons got married and they weren't the low women on the totem pole anymore. Althoug Aino's story offers a message about this system, it's pretty much accepted. This is what life was really like at the time these stories were sung.

In other ways, though, it's surprisingly modern. Although the results usually aren't so serious, we've almost all been taken down a peg by an elder like Joukahainen at some point in our lives when we've needed it. I would imagine that many widowers - and widows, for that matter - can relate to Ilmarinen's sense of loss when he loses his wife.

And then there's Kullervo. He wins the all-time teen angst award hands down. It's fascinating how his cycle deals with a question psychologists have grappled with for centuries - are kids taught to be good, or are they just born good or bad? He's a danger to society, yes - but he may also never have had a chance. No matter what you feel about what he does, the scene where he wanders pitifully among his family asking if anyone would cry if he died until he gets what he needs to hear from his mother, can move you to tears. Just read the headlines about the latest school shooting. There really are kids almost this messed up out there.


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