"Then I quit the world, and withdrew into these mountains/ as I could lose my self and see the world/ with clear and simple eyes" (p. 21). These 98 poems were written by a mountain recluse, Judevine Mountain. According to the book jacket, David Budbill discovered the hermit living in the woods behind his house. These poems gaze inward, into the "sweet Zen emptiness" (p. 100) of the "almost sixty"-year-old poet's reclusive life. (It is no coincidence that Budbill was born in 1940 and is a poet also.) He calls his life "a vessel of silence" (p. 5) that allows him "room for thoughts to wander" (p. 17). He writes: I have known a solitude and stillness so profound/ that my own breath/ is the only evidence there is any life around" (p. 15).

These poems cannot avoid comparison to the 1200-year old songs of reclusive-poet, Han Shan (better known as "Cold Mountain). Cold Mountain was a true hermit and genuine sage. Bill Porter (a.k.a. "Red Pine") is the most recent translator of Cold Mountain. He likens hermit poets to "a mountain stream that brings fresh water down into town" (Tricycle, Winter 2000). In our "age of frantic travel" (p. 11), "a time of get and spend" (p. 92) for those "who yammer about money all the time" (p. 33), Judevine Mountain's wise poems have much to offer. "Struggle is what it means to be alive and free" (p. 37). "The end of life is in the mirror" (p. 59). "Be glad with just a cup of tea,/ a bird's song,/ a small book of plain poems, and your anonymity" (p. 47).

This collection raises the question of whether Judevine Mountain really "quit the world," as he claims, to live the solitary life of a true recluse, for he remains connected to the outside world through the telephone (pp. 51, 88), "health-insurance premiums, property taxes and car-repair bills" (p. 27). While it may not be the work of a true solitary, this "small book of plain poems" is insightful, rewarding, and at times even humorous. If this collection leaves you wanting more, then wander further upstream to Red Pine's COLLECTED SONGS OF COLD MOUNTAIN (2000).

G. Merritt

David Budbill has given us an essential book...poems that make us laugh and teach us of the humility of everyday living. Like Zen poet Han Shan, Budbill writes as a "crazy cloud," Zen mountain poet who celebrates the commonplace. The book moves through seven sections, from laughter to senses to sensibility, a clear and barebones book of poems that really matter.

There's not much comparable between Judevine, maybe Budbill's best known work, and Moment to Moment except for their quality. Although Budbill speaks with similar clarity and simplicity, his subject matter changes from the voices and stories of Judevine to David and the hermit poet's more interspective thoughts. His voice remains strong yet sensitive and his ideas remain original.

If enthusiasm is any measure this book should be a great success. Archibald brings a sense of immediacy to the subject of dinosaur extinction that transcends the academic nature of much of the material he presents. Anyone interested in the extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous will find a wealth of material regarding the fossil evidence here. The book serves as a counterbalance to the popular vision of the dinosaurs vanishing in a meteorite-induced cataclysm, and gives us an entirely different view of the lethal events that these giants might have faced. Unfortunately, the book also has some serious flaws. Despite his zeal for the subject, Archibald is not a good storyteller, and his attention meanders erratically, making for a difficult read. More serious for this reader was a persistent impression that in trying to slay the dragons of meteorite-impact extinction theories Archibald has lost objectivity and bends interpretations to support his ideas even if the evidence is tenuous. He has an irritating habit of building up an argument (usually against some line supporting extinction caused by meteorite impact) and then adding a few lines describing serious contrary evidence at the end, and admitting that maybe his original argument was not correct. The information he offers seems to suggest that extinction of the dinosaurs was gradual, but there are enough examples of bias and typical persuasive sales techniques in the book to prevent me from trusting the author. He is too much a partisan, and it shows in the exaggerated statements that are found throughout the book. His assessment that meteorite impact effects would be equally devastating for all terrestrial forms of life is far to simplistic for serious consideration, and his assertion that the mobile dinosaurs would suffer preferentially from habitat segmentation is unconvincing. I would recommend this book for the information and the ideas it presents and as a good survey of current thought among paleontologists concerning Cretaceous extinctions.

I think that this book is important to any discussion of dinosaur extinction and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, because of the breadth of fossil information the author uses to evaluate the possible causes of the extinctions that mark this era. An important feature is the discussion of the limits of the data available from the fossil record.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I did not find it a particularly easy read. This is probably due to the author trying to present a complex picture while maintaining scientific rigour and without injecting unstated opinion. Robert Bakker or Steven Jay Gould may be easier to read, but they are trying to sell a particular view in each of thier writings. Dr. Archibald states his opinions clearly, but bends over backwards to fairly present alternative theories.

