These books are a wonderful guide to how this life relates to the next and how God directs all life. They answer questions about why bad things happen, the purpose of life, and order in the universe, in a philosophical way that is practical and easy to understand. If you are looking for something deeper than scientific answers, I highly recommend Divine Love and Wisdom and Divine Providence!

Like the other volumes in this unique series of works written in and about the state of Oregon, this collection of stories is excellent. Representing the long history of the area from before the arrival of Europeans (Astoria is the oldest US settlement west of the Mississippi) to contemporary times, the work selected provides a clear window to the diverse people, landscapes and experiences of the state.

These stories are a lively read, from Molly Gloss's disturbing "The Doe" (a nod to Oregon poet William Stafford's poem "Traveling in the Dark") to humorous and historical works of fiction.

This is a handsomely produced collection for story lovers or those curious about the NW.

I loved this book. The stories were great and reminded me of my family. I keep it on my bedside table, and I pick it up and reread favorite stories. I always find them inspiring.

I was visiting the United States from overseas, and was given this book as a present. Until I read these stories, and stayed with a loving family who have since become my friends, my image of the United States was formed from images of violence on CNN, the TV show "Beverly Hills 90210" , and "The Jerry Springer Show." In short, I thought Americans were amoral, violent, and total exhibitionist. My parents were actually reluctant to have me visit the States because of these images. However, reading the diverse stories from so many American voices, and meeting my American friends, I know the United States has more wonderful, caring people who honor friendship and family, who are as shocked at the violence in their country as I am, who are striving to make life better not only for themselves and their families, but for others. My advice to anyone who wants to know Americans apart from Jerry Springer should read Family. This is more representative of the Americans I know and love than the wooden, amoral stick figures we see on TV, and the microcosm of violence we are fed in sound bites on CNN.

I enjoyed every story written in distinct voices, from diverse points of view. I especially loved "The End of the Rainbow", a young girl's loving tribute to her grandmother. The story flooded my memory with images of my own grandma, and I wish I had had the opportunity to pay her such a tribute. Other particularly moving tales were "Libby, the Christmas Angel", a doctor's remembrance of a brave, little patient he viewed as a member of his family, and "A Plateful of Mortal Sins", the ruminations of a "former Catholic Schoolgirl" which had me laughing out-loud.

This book is full of good ideas, even for parents who think they know how to handle children. What I really like about this book is that it emphasizes morals and character and how to keep our children listening to us so they will stick with the morals and character we teach them.

Even though the reasons should sometimes be obvious to us adults, this book tells why children respond in the ways they do. It's an eye opener from a doctor who speaks from experience dealing with his own children and his patients.

This is one of those books that I have highlighted all over the place and one of those that I will refer to time and time again. Thank you, Dr. Griffin for a very helpful book.

Dr. Griffin has hit the nail on the head with this book. His practical, realistic advice gives hope that the family can be a happy, loving group of people. That the home can be a refuge from the world, not a place of contention and anger. That parents and children can develop lasting and loving relationships. Thank you for your wonderful book.

"Shortest Stories of Love and Death" is one title that cannot be seen without being examined. Whatis actually inside is less scintillating, while still being a moderately entertaining read and a very good idea.

The contents have short stories, written in fewer than 55 lines and written on the subject of love, death, or both. This "prose haiku" is known as a drabble, a story of under one hundred words, and is sometimes effective in evocating certain ideas.

A lot of the stories are quite amusing, like the bizarre "Bon Appetit," wry "Fire Next Time," wink-nod drabble "Gertrude's Soliquoy" for fans of Shakespeare, wryly dark "Plan B," and the hilarious "To Air is Human." But, in a collection of many people's stories, there are also the too-weird-to-be-amusing, the grisly, and sometimes the plain dumb. "Denial on his Lips" was something I simply did not understand. "Type-A Personality" was apparently supposed to be funny, but wasn't; likewise with "Top Bananas and Rotten Apples."

Like all short story collections written by many people, this is a very mixed bag with the good and the bad intermingled. Nevertheless, if readers are in the mood for some very brief reading, they might enjoy this.

This is a follow-up to the remarkable "The World's Shortest Stories." Each of these stories must contain 55 words or fewer, and the editors have rules that supposedly ensure that this 55 rule is obeyed. I don't think, however, that misspellings such as "alright," not being a word, should be allowed -- or they should be edited to the proper two words and the story revised by the author. As a writer, I can truly appreciate the craft of brevity. And as an editor I can appreciate the discipline when the story is told within sentence structure (some are NOT -- they cheat). Some of these are startling. Some I quite frankly don't "get." Some are a kind of prose haiku. Some have a lot of subtlety, saying things without saying them. This would make a good book for writing students, to get ideas about structure and brevity and learn how to think "outside the box" of writing. I read almost all of them at least twice. It's a keeper.

It's hard to imagine that a good story could be written with 55 words or less, but the fact is that it is, indeed, possible. These are not essays or poems, they are real stories with all of the following: a setting, at least one character, a conflict, and a resolution. It's incredible to read how creative some people can be with such a restriction on the number of words that are allowed in these stories. Well worth the read! At the end of the book, the publishers challenge the readers to write their own 55 word story and submit it for publication in their next book (which was how this book came about...from a challenge to the readers of the first "55" book!) The rules for this contest are also included (what constitutes a word, where to send your story, etc) This is a wickedly fun book (I say "wickedly fun" since so many of the stories deal with a twisted murder plot or some strange love relationship) that I highly recommend!!

