Even for a person with an insufferably short attention span, I was not once bored during this book. It's not a thriller, or anything of the sort, but it managed to truly involve the reader in the author's journey.
The story of an Englishman who is on a trip through Patagonia to collect animals for his own private zoo, this book manages to bring out the animal lover in any reader. The descriptions of the land, the people, and the animals are beautifully crafted in well done, straight forward prose. I highly recommend it.

Durrell is wonderful at describing both animals and people and one gets the feeling one's there, with him, sleeping under a car and trying to keep warm by smoking a cigarrette, or in flight to Jujuy, sitting by a fat and talkative lady, or in Buenos Aires, sorting cars at I don't know how many miles an hour. Absolutely terrific!

To me, Gerald Durrell is the best descriptive writer who has ever lived. His stories of animal collecting trips to such exotic places as Africa, Argentina, Madagascar and more never seize to give me enjoyment. He not only chronicles his trip and the animals which he obtains but he also describes the many exotic and interesting people he meets. His sharp eye for the unusual and the eccentric grant him a place in the list of the best books I have read. This book tells of his trip of Argentina, where he manages to film and obtain myriad varieties of animals. The first half of the book chronicles the author's stay in Buenos Aires and how he manages to film penguins and seals in their natural habitat. Using words aptly and pleasingly, he describes the personalities of particular penguins or seals and through this particular specimen of the species he is studying, he traces the amazing habits of the species. In the second and admittedly more enjoyable half of the book, Durrell writes of his journey to Jujuy where he finds more of the tropical wildlife. Whether it comes to describing the ludicrous circumstances under which he comes to obtain a rare parrot from its naive owner or baiting a vampire bat with his own toe, Durrell does not seize to bring smiles to the faces of readers. Durrell sees the humourous side of life, which is not something which many people are able to do. When the end of the books comes, the reader is overcome by a feeling of wistfulness which cannot be obtained from any other author of this genre.

How did this book ever get out of print? This is a must read for the Church today, as we grow spiritually deeper. My "daughter in love" (a young physician) recommended this to me. It is my hope that together we will grow into these roles in our various churches. It is must read by both men and women today in the American Church. I will be recommending and purchasing many copies of this book to share.

This book is challenging, a must read for every Christian woman. It looks at how Jesus saw women, the history of women in the Church, Paul's views on women, and current evangelical views of women, and challenges women of today to return to their "first love" instead of counting on a role (mother, wife, career woman, etc.) to give her fulfillment.

Kari Malcolm's heritage uniquely equips her to deal with the role of women in society and in the church, in particular. She traces women's roles within the context of Greek, Roman and Jewish cultures as these cultures come into conflict with the emerging Christian faith, a faith which was persecuted, in part, because it had such a liberating effect on women. Malcom traces how this stands in contrast to what Western culture has done to women until, ironically, the arrival of radical feminism forced us to re-examine our thinking. Malcolm deals with the most difficult passages of St. Paul's teachings within their historical context in a convincingly low-key fashion. No strident, vituperative female, here. Just one whose book deserves to be read and re-read, especially Chapter Six, "Paul and Women." Incidentally, I'm male, raised and wed in mutuality. Both genders should read this book, if you desire the same in your cross-gender relationships

A lavish and engrossing presentation, this blends an oversized, large-print format with a peppering of color illustrations throughout and will appeal to both young adult and adult readers with its story of Jubee, a boy who discovers a way to go back in time and make a billion dollars in the stock market crash. His social consciousness kicks in and he decides to modify events for a better future in the process, but his experiences in the 1920s era introduce the challenges of living in the era and when his time machine is trashed, he faces the possibility of being stranded in the past. The lively, revealing tone of the story line enhanced by Toby Bluth's color drawings makes this an unusual and recommended title for all ages.

Enhanced with 58 color plates, fold-outs and illustrations by Toby Bluth (noted children's artist and Walt Disney animation art director), Malcolm Willits' The Wonderful Edison Time Machine is a delightful "coffee table artbook sized" novel in which four boys travel back through time to 1929 in an effort to prevent "Black Friday", the day the stock market crashed and precipitated the Great Depression. The story is original, loaded with cinematic references and humor, and evokes a sense of adventure in the capstone year of the Roaring Twenties. With its large print format, The Wonderful Edison Time Machine is highly recommended reading for readers young and old alike.