I give it high ratings for content, but the dry, technical style may put off some readers.

The best book on the market concerning the fossil record at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) Boundary! In this excellently written book, Archibald clearly points out the misconceptions, myths and truths concerning the K/T extinction, and though the book is technical in nature, it is the technical aspects of the fossil record that are typically overlooked by other books and articles promoting the asteroid that "killed the dinosaurs." The fossil record needs to be looked at - critically. And Archibald excels in that. Moreover, he approaches the subject with an open mind. If conclusions can't be made from the evidence, he doesn't make them. That cannot be said of others who support the impact theory without considering what the fossil record actually "says" about the extinction. If one seriously considers Archibald's arguments, one has no choice but to question the validity of the impact as a "selective" killer at the end of the Cretaceous. This book is a must read for those who think the riddle has been solved. It hasn't.

David Goldberg's "Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s" for "The American Moment" series is a hybrid: part-college textbook and part-historical interpretation. While Goldberg's book presents his readers with an introduction of the discontented during the 1920s, because of its specialization, it also serves as an original historical inquiry.

Goldberg emphasis is to illustrate the disillusionment that was a direct result of the war. According to Goldberg, the discontent of the twenties was largely due to the early ending of World War I. Goldberg coverage includes: post-war foreign policy, decline of labor, red scare, African Americans, rise of second KKK, anti-immigration policies and the presidential election of 1928. While these areas of discontentment were largely a direct result of the war, there were other areas not addressed in his book.

Goldberg offers a selective picture, but it is not the entire picture. Areas not covered include: (1) the plight of the American farmer, (2) rural and small town discontentment against the larger more industrial cities, (3) conflict between modernist/liberals verse the conservatives/fundamentalist movements, (4) discontent between the generations and the emergence of a youth culture, (5) coverage of sentiment shared by many Americans of the enormous loss of life resulting from the war and the influenza outbreak and its influences on the brief return in the Spiritualist movements and finally, (6) returning veterans with their disillusionment towards the war, government in general, foreign policy and their eventual support of the isolationist movements in the thirties and early forties. Topics absolutely vital for understanding America's post WWI disillusionments.

Wonderfully written story because I couldn't stand Annie Burns!
Five years ago Annie's best friend appeared, in labor, and begged Annie to take her baby and never, ever tell her ex-husband about the child. She filled Annie so full of fears about her ex that Annie willingly agreed.

Annie runs a B&B and is pushed by her little red-headed daughter's questions about mommies that she decided to go ahead with a legal adoption.

Through the legal contact, Grayston Powers learns that he has a child. He shows up and immediately knows that Bella is his daughter. He does all he can to spend time with Bella without upsetting her.

Annie is the one who goes overboard and lives in constant fear of Gray taking Bella away from her. She constantly feeds her fear and distrust of Gray even when she later finds out that her friend had a lot of problems.

The attraction between the two of them is explosive but neither can recognize love when it grips them. But for the sake of Bella they decide to marry - ah well, so the trouble brews.

Excellent story - Annie becomes tiresome - Bella is delightful - Grey is ?? -- Maggie, twice divorced, sure must have made some doozy of mistakes - Annie, divorced -- Gray, divorced ------- we sure start out with a bunch of losers! It happens I guess!

Will definitely recommend -- finally a good ending. You must decide.

This is an excellent book for lazy afternoons devoted to daydreaming. Every illustration is a wonderful "what if...?" scenario depicting an architectural acievement gone awry. Macaulay also has a particular love for dreaming up very peculiar applications of vinyl siding- that part does get a little tedious, but this book is definitely worth a look. When I first looked at this book several years ago, I was too young to get many of the jokes, but I just pulled it out again today- what a great surprise!

I always find the author's work entertaining and informative. True, while Great Moments in Architecture is not as factual as some of his works, the sketches are beguiling, and the humor strikes a particularly concordant note with individuals involved in architectural careers.

Buy it and get a good chuckle out of it!

I came upon this book in my search for history of architecture in general. Though I expected something entirely different, I was immediately caught in the book's charm. The illustrations are clever and their sarcasm unbeatable. A book to look at, time and time again.

Bad. Totally non-biblical in every way. Teaches those who manipulate to do it more effectively. Very disappointing.