Very fun fantasy. This is (I believe) the third book in the Murphy's Lore series and it is fast becoming a favorite of mine because of the good stories, great characters, and the awful puns. (Awful is actually good where puns are concerned.)
I also recommend the first two books-Tales from Bulfinche's Pub and Fools' Day.

The QueenMary has to be the most incredible oceanliner to this day , no other ship has acomplished more in the past 60 years. the Titanic could'nt even compare to the history of the QueenMary.

it all start when hannah went to her grandmothers seder. But then when she opended the door for the ilio anavi she got into the other world back in the 1942 and she was in consantration camp where all the jews were taken by the naziz. you will love this book untill you read it all.

Perhaps not for all tastes this autobiographical series of set pieces is wonderfully reminiscent of life in small country areas not all so long ago. There is a sense of time lost folded into the scattered vignettes. I would suggest that it would be particualarly appealing to those of Welsh ancestry and/or those who have lived in small American towns. The photographs are very much in synthesis with the stories and point up the sense of enjoyable loss.

Voila, the compacted dithers of mutton & larks! Ecco, predicted lathers of metro & lux! Lo, the monastic matters of mirrors & lakes! Zounds, the hermetic spiels of motor & locks! Behold, the gathered deepistles of monachus & littera! Witness the mighty phrasings of miracle lustrum! All hail the bibliotickles, viva the dublintenders, long live the fortunetells of hoy & halloo! Heed the prophetic warblings of minus & linus! Lament the bombastic tangles of mittwoch & letznacht! Observe the respected nightingales, doves & coulombians. Celebrate the valiantimes scattered by freundlich & freud! Three cheers for the bandied ampersands of max & louie, the mingled missives of joyful eremites.

this text should be read again and again by anyone recovering from a life altering experience, as it is an extremely useful illumination on one's route to self assurance and comfortabilty in the world at large... excellent!

I read this book with a group of friends, we discussed a window (chapter) each time we got together. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. I am very disappointed to see that the book is out of print. I often feel the urge to re-read sections of it and my copy is getting very worn. Particularly important to me was the first window: Acceptance. We cannot change until we accept who we are and we cannot really have an intimate relationship with another person until we accept who they are. I encourage anyone wishing to better understand themself or others to find a copy of this book and hang onto it!

This is Thomas Merton's journal covering his years teaching literature at St. Bonaventure's college in New York. It concludes as Merton is on the cusp of making a decision to enter the Trappist Order.

As for the contents of the journal, you will need to be a bit patient. Because this is a journal, even though abridged, you will have to slog through a lot of Merton's thoughts on certain poets, writers etc.

The interesting thing is that it gives some insight on Merton as an intellectual. But at this stage in his life, he doesn't seem comfortable in that skin. In fact, he often laments his arrogance and wonders whether any of these things (i.e., book reviews, articles in the Times) are really all that worth discussing in the first place.

A great deal of the material, particularly towards the end, is material that you will find repeated in Seven Storey Mountain. It would appear to me that Merton took a good read through his journal when he sat down to write Seven Storey Mountain. Of course, the journal is not polished, but it is every bit as fascinating as Seven Storey Mountain.

I also found Merton's thoughts on WWII, as it ravaged Europe, quite fascinating. A significant portion of this journal involves thoughts on war and what it means to be in a war; whether we should fight wars.

In sum, this journal is largely a reflection on literature, coversion, and war. If you are a fan of Merton, read this immediately. If you haven't really been exposed to Merton, read Seven Storey Mountain first and then return to the journal.

As for me, I give it four stars!

A good friend of mine sent me all seven volumes of Merton's journals. It was a gift of immeasurable worth and value. I will no doubt still be reading through these wonderful books for years to come.

Having just finished the first volume, "Run to the Mountain," I stand in awe of the sheer depth and scope of the life we've each been given. The life presented here, that of Thomas Merton, is remarkable in many ways. "Run to the Mountain" is the chronicle of the years when he started instructing English in college up to his entry at the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani Kentucky.