Though Anderson has been documented as having inconsistant, shakey work, Winesburg stands alone as his best work. Winesburg was a contriversal and unique 80 years ago as it is today among the great colleges of America. (Winesburg is required reading for many of the great colleges i.e. Evergreen, Reed)Using short stories to illustrate the suffering and pleight of the towns citizens, Anderson raises questions over morality, family, gender, and sexuality. Though the book would seem to be a textbook case of 'Americana' and the joys of living in a small, rural town, Anderson illustrates the bizzare and dark world of American towns at the turn of the century. Every citizen has skeletons in their closets and everyone has fears, passions, and insanity running through their blood.

There are many interesting ways to interperate Anderson's landmark work. While there have been many cases of the book being used in Harvard as examples of American literature of the turn of the century, colleges such as Evergreen have used it to inquire into the sexuality and gender issues that we face today, and the development of the American psyche.

Anderson's book will read like a book of his time, so if you are looking for a book the dictates American history from an Ivory tower 50 years from the future, this is not it. This is first hand history, and first rate literature. This is a complex, exciting, and disturbing look into the American midwest.

A cycle of short stories concerning residents of a small Ohio town in the 1890s. The characters don't feel in any way part of life in the town around them. They don't get what they want and they don't know what they want. They're isolated and disconnected by their inability to express themselves.

In "Sophistication," the second-to-last story, 18-year-old George Willard, the town's newspaper reporter, gets a vision of why it's so difficult for people to get hold of something to live their lives by:

"He knows that in spite of all the stout talk of his fellows he must live and die in uncertainty, a thing blown by the winds, a thing destined like corn to wilt in the sun."

It's a sad book, but with an undercurrent of hope for life in the modern world.

I should also mention that the book was considered morbidly sexual at the time it was published, if you're the type who likes that sort of thing...

My father gave me this book when I was thirteen or fourteen and said it was one of his favorites, maybe his very favorite fictional piece. I read it then and actually liked it, although I realize now that probably half of it went over my head. I read it now and am blown away by the emotion it brings out in me. This book is, as many people have insisted, a set of character sketches, loosely intertwined and collected by George Willard, the young reporter of Winesburg. Each story, taken on its own, is a powerful piece of descriptive writing. Perhaps (as some have said) the book is outdated, a period piece. Perhaps it's a bit sentimental, a bit flippant. But the fact remains that, whether or not these stories show the inner workings of the human soul, they are fiction at its best: beautifully written, they make you think, and they evoke true emotion because the characters and their struggles are so real. Read these stories to see good fiction at work.

This book handles the psychology aspect of the Sopranos which I find the most complelling. It highlights why the psychology in the Sopranos is more realistic than anything seen before and elevates the series to a higher level. There are many shows and movies about Italian-American mobsters. This one is very special and rises above most. The show has its own style and consciousness. Psychology of the Sopranos highlights that style and enlightens us furthur.

Like most Sopranos fans, I don't start Monday morning at work until my colleagues and I have thoroughly analyzed the episode of the night before. We all have some psych in our background and the discussions are lively and, not surprisingly, clearly include individual projection. Now, an insightful book by a psychoanalyst! Pinch me! This is one of the panel of psychoanalysts who critiques and analyzes on "Slate" after each episode. He provides understanding to story lines and characters that were previously debatable; that is, if you accept that his analysis is the final word! And you may not always.

Why didn't Tony "get" the rapist? Now I know. Why are we all so drawn to this series? Writing is great, sure, but the reasons are much more complex and personal. The relationships are examined and illuminated. Lines and images I've forgotten are brought back, and with clarification. Subtle inclusion of references to classic movies and literature in the lines or settings are examined. Our fascination with Tony is explained in context to what we struggle with personally daily. I now have a logical understanding of why I like this obviously psychopatic killer mobster!

My friends and I have a ritual of providing the best line of the night and we rarely mimic each other. The lines brought back in the book left a smile on my face. Some that I missed or forgot about were hilarious, and I even underlined passages.

This book was a gift from a fellow "Sorpranoette," Courtney Conlin. It fascinated and captivated me. If you are a Sorpranos fan, and especially if you are into analyzing the plots and characters, if you have unanswered questions, if you strive to learn more about human motivations, and most of all your own, you will not be able to put this book down!

Mafia don Soprano and his associates have captured more than 11 million viewers in the HBO TV hit series; but what makes the series so fascinating ' especially to psychoanalysts? The Psychology Of Sopranos provides an intriguing survey of the characters and attractions of the series, using the gangster family as a foundation for analyzing the American psyche and its fascination with death.

I've always been keenly interested in reading about a man's first time and how he deals with safe sex, particularly a "straight" man's first time with another man. This book has compiled a nice collection of guidelines that address just that topic. The topics range from the romantic and sweet to the extremely erotic. It's a page turner, and you'll probably read it from cover to cover in only two sittings, and, dispite being a little "rehashed," it's good, clean, dirty, fun.