What would it have been like to be a child in 1929? In the Wonderful Edison Time Machine, Jubee, a youth of the 1990's, and his friends travel back to 1929 and experience all the good and bad that that tumultuous year has to offer. In some ways this book with it many beautiful, full color illustrations looks like a book for children. In fact the language and concepts are perfect for adults who would like to look back in time to see and experience important historical events through the eyes of a precocious child. The text of this fascinating journey through time is by Malcolm Willits, and it is beautifully illustrated by Toby Bluth who has done work for Disney.

This novel reminds a bit of Damascus by Richard Beard since they both tell the events of a single day with some play between real time and imagined time. But unlike Beard's novel which rockets back and forth between past and present reimagined and possible meetings between two specific characters, Mallon uses multiple characters who eventually all cross paths in one climactic moment as Scott Carpenter is being rescued from the ocean after his successful orbit of the Earth in Aurora 7. There are interesting and bizarre historical coincidences peppered throughout the novel like the Civil War reconnaissance balloon Intrepid that flew in May 1862, 100 years before a Navy ship similarly named that recovered Carpenter. I mostly enjoyed how Mallon used the actual transcript of Carpenter's communication with NASA technicians as a framework for the storyline the takes place on Earth. This novel is thoroughly imaginative and filled with a love of humanity, the need for adventure and, most importantly, a respect for the bonds between parent and child. I read this to see if I would truly like Mallon after reading reviews of Two Moons. Now I'm set for his latest and I expect it to be just as good, if not better.

What a great book! Aurora 7 follows a young boy as he skips school on the day of Scott Carpenter's Mercury flight, wanders into New York City (where everyone is watching the flight on a giant Grand Central Station monitor), and has a fateful, miraculous meeting with his dad. Somehow, Carpenter's almost getting lost in space (he nearly didn't make it down) and the boy's fate get intertwinned. A soulful, gentle book.

The bad luck charm is a hillarious read. I certainly enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of the TV show, And this book was just as good as the show. I loved it. For school I even wrote a full page book report about this book. I highly recomend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh.

This book is hilarious! I loved the part where Dewey was hitting himself on the head with a spoon singing the Banana Boat song. If you're a big fan of the show like I am, you'll love this book!

In these elegantly-written essays, the author's insights, based on his pastoral, personal, and educational ministries, are deeply felt and beautifully expressed. He explores the necessity of a Christ-centered community in these times of ease and anxiety. All who seek to live as part of a vibrant church will find his thoughts evocative and provocative.

As Warford writes: 'In our society, we tend to discredit the possibility of one truth being more important or more significant than another. We lean toward flattening all things, making everything equal, and in the end, we sometimes do not commit to anything that has real importance for us.'

The author offers guidance and encouragement to nurture individual churches as places of worship, service, and faith, and his inspiration should find its way into sermons, Sunday School lessons, and private meditations.

Malcolm Warford is a wonderful writer, who uses his many skills to delve deeply into the heart of the modern mainline churches, and to make constructive suggestions that are designed to help support changes in religious thought and practice in the 21st century. Warford's book of essays will be essential reading for anyone interested in the state of the contemporary church.

At first when I read this book I thought I would differ with the author due to our different political beliefs. However, I could not have been so wrong, Mr. Williams just explains that so many of todays youth want the easy way out and get rich quick by any means necessary. I agree with Armstrong that you have to understand the value of hard work in order to succeed legitimately in America, and just because we grew up poor and black is no excuse. The liberals of this country really hurt our community more than helping us by saying we as black turn to crime, because there are no alternatives. I grew up in a small city in Illinois, but I saw so many opportunities for myself to succeed and it did not come from wearing Tommy, Polo, DKNY or other top designer clothing. My success came from my knowledge through education, because education creates options not a life of fast living sell drugs.

Williams describes a "bad" young black man in Washington DC, who asked for help, and Armstrong wrote him insightful letters, giving ideal advice that, if followed, would "save" the young man and his posterity. I now greatly admire Williams and hope he can communicate his beliefs to many more "Brads" who need this help, who will change their lives for the better.

Yes, this book carries a hefty price tag and its paltry number of illustrations grates a bit on the nerves. But the content within the covers is absolutely amazing. Any serious fan of Bing will beg, borrow or possibly steal this tome because it's fasincating and detailed.

Do you want to know where Bing was or what he was doing on May 12, 1941? Easy, just flip to the entry for that date. The littlest bit of trivia is included and it makes for sometimes amusing reading. Bing caught four fish on this date in 1956, he played 36 holes of golf at the Bel Air Country Club on this date in 1942... it's all here. It's incredible to realize how multi-faceted Bing was and what a full life he led, truly something to be envied.