Beyond the external events of his times (the late thirties and forties) lies the bigger story of Merton's eternal destiny. Not since my own salvation have I encountered a story which so clearly illustrates God's pursuing love and grace. The reader can palpably feel Merton being called by God in these pages.

It is quite tempting to imagine what might have become of Merton had he not heeded his call. These pages (and most of his later works) make clear his incredible power as a writer. It is not hard to imagine that he would have become at least as, if not more famous than Jack Kerouac, his fellow student at Columbia. It is one of the great "what ifs" (and there are several) of Merton's life.

It is a great thing to be able to read about Thomas Merton's journey--to see him be changed and opened. It is an even greater privilege to take his thoughts and words with me on my own journey. This is one gift I am trully grateful for. Get this book. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

An outstanding account of the beginning of a vocation. From the first stirrings of spirituality to the full fleged desire to enter a monastery, Fr. Merton records his faith and doubts, his triumphs and disasters, his hopes and fears. His writing is eloquent yet simple. And his style becomes more free and prayerful as he comes closer to entering the Trappist monastery at Gethsemani. A wonderful book to feed and encourage the soul of anyone on a spiritual journey.

Did you hear the one about the bar in New York where all kinds of weird non-human characters hang out? You know the one: the patrons tell horrid puns, help others resolve their problems, and secretly saved the Earth from total destruction? One of the regulars, a widower, narrates the stories.

No, this is not Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, though it feels awfully familiar. But where Spider Robinson wrote science fiction, Bulfinche's is pure fantasy -- the bar is owned by a leprechaun and inhabited by various characters from mythology.

The chapters are written like separate short stories, with brief re-introductions of the characters and setting in each. The early Callahan books actually were short story compilations, but I've found no evidence that these were ever published separately, so it may just be for effect.

The book isn't as good or as memorable as Callahan's. It also suffers from a desperate need for editing. Misspellings such as a Passover "Sater" or a fragrance "ode de __" are not typos, and display a sloppiness that detracted from the stories.

Even though the tales don't quite measure up to Spider Robinson's, they are still quite enjoyable. So if you have a hankering to revisit familiar turf, I do recommend it.

I had read the paperback of Murphy's Lore a few years ago and loved it. It has a rare blend of humor and pathos and can deal with magic and legends in the "real world" and make them seem real. It does bring to mind Gavagan's Bar and Callahan's but is unique with great characters (I love Paddy the owner of Bulfinche's Pub and the homeless woman Rebbecca) and settings. I recently found that it had been re-released in trade paperback with 4 stories that weren't in the original, which I enjoyed. Some typos in the original have been corrected in this edition. I was also happy to find there are 2 more books in the series, Fools' Day and Through the Drinking Glass, with apparently more to come.

A great fantasy short story collection set in a magical bar in New York. This one has a lot-drama, humor, magic, gods, angels, demons, vampires, leprechauns, rainbows and a wise cracking bartender/narator. The reader really cares about the characters by the end of the book. The individual stories weave together to form a rich universe. I recommend it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, used it in conjunction with my paramedic classes, keep it with me while on duty, and find it a great refresher. The format is simple and straight forward and written as you might encounter an incident. I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Traynor and several of the reviewers noted in the book. Dr. Traynor also taught the patient assesment segment of my EMTP class and some other reviewers also taught in our medic class. I recommend this book to everyone in EMS and am waiting for the second edition!! Thank you Dr. Traynor, et al

Well, I have to say...I'm duly impressed. It's not often that I find a medical reference book that is as clear, concise, and step-by-step as this one. Even though it's geared towards the EMT-P, it could be a very helpful guide to anyone in health-related fields...from trauma nurse to home health aide to first responder. Although the book does assume you have the basic knowledge of the advance EMT, it can contain valuable insight for all. It's also well organized; it's easy to look something up and find your information in a short time.

This book is so cool, I've bought it twice (to replace one that was stolen). This book is clear, easy-to-read, and concise in a way that allows you to review a chapter on the way to the call. The first chapter on abdominal pain will show you the value of such a text. And it's small size makes it easy to carry, and the cover's tough, too. All considered, a damn fine book for EMS