A well-presented book; and most interesting details of the artist's life an times. Slight disappointment in the plates - not all in colour and not full-page size. It is however, an extensive look at the artist and his work, I believe worth owning if you are interested in the genre. Not so interested myself in the sculpture side of his work and the small black and white photos of same do not show from all angles, but in general a good purchase.

Carrying on from "Good Luck Arizona Man", Benedict takes us on another ramble through a West that's filled with crazy characters, humor, action, and poetry (but not in a girly way). This is another one to share with your children and friends, truly delightful. The real West may never have been like this, but this is the way I wish it (still) was.

David Reck's "Music of the Whole Earth" remains one of the great staples for learning about how and why the world's peoples make music. Originally published in the 1970's, Da Capo Press has now intelligently elected to reprint this gem. Richly accompanied by Carol Reck's photographs, "Music of the Whole Earth" may at first appear to be a coffee table book. Don't let this style (in pictures and prose) fool you. There is a tremendous quantity of meat here. In fact, I highly suggest this text for required adoption on the undergraduate General Education university level. Be advised: if you are an instructor, there are no safety nets; you must know your music culture areas. David Reck will not help you with the grand world tour: he starts with musical universals and moves to worldwide examples. You must be prepared to fill in the gaps of cultural relativity. However, students may well love the lack of stuffy syntax and the inclusion of ecstatic prose. Just one caveat: this text is not without mistakes and even a few errors. Be on guard for 'golly gee, it's just wonderful' descriptions, and the tendency to infer that there are more musical universals than we have a right to take for granted. Overall, this is an A+ classic for learning about the elements of music as they are practised on our shrinking globe.dw

But seriously folks, this is the MOTHER of nuclear chemical engineering novelas! If you plan on reading this book be prepared to BUCKLE UP because you're going for a RIDE. A ride to Nuclear Chemical Engineering LAND! Huzzah! What have we here? Some atoms? Some CHEMICALS? Prehaps this CHEMICAL SOUP ISN'T SO BAD AFTER ALL! BOKKO!

This volume of Plutarch's Moralia describes the legend and cult of Isis and Osiris, as referred to by my book Vampires or Gods? It is a very interesting look at a major cult during the late imperial period of the Roman Empire. - William Meyers

If possible, this book is even better than the other two in the series (IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD and PRAYING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD). Fr. Groeschel has an opening chapter of advice on "structuring" a holy hour with the Blessed Sacrament, and it alone is worth the price of the book. Then follow the inspiring quotations from a variety of saints, blesseds, venerables and servants of God that run the gamut from profound to beautifully simple, long to short, mind-boggling to down-to-earth. A beautiful vade mecum for those times when we want to be "alone with the Lord."

If your on a spiritual quest, this book could be a God-send. It touches on the BASIC principles of the rule of St.Benedict. "That everything we do in life offers a chance to sing God's praises" is Benedictine spiritually in a nutshell. In the Benedictine attitude there are no nonreligious domains. There are no unholy and holy places, there are no unholy and holy times and activities. EVERYTHING needs to be regarded as holy, EVERYTHING is an object for sanctification. Whether were mopping the floor or cleaning the altar linens in church, we should approach things in the same manner - what a beautiful concept. The thing that attracts me most about Benedictine spiritually is that it is not mysterious, esoteric or unachieveable. It relates entirely with "living in this world"!
If this appeals to you - living like a monk in the real world - this book will serve as a place to "test the waters" before diving in(only 88 pages)and pursuing it more in depth.

This volume from Ampleforth Abbey Press provides Morning, Evening and Night Prayers in a very simplified form as an introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours. It provides a serious of traditional prayers, stations of the cross, rosary, commendation of the dying, hymns in Latin and English etc.

Morning prayer follows a two week cycle and consists of a prayer, a psalm, a Scriptural reading, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and a concluding prayer. Evening prayer follows a one week cycle in the same pattern. Night prayer is unvarying - a prayer, a psalm, a reading, the Nunc Dimittis a concluding prayer and blessing with an optional antiphon to Mary.

An interesting touch is that each page has, in the position of a footnot, a proverb or statment for reflection.

This volume is exceptionally well printed and easy to use. It serves as an excellent starting point for praying of the psalms and Scripture.

This short and brief book gives a cursory look at the life and times of St. Sharbel. The chapters are very short (some are only a page long or so) but are very inspirational. The writing level and style is far from sophistocated and academic, and is very digestable. A good resource for those interested in the Maronite Rite Catholic Church and our saints.

This is the first book that I've read by Ms. Benedict and I can honestly say that the cover attracted me to it. The story did sound intriguing however. It is a narrative/memoir of Sophy Chase's search for answers, in both the cause of her almost ex-husband's death, and the search for the truth to her own life.

Sophy is a struggling writer who has left her husband Will, a CIA agent. She has a new boyfriend/lover named Daniel but it becomes painfully obvious that their relationship is simply a physical one. There doesn't seem to be much love between them. She is with Daniel when she gets a call that Will is dead. She is on the next flight to Swansea to confront her past and figure out her future.

On the island there is a mix of characters, an ex-lover who is a famous lawyer, his wife, Sophy's step-daughters and Will's ex-wife just to name a few. Everyone is waiting to hear the report of Will's death, which was possibly suicide, and Sophy carries an enormous amount of guilt around with her.

Throughout all of this, there is much foreshadowing and many subplots. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough answers. I don't have to have everything clued up at the end of a book but this one had too many loose ends. It's a comedy of errors. I liked the suspense angle of the story, but again, not enough was adequately revealed.

The writing was well done and the characterization was excellent but the story just didn't hold up for me.

This book grabbed me from the first sentence and I loved it. The story of Sophy Chase and her almost husband takes you to Swansea, her twin stepdaughters, the first wife, and the sharply written summer (versus all year round) island life. You also get the story of her almost-boyfriend and her almost status as a stepmother to 4 adopted children, with the sharpest focus on Vicky who disappears for a few days during a particularly difficult time in Sophy's life. It might sound complicated, but it works. This is great read, it may be a fast read, but Elizabeth Benedict's characters stay with you. I am so glad I found this book!

As an avid reader, it is embarrassing to admit when I've bought a book at the simple prompt of a beautiful cover at a well-placed exit, but that's exactly what Ms. Benedict's book and a bookstore combined to do. I thought from the first page that I would enjoy the change of pace of a more directly sexual main character, and I was right. (As an aside, I had been reading far too many classics lately.) From start to finish, this is a great read. At times the author depends a bit too much on foreshadowing, but I have come to think that may have been exactly as she intended, for her main character is an author who ghost writes celebrity tell-alls, which are notorious for using old tricks as page-turners. All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story. It is a beautiful look at a complicated life caught during an extraordinarily complicated time. If you enjoy reading about real people and real lives, this is a great summer read. If you'd rather read a romanticized view of marriage and relationships, this is probably not your style. For me, it was well worth the price of admission, and I'm 'almost' sure you'd like it too. :)