Rounding out the book is a complete discography and an index which is complete and easy to follow. This is a "must have" for anyone seriously interested in the career of this laid-back, phlegmatic legend. I highly recommend this beautiful volume.

Without a doubt, this is the most comprehensive look at Bing Crosby's activities, literally on a "day by day" basis from his birth in 1903 to his death in 1977, that has ever been published. Malcolm Macfarlane, in what obviously was a labor of love, has painstakingly uncovered every bit of information on Bing's life that he could find. His attention to detail is
impeccable.

To enhance the coverage of Bing's films, radio/TV, and stage performances, Malcolm utilizes countless reviews and press cuttings from various publications. The "show biz Bible", VARIETY, is often quoted, providing a time capsule effect to Bing's life and times. These reviews are, in essence, the history of show business for over half a century, further adding to the appeal of the book.

Indeed this is a book not only devoted (and casual) fans of Bing will treasure, but also those doing research on virtually any other performer of his era. Bing's path crossed with most of them, a fact proven by the extraordinarily detailed index.

Malcolm has also provided the reader with a "fact file", citing milestones of Bing's life. His forty top hit recordings, gold records, feature films, careers in radio and TV are all covered in a general manner. A discography is also provided, listing only the song titles and dates recorded, from 1926-77. Rejected and alternate takes have been omitted.

The only minor disappointment, and it entirely rests with the publisher, is the lack of illustrations to accompany the entries. As it stands, Scarecrow Press devoted a mere 16 pages out of over 800 total to photos. But don't let that deter you from purchasing this fabulous book.

To be sure, this is a book the whole family can enjoy. I, for one, found it amusing to look up milestone dates in members of my family's lives, to see what activities Bing was involved with on those days.

The book carries with it a rather hefty price tag, but make no fuss about it, you're getting a lot for your money.

The Complete Guide to the Music of Bon Jovi is an awesome book to read if you are a big fan. This book tells about their songs beginning with their first album Bon Jovi and going through the album These Days. Each song has it's own description of what it's about, where the idea came from to write it, and from who. If that isn't awesome enough, there are several photos of the band doing photo shoots and playing in concerts. This is definitely a book worth owning if you love Bon Jovi.

Not so long ago, I made a trip in Bon Jovi's world... It was a friday night, strange and unbelieveble night. I have been sat on my bed, and looked up to the cover of this book... My favorite band. I opened it, and have been discovered the other side of the simple blue pic, with five guys, figured on the cover... An unknown story appeared in all those interview's parts, since the begining up till 1996. Each tiny paragraphs was a part of memories related by the band's members. A cute diary that brought me in the Bon Jovi's reality... I can't remember when I was turned the last page and closed the book, but I know that when the sun has been woken me, the book was close to me, my hand still on it, and a song has been lodged in my head. I guess it was I sleep when I'm dead... But maybe it was just a dream:) A kind of trip, on the other half of the sky... Hope you'll enjoy it as I was...

This book makes you want to run right out and cut a bundle of something to dry so you can make something gorgeous right away.

The fact that this book was first published in 1987 and is still being printed is testimony to the valuable information and beautiful photos contained inside.

When the two authors first penned this book, they had already been in the dried flower business for 17 years. Their expertise and understanding of their craft shows in every word they write.

Chapters include instructions for growing the plants, viewing what the plants look like when dried, choosing your wreath bases or making your own, constructing wreaths, hangings, bouquets, swags, and choosing containers for table arrangements.

One of the best features of this book is the chart at the back of the book that lists a hundred or more plants, their botanic names, which season to harvest the flowers or leaves and which drying method is the preferred for that plant.

There is a short reference to potpourri with several recipes, as well as a couple of pages on pressing flowers.

The section on Seasons and Special Occasions covers, not only the obligatory Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but gives innovative ideas for weddings.

It is wonderful that the authors actually grow much of what they dry and that they air dry most of what they pick.

Every page has a tip or set of instructions to make your arrangements with dried flowers both successful and fun.

I purchased this book 12 years ago when I developed an interest in making arrangements from dried flowers. Since then I have bought many more books on the topic and have made hundreds of arrangements, simple to elaborate. This is still my favorite book, and I refer to it often. Despite the fact that it was published in 1987, it is not dated. The section identifying dried flowers is comprehensive and well organized, as is the chapter on choosing containers. The instructions for making arrangements, wreaths, swags and specialty pieces are thorough and easy to follow. The floral arrangements are truly inspiring. The concepts are easily adaptable to silk, paper and fresh flowers.